The Shaw Festival is a not-for-profit

theatre festival Theatre festivals are amongst the earliest types of festival. Classical Greek theatre was associated with religious festivals dedicated to Dionysus, called the City Dionysia. The medieval mystery plays were presented at the major Christian feasts ...

in Niagara-on-the-Lake,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America. The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured productions written by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, but changes were later implemented by

Christopher Newton Christopher Newton (11 June 1936 – 20 December 2021) was a Canadian director and actor, who served as artistic director of the Shaw Festival from 1980 to 2002. Early life and education Newton was born in Deal, Kent, England and educated at ...

and Jackie Maxwell that widened the theatre's scope. As of 2019, the theatre company was considered to be one of the largest 20 employers in the Niagara Region.

History

The Festival's roots can be traced to 1962 when Brian Doherty and Calvin Rand staged a summertime "Salute to Shaw" at the Court House Theatre. For eight weekends, Doherty and his crew produced Shaw's ''Don Juan in Hell'' and ''Candida''.

Paxton Whitehead Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead (born 17 October 1937) is an English actor, theatre director and playwright. He was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of ''Camelot''. He has h ...

took over management of the company in 1967. During his tenure, he established the Festival Theatre. Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, and

Pierre Elliot Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...

were among those who attended performances at the Shaw Festival Theatre during its inaugural season in 1973.

Tony Van Bridge Valentine Anthony Neil "Tony Van" Bridge CM (28 May 1917 – 20 December 2004) was a British television and theatre actor and director. Early life Bridge was born in London and first appeared as a child actor at the age of ten, and enrolle ...

was the interim artistic director for the 1974–75 season. Christopher Newton had declined previous offers to serve as Artistic Director for the Shaw Festival before accepting the position in 1979. In a 2011 interview with the

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it f ...

, Newton stated that he "hadn't really liked Bernard Shaw very much" and that he "made no secret of that fact." Under Newton, the theatre produced plays that were written during the lifetime of Shaw (1856–1950). His decision to move the Shaw Festival away from the direction of

museum theatre Museum theatre is the use of theatre and theatrical techniques by a museum for educational, informative, and entertainment purposes. It can also be used in a zoo, an aquarium, an art gallery, and at historic sites. It is generally performed by pr ...

was controversial, which resulted in some members of the board directors to propose firing him, but they were not successful. The theatre stopped running at a financial deficit during Newton's tenure. His successor, Jackie Maxwell, was appointed in 2003 and expanded the theatre's scope further to include works that were set in the same time period as Shaw. By doing so, she was able to allow "strategic integration of female, Canadian and nonwhite voices into the festival's programming and casting". In 2003, a production of ''The Coronation Voyage'' was the first time a show that was written by a living playwright was featured at the Shaw Festival. In the summer of 2015, it was announced that Tim Carroll would take over as artistic director and Tim Jennings as executive director. They announced Carroll’s inaugural 2017 season in August 2016. In 2020, most of the productions scheduled for that season were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in ...

. The theatre company reduced financial losses through production cancelletions, donations, government subsidies, and insurance.

Artistic Directors

* Andrew Allan (1963–1965) *

Barry Morse Herbert Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the ABC television series '' The Fugitive'' and the British sci-fi drama '' ...

(1966) *

(1967–1977) *

(1974 – 1975) *

Leslie Yeo Leslie may refer to: * Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters Families * Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast" * Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble famil ...

(1979) *

(1980–2002) * Jackie Maxwell (2003–2016) * Tim Carroll (2017–)

Theatres

Shaw Festival Theatre - Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

On June 12, 1973, the Shaw Festival opened its first permanent theatre, the Queen's Parade. Dates listed are when the theatre's association with the Shaw Festival began; The Court House and Royal George theatres predate the festival. * Festival Theatre (1973, 856 seats) * Royal George Theatre (1980, 305 seats) * Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre (2004, 267 seats) Former venue: Court House Theatre (1962–2017, 327 seats)''

References

Bibliography

External links