OTHELLO - Stratford Festival

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At theend of the1956 season, thegiantcanvas tent that had housed theFestival’s first four seasons wasdismantled for the last timeto makeway for a new and permanent facilityto beerected around the existingstage. Designed by architect RobertFairfield, the newbuilding would beone of the most distinctive in the worldof theperforming arts: its circular floorplan and crenellated roof payingstriking tribute tothe Festival’s originsunder canvas.In theyears since its first season, theStratford Festival has set benchmarksfor the production not only ofShakespeare, Molière, the ancientGreeks and other great dramatists ofthe past, but also of such 20th-centurymasters as Samuel Beckett, BertoltBrecht, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen,Eugene O’Neill and TennesseeWilliams. In addition to acclaimedproductions of the best in operetta andmusical theatre, it has alsoshowcased–andd in many casespremièred– works by outstandingCanadian and other contemporaryplaywrights.Its artists have included thefinestactors, directors and designers inCanada, as well as many from abroad.Among the internationally renownedperformers whohave graced its stagesare Alan Bates, Brian Bedford, DouglasCampbell, Len Cariou, Brent Carver,Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, ColmFeore, Megan Follows, Lorne Greene,Paul Gross, UtaHagen, Julie Harris,Martha Henry, William Hutt, JamesMason, Eric McCormack, LoreenaMcKennitt, Richard Monette, JohnNeville, Nicholas Pennell, ChristopherPlummer, Sarah Polley, Douglas Rain,Katee Reid, Jason Robards, PaulScofield, WilliamShatner, MaggieSmith, Jessica Tandy, Peter Ustinovand Al Waxman.Drawing audiences of morethan400,000 each year, the Festivalseason now runs from April toNovember, withproductions beingpresented in four unique theatres. Itoffers an extensive programofeducational andenrichment activitiesfor students, teachers and otherpatrons, and operates its own in-houseschool of professional artistdevelopment: The BirminghamConservatory for Classical Theatre.Stratford Festival Behind the ScenesApp. Contains interactive set models,exclusive images and slideshows,special audio and video content andphotos, stories and animations andinsights into theworld of theatre at theFestival. For more information seewww.stratfordfestival.ca/explore.For interactive classroom activitiesrelated to the Stratford Festival, go tothe CBC Digital Archives:http: ://bit.ly/Yy7eK6OthelloStudy GuideStratford Festival 2013 2
The Playwright:William ShakespeareBorn in Stratford-upon-Avon, a smallWarwickshire town, in 1564, WilliamShakespeare was the eldest son of JohnShakespeare, a glover, and Mary Arden,the daughter of a wealthy farmer. Theexact date of his birth is unknown, butbaptismal records point to it being thesame as that of his death, April 23. Heprobably attended what is now the EdwardVI Grammar School, where hewould have studied Latin literature, andat 18, he married a farmer’s daughter,Anne Hathaway, with whom he had threechildren: Susanna, born in 1583, and,two years later, the twins Hamnet (whodied in childhood) and Judith.Nothing further is known of his life until1592, when his earliest known play, thefirst part of Henry VI, became a hit in London,where Shakespeare was now workingas an actor. Soon afterwards, an outbreakof the plague forced the temporaryclosure of the theatres, and Shakespeareturned for a while to writing poetry. By1594, however, he was back in the theatre,acting with the Lord Chamberlain’sMen. He quickly established himself asone of London’s most successful dramatists,with an income that enabled him, in1597, to buy a mansion back in Stratford.In 1599 he became a shareholderin London’s newly built Globe Theatre.his death on April 23, 1616. He is buriedin the town’s Holy Trinity Church.In the first collected edition of his worksin 1623, fellow dramatist Ben Jonsoncalled him a man “not of an age, but forall time”. Not only did Shakespeare writesome of the most popular plays of alltime, but he was a very prolific writer,writing 38 (canonically accepted) worksin 23 years. His work covered manysubjects and styles, including comedies,tragedies, histories and romances, allbearing his hallmark expansive plots, extraordinarylanguage and humanistthemes. Shakespeare enjoyed great popularityin his lifetime, and 400 years later,he is still the most produced playwrightin the world.In 1603, Shakespeare’s company wasawarded a royal patent, becoming knownas the King’s Men. Possibly as early as1610, the playwright retired to his homein Stratford-upon-Avon, living there – andcontinuing to invest in real estate – untilOthelloStudy GuideStratford Festival 2013 3
Page 1 and 2: STUDY GUIDETools forTeacherssponsor
Page 3: TheStratfordStoryThat Stratford, On
Page 7 and 8: 1601 Shakespeare’s patron arreste
Page 9 and 10: Plot SynopsisThere is commotion in
Page 11 and 12: Stratford Production HistoryThis is
Page 13 and 14: Imaginative Ways to Approach the Te
Page 19 and 20: ResourcesSHAKESPEARE: HISTORY, CRIT

OTHELLO - Stratford Festival

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