Stratford Festival HD Bringing ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA to Cinemas This Month

The Stratford Festival HD stage to screen event series returns to U.S. cinemas on Thursday, May 21 with the Stratford Festival production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, the steamy story of a midlife affair that shook the foundations of the ancient world comes to vivid life. Starring Geraint Wyn Davies and Yanna McIntosh as the powerful rulers whose insatiable love leads to the greatest of tragedies, Antony and Cleopatra is directed by Gary Griffin. Distributed by BY Experience and Fathom Events, Stratford Festival HD brings the best of Shakespeare from North America's leading classical theatre company to cinema audiences around the world. Visit www.stratfordfestivalHD.com for tickets and participating cinema locations.

Antony and Cleopatra is produced by Melbar Entertainment Group in association with the Stratford Festival, Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, and Executive Producers Barry Avrich, Anita Gaffney and Michael A. Levine.

This production is part of a massive initiative by the Stratford Festival, North America's leading classical theatre company, to capture all of Shakespeare's plays over the next 10 years. The series, which began with the Stratford Festival's critically acclaimed production of King Lear in February, followed by King John in April and now Antony and Cleopatra, will ultimately create the first North American collection of the complete works of William Shakespeare.

Stratford Festival HD is sponsored by Sun Life Financial as part of their Making the Arts More Accessible program, with generous support from Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, the Jenkins Family Foundation, Ophelia & Mike Lazaridis, Sandra & Jim Pitblado and Robert & Jacqueline Sperandio.

U.S. distribution is through BY Experience, the "live cinema event powerhouse" (Variety) that brings the highest quality international cultural events to more than 2,000 cinemas and performing arts centres in over 60 countries around the world as the Worldwide HD Distribution Representative for The Met: Live in HD series, International (ex-UK) Distribution Representative for the U.K.'s National Theatre Live series, and North American Distributor for the Bolshoi Ballet cinema series.

Canadian distribution is through Cineplex Entertainment's Front Row Centre Events, which specializes in bringing world-class events and performances to the big screen. Cinema screenings will be followed by a broadcast window on CBC-TV, Canada's national public broadcaster. Digital and on-demand release will follow.