CBC to Broadcast Stratford Festival HD's MACBETH This Sunday

The Stratford Festival's latest HD films, Macbeth and Love's Labour's Lost, are airing on CBC TV this month, giving Canadians across the country a chance to see the work of the country's landmark theatre during this special 150th anniversary year.

Antoni Cimolino's chilling production of Macbeth, directed for the screen by Shelagh O'Brien, airs Sunday, August 20, at 1 p.m. local time. It takes you back to the stark reality of the 11th century, when the murderous king clawed his way to power. It has been praised as "a thrilling terror" (Globe and Mail), "a bold and brutal take on the Scottish King's tragic tale" (Toronto Star), and "a brilliant, terrifying show" that leaves people "gasping in the dark" (Chicago Tribune).

Starring Ian Lake in "a galvanizing performance as an unusually young and sexually magnetic Macbeth" (New York Times) and Krystin Pellerin as "a standout Lady Macbeth ... at once adorable yet devious" (Postmedia), this is a production that will haunt your dreams and leave you tingling. All hail Macbeth!

Shakespeare's most poetic love story, Love's Labour's Lost - airing Sunday, August 27, at 1p.m. local time - comes to vivid life in this Stratford Festival production, helmed by Tony and Olivier award-winning director John Caird and directed for the screen by Barry Avrich. A coming-of-age story unlike any other, it dwells sweetly on the naiveté of youth while leading its protagonists to understand the true meaning - and cost - of love. This "sublime" (Toronto Star) "masterpiece" (National Post) was called "the most vibrant production of the play I've ever seen" (AM New York).

Starring Ruby Joy, Mike Shara, Sarah Afful, Juan Chioran, Josue Laboucane, Tom Rooney and Sanjay Talwar, "it's impossible to say who gives the most delicious performance in this comic feast" (Torontoist).

"As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, we are delighted to give people across the country an opportunity to experience the best of the Stratford Festival," says Executive Director Anita Gaffney.

"Macbeth, directed by our Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, was one of the top-selling Shakespeare productions in the Festival's 64-year history. Its two stars hail from opposite sides of our country, Ian Lake from British Columbia, and Krystin Pellerin from Newfoundland, and it features music by Canadian rock icon Steven Page. Love's Labour's Lost features a remarkable and diverse cast of actors from across the country and is directed by one of Canada's most acclaimed theatrical exports, John Caird, whose storied international career includes co-directing the world première of Les Misérables.

"We are thrilled to once again be working with CBC, which from the start has been a huge supporter of the Stratford Festival HD project to film all of Shakespeare's plays."

Stratford's films, produced by Barry Avrich, have been praised for presenting Shakespeare with spectacular clarity, offering new inspiration to even the most seasoned theatregoer. Captured with 10 cameras and 128 channels of sound during a single live performance, each production is faithful to the stage version, but adds the intimacy of film with an array of camera angles that bring the audience even closer than Stratford's remarkably intimate theatres already allow.

Earlier this year, the films were distributed to cinemas across Canada through Cineplex, which specializes in bringing world-class events and performances to the big screen, and in the U.S. and internationally through SpectiCast, the fastest growing event cinema marketing and distribution company in the world.

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