 Festival logo | |
| Location | Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1962[1] |
| Founded by | Brian Doherty and Calvin Rand |
| Directors | Tim Carroll, Tim Jennings |
| Type of play | Plays by or in the spirit ofGeorge Bernard Shaw |
| Festival date | April–December each year |
| Website | www |
TheShaw Festival is acharitabletheatre festival inNiagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largestrepertory theatre company in North America, second only to theStratford Festival.[2] The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962. Originally, it only featured productions written byGeorge Bernard Shaw, but changes were later implemented byChristopher Newton andJackie Maxwell that widened the theatre's scope. As of 2019, the theatre company was considered to be one of the largest 20 employers in theNiagara Region.[3]
The Festival's roots can be traced to 1962 when Brian Doherty and Calvin Rand staged a summertime "Salute to Shaw" at theCourt House Theatre.[4] For eight weekends, Doherty and his crew produced Shaw'sDon Juan in Hell andCandida.[5] In 1964, the Shaw Festival became fully professional, its first fullyEquity year with a production of Shaw'sHeartbreak House.[6]
Paxton Whitehead took over management of the company in 1967. During his tenure, he established the Festival Theatre.[7] QueenElizabeth II,Indira Gandhi, andPierre Trudeau were among those who attended performances at the Shaw Festival Theatre during its inaugural season in 1973.[2]Tony Van Bridge was the interim artistic director for the 1974–75 season.[8] Christopher Newton had declined previous offers to serve as artistic director for the Shaw Festival before accepting the position in 1979.[9] In a 2011 interview withThe Globe and Mail, Newton stated that he "hadn't really liked Bernard Shaw very much" and that he "made no secret of that fact".[10] Under Newton, the theatre produced plays that were written during the lifetime of Shaw (1856–1950).[9] His decision to move the Shaw Festival away from the direction ofmuseum theatre was controversial, which resulted in some members of the board directors to propose firing him, but they were not successful.[9] The theatre stopped running at a financial deficit during Newton's tenure.[9] His successor,Jackie Maxwell, was appointed in 2003 and expanded the theatre's scope further to include works that were set in the same time period as Shaw.[11] By doing so, she was able to allow "strategic integration of female, Canadian and nonwhite voices into the festival's programming and casting".[11] In 2003, a production ofMichel Marc Bouchard'sThe Coronation Voyage (1995) was the first time a show that was written by a living playwright was featured at the Shaw Festival.[11]
In the summer of 2015, it was announced that Tim Carroll would take over as artistic director and Tim Jennings as executive director. They announced Carroll's inaugural 2017 season in August 2016.[12] In 2020, most of the productions scheduled for that season were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.[3] The theatre company reduced financial losses through production cancellations, donations, government subsidies, and insurance.[13]
On 12 June 1973, the Shaw Festival opened its first permanent theatre, the Queen's Parade.[2]
Dates listed are when the theatre's association with the Shaw Festival began; The Court House and Royal George theatres predate the festival.[17]
Former venue: Court House Theatre (1962–2017, 327 seats)[19]
The Royal George Theatre is slated to close at the end of the 2025 festival season. The building is too costly to maintain and there is not enough space to update the property to meet current accessibility accommodations. With that in mind the festival board has purchased the two adjacent properties on either side and hopes to build a new theatre in its place, pending funding. In April of 2025, the festival securedCA$35 million in Ontario government funding to rebuild the theatre with an estimatedCA$75−85 million total budget. The new facility is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2029 season in Spring of 2029. It will have 20% larger capacity with upgraded accessibility features to meet current standards.[20][21]
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