2011 FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
OPENING NIGHT
Opening night in 2011was changed from the Friday night to the Thursday night. Scott Rossetti did a wonderful job of officially opening the festival. The Courthouse theatre again hosted the evening with guests enjoying Molly Coleman singing and playing guitar in the gallery surrounded by the Art of Dance exhibition. Cake, drinks, nibbles and the first performance of Cymbeline made for an great opening night
Community Play Cymbeline
The community play was well supported by the public over the 5 shows with Darren McCubbin doing a fantastic job of directing. The Courthouse Theatre was once again an ideal venue with the inclusion of the Art of Dance exhibition. Of course we must mentioned the wonderful cameo role of Gavin Roberts and the Morph suit.
Children’s Play Macbeth
We were so lucky to get Rachael Nichols to direct this year, the feedback from all was that it was a standout play, well directed and the kids were right in to it with great costumes, makeup, dances even singing at the end.
Groundwork Tempest.
Well second year in the kids have cracked it, this was a top performance by a group who are keen to act it was a nice interpretation and only went for 50 minutes and in that time managed to develop characters and tell the story.
Banquet
This years Banquet stayed with the festival theme of dance. The aim was to showcase as many different styles of dance as possible while incorporating other performances to create a great night of entertainment. Anna Lowendahl was the MC for the night and did a brilliant job involving the 101 audience members, ensuring a great time was had by all. The food was again done by Nathan Costanza and was at the usual high standard. Dessert was very very yummy! The evening finished with more "not quite the usual Shakespeare" music and dancing.
Faire Day
Once again we were blessed with the weather for Faire day. Lots of Puck passports were submitted at the welcome centre (some very beautifully decorated) to enter the Puck raffle and get a Faireday dollar. We had two stages of entertainment this year, one for music and one for dancing along with roving entertainers and buskers. The Mob dance was fantastic and people are still watching it on Youtube video. Link below.
The Flashmob was choreographed by Artist in residence Trudy Radburn. You can learn the dance at home by watching the rehearsal Youtube video. Link below.
This year we welcomed the 545 Maypole troop who quickly became a crowd favorite. The Knights Quest and Princess Quest were again a popular stop for the kids using their "Faireday dollar" to gain entry. Anna Lowendahl's costume stall “Become a Shakespeare actor in 10 mins” kept her busy for the whole day with adults and kids dressing up and getting in the spirit.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In 1989, Neale Warrington, from the Australian Shakespeare Company and the former Shire of Avon, initiated discussions on how a Festival could build on the village name of Stratford and its links to William Shakespeare. To further shape the festival, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of Shire President Denise Stothers, Secretary George Brayshaw and other local identities. The first festival was held in 1991 presenting a Midsummer Nights Dream by a local theatre group and the Twelfth Night by the Australian Shakespeare Company under the direction of Neale Warrington. The Australian Shakespeare Company returned in 1992 and 1994 bringing King Lear and Hamlet to Stratford. During these early years, the festival consisted of this performance over 3 nights and 2 days. In 1995, the committee reformed as the Stratford on Avon Shakespeare Association with the aim to have a more community orientated approach to the Festival. Under the new chairman, former Shire President Janice Jones and Secretary Sheila Malady, the festival included a community presentation directed by Clifton Kline and developed the concept of a Village Fair. The Festival has run continuously since 1996 being anchored on the first weekend in May and includes a number of different workshops, performances and events from a variety of companies. The Festival has grown to include over 20 different events being performed over a 2,5 week period. The people of Stratford, The Festival management team and the best artists from around the region and guest Melbourne and Sydney based professional companies will take you on a culturally engaging journey back in time.
