Frontmezzjunkies reports: At the Meighen Forum, Stratford’s productions become jumping-off points for conversations about theatre, history, literature and the ideas behind the plays
By Ross
One of the things I admire most about the Stratford Festival isn’t confined to one of its stages. Long after the applause fades and audiences drift back onto the streets, the conversation continues inside the Meighen Forum, where the season’s plays become starting points for discussions that range from history and literature to politics and the creative process. Every season I find myself scanning the Forum schedule with almost as much excitement as I do the productions. This August is no exception. And although I won’t be able to attend these events, I already know I’ll be curious about what they’ll be talking about and what I’ll be missing.
The Peer into the Playbill series covers some wonderfully varied territory: the search for meaning through The King James Bible Play, Waiting for Godot and Death of a Salesman; men’s mental health through Othello and Willy Loman’s unraveling; modern marriage through Saturday, Sunday, Monday and The Importance of Being Earnest; and unseen labour through The Tao of the World. These aren’t simply lectures. They feel like deeply fascinating invitations to keep thinking and pondering life and how we live it long after leaving the theatre.
In another realm, Global Theatre Week arrives, moving across theatrical traditions. This series looks at the enduring influence of commedia dell’arte through the work of Eduardo De Filippo, Shakespeare’s remarkable relationship with opera, and the history of puppetry from its global origins to this season’s production of The Hobbit.
Next, Readers and Writers Week brings writers and performers into the conversation. Canada Reads host Ali Hassan sits down with acclaimed authors Tanya Talaga and Yann Martel for conversations about truth, storytelling and the power of literature, while another event explores the extraordinary legacies of Arthur Miller and Samuel Beckett. That mixture of writers, scholars and performers is part of what makes the Forum so appealing.
The return of Chicago Tribune Chief Theatre Critic Chris Jones also promises two conversations I suspect many Festival devotees will be circling on their calendars. One explores the lasting brilliance of Oscar Wilde alongside this season’s The Importance of Being Earnest, while the other offers what is certain to be a meaningful conversation with Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino as he reflects on nearly four decades at the Stratford Festival. That Cimolino conversation, in particular, is one I wish I could be in the room to hear, as the one event I was able to attend last year hosted by Cimolino was a highlight of the summer for me.
What I like about the Meighen Forum is that it gives the productions somewhere to keep unfolding. A play can lead to a discussion about mental health, a conversation about marriage can open onto questions of history and Oscar Wilde, and a production of The Hobbit can lead into the history of puppetry. And even though I won’t be sitting in Lazaridis Hall this August, I’ll still be praising from afar how deep this festival dives into the meaning of life through the examination of theatre. And if I can make one small request from afar: please record these and make them available for streaming for us unlucky souls who can’t be there. I promise I’ll be watching. That’s part of what makes Stratford feel like more than a collection of productions to me. The season keeps talking and unpacking ideas, even after the lights come up.
But hold on for just one more minute. As there is one more item of news that deserves its own little drumroll: The Stratford Festival has just announced its Pay-What-You-Can performance schedule, with selected tickets starting at $25. The Tempest, Guys and Dolls, The Importance of Being Earnest, Death of a Salesman, and Something Rotten! all have dates, which is an opportunity worth taking. So take a peek, as maybe this is your chance to see one of these shows, or return for another viewing. Pay-What-You-Can certainly sounds like a good deal to me.
