The Cannopy Guide to this year's Stratford Festival

The Tempest
By William Shakespeare | Directed by Antoni Cimolino
Exiled from Milan by his treacherous brother, Antonio, the former Duke Prospero has lived on a remote island for 12 years with his daughter, Miranda. There, through his study of magic, he commands the spirit Ariel and rules over the island’s otherworldly inhabitants, including the creature Caliban. When the ship carrying Antonio, Alonso, the King of Naples, and Alonso’s son Ferdinand passes nearby, Prospero conjures a powerful storm to bring them ashore. As the castaways are separated and led through strange trials, Prospero sets in motion a plan for justice, reconciliation and renewal – while Miranda and Ferdinand’s unexpected encounter opens the possibility of a brighter future.

Guys and Dolls
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser | Directed by Donna Feore
Set in bustling Manhattan in 1949, Guys and Dolls follows a colourful cast of gamblers, showgirls and mission workers whose lives collide in unexpected ways. Nathan Detroit scrambles to secure a venue for his famed but illicit craps game, all while trying to keep the peace with his devoted fiancée, Miss Adelaide. To raise the money he needs for the game, Nathan makes a daring wager with slick high-roller Sky Masterson – a bet that sends Sky straight into the path of earnest missionary Sarah Brown. As schemes unfold and loyalties are tested, romance, chance and charm weave together in this classic musical comedy.

Something Rotten!
Music/Lyrics by Wayne & Karey Kirkpatrick | Directed by Donna Feore
In the vibrant world of Renaissance London, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are determined to make their mark as playwrights – no easy feat when their flashy rival, William Shakespeare, is the toast of the town. Struggling for inspiration and desperate for a hit, Nick turns to an eccentric soothsayer whose wild prediction sends the brothers down an unexpected theatrical path. As they attempt to create something boldly new, they find themselves caught between ambition, rivalry, romance and the demands of showbiz. Their quest for originality unleashes a cascade of misunderstandings, surprises and theatrical mayhem in a world on the cusp of artistic change.

Exclusive Cannopy interview with Director Donna Feore

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Waiting for Godot
By Samuel Beckett | Directed by Molly Atkinson

Vladimir and Estragon, two old friends, wait endlessly near a lone tree on a desolate stretch of land, hoping the mysterious Godot will arrive and give their lives some sense of direction. As they pass the time, their conversations drift from the mundane to the philosophical, revealing both the humour and the hardship of their shared vigil. Their waiting is interrupted by two peculiar travellers – Pozzo and Lucky – whose strange dynamic adds to the play’s questions about purpose, control and companionship. As day turns to night and certainty slips further away, the two friends continue to wait, unsure of what tomorrow may bring.

Death of a Salesman
By Arthur Miller | Directed by Dean Gabourie

Willy Loman, an aging travelling salesman, grapples with the fading promise of the American Dream as his career falters and his sense of purpose slips away. Haunted by memories and regrets, he drifts between past and present, clinging to hopes he once held for himself and for his sons. Biff, once the focus of Willy’s ambitions, returns home disillusioned, and their fractured relationship forces both men to confront painful truths about success, identity and expectation. As financial pressures mount and family tensions rise, Willy’s grasp on reality loosens, leading the Lomans to reckon with the cost of aspiration and the fragile line between hope and delusion.

Sotto Voce reviews Death of a Salesman

The Hobbit
Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien | Directed by Pablo Felices-Luna
Comfort-loving Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is swept into an unexpected adventure when the Wizard Gandalf enlists him to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his band of Dwarves on a perilous quest to reclaim their home beneath the Lonely Mountain from the Dragon Smaug. Along the journey across Middle-earth, Bilbo faces Trolls, Goblins, Elves, giant spiders and the creature Gollum, from whom he acquires a mysterious and powerful ring. Through resourcefulness and courage, Bilbo grows into an unlikely hero, proving indispensable to the Company as their journey culminates in a great battle that determines the fate of the mountain and its inhabitants.

The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde | Directed by Krista Jackson
Jack Worthing and his friend Algernon Moncrieff create elaborate alter egos to escape the rigid expectations of Victorian society. Jack masquerades as his mischievous brother Ernest in London, while Algernon invents an invalid friend, Bunbury, to justify frequent countryside escapes. Jack wants to marry Gwendolen Fairfax, who is convinced she can only love a man named Ernest. Meanwhile, Algernon pursues Jack’s ward Cecily, who is already infatuated with “Ernest.” Their tangled web of lies begins to unravel under the sharp scrutiny of Lady Bracknell, whose disapproval threatens all romantic prospects. As accusations mount and engagements crumble, a long-buried secret from Jack’s past resurfaces – one that may unravel every lie he’s told or finally make him worthy of the name Ernest.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday
By Eduardo de Filippo | Directed by Antoni Cimolino
In this comic masterpiece, a lively Neapolitan household is thrown into turmoil when a simmering marital rift between the family matriarch and her withdrawn husband comes to a boil. As emotions flare and generations clash, laughter and love guide the family toward reconciliation and a deeper understanding of one another.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
By William Shakespeare | Directed by Graham Abbey
Hermia and Lysander are devoted to one another, but her father forbids their marriage and insists she wed Demetrius, with whom Hermia’s best friend Helena is besotted. Hoping to escape her father’s demands, Hermia and Lysander flee into the forest, with Demetrius and a determined Helena close behind. There, Oberon, king of the fairies, sets an enchantment on his queen, Titania – and, through the meddling of Puck, Oberon’s jester, the four lovers are unwittingly ensnared in the magic’s confusion. Meanwhile, Puck tangles with a troupe of amateur actors, heightening the night’s mischief. As night deepens, identities blur, lovers quarrel, fairies and mortals intermingle, and the boundaries between dream and reality dissolve. What resolution will the dawn bring?

Othello
By William Shakespeare | Directed by Haysam Kadri
Othello, a respected general in Venice, secretly marries the noblewoman Desdemona, defying societal expectations and drawing scrutiny. Soon after, he is deployed to Cyprus, accompanied by his loyal lieutenant Cassio and the seemingly devoted Iago. Beneath his façade of service, however, Iago conceals deep resentment and begins plotting revenge to destroy Othello’s happiness and professional standing. By planting false evidence and preying on Othello’s insecurities, Iago convinces him that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio. As jealousy corrodes Othello’s trust, alliances fracture and tensions escalate, plunging everyone into emotional turmoil. With deception tightening its grip and reason slipping away, the stage is set for a devastating reckoning that neither love nor honour will survive.

The Tao of the World
By Jovanni Sy 施崇梵 | World Première | Directed by Jovanni Sy
In this world première, Singapore’s wealthy elite hatch schemes to bed other people’s partners and swindle one another out of dynastic fortunes. This inventive mash-up of Restoration comedy and the modern Asian rom-com is filled with hilarity, romance and billionaires misbehaving.

The King James Bible Play
By Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman | Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
A gripping and humorous portrait of the men behind the monumental translation of the King James Bible and a group of modern women creating a play about that process, this world première is a fascinating interrogation of translation in all its forms.