THEATRE NEWS: Stratford's 2012 season unwrapped
4 JUN/11

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

With a largely lacklustre 2011 opening week behind him, Des McAnuff, artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, wasted no time in stripping the wraps of the 2012 season Saturday, a season which also happens to be the Fest's 60th. The season announcement was coincidental with an announcement from the Festival board that McAnuff has agreed to extend his contract with the Festival for an additional two years, which will put him at the helm through the 2013 season.

"I had intended to stay for five seasons and I'm staying for six. I think six years is a good contribution" McAnuff said in the wake of the announcement, adding that he has "absolutely" no plans to extend his contract beyond 2013. "I hope to stay involved if the new leadership wants me to stay involved, but I won't be petulant if they decide they don't want me to come back for awhile," he said, adding: "For now, I'm genuinely enjoying being here and I want to make sure I enjoy it to my last day as artistic director."

Amongst the highlights of the Festival's newly announced 2012 season will be another visit from the venerable Christopher Plummer in a new one man show of his own devising, programmed for the Avon stage and titled A Word Or Two. it will feature selections from Stephen Leacock, Bernard Shaw and William Shakespeare, performed by Plummer under the supervision and direction of McAnuff.

Meanwhile, on the Festival stage, McAnuff will direct Shakespeare's Henry V, while Christopher Newton, erstwhile artistic director of the Shaw Festival and himself an acting alumnus of the Stratford Festival, will direct Shakepeare's Much Ado About Nothing. A production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, directed by Chris Abraham, will also be featured on the Festival stage, as well as a production of the Harry Warren/Al Dubin/Michael Stewart/ Mark Bramble musical, 42nd Street, directed by Gary Griffin.

In addition to Plummer's show, two musicals are planned for the Avon stage: a new production of Gilbert and Sullivan's much loved operetta, The Pirates Of Penzance, directed by Ethan McSweeney, and a production of Clark M. Gesner's You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, inspired by the characters created by Charles M. Schultz and directed by Donna Feore.

On the Tom Patterson Stage, a production of Shakespeare's Cymbeline is planned, under the direction of the Fest's General Director Antoni Cimilino, as well as a new translation of Sophocles' Elektra, written by poet Anne Carson, and directed by Athens' Thomas Moschopoulos. The Tom Patterson will also host the world première of a new Canadian musical inspired by poet Robert Service, titled Wanderlust, composed by Marek Norman and written and directed by Morris Panych, developed as part of the Festival's New Play program.

Two other plays developed under that program will be featured on the Studio Stage — Daniel MacIvor's The Best Brothers, directed by Dean Gabourie and The Hirsch Project (working title), an "intimate portrait" of former Festival Artistic director John Hirsch, created by Alon Nashman and Paul Thompson and directed by Thompson. Rick Miller's MacHomer, a popular work that blends Shakespeare's Macbeth with TV's The Simpsons, rounds out the Studio season.

As for the 2013 season, planning for that is already underway, McAnuff said. "I like to think we are on the ascendant right now and I would love to continue to ride that wave to further heights. We have a lot of commissions out there for new work and we will continue to produce those as they come in."

The current Stratford season, continues through October 31, with openings of Twelfth Night, The Misanthrope, The Homecoming, Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare's Will, The Little Years and Hosanna slated throughout the summer.