Stratford suspends festival 2020

Today we came to the heartbreaking conclusion that our spectacular 2020 season cannot go on as planned, and so we have put the entire season on hold while we wait for a signal from government that tells us it will be safe to move forward – for you, and for all of us. In all likelihood, that means we will have to delay any programming until next year. But if, by some miracle, we are able to open our doors sooner, we will let you know. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to share a special fall or holiday show together?

Like yours, our lives have been turned upside down. Our work has stopped, and for a charitable organization like the Stratford Festival, that means we no longer have a source of income.

Unlike major theatres in the U.K. and Europe that rely on government for the bulk of their income, we rely on you, our faithful fans, for these funds. It is your ticket purchases and donations that allow us to create our wonderful productions. Governments give us 5% of our annual budget – while of great importance, that covers the cost of just one major production, not all 15.

But your support doesn’t stop there. Even as you struggle to adjust to the challenges presented by the pandemic, a great many of you have written to offer your moral support and to ask “How can I help”?

The most important thing you can do right now is to consider making a gift to the Festival. Perhaps that’s a renewal or reinstatement of your membership or a donation of support. We need to know – when we are distant from each other – that you are still with us, as we are with you.

One of our Members sent me a particularly poignant message:

“How do I even begin to express in words the pain in my heart as this Corona nightmare unfolds?! Every year since my 13th birthday, Stratford has been that welcoming beacon across miles, through joyful celebrations, a healing balm in times of sorrow and loss, the promise of trumpets and bagpipes which buoyed me up when ploughing through painful illness. The shudder of anticipation has never ceased to enfold me as the lights go down, and the magic and brilliance of every actor, every musical chord, every searing or gentle light, sweeps throughout the theatres.”

It is our great hope that you also treasure your memories of Stratford and that your love of this Festival will inspire you to help us at this difficult time.

Until we meet again,

Antoni Cimolino