20/18
Robert Lepage's genre-defying production
of Coriolanus hits the stage in Stratford
THE FASTER YOU RISE, THE HARDER YOU FALL.
Coriolanus production trailer.
June 8, 2018… Robert Lepage makes a thrilling Stratford Festival debut with Shakespeare's Coriolanus, featuring André Sills in the title role. Created in collaboration with Ex Machina, the production begins previews this Saturday, June 9, at the Avon Theatre, and runs until October 20, marking its official opening on June 22.
Lepage is celebrated around the world for his stunning, boundary-breaking work. Like his other theatrical and Cirque du Soleil productions, Coriolanus will showcase the technologically sophisticated staging the director is known for.
"Robert has created an absolutely stunning version of this play," says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. "It is imbued with a leading-edge, contemporary style but never loses touch with its Shakespearean roots."
Inspired by modern media, Lepage takes the story about the rise and fall of a legendary general who must face off against the angry Roman mob and infuses it with the energy of Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring. The Twittersphere assumes the role of the mob traditionally represented as rioters on stage.
"Nowadays, public opinion is mostly represented not by tribunes and mass assemblies but by mass media and social media," Lepage says. "If you want to know what the public feels, you count the number of likes on Facebook, or you look at people's tweets. Even the president of the United States communicates by tweets. That's how democracy expresses itself now."
In addition to Sills, Coriolanus features Graham Abbey as Tullus Aufidius, Michael Blake as Cominius, Tom McCamus as Menenius Agrippa, Stephen Ouimette as Junius Brutus, Lucy Peacock as Volumnia and Tom Rooney as Sicinius Velutus.
The creative team, led by Lepage as Director and Set Designer, includes Creative Director and Designer Steve Blanchet, Assistant Director Adèle Saint-Amand, Associate Set and Props Designer Ariane Sauvé, Costume Designer Mara Gottler, Lighting Designer Laurent Routhier, Composer and Sound Designer Antoine Bédard, Images Designer Pedro Pires, Fight Director John Stead and ASL Coach Elizabeth Morris.
Coriolanus officially opens on June 22 and runs until October 20.
This is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts' New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.
Production support is generously provided by Larry Enkin & family in memory of Sharon Enkin, by Sylvia Soyka, and by Catherine & David Wilkes.
The production sponsor is BMO Financial Group.
Support for the 2018 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by The Birmingham Family.
Coriolanus at the Forum
The Forum is a series of events, such as exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, music and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2018 playbill.
Saturday, June 23
10:30 a.m. to noon
There are many places in the world where citizens' freedoms are constrained; and citizens' concerns about their ability to direct their future transcend national borders. Randall Hansen, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, is joined by Lama Mourad and Joseph Wong to discuss the global meaning of freedom.
Saturday, August 25
10:30 a.m. to noon
Through his Roman plays, Shakespeare mythologized the birth of a new Rome in Britain. But what of the actual Roman context is lost in that process? Join Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, former National Post theatre critic Robert Cushman and others as they consider both Shakespeare's texts and our knowledge of the Roman world.
Wednesday, September 26
10:45 a.m. to noon
Julius Caesar and Coriolanus both challenge the role and responsibilities of political leadership. In a conversation moderated by CBC Ideas host Paul Kennedy, Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child Canada and War Child USA, Chief Ava Hill of the Six Nations of the Grand River and other successful women consider the relationship between leadership and power and what makes a good leader.
The Stratford Festival's 2018 season runs until November 4, featuring The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, The Music Man, The Rocky Horror Show, Long Day's Journey Into Night, An Ideal Husband, To Kill a Mockingbird, Napoli Milionaria!, Brontë: The World Without and Paradise Lost. For tickets and more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Tullus Aufidius......................
Host, Doctor, Father........................
Cominius......................
Old Senator, Old Man...........................
Daughter, Gentlewoman...................
Young Martius.......................
Waiter, Deaf Woman's Husband, Sentinel #2....................... Farhang Ghajar
Virgilia......................
Menenius Agrippa.......................
Young Martius.......................
Bartender, Reporter......................
Junius Brutus........................
Volumnia......................
Sicinius Velutus.......................
Coriolanus....................
Surrogate.....................
Lieutenant....................
Caller, Messenger, Caretaker.....................
Valeria, Deaf Woman.........................
ARTISTIC CREDITS
Director and Set Designer......................
Creative Director and Designer......................
Assistant Director......................
Associate Set and Props Designer......................
Costume Designer......................
Lighting Designer......................
Composer and Sound Designer......................
Images Designer......................
Fight Director......................
ASL Coach.........................
Producer......................
Casting Director......................
Creative Planning Director......................
Assistant Director (Michael Langham Workshop)................. Mikaela Davies
Assistant Costume Designer......................
Assistant Lighting Designer......................
Associate Fight Director......................
Assistant Fight Director......................
Stage Manager.......................
Assistant Stage Managers......................
Production Assistant.....................
Production Stage Managers......................
Technical Director......................
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
Promotional photos for Coriolanus:
https://www.stratfordfestival.
Headshots:
https://www.stratfordfestival.
VIDEO:
Production trailer for Coriolanus:
Ann Swerdfager
Publicity Director
Stratford Festival
55 Queen Street | PO Box 520 | Stratford ON | N5A 6V2
519.271.4040 x2297
M: 519.301.3569
Box Office: Toll Free 1.800.567.1600 | Local 519.273.1600
2018 Season | April to October
The Tempest | The Comedy of Errors | Coriolanus | Julius Caesar | The Music Man
The Rocky Horror Show | Long Day's Journey Into Night | An Ideal Husband
To Kill a Mockingbird | Napoli Milionaria! | Brontë | Paradise Lost
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