Stratford Festival 2027 season will include earlier start times and the return of Des McAnuff

Stratford Festival 2027 season will include earlier start times and the return of Des McAnuff AISLING MURPHY PUBLISHED 34 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Jonathan Church's first season as artistic director includes some big changes to the festival. FRED LUM/THE GLOBE AND MAIL COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. The Stratford Festival’s 2027 season, the first to be programmed by Jonathan Church, will feature a Des McAnuff-directed Hamlet, a triple bill of plays starring Saul Rubinek and Mary Poppins, co-directed by Brits Jonathan O’Boyle and Stephen Mear. Announced on Wednesday, the season marks big changes for the fest – and not just because Church will officially become its artistic director in November after a year of working in a transitional role with outgoing AD Antoni Cimolino. For one, the company will follow the Shaw Festival’s lead by moving to earlier start times for performances, with matinees at 1:30 and evening performances at 7:30. (Shaw moved its start times to 1 and 7 in 2025.) Some shows, particularly those aimed at school-age audiences, will also include noon matinees. As well, Stratford will replace its customary string of opening nights at the end of May with a shorter run of four shows, followed by another batch of four in June. Additional openings will take place in July, August, September and October, signalling a potential manoeuvre to year-round programming over the course of Church’s tenure. In an interview, Church, a dual citizen of Canada and Britain whose professional life has largely been spent in the United Kingdom, said Stratford has been considering a move to earlier start times for years. “We have a big group of patrons who travel just to see one or two shows in a day, and they don’t stay over,” he said. “For them, a slightly earlier finish time could make the difference about whether they feel they can drive home. That felt significant.” Stratford’s 75th season kicks off in the 1,833-seat Festival Theatre with Mary Poppins. Mear, who co-choreographed the musical’s original West End production in 2004, will choreograph. Vanessa Sears, known for playing Juliet both at the Stratford Festival and in Mirvish’s all-Canadian & Juliet, will star in the title role. Donna Feore, the company’s artistic associate for musical theatre development, will remount her 2022 production of Chicago, set to begin previews at…