Robert Markus News

Today the Stratford Festival is welcoming audiences back to its iconic Festival Theatre with the first performance of the great Kander and Ebb musical Chicago.

February marks a new beginning at the Stratford Festival with members of the 2022 acting company set to start rehearsals. Over the coming months, these dynamic artists will immerse themselves in 10 extraordinary productions and lead the Festival into the post-pandemic future.

New year, new digital series! Patrons can provide vital support to the theatre industry and enjoy top-notch entertainment from the comfort of their homes with Drayton Entertainment's brand-new digital streaming series, Backstage Pass.

Productions from the Stratford Festival’s 2021 season begin streaming this Thursday, September 2, with a ticketed viewing party of selections from Why We Tell the Story: A Celebration of Black Musical Theatre on Stratfest@Home, the Festival’s streaming platform. It will feature a live chat for all those virtually attending at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Eclipse Theatre Company and Straighten Your Crown Productions have announced the upcoming live in concert presentation of CALL IT LOVE, a new musical written by ETC Artistic Producer, Chilina Kennedy, and Eric Holmes. CALL IT LOVE will run September 3-12, 2021 at the Stratford Perth Museum (4275 Huron St, Stratford, ON).

The fresh new PLAY ON! Cabaret at the Stratford Festival offers an impressive celebration of what popular music pulls from Shakespeare, what Shakespeare has to say about music, and what themes are frequently explored in both. Described as a “Shakespeare-inspired Mixtape,” this 90 minute cabaret produces diversified covers of songs by artists like Taylor Swift, Prince, and Rush while skillfully weaving in some of Shakespeare’s most celebrated words. Between the excellent music selections and arrangements, beautiful words, and tremendous performances from all four singers, The Festival Theatre Canopy has become home to a bonafide rock concert with the bard. 

Curated by Robert Markus, Julia Nish-Lapidus and James Wallis, and directed by Julia Nish-Lapidus and James Wallis, the performance features Gabriel Antonacci, Jacob MacInnis, Jennifer Rider-Shaw, and Kaitlyn Santa Juana.

This exquisite cabaret delves deep into the catalogue of African American Musical Theatre and not only poses the titular question of WHY WE TELL THE STORY but also leaves audiences wondering why theatres haven’t been telling these stories nearly enough.

This update of the sold-out 2019 Meighen Forum concert, takes you on a journey with the voices of legendary Black poets and the music of the African-American musical theatre canon, including hits from Aida, Ain't Misbehavin', Caroline, or Change, The Color Purple, Hamilton, The Lion King, Once On This Island, Showboat and many more.

The Stratford Festival will mark the start of the 2021 season on July 13, the 68th anniversary of the very first performance held under a tent back in 1953, and the official opening of the year's first show, Why We Tell the Story: A Celebration of Black Musical Theatre.

The Ontario government has issued its guidance for attendance at outdoor performing arts events, paving the way for the opening of the Stratford Festival’s 2021 season. According to these guidelines, the Stratford Festival will be able to accommodate 100 people (or 25% capacity) in each of its new outdoor canopies.

The Stratford Festival is continuing to expand its online offerings as it marks the first anniversary of its Thursday night viewing parties this week with an encore screening of King Lear, and with a specially curated selection of theatrical content newly added to Stratfest@Home, the Festival’s $10-a-month streaming service.

The Stratford Festival is transforming, for this summer, into an outdoor festival offering a season of six plays and five cabarets reflecting on the theme of Metamorphosis, with performances held under beautiful canopies that will hark back to the Festival’s founding under a tent in 1953.

As winter descends and the pandemic continues, the Stratford Festival offers up some heartwarming new content to entertain and inspire as we await the days when we will be able to gather in theatres again.

The Stratford Festival’s popular Thursday night free viewing parties resume this week with an entertaining variety of offerings, including new and legacy films and all new original content safely created during the pandemic – adding to the rich mine of theatrical content available on Stratfest@Home, the Festival’s $10-a-month streaming service.

Academy Award-winner Christopher Plummer is the focus of the Stratford Festival's next two Thursday night viewing parties, with two remarkable performances and two exclusive new pre-show interviews – all being added this month to Stratfest@Home, the Festival's new subscription streaming service.

The Stratford Festival is following up on the success of its recent Shakespeare Film Festival with a $10-a-month digital content subscription, Stratfest@Home, offering more Shakespeare and more films, along with new commissions, music, conversation, cooking and comedy.

Toronto Musical Concerts (TMC) Artistic Producer, Christopher Wilson and Associate Director, Ryan Kelly offer a daily YouTube Live stream, BIG GIRL & Friends supporting The AFC (Actors' Fund of Canada) beginning Monday, March 23.

Following a record number of nominations and votes, winners have been announced for the 2019 BroadwayWorld Toronto Awards, brought to you by TodayTix!! The nominees were set, audiences voted, and now we get to recognize local theatres and performers for their outstanding achievement!

After a Members advance sale so busy it prompted the early extension of two productions, tickets for the Stratford Festival's groundbreaking new season go on sale to the public today. The 2020 season is one of the biggest ever and includes the much-anticipated opening of the new Tom Patterson Theatre. With the $100-million fundraising goal a hair's breadth away from completion, the bespoke theatre is one of North America's most significant new arts builds in decades.