Avrich continued:
"With this, I wasn’t looking for some underbelly or exposé. This is a man who stayed in Canada, who could have taken jobs or directorships anywhere in the world. He could have taken sabbaticals. But instead he stayed and shaped the place through some extraordinarily complex times."
Reflecting on his long-standing interest in Antoni's work, Avrich said:
"I’ve kept a close eye on Antoni since the Richard Monette days. When I thought about his trajectory and his career, I thought it needed to be a film. As Canadians, I don’t feel we’re that great at celebrating our own."
Filmmaker Barry Avrich will premiere his latest documentary, This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino, at Hot Docs on April 27. Ahead of the premiere, Aisling Murphy of The Globe and Mail spoke with Barry about what drew him to the project.
"It's a perfect play... on every level, a delight."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Carter Gulseth, Joe Perry, Allison Lynch and Marissa Orjalo talk about The Importance of Being Earnest.
Get your tickets: https://ow.ly/hKjp50YLhJt
#SFEarnest #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"It's impossible not to live up to it."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Jennifer Rider-Shaw and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane talk about rising to the incredibly high standards of the dancers in Guys and Dolls.
Previews begin in exactly one week (April 22): https://ow.ly/zY8z50YK7si
#SFGuysDolls
"Puck is play."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Mike Nadajewski finds the playfulness of Puck, the clever and mischievous sprite in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
This enchanting production will cast its spell soon. Previews begin May 1: https://ow.ly/VwNH50YIZma
#SFDream #SF2026 #StratfordFestival
Experience Waiting for Godot for the first time on the Festival Theatre stage. Book now for this limited run, ending July 31: www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/Play...
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes insights, coming to Stratfest@Home this fall.
Today marks the birthday of Samuel Beckett (April 13, 1906). 120 years later, his towering achievement continues to resonate, inviting audiences to pause, wait and search for humanity's place in the universe.
"What are we doing here?"
Step into the rehearsal hall as Paul Gross wrestles with life's unanswered questions in Waiting for Godot.
#SFGodot #SF2026 #WaitingForGodot #SamuelBeckett #Stratfest
"He is one of the finest actors in the world today."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Antoni Cimolino speaks about the nuance and depth that Geraint Wyn Davies brings to the role of Prospero in his production of The Tempest.
Come see Geraint unleash his magic: https://ow.ly/rLej50YHkyu
#SFTempest
"You can give them one seed of an idea and... they make the domino connections."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Dean Gabourie reflects on the process of directing Death of a Salesman with actors as skilled as Lucy Peacock and Tom McCamus.
Book now: https://ow.ly/1zM550YHglQ
#SFSalesman #SF2026
Othello: "extraordinary characters, extraordinary circumstances."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Haysam Kadri directs Shakespeare's relentless and timeless tragedy.
Previews for Othello begin May 22. Get your tickets now: https://ow.ly/4cC850YH9yV
#SFOthello #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
Read the full interview here (pg 23): www.granthaven.com/_files/ugd/a...
"Being asked to play Gandalf is a little bit like my version of being asked to play King Lear," says Tim Campbell.
Campbell and co-star Richard Lee spoke with the Stratford Times about stepping into two of the most beloved roles in The Hobbit.
"Mark does do some jazz hands in it."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Dan Chameroy and Mark Uhre, who play Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, talk about Crapshooters' Ballet.
Guys and Dolls begins on April 22: https://ow.ly/XpWi50YGJbv
#SFGuysDolls #SF2026 #StratfordFestival
Oscar Wilde uses "wit and conversation as his currency."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Krista Jackson directs his brilliant trivial comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest.
Previews begin May 19 - get your tickets now: https://ow.ly/hGFx50YFPKF
#SFEarnest #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"An interesting and unusual character."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Tim Campbell talks about creating his own interpretation of Gandalf in The Hobbit.
Book now: https://ow.ly/yzj250YF2l1
#SFHobbit #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"We'll do a scene from Step Brothers, that would be fun..."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Dan Chameroy and Mark Uhre discuss their work ethic for Something Rotten! (and bicker like siblings).
Get your tickets: https://ow.ly/NB8G50YCJoP
#SFRotten #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"There's something about the familial relationships that echo like ripples in the pond."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Dean Gabourie reflects on the character archetypes present in Death of a Salesman.
Book now: https://ow.ly/8ivw50YCJiY
#SFSalesman #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"It is an entry point into your imagination."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Richard Lee, who is playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, reflects on the importance of theatre for young audiences.
Book now: https://ow.ly/hL3z50YCwxn
#SFHobbit #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"You move at the speed of trust."
Step into the rehearsal hall as Graham Abbey talks about encouraging the actors to hold hands and leap into the world of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Book now: https://ow.ly/Tex750YCJa0
#SFDream #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #Stratfest
"You've got to make a fool of yourself" in Waiting for Godot.
Step into the rehearsal hall as Tom McCamus prepares to play the fool Estragon in Samuel Beckett's timeless tragicomedy.
Don't miss this very limited run: https://ow.ly/mrBl50YBLUs
#SFGodot #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #AprilFoolsDay
Come experience the richly detailed world that Julie has designed. Our World Theatre Day offer ends tonight (March 30 at 11:59pm ET), so this is the perfect moment to secure tickets from $29 for selected performances of The Tempest: www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/Play...
Designing for theatre is a "durational art."
Step into the Props department as Julie Fox reflects on building the world of The Tempest through its sets and costumes.
#SFTempest #SF2026 #StratfordFestival #StageCraft #TheatreDesign
Book an unforgettable experience this World Theatre Day! Enjoy tickets from $29 on selected performances of our mainstage Shakespearean epic, The Tempest (offer ends March 30, 2026 at 11:59pm ET): www.stratfordfestival.ca/offer/World-...
#WorldTheatreDay #GoSeeAShow #SFTempest
May Prospero’s choice of peace over retribution inspire us to imagine a more compassionate world and give us all hope for the future."
"Though centred on the violent storm that Prospero conjures to bring his enemies within his reach, the play ultimately shows us that empathy and understanding can heal even the deepest wounds.
"The Tempest has at its heart a searing political conflict: the Duke Prospero, deposed by his brother, plots vengeance from the otherworldly isle where he and his young daughter have been stranded for 12 long years.
"I am spending this World Theatre Day in the best way possible, in the rehearsal hall working on this season’s production of The Tempest. And what an apt play it is as this year’s WTD theme is Theatre and a Culture of Peace.
"The starting impulse" of theatre begins with the director.
On World Theatre Day, Antoni Cimolino reflects on the power of directing and what he hopes to achieve with The Tempest. Read more on why he sees this play as "a powerful emotional response to the challenges we face in the world today" 🧵
