| Revision as of 03:47, 24 April 2022 editClovermoss (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators31,525 editsm Adding a short description, see WP:WPSHORTDESC if interested← Previous edit | Revision as of 04:03, 24 April 2022 edit undoClovermoss (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators31,525 edits Added a citation, removed some of the more blatant promotional language. I'm going to start a discussion about this on the talk page.Next edit → | ||
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| The '''Shaw Festival''' is a |
The '''Shaw Festival''' is a not-for-profit ] in ], ], Canada. It is the second largest ] company in North America.<ref name="Hmood">{{cite web |last1=Hmood |first1=Zahraa |title=Change of the stage: 60 years of the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, explained |url=https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/local-niagara-on-the-lake/life/2022/04/23/change-of-the-stage-60-years-of-the-shaw-festival-in-niagara-on-the-lake-explained.html |website=St.Catharines Standard |access-date=24 April 2022}}</ref> Founded in 1962, its original mandate was to stimulate interest in ] and his period, and to advance the development of theatre arts in Canada. | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| With the addition of actor and director ] as Artistic Director in 1966, the Festival gained huge international publicity and its productions garnered sold-out performances. Morse also joined the company as actor during this season. ] took over management of the company with the 1967 season and under his leadership the Festival gained new heights. He served for twelve seasons as Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival; during his tenure, he was able to push through a plan of building the purpose-built 869-seat |
With the addition of actor and director ] as Artistic Director in 1966, the Festival gained huge international publicity and its productions garnered sold-out performances. Morse also joined the company as actor during this season. ] took over management of the company with the 1967 season and under his leadership the Festival gained new heights. He served for twelve seasons as Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival; during his tenure, he was able to push through a plan of building the purpose-built 869-seat Festival Theatre to expand considerably the capacity for audiences at Niagara-on-the-Lake. ], ], and ] were among those who attended performances at the Shaw Festival Theatre during its inaugural season in 1973. ] was interim artistic director for the 1974–75 season. | ||
| In 1980, ] joined the company as Artistic Director and continued to foster its development with the addition of a third theatre, the Royal George. Outstanding directors such as ], ], and ] (who became Resident Director in the early 1990s) were hired |
In 1980, ] joined the company as Artistic Director and continued to foster its development with the addition of a third theatre, the Royal George. Outstanding directors such as ], ], and ] (who became Resident Director in the early 1990s) were hired. | ||
| Under Christopher Newton, the Festival's mandate became more narrowly defined: to produce plays written during the lifetime of Shaw (1856–1950), "plays about the beginning of the modern world," as Newton was quoted. In Newton's last years as Artistic Director, the mandate was widened to also include contemporary plays which are set within Shaw's lifetime (1856—1950). His successor, ], was appointed in 2003 and expanded the mandate further to include works by "contemporary Shavians" such as ] and ]. She produced many plays written and directed by women. | Under Christopher Newton, the Festival's mandate became more narrowly defined: to produce plays written during the lifetime of Shaw (1856–1950), "plays about the beginning of the modern world," as Newton was quoted. In Newton's last years as Artistic Director, the mandate was widened to also include contemporary plays which are set within Shaw's lifetime (1856—1950). His successor, ], was appointed in 2003 and expanded the mandate further to include works by "contemporary Shavians" such as ] and ]. She produced many plays written and directed by women. | ||
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| *'']'' - by ] | *'']'' - by ] | ||
| *'']'' - music and lyrics by ], book by ] and ] | *'']'' - music and lyrics by ], book by ] and ] | ||
| '']'', originally planned for the 2020 season, and then intended to be staged in 2021, has now been postponed until the 2023 season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shaw Festival 2021 Season |url=https://newsletter.shawfest.com/202102/gypsy-cancellation/notice.html?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EmailGypsyCancellation2-23TIX21&utm_content=version_A |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref> | '']'', originally planned for the 2020 season, and then intended to be staged in 2021, has now been postponed until the 2023 season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shaw Festival 2021 Season |url=https://newsletter.shawfest.com/202102/gypsy-cancellation/notice.html?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EmailGypsyCancellation2-23TIX21&utm_content=version_A |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 04:03, 24 April 2022
Theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
 Festival Logo | |
| Location | Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1962 |
| Founded by | Brian Doherty & Calvin Rand |
| Directors | Tim Carroll, Tim Jennings |
| Type of play(s) | plays by or in the spirit of George Bernard Shaw |
| Festival date | April–December each year |
| Website | www |
The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. Founded in 1962, its original mandate was to stimulate interest in George Bernard Shaw and his period, and to advance the development of theatre arts in Canada.
History
The Festival's roots can be traced to 1962 when Ontario lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty, supported by Buffalo businessman Calvin Rand, staged a summertime "Salute to Shaw" in the town's courthouse, a venue later known as the Court House Theatre. For eight weekends, Doherty and his crew produced Shaw's Don Juan in Hell and Candida. The "Salute", with its mandate to promote the works of Shaw and his contemporaries, was an immediate success.
With the addition of actor and director Barry Morse as Artistic Director in 1966, the Festival gained huge international publicity and its productions garnered sold-out performances. Morse also joined the company as actor during this season. Paxton Whitehead took over management of the company with the 1967 season and under his leadership the Festival gained new heights. He served for twelve seasons as Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival; during his tenure, he was able to push through a plan of building the purpose-built 869-seat Festival Theatre to expand considerably the capacity for audiences at Niagara-on-the-Lake. Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau were among those who attended performances at the Shaw Festival Theatre during its inaugural season in 1973. Tony Van Bridge was interim artistic director for the 1974–75 season.
In 1980, Christopher Newton joined the company as Artistic Director and continued to foster its development with the addition of a third theatre, the Royal George. Outstanding directors such as Derek Goldby, Denise Coffey, and Neil Munro (who became Resident Director in the early 1990s) were hired.
Under Christopher Newton, the Festival's mandate became more narrowly defined: to produce plays written during the lifetime of Shaw (1856–1950), "plays about the beginning of the modern world," as Newton was quoted. In Newton's last years as Artistic Director, the mandate was widened to also include contemporary plays which are set within Shaw's lifetime (1856—1950). His successor, Jackie Maxwell, was appointed in 2003 and expanded the mandate further to include works by "contemporary Shavians" such as Tony Kushner and Caryl Churchill. She produced many plays written and directed by women.
In the summer of 2015, it was announced that Tim Carroll would take over as artistic director and Tim Jennings as executive director. They announced Carroll’s inaugural 2017 season in August 2016. Under its current mandate, the Shaw Festival celebrates the life and spirit of Bernard Shaw by creating theatre that is as entertaining and provocative as Shaw himself.
Artistic Directors
- Andrew Allan (1963–1965)
- Barry Morse (1966)
- Paxton Whitehead (1967–1977)
- Leslie Yeo (1979)
- Christopher Newton (1980–2002)
- Jackie Maxwell (2003–2016)
- Tim Carroll (2017–)
Theatres
Dates listed are when the theatre's association with the Shaw Festival began; The Court House and Royal George theatres predate the festival.
- Festival Theatre (1973, 856 seats)
- Royal George Theatre (1980, 313 seats)
- Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre (2004, 200 seats)
Former venue: Court House Theatre (1962–2017, 327 seats)
Productions
Main article: Shaw Festival production history2021 season
For the 2021 season, the Shaw Festival hopes to present many of the anticipated productions that were originally scheduled for 2020.
- The Devil's Disciple - by Bernard Shaw
- Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse - by R. Hamilton Wright, based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Charley's Aunt - by Brandon Thomas
- Flush - based on the novella by Virginia Woolf, adapted and directed by Tim Carroll
- Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill
- Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress
- The History of Niagara - created and performed by Mike Petersen and Alexandra Montagnese, at Fort George Historic Site, in association with Parks Canada
- A Christmas Carol - by Charles Dickens
- Holiday Inn - music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge
Gypsy, originally planned for the 2020 season, and then intended to be staged in 2021, has now been postponed until the 2023 season.
The productions that were originally scheduled, and subsequently cancelled, for 2020 and not planned for 2021 are: Mahabharata, Prince Caspian, Assassins, The Playboy of the Western World, and Me and My Girl.
2022 season (announced)
The 2022 season announced by Artistic Director Tim Carroll will run from February to December.
- Damn Yankees - book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
- The Importance of Being Earnest – by Oscar Wilde
- The Doctor's Dilemma – by George Bernard Shaw
- Cyrano de Bergerac - by Edmond Rostand, translated and adapted for the stage by Kate Hennig
- Gaslight - by Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson
- Chitra - by Rabindranath Tagore
- Just To Get Married - by Cicely Hamilton
- This Is How We Got Here - by Keith Barker
- Too True to be Good – by George Bernard Shaw
- Everybody - by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
- Gem of the Ocean - by August Wilson
- A Short History of Niagara - by Alexandra Montagnese and Mike Petersen
- Fairground and Shawground
- A Christmas Carol - by Charles Dickens
- White Christmas - music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by David Ives and Paul Blake
References
- Hmood, Zahraa. "Change of the stage: 60 years of the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, explained". St.Catharines Standard. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- "The Shaw Festival renames theatre in honour of former Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell – Media Releases from Shaw Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada". news.shawfest.com.
- "Theatres - Shaw Festival Theatre".
- "Shaw Festival Announces 2018 Season – Media Releases from Shaw Festival Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada". news.shawfest.com.
- "The Shaw's 2021 Season". The Shaw Festival. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "Shaw Festival 2021 Season". Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- Nestruck, J. Kelly (6 October 2021), Shaw Festival plans to ‘come out swinging’ in 2022 with jam-packed lineup led by Damn Yankees, The Globe and Mail
Bibliography
- Holmes, Katherine, ed. (1986). Celebrating!: twenty-five years on the stage at the Shaw Festival. Erin, Ontario: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 0-919783-48-1.
