Stratford’s 2027 Season
The Stratford Festival has announced its 2027 season. Here’s what we know so far:
Festival Theatre
Mary Poppins – April 29 to November 6 – Vanessa Sears stars as Mary. Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and Stephen Mear.
Chicago – May 24 to November 7 – A remount of Donna Feore’s 2022 smash.
Hamlet – June 20 to October 30 – Directed by former artistic director Des McAnuff.
Avon Theatre
Wolf Hall – June 4 to August 21
Bring Up The Bodies – June 19 to August 21
These plays, adaptations of Hilary Mantel’s best-selling novels, directed by new artistic director Jonathan Church, will run in repertory, so it will be possible to see them both in succeeding days or even on the same day.
Anne of Green Gables – September 2 – September 25 – this remount of the 2025 success, will tour to Edmonton after its short run at Stratford.
Present Laughter – October 9 to November 28 – Noel Coward’s comedy will be directed by Richard Ouzounian and star Erik McCormack of Will & Grace fame.
Tom Patterson Theatre
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang – April 28 to October 30 – a new Canadian musical for kids.
Merchant of Venice – May 8 to October 30 – starring Saul Rubinek, directed by Chris Abraham.
Taming of the Shrew – August 11 to October 31 – directed by Krista Jackson.
Studio Theatre
Playing Shylock –May 21 to September 25 – directed by Martin Kinch, starring Rubinek.
Almighty Voice and His Wife – June 11 to September 25 – a new indigenous play by Daniel David Moses, directed by Yvette Nolan.
All in the Telling – August 4 to September 26 – a one-man play by Rubinek directed by Chris Abraham.
More information on the Stratford Festival website. In the Playbill section, click on the titles to get more details about each play.
New Curtain Times
Following the lead of the Shaw, Blyth, and Drayton, the Festival is moving up curtain times. Matinees will be at 1:30pm and evening performances at 7:30pm.
Of Note
The entire Festival season runs April 28 through November 28, 2027. Festival members can book tickets starting October 25, 2026. Ticket sales to the general public begin November 15, 2026.
The highlight of the season will be Saul Rubinek’s triple play. One of Canada’s finest actors, at the age of 78 he has assumed the mantle once worn by the likes of Christopher Plummer and Brian Bedford.
I am less enthused by the partial dismantling of the repertory model, a step taken at least in part to accommodate McCormack. Time was when someone could come to Stratford for a week or so and see everything. That will not be possible in 2027.
2026 was an unusually strong season for Shakespeare; I’m not too optimistic about 2027. If you can only see one Shakespeare next year I’d suggest Chris Abraham’s Merchant of Venice. Des McAnuff’s track record with the Bard has been, to my taste, spotty, although he did turn in a nice Tempest with Christopher Plummer. Krista Jackson’s Shrew is described as having a reality TV theme which doesn’t thrill me. But then I was not much taken with the advance description of Abraham’s “big, fat, gay wedding” version of Midsummer Night’s Dream and it was wonderful.
If you’re wondering why artistic director Church is importing two Brits to direct and choreograph Mary Poppins, perhaps it’s because he worked with both of them at the Chichester Festival. So much for being a proud Canadian. /snark
Interestingly, Church is not directing a Shakespeare work this season. He has been quoted as saying he’ll get around to the Bard eventually.
Additional casting should be announced fairly soon, since tickets go on sale in less than a month.
“Of all the hardships a person [has] to face, none [is] more punishing than the simple act of waiting.”
― Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns
