Stratford in Perth County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Stratford Festival
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Le festival de Stratford
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
1. The Stratford Festival/ Le festival de Stratford Marker
The Stratford Festival
In 1953, Tom Patterson launched an annual festival of Shakespearean theatre in his hometown of Stratford. Artistic Director Tyrone Guthrie and designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch conceived the Festival Theatre's innovative thrust stage, surrounded by the audience on three sides, which enabled a fluid, dynamic style of performance bringing new life to William Shakespeare's plays. The Festival, while helping to revitalize Stratford economically, has expanded its repertoire over the years and built an international reputation, training generations of theatre professionals and launching the careers of some of Canada's finest actors.
En 1953, Tom Patterson lance un festival annuel de théâtre shakespearien à Stratford, sa ville natale. Le directeur artistique Tyrone Guthrie et la conceptrice Tanya Moiseiwitsch innovent en concevant la scène romaine du Festival Theatre. Elle est bordée sur trois côtés par l'auditoire, permettant des performances fluides et dynamiques qui ravivent l'œuvre de Shakespeare. Au fil des ans, le Festival aide à revitaliser l'économie de la ville en plus d'élargir son répertoire et d'acquérir une renommée mondiale. Sur sa scène se sont succédé des générations de professionnels du théâtre, y compris certains des meilleurs acteurs canadiens.
Erected by Historic
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1953.
Location. 43° 22.405′ N, 80° 58.128′ W. Marker is in Stratford, Ontario, in Perth County. It is on Richard Monette Way 0.1 kilometers north of Water Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is near the main entrance (south side) of the Festival Theatre. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 270 Water Street, Stratford ON N5A 3C8, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
2. The Stratford Festival/ Le festival de Stratford Marker
Also see . . . Our Timeline (stratfordfestival.ca).
The Festival was legally incorporated on October 31, 1952. Guthrie rapidly began recruiting actors from across Canada and abroad, including stars Alec Guinness and Irene Worth.(Submitted on July 21, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)
A concrete amphitheatre was built to hold a revolutionary thrust stage conceived by Guthrie and designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch – the same stage that is the heart of the Festival Theatre today. For the inaugural season, though, and the three that followed it, the stage and auditorium were housed under a giant canvas tent.
Theroad to completion was fraught with difficulty. In May 1953, it seemed as if the entire daring venture would flounder for lack of funds. But building contractor Oliver Gaffney kept his men working regardless until last-minute donations by Governor General Vincent Massey and the Perth Mutual Insurance Company saved the day.Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 20253. The Stratford Festival/ Le festival de Stratford Marker
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
4. The Festival Theatre, looking toward the main entrance
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 18, 2025
5. The Stratford Festival Festival Theatre, south side
Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 21, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
