Graham Abbey News

The Front Page, one of the great satires about the world of journalism, hits the stage in Stratford today, under the direction of Festival veteran Graham Abbey. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and newly adapted by Canadian playwright Michael Healey, this comedy-drama is now in previews at the Festival Theatre and will officially open on Thursday, August 15.

Opening week at the Stratford Festival came to a close on Saturday evening with director Antoni Cimolino's production of Shakespeare's THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. Reimagined to take place in the early 1950's, this production is outrageously funny, with charming and distinctive performances by all involved.

The Stratford Festival kicks off its 67th season on Monday with the gala opening of Shakespeare's Othello, followed by five more openings as the week unfolds: Billy Elliot the Musical, Henry VIII, Private Lives, Little Shop of Horrorsand The Merry Wives of Windsor. Artistic

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino brings Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor close to home with a joyous production set in a small town not unlike Stratford, Ontario, in 1953, the year the Festival began.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced key casting for the 2019 season, including Michael Blake as Othello and Amelia Sargisson as Desdemona in the season opener, Othello, one of Shakespeare's greatest and best-known tragedies.

The Stratford Festival is amending its 2019 playbill to include the 20th-century classic The Front Page, one of the great satires about the world of journalism, by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino is pleased to announce the playbill for the 2019 season. Featuring 12 productions, it's built around a theme of Breaking Boundaries, which will also be explored through more than 150 thought-provoking and entertaining events at the Forum.

Over the years, I have had a variety of different thoughts as I walked out of a theatre at the Stratford Festival having just watched a Shakespearean production. I often reflect on how the show made me feel, or the incredible performances I just witnessed, or the creative ways the director made the production his or her own. All of those thoughts certainly crept into my mind in the hours following the opening performance of CORIOLANUS, but Friday night was the first time that I exited the theatre after seeing one of Shakespeare's works where the very first thought that crossed my mind was 'That. Was. Cool.' The second thought that crossed my mind was 'Had the Tom Patterson Theatre been available, would this production have been at the Avon?' If the answer is 'no', then thank goodness for construction because the Avon Theatre is exactly where this production needed to be and Robert Lepage is exactly the person who needed to direct it. Again…That. Was. Cool.

Robert Lepage makes a thrilling Stratford Festival debut with Shakespeare's Coriolanus, featuring Andre Sills in the title role. Created in collaboration with Ex Machina, the production begins previews this Saturday, June 9, at the Avon Theatre, and runs until October 20, marking its official opening on June 22.

Martha Henry stars as Prospero in Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino's production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Previews are now underway at the Festival Theatre and the production opens the 2018 season on Monday, May 28.

Robert Lepage will make his Stratford debut directing Coriolanus, featuring Andre Sills in the title role. A veteran of the Birmingham Conservatory and four seasons at Stratford, Mr. Sills has been at the Shaw Festival most recently, with leading roles in 'Master Harold'... and the Boys and An Octoroon. The production will also feature Graham Abbey as Tullus Aufidius, Michael Blake as Cominuis, Tom McCamus as Menenius Agrippa, Stephen Ouimette as Junius Brutus, Lucy Peacock as Volumnia and Tom Rooney as Sicinius Velutus.

April is Shakespeare month! Marking both his birthday and passing on April 23rd, BroadwayHD, the premiere streaming platform for live theater, is highlighting its definitive collection of Shakespeare's productions.

I'll start by saying that LEAR was one of the most powerful theatrical experiences I've ever had. Led by a cast of Shakespeare professionals, with vast Stratford Festival experience, Groundling Theatre's production is a polished, compelling piece of theatre. Dropping 'King' from the title, LEAR explores the play with a female in power - entrapping us with the familiarity of a female monarch. Every aspect of Graham Abbey's production, designed by Peter Hartwell, serves a contemporary emphasis, seducing a modern audience to deeply feel and deeply connect with the humanity that can often feel very distant in Shakespearean drama.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino just announced key casting for the 2018 season of the Stratford Festival, including Seana McKenna as Julius Caesar, Andr Sills as Coriolanus, and Daren A. Herbert as Harold Hill, the 'Music Man.'

Graham Abbey, Groundling Theatre Company's founder and artistic director, today announced the theatre company's next production is William Shakespeare's LEAR, starring Seana McKenna in the title role.