Stratford The little city that theatre built

TRAVEL
B1
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
Stratford
The little city
that theatre built
T
here are times when a selfie stick would come in handy. It was a lovely
spring evening and my son and I were standing in front of Festival Theatre
in Stratford, Ont., attempting to get a selfie with Shakespeare before the evening performance of Taming of the Shrew.
The gardens outside the main theatre are really quite stunning and a statue of Shakespeare is one of the highlights.
After several attempts, we finally managed to get both of our
heads and the statue’s head in the shot just as trumpeters arrived to announce that ticketholders could take their seats.
The small city of Stratford is home to the largest classical
repertory theatre in North America — but it wasn’t always a
theatre town. There was a time when it was an industrial centre
known for furniture manufacturing, locomotive repair and as
the divisional headquarters for the Grand Trunk Railway.
Thomas Edison, the famous inventor and entrepreneur, had
his first full-time job working as a telegrapher at the Stratford
Station at the age of 16 in 1863. After only a few months on the
DEBBIE
job, he was held responsible for a near collision at the junction
OLSEN
and left the job
before he could
be fired. Fortunately, he found
his true calling in life elsewhere.
With the advent of automobiles, the
railway started dying out. By the early
1950s, many people were unemployed
and the town was suffering from the
loss of an economy that had sustained
it for nearly 80 years.
It was at that point in time that Stratford-born journalist Tom Patterson
came up with the idea to turn Stratford
into a cultural destination by mounting
a theatre festival devoted to the works
of William Shakespeare. On Jan. 22,
1952, Stratford city council gave Patterson a grant of $125 to seek artistic
advice. It was the best money they ever
spent.
TRAVEL
Please see STRATFORD on Page B2
TOP: Stratford’s City Hall
building dates to 1898 and
is a national historic site.
ABOVE AND RIGHT:
Stratford has one of
those quaint Elizabethan
main streets where you
find things like old-time
ice-cream parlours, one
of which is featured on
Stratford’s chocolate tour.
Photos by DEBBIE OLSEN/
Freelance
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
There are more than 250 varieties of perennials in
the Arthur Meighen Gardens, which are found next
to the Festival Theatre in Stratford. It’s a good idea
to go early to your show, so you have time to explore
them.
Boat tours are popular on the Avon River.
There’s music inside the theatres and on the streets
in Stratford.
The lobby lounge in the Bruce Hotel has a huge map
of the world as it was in Shakespeare’s day.
B2 RED DEER ADVOCATE Saturday, July 4, 2015
Photos by DEBBIE OLSEN/Freelance
LEFT: One of the highlights of the Warehouse Costume Tour is trying on the costumes.
RIGHT: Our guide Nancy is showing us the prop books that aren’t really books at all. With more than 55,000 costumes and more than 100,000 catalogued items,
Stratford’s costume warehouse is one of the largest in North America and Stratford is the top archival theatre in the world.
BELOW: What’s a skinny actor to do if they need to play a heavy-set person? Wear padded body garments.
STORY FROM PAGE B1
STRATFORD: Arts and
theatre city
Walk around Stratford today and you’ll discover
an arts and theatre city that is unlike any other.
There are restaurants, hotels, service businesses and
tour operators on the lively Main Street and beautiful parks along the Avon River. With four permanent
theatres and 13 plays in a season, the Conference
Board of Canada estimated in 2010 that the festival
generates $139.8 million in economic activity, $75.6
million in taxes to all levels of government and 2,957
full-year jobs. Stratford has become the poster city
for what funding the arts can do for a community.
Top five things to do in Stratford
FRONTIER
Where to stay in
Stratford
There are plenty of
hotels and B&Bs in Stratford, but its newest luxury
hotel could rival the best
hotel in any major city.
Set on six-and-a-half acres
ST. ALBERT
Tues. Sept 1
LETHBRIDGE CASINO
July 13-14
GOLD EAGLE CASINO
NORTH BATTLEFORD
Aug. 17-19
MEDICINE HAT CASINO
Oct. 13-15
of land within steps of the famed Festival Theatre,
the Bruce Hotel (thebruce.ca) is Stratford’s most
luxurious accommodation.
The 25 rooms are all fully accessible, large and
well-appointed, and there are two excellent restaurants onsite, a gym, an indoor resistance pool and a
huge hot tub.
The hotel is beautiful and my son and I enjoyed
impeccable personal service and nice little touches
like a turndown service featuring cute house made
fortune cookies with
Shakespearean quotes
inside. It was hands down
one of the best properties
I have had the pleasure of
experiencing.
Rates for a twin room
with breakfast start at
$225 during the winter
months and go up to $500
per night during the peak
festival season. The
made-to-order à la carte
breakfast included in the
rate was so good that I
regretted not taking time
to enjoy a dinner in the
onsite restaurant — just
another reason to come
back.
For more information on visiting Stratford, go to
the official tourism site at www.visitstratford.ca.
Debbie Olsen is a Lacombe-based freelance writer. If
you have a travel story you would like to share or know
someone with an interesting travel story who we might
interview, please email: [email protected] or write
to: Debbie Olsen, c/o Red Deer Advocate, 2950 Bremner
Ave., Red Deer, Alta., T4R 1M9.
565834F2-28
Stratford bills itself as Canada’s premiere arts
destination and few cities can rival it for culture or
character.
● Take in a show or two or three: The Stratford
Festival is featuring 13 productions this season. Be
sure to take in one of the four Shakespearean plays
on offer. Festival Theatre features an innovative
thrust stage that is very much like the stage Shakespeare used in his Globe Theatre. At the time it was
built, it was unique in the world and it has since inspired the design of other major theatre venues and
attracted top actors to come to Stratford.
Over a weekend, we watched Taming of the Shrew,
The Sound of Music and The Diary of Anne Frank —
three completely different plays. I enjoyed the way
director Chris Abraham presented Shakespeare’s
most misogynistic play to a modern audience and
I felt I really knew Anne Frank after watching that
production, but The Sound of Music was my favourite
production of the weekend.
● Go on the Costume Warehouse Tour: With more
than 55,000 costumes and more than 100,000 catalogued items, Stratford’s costume warehouse is one
of the largest in North America and Stratford is the
top archival theatre in the world. A tour of the warehouse provides a glimpse of all that goes into staging
a theatrical production and all of the people working
behind the scenes. “When you see a production, you
should try to understand how the director is trying
to connect with you,” advised our guide Nancy. “The
costumes and props used play a big part in that.”
● Rent a bike or a boat: Stratford is blessed with
beautiful parks that front the Avon River. See the
parkland from the river by going on a guided river
cruise or by renting a canoe, a kayak or a paddleboat. Explore the trails and parkland on foot, rent a
bike or enjoy a guided historic cycling tour (avonboatrentals.ca).
● Savour Stratford’s Chocolate Trail: If you can’t
imagine life without chocolate, Stratford is a good
place to be. The city is home to several long-standing
chocolate factories and there are restaurants that
know how to do it right. You can purchase a pass for
the Chocolate Trail for $25 from Stratford Tourism
(visitstratford.ca) and get six vouchers for chocolate
foods and products at any of the locations on the
trail — including Rheo Thompson, my favourite. If
chocolate is not your thing, they also have a Bacon
and Ale trail.
● Museums and Galleries: If you like museums
and art galleries, be sure to check out Gallery Stratford (gallerystratford.on.ca) and the Stratford Perth
Museum (stratfordperthmuseum.ca). Gallery
TRAVEL WITH
Stratford is located in
the city’s historic pump
house and until July 12,
“because we care”
it has a very moving holocaust exhibition by Jason
PAY FOR 5
Schwartz entitled FragCASINO DAY TRIPS
ments. The Stratford Perth
- 6TH DAY TRIP IS FREE
Museum is a bit of a drive
from the downtown area,
YELLOWHEAD CASINO
but it’s worth the effort.
EDMONTON
Check out the Anne Frank
Tues. July 28
exhibit this summer in
COWBOYS CASINO
recognition of the 70th anCALGARY
niversary of the European
Tues. Aug 11
liberation from Nazi occupation.
APEX CASINO
If you go
403-347-4990 | 1-888-LET-S-BUS (538-7287)
www.frontierbuslines.com
Visit our website or call for details
SUPERIOR SERVI CE AT AN AFFORDABLE PRI CE
MULTI-DAY TOURS
SINGLE DAY TOURS
5 DAY MYSTERY TRIP
Tuesday July 7 (65+ free admission)
Aug 24-28
CALGARY STAMPEDE
Lots of fun and mysteries.
Rush or reserved evening grandstand seats available.
BRANSON MISSOURI AND NASHVILLE!!
Saturday July 25
18 days Sept 7-24
Deadwood, Crazy Horse, Mt Rushmore, Mitchell Corn
Palace, 9 shows in Branson, Graceland, Loretta Lynn
Ranch, Gen Jackson Showboat, Grand Ole Opry, Historic
Trails Centre, Little Bighorn Battlefield and more.
ANNUAL MINOT HOSTFEST
Sept 28-Oct 4
Superb Headliners: Jeff Foxworthy; Abbacadabra;
Marty Stuart & Connie Smith; CelticThunder;
Ronnie Milsap FarewellTour; Martina McBride
LAKE HAVASU CITY ARIZONA
PASSION PLAY
Be carried back 2000 years to the land and events that changed the course of history.This dramatic portrayal of the
life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in an acoustically superb natural bowl amphitheatre will make you feel
like you are actually there.
MAYFIELD DINNER THEATRE EDMONTON
“The Long Weekend”
Wednesday July 29
A hilariously tangled web of truths, deception and surprises. Leaves the audience
laughing all the way to the final curtain.
SPRUCE MEADOWS MASTERS
Saturday Sept 12 (65+ free admission)
Rush or reserved seating available.
Feb 13-Mar 1, 2016
ROSEBUD DINNER THEATRE
“Mass Appeal”
Shed the winter blues to beautiful Lake Havasu City,
where they have 300 days of sunshine per year.
If you likedTuesdays with Morrie, don’t miss Mass Appeal
Thursday Oct. 8
DEPARTS RD ARENA OVERFLOW LOT FOR ALL DAY TOURS. DEPARTS PARKING LOT SOUTH OF DENNY’S FOR ALL OVERNIGHT TOURS.