Grab a picnic, find a bench or spread a blanket along the bank of the Avon River in Stratford, Ontario. You can feed the ducks and swans from shore, or rent a paddleboat, kayak or canoe — but don’t be surprised when trumpeters, clad in Elizabethan costumes, appear on the Festival Theatre balcony, five minutes before curtain time, to herald the next performance.
That’s tradition in this charming southwest Ontario community that’s home to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival — North America’s leading classical repertory theater — now in its 56th season.
Each year, from April through November, more than half a million visitors flock to this world-class theater mecca in the bucolic Canadian countryside, just 90 minutes from Toronto. With Victorian architecture and Bard-inspired street names such as Romeo and King Lear, it offers the perfect getaway for theater buffs seeking a romantic retreat.
Stratford’s 2009 playbill, in four theaters, showcases a variety of Shakespearean and other productions including “Macbeth,” “West Side Story,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Julius Caesar” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”
Between shows — 641 performances in all — visitors can tour the festival’s costume warehouse or traipse through parks and gardens; browse galleries, bookshops and boutiques (don’t miss Rheo Thompson Candies on Albert Street); or explore the city by double-decker bus or walking tours.
Favorites among the city’s eclectic mix of restaurants and pubs include the Keystone Alley Café and York Street Kitchen. Accommodations range from upscale inns to B&Bs in Victorian homes.