The Stratford Festival has announced its 75th season, marking a major milestone for the Canadian theatre company and the beginning of Jonathan Church’s tenure as Artistic Director.
Former Chichester Festival Theatre Artistic Director Church will launch his first Stratford season with a 13-production programme spanning Shakespeare, large-scale musicals, classic drama, family theatre and world premieres.
At the centre of the season will be Hamlet, directed by Des McAnuff, alongside major musical productions of Mary Poppins and Chicago. The season will also include the Canadian premieres of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, directed by Church himself.
“As Stratford celebrates its 75th season, I’m very aware that many of the ideas that shaped modern theatre can be traced directly back to this place. Tyrone Guthrie and Tanya Moiseiwitsch came to Canada to realize a vision they had been unable to achieve in post-ward Britain and, in doing so, created one of the world’s most influential theatres. Having spent many years at Chichester, which was inspired by Stratford, I’ve long felt a connection to that legacy. To now work on these stages is tremendously exciting.”
Church’s inaugural season combines some of Stratford’s most celebrated traditions with new work and ambitious collaborations. Shakespeare’s Hamlet, opening on 13 July 2027, exactly 74 years after the Festival’s inaugural performance, will be joined by productions of The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew.
Musical theatre will play a significant role in the programme, with Jonathan O’Boyle and Stephen Mear directing Mary Poppins, featuring Vanessa Sears in the title role. Donna Feore’s acclaimed production of Chicago will also return to the Festival Theatre.
Church said: “One of the things that drew me to Stratford is the extraordinary range of work that can flourish here. There are very few theatre companies in the world where Shakespeare, major musicals, family theatre, new Canadian plays and large-scale historical drama can share the same season. That breadth is one of Stratford’s great strengths and it is something I wanted to embrace in my first season as Artistic Director.”
Among the season’s highlights is the return of Eric McCormack to Stratford for the first time since the 1980s. The stage and screen star will lead Noël Coward’s Present Laughter at the Avon Theatre.
Another major event will see Saul Rubinek return to Stratford for the first time since 1969. He will headline an ambitious three-play exploration of Jewish identity, memory and representation through Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the one-person play Playing Shylock, and the world premiere of his new work All in the Telling.
The season will also feature the world premiere musical Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, based on Mordecai Richler’s beloved novel, with a book by David S. Craig and music and lyrics by Anika Johnson and Britta Johnson. Other productions include Daniel David Moses’s Almighty Voice and His Wife and Kat Sandler’s adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.
Lawrence Stevenson, Chair of the Stratford Festival’s Board of Directors, said: “Since Jonathan’s arrival at Stratford, he has brought enormous energy, curiosity and respect for this institution and its artists. His first season is ambitious in scale, broad in appeal and confident in what Stratford can be. It is both unmistakably Stratford and unmistakably his own. The Board could not be more pleased to see him begin his tenure in this landmark 75th season.”
The 2027 Stratford Festival season runs from 28 April to 28 November, with tickets going on sale on 15 November 2026.
Reflecting on his new role, Church said: “As I begin my Stratford adventure in the Festival’s 75th season, I’m reflecting on Tyrone Guthrie’s bold journey to Stratford in 1953 and on the spirit of adventure that brought founder Tom Patterson’s dream for this remarkable theatre into being. The greatest tribute we can pay that legacy is not simply to look back, but to continue moving forward with curiosity, courage and imagination.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here
