The Stratford Festival announced its playbill for the 2014 season. The theme of the season will be “Madness: Minds Pushed to the Edge”.

12 productions will be performed at The Stratford Festival next year, including two productions of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

The following plays will be shown at the Stratford Festival in 2014. Click here for the complete announcement.

“King Lear”, directed by Antoni Cimolino. The tragedy will open the 2014 season. “King Lear” was last performed at The Stratford Festival in 2007.

“Crazy for You”, directed and choreographed by Donna Feore.
“Crazy for You” will be part of Feore’s 20th year at the Stratford Festival. The musical won three Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design in 1992.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, directed by Chris Abraham. The first production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the season will also be the first time Abraham directs Shakespeare on the Festival Stage.

Check out my audio interview with Chris Abraham, we talk about his directorial choices and inspiration.

“The Beaux’ Stratagem”, directed by Antoni Cimolino. “The Beaux’ Stratagem”, a Restoration comedy, will be the first one performed at the Stratford Festival in nine years since “A Country Wife”.

“Hay Fever”, directed by Alisa Palmer. “Hay Fever” will be the first Stratford Festival production for Palmer, the Artistic Director of the National Theatre School English Section.

“Man of La Mancha”, directed by Robert McQueen. McQueen is another newcomer to the Stratford Festival, and directed productions across Canada, Broadway’s “Mamma Mia”, and “Carousel” in Tokyo . He directed “Caroline, or Change” for Toronto’s Acting Up Stage Company in 2012.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass”, directed by Jillian Keiley. The play, by Canadian playwright James Reaney played at the Stratford Festival in 1994.

“Mother Courage”, directed by Martha Henry. Bertolt Brecht’s play debuted at the Stratford Festival in 1987. Henry’s production will mark her 40th year at the Festival.

“King John”, directed by Tim Carroll. According to the Stratford Festival’s announcement, Carroll will direct a “candlelit production” of “King John”.

“Antony and Cleopatra”, directed by Gary Griffin. “Antony and Cleopatra” debuted at the Stratford Festival in 1967. Three other Stratford productions have appeared since, the last in 2003.

“Christina, The Girl King”, directed by Vanessa Porteous. Michel Marc Bouchard’s play will be presented in English for the first time. Linda Gaboriau translated the work of the Quebec playwright.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, directed by Peter Sellars. Sellars will be directing a chamber play version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A venue has not been confirmed for the production. The internationally renowned Sellars, based in America, was in Toronto recently directing the Canadian Opera Company’s runaway success “Tristan und Isolde”.

-with assistance from Emily Stewart