This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Stratford Festival's Growth From Tent Theatre to World Stage
A Stratford-born journalist sparked the idea of a Canadian Shakespearean Festival in 1952. Key figures included Tyrone Guthrie, Alec Guinness, Irene Worth, and Cecil Clarke. The festival opened July 13 1953 with Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well, drawing attendees from across North America and expanding into music film and art.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom Patterson
Patterson
New York City
Harrison A. Showalter
Tyrone Guthrie
Old Vic Theatre
Stratford
Guthrie
England
Alec Guinness
Tanya Moiseiwitsch
Cecil Clarke
Stratford Shakespearean Festival Foundation of Canada
A. M. Bell
Canada
Montreal
Ottawa
Toronto
The
Festival Foundation
Irene Worth
Douglas Campbell
Michael Bates
Jacqueline Cundall
Ray Diffen
Stratford Memorial Theatre
U. S
Chicago
Stratford City
Stratford Parks Board
Helena
Florida
Texas