The Academy Award winning film starred Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow as William Shakespeare and his star-crossed love Viola De Lesseps.

The upcoming North American stage debut of “Shakespeare in Love” at the Stratford Festival features Luke Humphrey and Shannon Taylor. Both have acted at Stratford in the past.

Olivier Award-winner Declan Donnellan, who directed the London West End run in 2014-15, directs the production that includes Tom McCamus, who recently appeared in the Academy Award winning feature film “Room” as well as Stephen Ouimette, Karen Robinson, and Saamer Usmani.

Rehearsals of “Shakespeare in Love” at the Stratford Festival are underway. The production opens June 4th.

Natalie Dewan, a regular contributor to Stratford Festival Reviews, saw the London production of “Shakespeare in Love.” Click here to read her story that includes a look at the “‘Shakespeare in Love’ Haters”

Photos Below

Luke Humphrey plays the young William Shakespeare.

Humphrey received a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and was a participant at Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre.

“Shakespeare in Love” is not Humphrey’s first time playing a romantic lead at Stratford. In his 2013 Humphrey played D’Artagnan in “The Three Musketeers“.

Writing in the Globe and Mail J. Kelly Nestruck noted:”shaggy-haired Humphrey has wonderful enthusiasm and energy as D’Artagnan – he has exactly the charm and stage presence a play like this needs to stay lively, not to mention delightful chemistry with his love interest, played by a buoyant Bethany Jillard.”

In 2013 Humphrey was also cast opposite Martha Henry in “Taking Shakespeare.” The National Post’s Robert Cushman noted that Humphrey and Henry were an excellent pair: “Humphrey is matchingly perfect. It’s a joy to hear the two of them speak the Othello extracts in different but complementary styles.”

Martha Henry and Luke Humphrey

Shannon Taylor plays Shakespeare’s muse, Viola de Lesseps.

Shannon is a Ryerson Theatre School graduate and participant of the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program. She also took part in Nightwood Theatre’s Emerging Actors program but it all began in Barrie, Ontario with the Strolling Youth Players.

Taylor appeared in the 2015 Stratford Festival production of “The Diary of Anne Frank playing Anne’s sister Margot.” Writing in the Toronto Star Richard Ouzounian noted: “Shannon Taylor is fragile perfection as her sister Margot”

Luke Humphrey (Will Shakespeare) and Shannon Taylor (Viola)

Saamer Usmani (Kit Marlowe)

Stephen Ouimette (Henslowe) and Tom McCamus (Fennyman)

Gareth Potter (Ralph)

From left: Karen Robinson (Nurse), Oliver Rose (Associate Director), Ted Witzel (Assistant Director), Gareth Potter (Ralph) and Luke Humphrey (Will Shakespeare)

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See the full story at Broadway World