Canadian Theater Festivals Battle Tough Times

Canada's major theater festivals, The Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival, have reported decreased box office figures for the 2009 season, Variety reports.  With tourism down in general due in large to confusion over new passport requirements for U.S. residents traveling to Canada, and the shaky economy, reports show that advance bookings for both Festivals were down 20% from previous years.

Not to be deterred, with the aid of strong reviews and a government marketing initiative, sales picked up, leaving Stratford only 4.5% down (532,000 admissions in 2008 to 509,200 this year), and the Shaw only 6.5% down (from 281,000 to 253,000), according to Variety.

Stratford's big hits this season were its two musicals, West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  With such mega hits as As You Like It, Evita, Peter Pan, Jacques Brel, among others slated for 2010, the theater is hoping to reverse the downward pattern.  Similarly, on the Shaw's docket for 2010 are the crowd pleasers, An Ideal Husband, and The Woman, among others.  This year's big pull for the company was Born Yesterday.

With William Shakespeare as its foundation, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival aims to set the standard for classical theatre in North America. Embracing our heritage of tradition and innovation, they seek to bring classical and contemporary theatre alive for an increasingly diverse audience.  For more information on the Stratford Festival, visit www.stratfordfestival.ca.

The Shaw Festival produces and presents the work of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and playwrights writing anywhere in the world during, or about, the era of Shaw's lifetime. For more information on the Shaw Festival, visit www.shawfest.com.