ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL to be Presented at Stratford Festival
The production features Jordin Hall as Bertram, Jessica B. Hill as Helen, Seana McKenna as the Countess of Rossillion, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 13, 2022
The Stratford Festival's new Tom Patterson Theatre will open its doors to its second production on Tuesday, June 14, as director Scott Wentworth's production of All's Well That Ends Well begins performances.
This Shakespearean comedy follows Helen, the orphaned daughter of a celebrated physician, who works a miraculous cure on the King of France. As her reward, she claims the hand of Bertram, a family friend whom she adores. Although the union has the blessing of Bertram's mother, the Countess of Rossillion, and the King, Bertram resents being forced into marriage, and Helen finds herself in search of another miracle.
The production features Jordin Hall as Bertram, Jessica B. Hill as Helen, Seana McKenna as the Countess of Rossillion, Ben Carlson as the King of France, André Sills as Lavatch, and Rylan Wilkie as Parolles.
They are joined by Elizabeth Adams, Anousha Alamian, Sean Arbuckle, Peter N. Bailey, Nigel Bennett, Wayne Best, Michael Blake, Brefny Caribou, Jon de Leon, Allison Edwards-Crewe, Christo Graham, Kim Horsman, Daniel Krmpotic, Devin MacKinnon, Jonathan Mason, Hilary McCormack, Chanakya Mukherjee, Lisa Nasson, Irene Poole, Sepehr Reybod, Tyler Rive and Lindsay Wu.
This breathtakingly beautiful production was designed by Michelle Bohn, with lighting design by Louise Guinand and sound design by Paul Shilton, who also composed the music.
The play was selected for the first season in the new Tom Patterson Theatre along with Richard III, as the two plays also opened the Festival's inaugural season in 1953. As then All's Well That Ends Well is set in the modern era, in this case against the backdrop of World War I.
"When I am directing a play by Shakespeare, I am governed by the principle that the play continues to speak to us," says Wentworth, "but we must listen with our modern ears. The play we are hearing today is a very different play from the one Tyrone Guthrie and his company heard in 1953. And that's as it should be. The play our company is hearing, with all its contradictions, seems very much a play for our world as it is today. A play for our time.
"This is a play of sickness and healing, of death and new life. It is a play of consequences, of scars. It is a play of love, both physical and spiritual. And finally, it is a play of hope, of paradise lost and the cost of paradise regained."
All's Well That Ends Well has its gala opening on July 8 and runs until October 29. For tickets and information visit www.stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
Production support is generously provided by Priscilla Costello, by Alice & Tim Thornton, by the Tremain family, and by Jack Whiteside.
Support for the 2022 season of the Tom Patterson Theatre is generously provided by Daniel Bernstein and Claire Foerster.
Support for the 2022 season of the Tom Patterson Theatre season is generously provided by BMO.
The 2022 season runs until October 30, featuring Hamlet, Chicago, The Miser, Little Women, Richard III, All's Well That Ends Well, Death and the King's Horseman, Every Little Nookie, Hamlet-911 and 1939.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Elizabeth Adams Bridesmaid, Nurse
Anousha Alamian Understudy
Sean Arbuckle Duke of Florence
Peter N. Bailey Doctor
Nigel Bennett Reynaldo
Wayne Best Lafew
Michael Blake 1st Lord Dumaine
Brefny Caribou Soldier, Traveller
Ben Carlson King of France
Jon de Leon 2nd Lord Dumaine
Allison Edwards-Crewe Diana
Christo Graham 2nd Lord, Soldier, Mourner
Jordin Hall Bertram
Jessica B. Hill Helen
Kim Horsman Widow
Daniel Krmpotic 4th Lord, Soldier, Mourner
Devin MacKinnon 2nd Soldier, Footman
Jonathan Mason 1st Lord, Soldier, Mourner
Hilary McCormack Soldier, Bridesmaid, Isabel
Seana McKenna Countess of Rossillion
Chanakya Mukherjee 3rd Lord, Soldier, Mourner
Lisa Nasson Mariana
Irene Poole 1st Soldier
Sepehr Reybod Soldier, Footman
Tyler Rive Understudy
André Sills Lavatch
Rylan Wilkie Parolles
Lindsay Wu Nurse, Traveller
ARTISTIC CREDITS
Director Scott Wentworth
Designer Michelle Bohn
Lighting Designer Louise Guinand
Composer and Sound Designer Paul Shilton
Supervising Fight Director Geoff Scovell
Choreographer Adrienne Gould
Producer David Auster
Casting Director Beth Russell
Creative Planning Director Jason Miller
Associate Director Julia Nish-Lapidus
Assistant Director and Assistant to the Choreographer Damon Bradley Jang
Assistant Designer Karlie Christie
Assistant Lighting Designer Christian Horoszczak
Assistant Sound Designer Frank Incer
Assistant Fight Director Jennifer Dzialoszynski
Dance Captain Hilary McCormack
Stage Manager Michael Hart
Assistant Stage Managers Sam Hale, Corinne Richards
Apprentice Stage Manager Lily Cardiff
Production Assistant Elizabeth Richardson
Production Stage Manager Meghan Callan
Technical Director Greg Dougherty
MUSIC
Original music recorded by
Paul Shilton
Vocals
Allison Edwards-Crewe
Hilary McCormack
Director of Music Franklin Brasz
Music Administrator Janice Owens
Photo credit: David Hou
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