Village Squire, 1980-05, Page 12Photo by Robert C. Ragsdale,
f.r.p.a.
Behind the scenes at
Stratford gets ready for a 15 play season
BY SUZANNE JONES
On Monaay, June 9, the sound of fanfare
will usher in another season of comedy,
tragedy, music and drama as the Stratford
Festival begins its twenty-eighth year.
Theatregoers from all over Canada and the
United States will enjoy eight plays during
opening week and another seven over the
remaining season.
PG. 10 VILLAGE SQUIRE/ MAY 1980
Such expertise is not achieved without a
great deal of work and careful preparation.
While the audiences are being entertained
by one season's offerings, plans are
already in progress for the following year,
and the plays have been selected by the
artistic director with some assistance from
the literary manager and associate direc-
tors. Once a schedule is chosen, the size of
the company is determined, and contracts
are sent out to performers, offering them
certain roles in the plays. Sometimes a play
is chosen with a particular actor or actress
in mind, as was the case this year with
"Virginia", accepted for the returning
Maggie Smith. Occasionally a play which
was tentatively scheduled is dropped or
replaced, usually because it is already
slotted for production at another theatre.
While there is no specified percentage of