McAnuff, Noble, Etc. to Direct at Stratford Fest in '08

Variety reports that the Stratford Festival of Canada has announced its 2008 season, with productions directed by Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who's Tommy) and the Adrian Noble (former RSC artistic director, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) among the line-up.

The 2008 season marks the first time that Stratford has been headed by McAnuff, Marti Maraden and Don Shipley.  According to the aritcle, they have "decided to restore the Bard to the name of the 55-year-old fest, announcing that it will be called the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada beginning in November."  The three artistic directors will succeed Richard Monette this fall at the end of the 2007 season.

Shakespearean productions include Romeo and Juliet, staged by McAnuff, Hamlet, directed by Noble, The Taming of the Shrew, helmed by Peter Hinton (Canada's National Arts Theatre), Love's Labour's Lost, directed by Michael Langham (the former artistic director of Stratford) and All's Well That Ends Well, helmed by Maraden. On the non-Bard front, the festival will also present Euripides' The Trojan Women, directed by Maraden, Lessing's Emilia Galotti, directed by German director Michael Thalheimer, and Lope de Vega's Fuente Ovejuna, staged by Laurence Boswell.

Casting will be announced.

Visit www.stratford-festival.on.ca for more information.