Village Squire, 1979-06, Page 7In most theatres, programs are planned so that the big interest
comes at the beginning of the season. For the 1979 Stratford
Festival however a lot of the excitement and attention has gone
to an event that won't occur until October.
The two biggest headline grabbers of past seasons are gone,
with Maggie Smith and Bryan Bedford moved on to explore other
areas. The biggest celebrity for the coming season is Peter
Ustinov who arrives in October to play King Lear. Yet it is a sign
of the importance of the Stratford Festival that it doesn't need a
big name like Ustinov in order to sell tickets. Although there's a
geat deal of excitement about his arrival, you'd never know it by
the Festival's publicity. The list of the Festival company in its
brochure lists everyone in alphabetical order, leaving Ustinov
seventh from the last.
The fact is that the stature of Stratford is such that the big
name actors of the world need the Festival almost as much as it
needs them. They certainly don't come for the money, but for the
renewal or growth experiences that working in one of the top
classical theatres in the world provides. Maggie Smith and Bryan
Bedford both found this out. And of course the change of pace
that life in leisurely Stratford provides after the big cities of the
world cannot be overlooked in the attractiveness of the Festival.
But stars aside. it has always been the strong company
atmosphere that has made Stratford stand out. This year the
company features many of the names that have been
synonymous with the Festival over the years: Richard Monette,
Frank Maraden, William Hutt. Douglas Rain, Nicholas Pennell,
Alan Scarfe. Domini Blythe. Marti Maraden, Martha Henry,
Jennifer Phipps, Barbara Budd and others.
The 1979 season is slightly scaled down from the mammoth 18
shows planned for 1978. but still ambitious with 13 productions
scheduled. For the second year in a row, Artistic Director Robin
Phillips has chosen to take the emphasis off the choice of a play
to open the Festival by presenting an opening night Gala
Performance headed up this year by Les Grand Ballets
Canadiens under direction of resident choreographer Brian
Macdonald and featuring members of the Festival company and
friends.
The plays. although they have been in performance for student
audiences for some time will officially open on June 5. The first
opening will be in the afternoon at the Avon Theatre where last
year's hit production of Ned and Jack by Vancouver playwright
Sheldon Rosen will reopen for a second year. It deals with the
relationship between John Barrymore and Edward Sheldon, two
flamboyant figures in Broadway theatre in the early part of the
centum. Peter Moss directs the show which will star Dean
Hawes. Jim McQueen and Alan Scarfe. Richard II, opening June
6 at the Avon, should be one of the most interesting productions
of the season. Australian -born director Zoe Caldwell has the task
of directing three different sets of Richards and Bolingbrokes
who will alternate in the roles while the the remainder of the cast
stays the same. The three Richards. Frank Maraden, Nicholos
Pennell and Stephen Russel and the three Bolingbrokes. Rod
Beattie. Craig Duddley and Jan Triska will speak the same lines,
wear the same type of costumes and follow the same blocking,
yet the three productions are distinctly different. Ms. Caldwell
claims. The distinct personality of each of the actors puts his own
stamp on the character.
The Festival Theatre's opening production June 5 will be
Love's Labour's Lost. Shakespeare's story of four young men
who swear to devote their time to study instead of women but
immediately find themselves tested in their convictions by the
appearance of four attractive ladies. Domini Blythe, Mervy
Blake. Richard Curnock, Martha Henry. Richard Monette and
Alan Scarfe appear in the play what will co -directed by Robin
Phillips and Urjo Kareda.
The second opening at the Festival Stage will be The First Part
of Henry IV. Peter Moss will direct the show which will feature
Graeme Campbell, Margot Dionne. Lewis Gordon. Richard
Monette, Jennifer Phipps, Douglas Rain, Stephen Russell and
Tom Wood. It deals with the education of a king as Prince Hal,
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June 1979, Village Squire 5