The Stratford Festival has appointed acclaimed actress and festival veteran Martha Henry as director of its intensive theatre training program.

General director Antoni Cimolino made the announcement Wednesday, saying Henry's new role as head of Stratford's Birmingham Conservatory of Classical Theatre Training was "a great Valentine present" for the festival.

"If the Stratford Festival is to realize its artistic aspirations, it needs to discover, inspire and develop Canada's most promising young actors. In reaching that goal, this country offers no finer actor, mentor or teacher than Ms. Martha Henry," Cimolino said in a statement.

The American-born Henry, an early graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, made her Stratford debut as Miranda in a 1962 production of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Over the next four decades, she earned the moniker "the first lady of the Canadian stage" for her many appearances across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and for her artistic leadership roles, including at Stratford and the Grand Theatre in London, Ont.

More recently, Henry has won praise as a director, including her work for the 2000 premiere of Timothy Findley's Elizabeth. In 1991, the award-winning actress was also named a Companion of the Order of Canada.

"Over the course of my career I have learned a lot from some legendary actors," Henry said.

"I think it is only fitting, not just for me but all other senior actors, that we pass on our knowledge to those who will succeed us."

New role for Latham

Henry will begin in her new position in the fall, at the beginning of the conservatory's next session. David Latham, the school's former principal, is taking on a new role as Stratford's director of theatre training for the entire company, including conservatory graduates and apprentices.

Founded by Stratford's longtime artistic director Richard Monette in 1998, the Birmingham Conservatory of Classical Theatre Training is an intensive 20-week training program in voice, movement and interpreting classical texts.

The festival typically receives more than 1,000 applications for the program annually — usually from recent theatre school graduates — with about a dozen actors ultimately selected. After their time at the conservatory, the young thespians are offered positions with the Stratford company.