''CBC Presents the Stratford Festival'' is a Canadian film and television series. Produced by the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

in conjunction with

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

, the series aims to film a Stratford production of every

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play by 2025. In addition to airing on CBC Television, the films will also be distributed theatrically both in and outside of Canada. The project received a $3 million grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario in July 2015.

Films

''King Lear''

The first film in the series, ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'', starred

Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...

in the title role."Stratford's King Lear acquires new depths onscreen: review"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', February 18, 2015. The cast also included

Scott Wentworth Scott Wentworth (born 1955) is an American actor and director who immigrated to Canada in 1986. Early life Wentworth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, in 1955. Career After starting his career in New York City, he began a ...

as Gloucester, Maev Beaty as Goneril, Sara Farb as Cordelia and

Stephen Ouimette Stephen Ouimette is a Canadian actor and director. Although mostly known for his stage work, particularly at the Stratford Festival of Canada and recently on Broadway in '' La Bete'', he achieved TV fame (and a Gemini Award) as the ghostly Olive ...

as The Fool. The production was directed by

Antoni Cimolino Antoni Cimolino is a Canadian actor and director. He is the artistic director of the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. After graduating from University of Windsor with a BFA, Cimolino began his career as an actor at Stratford in 1988. He ...

. Feore garnered a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nomination as best actor in a television film or miniseries at the

4th Canadian Screen Awards Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

in 2016.

''King John''

The production of ''

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

'' stars

Tom McCamus Tom McCamus (born July 25, 1955Tom McCamus' bio
at www.northernstars.ca) is a Canadia ...

as King John,

Graham Abbey Graham Abbey (born Graham Robert Thomson Abbey, March 24, 1971) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor, who is best known for his role as Gray Jackson in TV drama '' The Border''. History At the then Stratford Festival of Canada, the e ...

as King Philip and Seana McKenna as Lady Constance, and was directed by Tim Carroll. McCamus and McKenna both garnered Canadian Screen Award nominations, McCamus as best actor in a television film or miniseries and McKenna as best actress in a television film or miniseries, at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards.

''Antony and Cleopatra''

The production of ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...

'' aired in 2015, starring

Geraint Wyn Davies Geraint Wyn Davies (, 20 April 1957) is a Welsh-American stage, film and television actor-director. Educated in Canada, he has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. His most famous role as the vampire-turned police detec ...

and

Yanna McIntosh Yanna McIntosh (born 1970), sometimes credited as Yanna MacIntosh, is a Jamaican-born Canadian television, movie and theatrical actress. Early life McIntosh attended the University of Toronto and the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Ha ...

in the title roles, and was directed by Gary Griffin."Stratford’s Antony and Cleopatra gains stature in film edition"
''

'', May 19, 2015. Davies and McIntosh both garnered Canadian Screen Award nominations, Davies as best actor in a television film or miniseries and McIntosh as best actress in a television film or miniseries, at the 4th Canadian Screen Awards.

''Hamlet''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', aired in 2016, starred Jonathan Goad as Hamlet, Tom Rooney as Polonius and Seana McKenna as Gertrude.

''The Adventures of Pericles''

'' The Adventures of Pericles'', aired in 2016, starred

Evan Buliung Evan Buliung is a Canadian actor.

as Pericles, Wayne Best as Antiochus, and Deborah Hay as Thaisa and Marina.

''The Taming of the Shrew''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'', aired in 2016, starred Ben Carlson as Petruchio and Deborah Hay as Katharina.

References

{{reflist, 2 2015 Canadian television series debuts CBC Television original programming Films based on works by William Shakespeare 2010s Canadian anthology television series