artistic director of Stratford Festival, Antoni Cimolino. Scott Wishart / Stratford Beacon Herald Files / Postmedia Network
The Stratford Festival has just announced its 12 production line for next season, with a central theme such as & # 39; Breaking Boundaries & # 39 ;.
When planning next year's season, artistic director of the Antoni Cimolino festival said he began to think about his chosen theme through the contexts of faith, identity and culture.
"Define boundaries to define who we are, they can protect or limit us, whether they are imposed on us by others or we draw them ourselves, they represent the limits of what we think is acceptable, advisable or even possible, "said Cimolino in a press release.
"We need to know where they are" reset to find our way around the world, but we must also be able to break them in order to realize our full potential. Sometimes we find worlds beyond our borders – whether those borders are personal, political or family – in which we feel even more at home. "
With that in mind, Cimolino decided to open the season with Othello from Shakespeare – the story of a brave young woman and a remarkable man who, because of their identity, would be put in an almost impossible position – as directed by Nigel Shawn Williams on the stage of the festival theater
The Stratford Festival, North America's largest classical repertory theater company, pays special attention to Shakespeare Photography by Richard Bain
"I am very pleased that Nigel will be back next season is to lead Othello to his wonderful interpretation of To Kill a Mockingbird this year, "said Cimolino.
The artistic director takes the second season for himself Shakespeare play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, also on the stage of the Festival Theater
"Shakespeare puts this daring comedy into a city that we might all recognize – a place where values of small cities and cosmop olite influences come together, just like they do here in Stratford, Ont., "Cimolino said. "I am particularly interested in the women at the heart of the story, they have a strength and confidence that enables them to take matters into their own hands when someone tries to abuse them."
The musical of the next season – Billy Elliot the Musical, winner of 10 Tony Awards and four Oliviers – is about the barriers that families can build and, ultimately, the support they can offer, as a boy struggles with a talent that his father and brother consider unacceptable because it challenges their views on masculinity.
Donna Feore will direct and choreograph this blockbuster musical with the book and lyrics of Lee Hall and Elton John.
Feore also directs and choreographs the second musical, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's classic Little Shop of Horrors at the Avon Theater. Like this season's Rocky Horror Show, this cult hit is an up-front of science fiction and B-movies. But at its core, Little Shop is a moving story about longing for family and love.
"Donna is the master of music theater", said Cimolino. "We are so happy to come back next season and take on the gigantic task of supporting two major productions at the same time." Her work at The Music Man and The Rocky Horror Show this year has been inspiring, and I have no doubt that her productions next season will show us that both musicals are in a brand new light. "
The 2019 season will also see The Man Who Came to Dinner, directed by Graham Abbey; Jilian Keiley's director with The Neverending Story, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, directed by Jonathan Goad, and Private Lives directed by Carey Perloff.
Martha Henry directed Shakespeare's Henry VIII, Alan Dilworth leads Kate Hennig's world premiere of Mother's Daughter, Cimolino will direct Birds of a Kind, and Birgit Schreyer Duarte will direct Nathan the Wise.
The 2019 season is presented in just three locations – the theaters of Festival, Avon and Studio – as the Festival continues to build the new Tom Patterson Theater Center, scheduled to open in 2020.
Casting for the season 2019 is still in the initial phase and will be announced sometime in the autumn.
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