Stratford Festival Review

Lovely comfortable theater. Free programs but need to buy $20 souvenir program for all the information. Large gift shop in building across the drive with lots of options for children and adults. Lots of books. Herb garden beside theater. Parking on other side of building. Allow enough time to figure out parking or better yet walk from your B&B

Great plays here but expensive. Food, Hotels & theater tickets all over priced

Got a cheap seat behind the sound technician. Super great view and the cheapest tickets in the house.

Awesome performance!! Colourful characters and great comedy!! Upgraded our seats ...4th row from stage...with rush seating double savings! Happy staff and volunteers... very helpful.Easy, close, no cost parking. Sunny day for walk along the river; ducks and ducklings, swans, and a long rowing boat out on the rivef. A perfect outing on a Tuesday. Good to visit Stratford and be at the tgeatre again!! Billy Elliot worth going back for soon! I hear it's an amazing show of very talented dancers fyi!

Definitely worth the experience if it is your first time

This place is truly better than Broadway. I go here whenever I get a chance. It's a treat without any comparison in these parts. I may try Niagara on the Lake sometime to see but for now. .this is the BOMB!

Amazing place! There's some awesome shows put on here. The theatre is large and the staff friendly. With music composers the likes of Steven Page, you know you're in for a treat!

Saw Othello and was blown away by the performance. Thouroughly enjoyed my first experience at the Stratford Festival.

As far as the theater goes, it's good for performances with good views from all seats. However, theater was cold.. kept my jacket on the entire performance. Waiting area outside needs updating. Not enough room for people. Also parking is strange being mostly street parking. You have to drive around the maze of roads until you find an empty spot.

Multiple theatres, extraordinary actors, performances and sets.

Had an embarrassment panic attack in the upper bowl. The aisle/doorlady named BEV made me feel like it was no big deal. Put me in a room where I could watch the play on a TV and then offered to find me a seat on the floor which I accepted. What a great experience and Bev made me feel better and made my experience memorable. The play Billy Elliott was amazing too!!!

Festival theater is beautiful and gives a unique perspective given its round stage. Billy Elliott was an incredible performance!

Awesome arts, music , and many other events through out the Spring to fall season

A few years ago I went with school and it was fantastic, no negatives. Now, I went with a Community Living branch supporting adults with intellectual disabilities. We went to a relaxed show, which I had never heard of before. Not only did they warn the audience of loud noises, they introduced themselves and their characters. They left the house lights on the whole show, they allowed talking, and you could leave whenever. The group I assisted loved it, and I tell everyone I know! The only negative was an ignorant doorman, who gave us a dirty look and then was busy talking and closed the door on a blind man with a cane and other disabilities.

Amazing venue with a plethora of performances to choose from every season. Be sure to arrive early for a stroll in their beautiful gardens or the riverbank. Dress to impress and make it a formal night out.

What superlatives could I really add that would encourage someone to go to the Stratford Festival? It is theater for the masses. It is not pretentious but still provides a fine cultural experience.

Recently saw "To Kill a Mockingbird". The impact of the play stayed with us for days. Would highly recommend. Will be going back for highly rated production of "The Music Man" soon.

We absolutely loved the production of To Kill a Mockingbird. So well done and kept true to the classic novel by Harper Lee. You could have dropped a pin at times it was so quiet as the audience was completely mesmerized.

Festival Theater is beautiful. Grounds worth showing up earlier for and walking around. Quality of plays superior in every way. Best Theater group in the country!

Beautiful gardens at Stratfest. Covid 19 is taking a toll on the theatres (3) as there are no plays this year, and very few restaurants are open and full service. There's always next year. The town is in the process of building a completely new and huge theatre.

PRO,s
Been many times
The show was excellent as usual.
Great cast
Mostly Canadian artists.

CON,s
All the additionnel payments added to the ticket.
Never think the ticket price is what you pay.
$8 to order a ticket over the phone?

Will still go again and again as the productions are so good and the setting by the river is really relaxing.
Get there as early as possible and go for a stroll down by the water.
You will not regret the visit.

Great shows! Pleasant theatre with helpful staff. Located in a quaint town, Stratford, with lots of shops and restaurants. Very picturesque. A great town to visit.

We come here to watch a play every year. Love the arts!

This is a great experience of theatre -- one of the very best in Canada. There is the finest of Canada's acting and directorial talent on display here, and more often than not a deeply imaginative and engaging approach to the Bard -- and to a lot of other very good plays as well. As other commentators have pointed out, there are also great discounts for those under 30 -- so, come on, millenials, this is a great experience for you, too!

Fantastic show (To Kill a Mockingbird) and the theatre itself is impeccable!! I would recommend this place to anyone!!

Really enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird at the festival theatre.

I haven't been here in decades, since I saw Macbeth, but I wish I had made regular visits to Stratford between then and now! I took my Mum to see Othello Saturday; it was fantastic. We were seated at stage right of the thrust stage, but the blocking is so expertly done that every seat is a good one. The best part about enjoying Shakespeare's plays at Stratford is the sense of community: everyone sighing, groaning, laughing, reacting to the same parts of the play in the same way - it was exhilarating! I will definitely be making this a regular tradition from now on!

Watched othello here. It was pretty good. The place is nice and has a good snack stand beside the place

I've been here many times over the years - some productions have been better done than others, but overall an amazing experience

The most charming place I've ever visited. Great food, hospitality, and shows! Best theatre in North America!
Patrons under 30 can get steep discounts on tickets for select performances.

Pros: the shows themselves are excellent productions that deserve to be known for attracting amazing talent. The Avon theatre has a great layout and the ground of the Festival theatre are beautifully kept with artwork throughout. Pretty great food items at reasonable prices. For that they firmly deserve 4 stars.

Cons: Great big festival in a small, small town. Good luck trying to find reasonably priced accommodation for the weekend, but if you do, make sure it's between the three main theatres, Avon, Social and Festival theatres. If you're planning on seeing a 2pm show and are taking the bus back to Toronto, beware curtain close ends up dangerously close to when the busses disembark. No time for a meal. Nothing much to do after 7pm here as most shops on the main streets close. You have a choice of pubs and your room. No Uber either. Map out where you can walk to as we were fleeced out of $11 in cab fare after being told the festival theatre was a half hour walk from the Avon. Took us 15 min to walk back.

Great venue. You can bring drinks to the seats. A nice plant garden at the entrance. Good experience.

Wonderful theaters with incredible talent. Been to Broadway and Vegas and these compete due to intimate experience and enthusiastic talent

World class theater, flawless production and performances...consistently. love.

Was in Stratford but didn't actually get to see any of the plays but Stratford was as beautiful as ever

I have been a patron for over 30 years. The Festival never disappoints. The shows are internationally renowned and spending time walking by the Thames looking at swans and ducks and strolling in the village are quite simply good for the soul. Every year director Donna Feore puts on 2 musicals that are a must-see. Eagerly waiting the construction of the new Tom Patterson Theatre.

As well as Shakespeare, the Stratford Festival stages musicals that are superb. The Music Man this year was sensational.

Beautiful performance as always, love going every year

Stratford is one of my favorite places because it puts on some of the best theatre performances in the world. As part of a course we saw Music Man. We also we treated to a behind the scenesnes tour of the theatre and a workshop and a q&a with some of the cast who were generous with their time. It was an excellent experience.

Merry Wives of Windsor. I highly recommend it. It's not in the Shakespearean language but it is so well done

We saw To Kill a Mockingbird today. It was an excellent production.

There is no other live theatre like the Stratford in Ontario. Sometimes the plays are challenging (women playing male roles) or set in different time periods or cultures. But sometimes theatre should take us outside of ourselves.
The Stratford is easy to get to from Toronto and there are plays in each season to appeal to almost everyone.

Fabulous venue. FABULOUS show. Felt like the big time. The only negative was I had to walk in the rain to get my car after the show. 1 star for Mother Nature..

if your going to see a play might as well make it the best around

Stratford itself is quite unknown but it has very famous singer in the person of Justin Beaver. The auditorium here is full to capacity if there are plays or concert. Winter time yhe ice festival with ice carvings and the lake turns into fishing ground and skating field. Your in a european town feeling roaming the city center. Its as if your not in north america

Saw Billy Elliot and was impressed with the dancing, story and singing.

Terrific performance of Billy Elliot. Really built up suspense in the first act.

Any performance here is an experience you will always remember.

Stratford is a truly special place. The town is delightful, relaxed and so comfortable. The festival is consistently full of amazing shows and talent. The list of shows is robust and there is something for everyone to see. There are great restaurants and shops in a clean and accessible town.

We had a great time at the Stratford Festival: saw a professionally done performance of The Music Man, had decent seats in a nice theatre, and were able to park reasonably close to the theatre after driving down from Toronto.

Great day trip from Toronto for those who like theater, Shakespeare in particular.

I love the Stratford Festival. The productions are always fantastic, and the venues are great. I recommend this festival to anyone who enjoys live performances.

Broadway quality theatre, tons of choice in a great Ontario town.

Billy Elliot is a fabulous musical. The young leads are phenoms - extremely talented young men.

Went there for the first time to see Billy Elliot and what a beautiful stage and great play the layout of the stage males you feel engaged with the play makes it hard to look away. Definitely won't be my last visit to the Festival.

Have gone every year for over 10 years. The shows are great of course, but the town is my favourite. I'm not usually a shopper, but the shops are fantastic. From chocolatiers to bookstores to Watson's bazaar. Lots of local antique stores and tons of excellent eating establishments. Don't skip Shakespeare!

Always a great place to spend the day & to attend a play!

Billy Elliott was superb. We like the concept of matinee performances which allow us to drive to and from Stratford in the same day.

The 2018 Music Man at the Festival Theatre is a delightful restaging of this classic musical, with great casting, and wonderful singing and dancing. Highly recommended.

I'm here for 7 days and will see 8plays. As of now I've seen 3. O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night was terrific! All of the performances were first class. The studio Theatre is intimate with great acoustics. You could hear every word from the performers. Also at the studio I saw Shakespeare's comedy of errors. Once again the performances were First Rate. The play is fun and not as impactful as the O'Neill. I also saw the Tempest last night at Festival Hall. It was not so good. If you sit to the right or left of the stage, you missed quite a lot of the dialogue. In other words there are bad seats in this house, quite a lot of them. Also in the seats on either the left or the right you're often times looking at the performers backs who are Central parts of the action. I have a couple of more plays at this venue to come and I will get the hearing aids maybe that will allow me to hear the various speeches. My hearing is not faulty, I want the reader to know that. It's the Acoustics or the design of the theater that are the problem.

Overall, Stratford Festival is delightful. I will come back again. I'll probably also give another review after seeing a few more plays.