Stratford 2007 Season Rumours
The Season Has Not Been Formally Announced, But There Is Buzz
The Stratford Festival of Canada, under the Artistic Direction of Richard Monette, is set to announce it's 2007 season, the last under Monette's leadership.
This coming season will be somewhat of a passing of the torch for Monette to the incoming Artistic Staff, led by Antoni Cimolino. Monette has served the longest tenure of any Artistic Director at the Festival, and the new group of Artistic Directors, including Tony Award Winning Director Des McAnuff, will have their hands full keeping the momentum that Monette has built over the last decade in 2008, when they begin.
Monette is also the only Artistic Director at the Festival to have all of Shakespeare's plays presented during his tenure.
The 2007 will be announced in the coming months, but here is a sneak peak at the shows that will probably be part of the season.
Othello hasn't been at the Festival since 1994, and so count on it to be part of next years playbill.
The Merchant Of Venice was presented last in 2001, and just before the show opened, it's star, Al Waxman, passed away.
The Comedy Of Errors, presented this year as the CanStage Dream In High Park, may also tread the boards of the Festival.
The previously reported musicals are Oklahoma! and My One And Only.
The big news is that To Kill A Mockingbird is being rumoured to be part of the season, as well as a Brian Bedford directed production of King Lear, which graced the stage of the Festival Theatre just a few years ago starring Christopher Plummer. That production transfered to Broadway, and Plummer received a Tony Award Nomination for the title role. It is reported that Bedford will handle the lead this time around, which will be interesting to see.
The season will be officially announced in the coming weeks.
