The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is an annual outdoor festival of Shakespeare's plays performed on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Prescott, Ontario. The festival was founded in 2002 and has a season that runs roughly from early July to mid-August each year.
The Company began to take shape in 2002 after Deborah Smith of Chesterville brought a small, self-produced, touring production of Romeo and Juliet to the area. The community was charmed by the idea of having live theatre in its midst and it was agreed that the Company could utilize the outdoor amphitheatre for a full production of The Tempest in the summer of 2003; the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival was born.
In the summer of 2006, Ian Farthing was appointed as the Festival's new Artistic Director and oversaw the expansion of the theatre's activities to a season of two mainstage Shakespeare productions, a full Sunday Series of events and an education program.
With no other professional outdoor theatre in the St. Lawrence Seaway area, the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival fulfills a key role in the artistic life of the region. The unique riverside setting combined with the high quality of the performances has resulted in a 400% increase in attendance over the first seven years.
Read more about St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival: History
Famous quotes containing the words lawrence, shakespeare and/or festival:
“The ambiguous, gray areas of authority and responsibility between parents and teachers exacerbate the distrust between them. The distrust is further complicated by the fact that it is rarely articulated, but usually remains smoldering and silent.”
—Sara Lawrence Lightfoot (20th century)
“Seven times tried that judgment is
That did never choose amiss.
Some there be that shadows kiss,
Such have but a shadow’s bliss.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Don’t you know there are 200 temperance women in this county who control 200 votes. Why does a woman work for temperance? Because she’s tired of liftin’ that besotted mate of hers off the floor every Saturday night and puttin’ him on the sofa so he won’t catch cold. Tonight we’re for temperance. Help yourself to them cloves and chew them, chew them hard. We’re goin’ to that festival tonight smelling like a hot mince pie.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)