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1953: The Stratford Festival debuts

The Stratford Festival grew from humble beginnings in a leaky tent into a revered institution. The drama festival has continued to attract actors, critics and theatre-goers from around the globe. Paradoxically, this almost proved to be its undoing. With international directors at the helm in the early years, frustrated Canadians sat on the sidelines. Financial problems almost shut the festival down. But the curtain would rise again on a new golden era.

 It's opening night at the Stratford Festival and the Canadian theatre community is abuzz. Critics have high praise for this ambitious festival which features the great British thespian Alec Guinness in the title role of Richard III. The brainchild of local journalist Tom Patterson, the festival brings a much-needed boost to the profile of the Canadian dramatic scene. CBC Radio interviews Guinness and gets reaction from the critics on opening night.

• Founder Tom Patterson was honoured for his work with the Festival and was made one of the first officers of the Order of Canada. Stratford named an island in Thames River which runs through the town after Patterson, and in 1991, The Third Stage was renamed the Tom Patterson Theatre.
• By 2001, the festival had grown immensely, employing more than 840 people. Over its 29-week season, theatre-goers attended more than 650 performances and brought $169 million to the region.

• The lineup of great Canadian actors who have performed in Stratford over the years includes Christopher Plummer, Hume Cronyn, Martha Henry, William Hutt, Colm Feore and Tom McCamus. British stars who have performed in the festival include Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, James Mason and Paul Scofield.
• Also on the first season's bill was All's Well That Ends Well, co-starring Irene Worth.

• The Tom Patterson Theatre used to be a badminton club and the Avon theatre was once a vaudeville house and a movie theatre. The architecture of the Festival Theatre is based on the Elizabethan stage, with an apron which sticks out into the audience area. The stage is fitted with trap doors, seven acting levels and nine entrances. The Festival's fourth stage, the Studio Theatre, opened in 2002. The Theatre features rarely performed classics.

Also on July 13:
• 1949: The first session of the Newfoundland legislature opens.
• 1991: Gwich'in Indians of Mackenzie Delta settle land claims, getting 15,000 sq. km of land and $75 million. It is the North West Territories's first regional settlement with northern native groups.
Medium: Radio
Program: CBC Wednesday Night
Broadcast Date: July 31, 1953
Guest(s): J.S. Buiste, Robertson Davies, Lotta Dempsey, Alec Guinness, Sir Ernest MacMillan
Announcer: Harry Mannis
Reporter: Thom Benson
Duration: 11:57
Photo: National Archives of Canada PA-142699

Last updated: February 1, 2012

Page consulted on April 11, 2013

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