MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE Join Stratfest@Home

Two of 2023's most popular shows, Shakespeare's hilarious comedy Much Ado About Nothing and Frances Koncan's brilliant satire Women of the Fur Trade are now available for worldwide streaming on Stratfest@Home.

Enjoy the wit and romance of one of Shakespeare's finest and funniest plays from the comfort of your home. Much Ado About Nothing follows sparring partners Beatrice and Benedick, played by power duo Maev Beaty and Graham Abbey, as they trip, stumble and fall headlong into their friends' mischievous matchmaking scheme.

Directed for the stage by Chris Abraham with additional text provided by Erin Shields, this play tugs on the heartstrings while also raising significant questions about the dynamics of marriage and authority.

Directed for the screen by Barry Avrich, Much Ado About Nothing was captured live on the Festival Theatre stage by Melbar Entertainment Group. This show is sure to welcome you into the brightness of Beatrice and Benedick's world.

This cast also features Michael Blake as Don John, Austin Eckert as Claudio, Allison Edwards-Crewe as Hero, Patrick McManus as Leonato, Anthony Santiago as Antonio, and André Sills as Don Pedro with Anousha Alamian, Akosua Amo-Adem, Richard Comeau, Déjah Dixon-Green, Jakob Ehman, Ijeoma Emesowum, Andrew Iles, David W. Keeley, John Kirkpatrick, Kevin Kruchkywich, Josue Laboucane, Cyrus Lane, Devin MacKinnon, Jonathan Mason, Jameela McNeil, George Meanwell, Danté Prince, Glynis Ranney, Jamillah Ross, Jonathan Rowsell, Stephan Szczesniak, Jennifer Villaverde, Gordon Patrick White, Rylan Wilkie and Micah Woods.

Creating the world for this delightful romantic comedy are Designer Julie Fox, Lighting Designer Arun Srinivasan, Composer and Sound Designer Thomas Ryder Payne, and Choreographer Adrienne Gould.

The film was produced by Susan Edwards, Mark Selby and Barry Avrich p.g.a.

Set in “eighteen hundred and something-something,” Frances Koncan's Women of the Fur Trade is bringing a load of laughs and lots of lessons to Stratfest@Home. This lively satire offers a delicious new take on the Canadian fur trade.

Directed by Yvette Nolan, this story brings together three women on the Banks of a Reddish River in Treaty One Territory. They devote their time to debating vastly different views on life, love and the hottest man of their time, Louis Riel. With the audacious incorporation of 21st-century slang, this production offers viewers a look inside their fort as Koncan's writing transitions perspectives from the male gaze onto women's power in the past and present. 

Women of the Fur Trade features Jenna-Lee Hyde as Cecilia, Kathleen MacLean as Marie-Angelique and Joelle Peters as Eugenia, with Keith Barker as Louis Riel and Nathan Howe as Thomas Scott.

This creative team includes Set Designer Samantha McCue, Costume Designer Jeff Chief, Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay and Composer and Sound Designer Debashis Sinha.

Much Ado About Nothing and Women of the Fur Trade are now available on Stratfest@Home, the Festival's subscription streaming service. Subscribe to Stratfest@Home for just $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year to gain access to these new releases and the best in Canadian digital theatrical productions, including more of the Stratford Festival's acclaimed Shakespeare films, selected productions from recent seasons, original digital content and selected events from the Festival's Meighen Forum, along with documentaries and original content from across the country.

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