The Shaw Festival celebrates the life and spirit of Bernard Shaw by creating theatre that is as entertaining and provocative as Shaw himself.
A singular act of passion for theatre by Brian Doherty of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Calvin G Rand of Buffalo inspired the Shaw Festival into being. Its first season in 1962, held in the Assembly Room of the historic Court House, featured four performances each of Don Juan in Hell and Candida. The following year, the Shaw Festival Theatre Foundation was established as a non-profit organization.
In its first decade, the Shaw Festival company toured extensively in the United States and Canada while experiencing explosive audience growth. On June 28, 1973 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the Festival Theatre was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Designed by renowned Canadian architect Ronald Thom, the Festival Theatre enabled The Shaw to mount large-scale productions, drawing national and international acclaim.
In 1980, a new era began under Artistic Director Christopher Newton’s leadership. The company grew steadily and built a solid reputation for its exceptional ensemble acting and innovative theatrical designs. The repertory theatre also became known for reviving plays that other companies were unwilling or unable to produce: seminal works such as Cavalcade and Lulu; once-popular genres such as operettas and stage mysteries; and neglected gems such as Waste and The Return of the Prodigal. In 2000, the Festival began producing new plays written about Shaw’s lifetime (1856-1950).
Succeeding Mr Newton in 2003, Jackie Maxwell enriched the programming by: including works written by largely forgotten female playwrights from Shaw’s period; commissioning new adaptations by some of Canada’s most respected playwrights; presenting Canadian classics; and initiating enormous growth in new play development. During Ms Maxwell’s first season, The Shaw embarked on its largest construction and renovation project since the Festival Theatre opened thirty years earlier. Officially opened in 2009, the Donald and Elaine Triggs Production Centre houses three rehearsal halls, the largest of which also serves as the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. During Ms Maxwell’s tenure she began producing works by modern writers who embody the spirit of the Festival’s namesake – writers whose work continues to question the status quo in new and different ways.
Helmed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll (TC), The Shaw’s 63rd Season runs from April 6 to December 21.
Shaw 2025 is going to be delightful, delicious and de-lovely. Cole Porter’s great musical Anything Goes will tap dance onto the Festival stage this season. Playing alongside it will be the family classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the heart-pounding thriller Wait Until Dark.
The Royal George Theatre’s final season starts off with the hilarious farce – Tons of Money – and it will see the return of Shaw favourite Major Barbara. The original and skillfully crafted Murder-on-the-Lake selects a new audience detective every show.
In the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre audiences will continue to see remarkable and unique plays: Gnit by Middletown playwright Will Eno and the exhilarating drama Blues for an Alabama Sky. In it’s third season on the Shaw grounds, you can visit the magical Spiegeltent for concerts, events and Dear Liar a special work featuring letters written by Bernard Shaw and the great actress and muse Stella Tanner!
Finally, our joyous holiday season caps off the year with the return of audience favourite Irving Berlin’s A White Christmas and the final production to ever grace the Royal George Theatre stage – Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.
2024
LERNER AND LOEWE’S
MY FAIR LADY
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Adapted from Bernard Shaw’s Play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS
By Richard Bean
Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
With songs by Grant Olding
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE HUMAN HEART
By Reginald Candy
Based on characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
By Agatha Christie
THE SECRET GARDEN
A Play with Songs
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Adapted for the stage by Jay Turvey and Paul Sportelli
THE ORPHAN OF CHAO (Lunchtime One-Act)
Adapted by Michael Man
Based on the classical Chinese drama, The Great Revenge of the Zhao Orphan, by Ji Junxiang
CANDIDA
By Bernard Shaw
THE HOUSE THAT WILL NOT STAND
By Marcus Gardley
SNOW IN MIDSUMMER
By Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
Based on the classical Chinese drama,
The Injustice to Dou E that Moved Heaven and Earth,
by Guan Hanqing
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and originally directed by Tim Carroll
2023
MAHABHARATA Written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes
GYPSY A Musical Fable, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
NOËL COWARD’S BLITHE SPIRIT Directed by Mike Payette, original music and sound designed by Troy Socum
THE AMEN CORNER – By James Baldwin
PRINCE CASPIAN Adapted for the stage by Damien Atkins, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis
ON THE RAZZLE By Tom Stoppard, adapted from Einen Jux will er sich machen, by Johan Nestroy
VILLAGE WOOING – LUNCHTIME ONE‐ACT By Bernard Shaw
THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT By Edith Wharton
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD By J.M. Synge
THE APPLE CART By Bernard Shaw
THE CLEARING By Helen Edmundson
MOTHER, DAUGHTER – Written and directed by Selma Dimitrijevic
THE GAME OF LOVE AND CHANCE – A romantic comedy by Pierre de Marivaux, improvised by the Shaw Festival Ensemble – a new play every time, directed by Tim Carroll
A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING – ONE-ACT – IN CONCERT – Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, musical arrangements by Fred Wells, orchestration by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick, conceived by Walter Bobbie
A SHORT HISTORY OF NIAGARA – Created by Alexandra Montagnese and Mike Petersen, original sound design by Ryan Cowl, commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival
LERNER AND LOEWE’SBRIGADOON Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe, original dances created by Agnes DeMille, revised book by Brian Hill
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2023) – By Charles Dickens, adapted and originally directed by Tim Carroll
2022
DAMN YANKEES Words and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde
THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA by Bernard Shaw
CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand, translated and adapted for the stage by Kate Hennig
GASLIGHT by Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson, based on the play Angel Street by Patrick Hamilton
CHITRA (Lunchtime One-Act) by Rabindranath Tagore
JUST TO GET MARRIED by Cicely Hamilton
THIS IS HOW WE GOT HERE by Keith Barker, produced by Native Earth Performing Arts, presented by the Shaw Festival
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD by Bernard Shaw
EVERYBODY by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
August Wilson’s GEM OF THE OCEAN
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted and originally directed by Tim Carroll
Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, book by David Ives and Paul Blake
OUTDOORS @ THE SHAW including FAIRGROUND & SHAWGROUND, OUTDOOR CONCERTS & EVENTS, A SHORT HISTORY OF NIAGARA created by Alexandra Montagnese and Mike Petersen, commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival in partnership with Parks Canada
2021
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE RAVEN’S CURSE by R. Hamilton Wright
CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas
FLUSH (One-act play) based on the novella by Virginia Woolf, adapted by Tim Carroll
DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS by Eugene O’Neill
TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage and originally directed by Tim Carroll
Irving Berlin’s HOLIDAY INN based on the Film from Universal Pictures, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin – book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge
OUTDOOR CONCERTS & EVENTS including Fairground, Shawground, A Short History of Niagara, Chitra, Gatsby’s Jazz, Sonny’s Blues, Kreutzer Sonata, The Duke and Two Irenes
2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19
GYPSY – A Musical Fable, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, suggested by memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE RAVEN’S CURSE by R. Hamilton Wright
MAHABHARATA adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes, A Why Not Theatre Production, Commissioned and presented by the Shaw Festival
CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas
PRINCE CASPIAN adapted for the stage by Damien Atkins, based on the novel by C.S. Lewis
FLUSH (Lunchtime one-act) based on the novella by Virginia Woolf, adapted by Tim Carroll
ASSASSINS book by John Weidman, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, from and idea by Charles Gilbert Jr
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD by J.M. Synge
DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS by Eugene O’Neill
TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage and originally directed by Tim Carroll
ME AND MY GIRL book and lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber, book revised by Stephen Fry, with contributions by Mike Ockrent, music by Noel Gay
2019
THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. Lewis, adapted for the stage by Anna Chatterton
Lerner and Loewe’s BRIGADOON book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner – Music by Frederick Loewe, original dances created by Agnes DeMille
THE LADYKILLERS by Graham Linehan, from the motion picture screenplay by William Rose, by special arrangement with StudioCanal and Fiery Angel, London
MAN AND SUPERMAN WITH DON JUAN IN HELL by Bernard Shaw
ROPE by Patrick Hamilton
GETTING MARRIED by Bernard Shaw
THE RUSSIAN PLAY (Lunchtime one-act) by Hannah Moscovitch
CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand, translated and adapted for the stage by Kate Hennig
THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams
SEX by Mae West
VICTORY by Howard Barker
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Tim Carroll
Irving Berlin’s HOLIDAY INN based on the Film from Universal Pictures, music and lyrics by Irving Berlin – book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge
2018
THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW by C.S. Lewis, adapted for the stage by Michael O’Brien
GRAND HOTEL book by Luther Davis, music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
MYTHOS: A TRILOGY – GODS. HEROES. MEN. written by and starring Stephen Fry
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by R. Hamilton Wright and David Pichette
STAGE KISS by Sarah Ruhl
OF MARRIAGE AND MEN: A COMEDY DOUBLE-BILL How He Lied to Her Husband and The Man of Destiny by Bernard Shaw
O’FLAHERTY V.C. (Lunchtime one-act) by Bernard Shaw
OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR – A MUSICAL book by Joan Littlewood, Theatre Workshop and Charles Chilton
A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Tim Carroll
THE ORCHARD (AFTER CHEKHOV) by Sarena Parmar
THE BARONESS AND THE PIG by Michael Mackenzie
HENRY V by William Shakespeare
2017
ME AND MY GIRL book and lyrics by L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber, book revised by Stephen Fry, with contributions by Mike Ockrent, music by Noel Gay
SAINT JOAN by Bernard Shaw
DRACULA by Bram Stoker, adapted for the stage by Liz Lochhead
1837: THE FARMERS’ REVOLT a play by Rick Salutin and Theatre Passe Muraille
ANDROCLES AND THE LION by Bernard Shaw
WILDE TALES stories for young and old by Oscar Wilde, adapted for the stage by Kate Hennig
THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III by Alan Bennett
DANCING AT LUGHNASA by Brian Friel
AN OCTOROON by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
MIDDLETOWN by Will Eno
1979 by Michael Healey, in co-production with the Great Canadian Theatre Company
2016
ALICE IN WONDERLAND adapted for the stage by Peter Hinton, music by Allen Cole, based on the book by Lewis Carroll
A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE by Oscar Wilde
SWEENEY TODD music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, originally produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards, in association with Dean and Judy Manos
UNCLE VANYA by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker
“MASTER HAROLD” …AND THE BOYS by Athol Fugard
THE ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK GIRL IN HER SEARCH FOR GOD adapted for the stage by Lisa Codrington, from the short story by Bernard Shaw
OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION by Bernard Shaw
ENGAGED by W.S. Gilbert
THE DANCE OF DEATH by August Strindberg in a new version by Conor McPherson
2015
SWEET CHARITY book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
LIGHT UP THE SKY by Moss Hart
THE LADY FROM THE SEA by Henrik Ibsen, in a new version by Erin Shields
TOP GIRLS by Caryl Churchill
THE TWELVE-POUND LOOK by J.M. Barrie
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER a play by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
THE DIVINE: A PLAY FOR SARAH BERNHARDT by Michel Marc Bouchard, translated by Linda Gaboriau
THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES by Tony Kushner
THE NEXT WHISKY BAR created by Paul Sportelli and Jay Turvey
2014
CABARET book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, originally co-directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall, originally directed by Sam Mendes
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY by Philip Barry
THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw
THE CHARITY THAT BEGAN AT HOME: A COMEDY FOR PHILANTHROPISTS by St John Hankin
THE SEA by Edward Bond
A LOVELY SUNDAY FOR CREVE COEUR (LUNCHTIME ONE-ACT) by Tennessee Williams
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
WHEN WE ARE MARRIED by J.B. Priestley
JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK by Sean O’Casey
THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall
2013
GUYS AND DOLLS based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN by Oscar Wilde
ENCHANTED APRIL by Matthew Barber, from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim
PEACE IN OUR TIME: A COMEDY by John Murrell, adapted from Shaw’s Geneva
THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, produced by arrangement with Turner Entertainment Co. owner of the original motion picture Light in the Piazza, based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer
TRIFLES (LUNCHTIME ONE-ACTS) by Susan Glaspell and Eugene O’Neill
OUR BETTERS an original stage play by W. Somerset Maugham
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
FAITH HEALER by Brian Friel
ARCADIA by Tom Stoppard
2012
RAGTIME Book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the novel RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow
PRESENT LAUGHTER by Noël Coward
HIS GIRL FRIDAY adapted by John Guare from THE FRONT PAGE by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and the Columbia Pictures film HIS GIRL FRIDAY
A MAN AND SOME WOMEN by Githa Sowerby
THE MILLIONAIRESS by Bernard Shaw
HEDDA GABLER by Henrik Ibsen
TROUBLE IN TAHITI music and libretto by Leonard Bernstein
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS by Terence Rattigan
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA by William Inge
HELEN’S NECKLACE by Carole Fréchette
2011
MY FAIR LADY based on Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw, adaption and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Bernard Shaw
THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON by J.M. Barrie
DRAMA AT INISH – A COMEDY by Lennox Robinson
ON THE ROCKS by Bernard Shaw, new version by Michael Healey
MARIA SEVERA book, music and lyrics by Jay Turvey and Paul Sportelli
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF by Tennessee Williams
THE PRESIDENT by Ferenc Molnár, adapted by Morwyn Brebner
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG by Suzan-Lori Parks
WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING by Andrew Bovell
2010
AN IDEAL HUSBAND by Oscar Wilde
THE WOMEN by Clare Boothe Luce
THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA by Bernard Shaw
THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Tom Murphy
JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND by Bernard Shaw
AGE OF AROUSAL by Linda Griffiths
HARVEY by Mary Chase
ONE TOUCH OF VENUS by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, book by Ogden Nash and S.J. Perelman
HALF AN HOUR by J.M. Barrie
SERIOUS MONEY by Caryl Churchill
2009
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS (Still Life, We Were Dancing, Hands Across the Sea) by Noël Coward
BORN YESTERDAY by Garson Kanin
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
WAYS OF THE HEART (The Astonished Heart, Family Album, Ways and Means) by Noël Coward
A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN by Eugene O’Neill
ALBERTINE IN FIVE TIMES by Michel Tremblay, translated by Linda Gaboriau
PLAY, ORCHESTRA, PLAY (Red Peppers, Fumed Oak, Shadow Play) by Noël Coward
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine
IN GOOD KING CHARLES’S GOLDEN DAYS by Bernard Shaw
STAR CHAMBER by Noël Coward
THE ENTERTAINER by John Osborne
2008
AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J.B. Priestley
WONDERFUL TOWN book by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov, music by Leonard Bernstein,
lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION by Bernard Shaw
FOLLIES: IN CONCERT book by James Goldman, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
THE STEPMOTHER by Githa Sowerby
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC book by Hugh Wheeler, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
BELLE MORAL: A NATURAL HISTORY by Ann-Marie Macdonald
GETTING MARRIED by Bernard Shaw
THE LITTLE FOXES by Lillian Hellman
AFTER THE DANCE by Terence Rattigan
THE PRESIDENT by Ferenc Molnár, adapted by Morwyn Brebner
2007
SAINT JOAN by Bernard Shaw
MACK AND MABEL book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, Revised by Francine Pascal
HOTEL PECCADILLO by Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallières, adapted by Morris Panych
THE CIRCLE by Somerset Maugham
THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw
SUMMER AND SMOKE by Tennessee Williams
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, AFTER TURGENEV by Brian Friel
THE CASSILIS ENGAGEMENT, A COMEDY FOR MOTHERS by St John Hankin
TRISTAN book, music and lyrics by Paul Sportelli and Jay Turvey
THE KILTARTAN COMEDIES by Lady Augusta Gregory
2006
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
THE HEIRESS by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz
HIGH SOCIETY music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Arthur Kopit
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD by Bernard Shaw
THE INVISIBLE MAN by Michael O’Brien, adapted from the novel by H.G. Wells
THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller
LOVE AMONG THE RUSSIANS by Anton Chekhov
THE MAGIC FIRE by Lillian Groag
DESIGN FOR LIVING by Noel Coward
ROSMERSHOLM by Henrik Ibsen
2005
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
THE CONSTANT WIFE by Somerset Maugham
GYPSY music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents
JOURNEY’S END by R.C. Sherriff
HAPPY END music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Bertolt Brecht
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
SOMETHING ON THE SIDE By Georges Feydeau and Maurice Desvallieres
THE AUTUMN GARDEN by Lillian Hellman
BUS STOP by William Inge
BELLE MORAL: A NATURAL HISTORY by Ann-Marie MacDonald
2004
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde
THREE MEN ON A HORSE by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott
PAL JOEY music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, book by John O’Hara
AH, WILDERNESS! by Eugene O’Neill
RUTHERFORD AND SON by Githa Sowerby
WAITING FOR THE PARADE by John Murrell
THE TINKER’S WEDDING by J.M. Synge
MAN AND SUPERMAN by Bernard Shaw
NOTHING SACRED by George F. Walker
HARLEQUINADE by Terrence Rattigan
FLOYD COLLINS music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, book by Tina Landau
2003
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
THREE SISTERS by Anton Chekhov
THE CORONATION VOYAGE by Michel Marc Bouchard
THE ROYAL FAMILY by George S. Kaufman
WIDOWERS’ HOUSES by Bernard Shaw
DIANA OF DOBSON’S by Cicely Hamilton
THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS by Sean O’Casey
AFTERPLAY by Brian Friel
ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Cy Coleman
BLOOD RELATIONS by Sharon Pollock
HAPPY END lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, music by Kurt Weill
2002
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA by Bernard Shaw
DETECTIVE STORY by Sidney Kingsley
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
HAY FEVER by Noel Coward
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL by St John Hankin
THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA by Frederic Garcia Lorca
HIS MAJESTY by Harley Granville Barker
CHAPLIN by Simon Bradbury
THE OLD LADIES by Rodney Ackland
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth
THE OLD LADY SHOWS HER MEDALS by J.M. Barrie
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
MUSICAL READING SERIES
2001
THE MILLIONAIRESS by Bernard Shaw
PETER PAN by J.M. Barrie
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
PICNIC by William Inge
FANNY’S FIRST PLAY by Bernard Shaw
SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR by Luigi Pirandello
THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL by St John Hankin
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD a musical by Rupert Holmes
LAURA by Vera Caspary and George Sklar
LOVE FROM A STRANGER by Frank Vosper, based on a story by Agatha Christie
SHADOW PLAY by Noel Coward
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
MUSICAL READING SERIES
2000
THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA by Bernard Shaw
EASY VIRTUE by Noel Coward
LORD OF THE FLIES adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams from the novel by William Golding
THE MATCHMAKER by Thorton Wilder
A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE by Oscar Wilde
THE APPLE CART by Bernard Shaw
A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN adapted by Patrick Garland from the essay by Virginia Woolf
SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR by Luigi Pirandello
TIME AND THE CONWAYS by J.B. Priestley
SHE LOVES ME book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon
STILL LIFE by Noel Coward
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
1999
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Bernard Shaw
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
EASY VIRTUE by Noel Coward
ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller
GETTING MARRIED by Bernard Shaw
THE MADRAS HOUSE by Harley Granville Barker
S.S. TENACITY by Charles Vildrac
UNCLE VANYA by Anton Chekhov
REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier
A FOGGY DAY music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, book by Norm Foster and John Mueller,
based on the play “A Damsel in Distress” by P.G. Wodehouse and Ian Hay,
music arranged and orchestrated by Christopher Donison
WATERLOO by Arthur Conan Doyle
VILLAGE WOOING by Bernard Shaw
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
1998
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN by Oscar Wilde
THE LADY’S NOT FOR BURNING by Christopher Fry
JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND by Bernard Shaw
JOY by John Galsworthy
A FOGGY DAY music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, book by Norm Foster and John Mueller,
based on the play “A Damsel in Distress” by P.G. Wodehouse and Ian Hay,
music arranged and orchestrated by Christopher Donison
THE SHOP AT SLY CORNER by Edward Percy
PASSION POISON AND PETRIFACTION by Bernard Shaw
BROTHERS IN ARMS by Merrill Denison
WATERLOO by Arthur Conan Doyle
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
1997
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION by Bernard Shaw
HOBSON’S CHOICE by Harold Brighouse
WILL ANY GENTLEMAN by Vernon Sylvaine
THE SEAGULL by Anton Chekhov
IN GOOD KING CHARLES’S GOLDEN DAYS by Bernard Shaw
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD by J.M. Synge
THE CHILDREN’S HOUR by Lillian Hellman
THE SECRET LIFE by Harley Granville Barker
THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER music by Oscar Straus, adapted and arranged by Ronald Hanmer,
original book and lyrics by Rudolph Bernauer and Leopold Jacobson,
new English book by Agnes Bernelle, new English lyrics by Adam Carstairs
THE TWO MRS CARROLLS by Martin Vale
THE CONJUROR PART 2 by David Ben and Patrick Watson
SORRY WRONG NUMBER by Lucille Fletcher
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
1996
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
RASHOMON by Fay and Michael Kanin
HOBSON’S CHOICE by Harold Brighouse
AN IDEAL HUSBAND by Oscar Wilde
THE SIMPLETON OF THE UNEXPECTED ISLES by Bernard Shaw
THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD by J.M. Synge
MARSH HAY by Merrill Denison
MR CINDERS music by Vivian Ellis and Richard Myers,libretto and lyrics by Clifford Grey and Greatrex Newman,
additional lyrics by Leo Robin and Vivian Ellis
THE HOLLOW by Agatha Christie
SHALL WE JOIN THE LADIES by J.M. Barrie
THE CONJUROR by David Ben and Patrick Watson
BELL CANADA READING SERIES
1995
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
THE PETRIFIED FOREST by Robert E. Sherwood
CAVALCADE by Noel Coward
THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw
AN IDEAL HUSBAND by Oscar Wilde
WASTE by Harley Granville Barker
THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE by John van Druten
LADIES IN RETIREMENT by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham
THE ZOO by Arthur Sullivan and Bolton Rowe
THE SIX OF CALAIS by Bernard Shaw
1994
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
THE FRONT PAGE by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
SHERLOCK HOLMES by William Gillette
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD by Bernard Shaw
EDEN END by J.B. Priestley
IVONA PRINCESS OF BURGUNDIA by Witold Gombrowicz
LADY BE GOOD music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson
BUSMAN’S HONEYMOON by Dorothy L. Sayers and Muriel St Clare Byrne
ROCOCO by Harley Granville Barker
ANNAJANSKA THE BOLSHEVIK EMPRESS by Bernard Shaw
1993
SAINT JOAN by Bernard Shaw
THE SILVER KING by Henry Arthur Jones
BLITHE SPIRIT by Noel Coward
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
THE UNMENTIONABLES by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Paul Lampert and Kate Sullivan
THE MARRYING OF ANN LEETE by Harley Granville Barker
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin, book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields,
adapted from the novel by Anita Loos
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie
THE MAN OF DESTINY by Bernard Shaw
1992
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
COUNSELLOR-AT-LAW by Elmer Rice
CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas
WIDOWERS’ HOUSES by Bernard Shaw
DRUMS IN THE NIGHT by Bertolt Brecht
POINT VALAINE by Noel Coward
ON THE TOWN music by Leonard Bernstein, books and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green,
based on an idea by Jerome Robbins
TEN MINUTE ALIBI by Anthony Armstrong
OVERRULED by Bernard Shaw
1991
THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA by Bernard Shaw
A CUCKOO IN THE NEST by Ben Travers
LULU by Frank Wedekind, adapted by Peter Barnes
THE MILLIONAIRESS by Bernard Shaw
HENRY IV by Luigi Pirandello
HEDDA GABLER by Henrik Ibsen
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, book by Herbert Fields
THIS HAPPY BREED by Noel Coward
PRESS CUTTINGS by Bernard Shaw
1990
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
TRELAWNY OF THE ‘WELLS’ by Arthur Wing Pinero
THE WALTZ OF THE TOREADORS by Jean Anouilh, translated by Lucienne Hill
PRESENT LAUGHTER by Noel Coward
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION by Bernard Shaw
NYMPH ERRANT music and lyrics by Cole Porter, libretto by Romney Brent, from the novel by James Laver
UBU REX by Alfred Jarry, translated by David Copelin
NIGHT MUST FALL by Emlyn Williams
WHEN WE ARE MARRIED by J.B. Priestley
VILLAGE WOOING by Bernard Shaw
1989
MAN AND SUPERMAN by Bernard Shaw
BERKELEY SQUARE by John L. Balderston
ONCE IN A LIFETIME by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
TRELAWNY OF THE ‘WELLS’ by Arthur Wing Pinero
GETTING MARRIED by Bernard Shaw
PEER GYNT by Henrik Ibsen, translated by John Lingard
NYMPH ERRANT music and lyrics by Cole Porter, libretto by Romney Brent, from the novel by James Laver
AN INSPECTOR CALLS by J.B. Priestley
GOOD NEWS music by Ray Henderson, book by Laurence Schwab and B.G. DeSylva, lyrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown
SHAKES VERSUS SHAV and THE GLIMPSE OF REALITY by Bernard Shaw
1988
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
PETER PAN by J.M. Barrie
WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy, adapted by Alfred Neumann, Erwin Piscator and Guntram Pruefer,
translated by Robert David MacDonald
ONCE IN A LIFETIME by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
GENEVA by Bernard Shaw
THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE by Harley Granville Barker
HE WHO GETS SLAPPED by Leonid Andreyev
DANGEROUS CORNER by J.B. Priestley
HIT THE DECK music by Vincent Youmans, lyrics by Leo Robin, Clifford Grey and Irving Caesar, book by Herbert Fields
THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS by Bernard Shaw
1987
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
HAY FEVER by Noel Coward
MARATHON ’33 by June Havoc
PETER PAN by J.M. Barrie
FANNY’S FIRST PLAY by Bernard Shaw
NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH by Ayn Rand
PLAYING WITH FIRE by August Strindberg
SALOMÉ by Oscar Wilde
NOT IN THE BOOK by Arthur Watkyn
ANYTHING GOES music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse,
revised by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse
AUGUSTUS DOES HIS BIT by Bernard Shaw
1986
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
BANANA RIDGE by Ben Travers
CAVALCADE by Noel Coward
BACK TO METHUSELAH by Bernard Shaw
ON THE ROCKS by Bernard Shaw
HOLIDAY by Philip Barry
TONIGHT WE IMPROVISE by Luigi Pirandello
BLACK COFFEE by Agatha Christie
GIRL CRAZY music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, libretto by John McGowan and Guy Bolton
PASSION POISON AND PETRIFACTION by Bernard Shaw
1985
HEART BREAKHOUSE by Bernard Shaw
THE MAD WOMAN OF CHAILLOT by Jean Giraudoux, adapted by Maurice Valency
ONE FOR THE POT by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton
CAVALCADE by Noel Coward
JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND by Bernard Shaw
THE WOMEN by Clare Booth Luce
TROPICAL MADNESS NO. 2 – METAPHYSICS OF A TWO-HEADED CALF by Stanislaw Witkiewicz,
translated by Daniel and Eleanor Gerould
MURDER ON THE NILE by Agatha Christie
NAUGHTY MARIETTA book and lyrics by Rida Johnson Young, music by Victor Herbert, adapted by Christopher Newton
THE INCA OF PERUSALEM by Bernard Shaw
1984
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward
THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH by Thornton Wilder
CÉLIMARE (or FRIENDS OF A FEATHER) by Eugene Labiche, adapted by Allan Stratton
ANDROCLES AND THE LION by Bernard Shaw
THE VORTEX by Noel Coward
THE LOST LETTER by Ian Luca Caragiale, adapted by Christopher Newton and Sky Gilbert
ROBERTA books and lyrics by Otto Harbach, music by Jerome Kern, adapted by Duncan McIntosh & Christopher Newton
“THE SHAW PLAYLETS” – THE FASCINATING FOUNDLING and HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND by Bernard Shaw
1984 by George Orwell, adapted by Denise Coffey
1983
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA by Bernard Shaw
CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand, translated and adapted by Anthony Burgess
ROOKERY NOOK by Ben Travers
PRIVATE LIVES by Noel Coward
THE SIMPLETON OF THE UNEXPECTED ISLES by Bernard Shaw
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
THE VORTEX by Noel Coward
TOM JONES an operetta by Sir Edward German, libretto by Robert Courtneidge and A.M. Thompson,
from the novel by Henry Fielding, lyrics by Charles H. Taylor and Basil Hood,
libretto and lyrics adapted by Christopher Newton and Sky Gilbert
O’FLAHERTY V.C. by Bernard Shaw
1982
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
SEE HOW THEY RUN by Philip King
CAMILLE by Robert David MacDonald
CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand, translated and adapted by Anthony Burgess
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD by Bernard Shaw
THE SINGULAR LIFE OF ALBERT NOBBS adapted by Simone Benmussa from “Albert Nobbs” by George Moore
THE DESERT SONG book and lyrics by Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II and Frank Mandel,
music adapted by Sigmund Romberg, adapted by Christopher Newton
THE MUSIC-CURE by Bernard Shaw
1981
SAINT JOAN by Bernard Shaw
TONS OF MONEY by Will Evans and Valentine
THE SUICIDE by Nikolai Erdman
CAMILLE by Robert David MacDonald
IN GOOD KING CHARLES’S GOLDEN DAYS by Bernard Shaw
THE MAGISTRATE by Arthur WingPinero
ROSE MARIE book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart
THE MAN OF DESTINY by Bernard Shaw
1980
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov
A FLEA IN HER EAR by Georges Feydeau
THE GRAND HUNT by Gyula Hernady
THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw
A RESPECTABLE WEDDING by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Jean Benedetti
CANUCK by John Bruce Cowan
PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin
GUNGA HEATH compiled and performed by Heath Lamberts
OVERRULED by Bernard Shaw
1979
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
THE CORN IS GREEN by Emlyn Williams
DEAR LIAR by Jerome Kilty
CAPTAIN BRASS BOUND’S CONVERSION by Bernard Shaw
BLITHE SPIRIT by Noel Coward
MY ASTONISHING SELF from the writings of G.B.S., by Michael Voysey
VILLAGE WOOING by Bernard Shaw
1978
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
JOHN GABRIEL BORKMAN by HenrikI bsen
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Bernard Shaw
LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET – A MUSICAL MELODRAMA by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, adapted by Douglas Seale,
music by George Goehring, lyrics by John Kuntz
1977
MAN AND SUPERMAN by Bernard Shaw
THARK by Ben Travers
THE MILLIONAIRESS by Bernard Shaw
GREAT CATHERINE by Bernard Shaw
WIDOWERS’ HOUSES by Bernard Shaw
1976
MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION by Bernard Shaw
THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON by J.M. Barrie
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
THE APPLE CART by Bernard Shaw
1975
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
LEAVEN OF MALICE by Robertson Davies
CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA by Bernard Shaw
THE FIRST NIGHT OF PYGMALION by Richard Huggett
G.K.C. THE WIT AND WISDOM OF GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON by Tony van Bridge
1974
THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE by Bernard Shaw
TOO TRUE TO BE GOOD by Bernard Shaw
CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas
THE ADMIRABLE BASHVILLE by Bernard Shaw
ROSMERSHOLM by Henrik Ibsen
1973
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
THE BRASS BUTTERFLY by William Golding
FANNY’S FIRST PLAY by Bernard Shaw
SISTERS OF MERCY – A MUSICAL JOURNEY INTO THE WORDS OF LEONARD COHEN conceived by Gene Lesser
1972
THE ROYAL FAMILY by George S. Kaufman & Edna Ferber
GETTING MARRIED by Bernard Shaw
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
1971
THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw
SUMMER DAYS by Romain Weingarten, translated by Suzanne Grossman
TONIGHT AT 8:30 by Noel Coward
“WAR WOMEN AND OTHER TRIVIA” – A SOCIAL SUCCESS by Max Beerbohm
O’FLAHERTY V.C. by Bernard Shaw
PRESS CUTTINGS by Bernard Shaw
1970
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
FORTY YEARS ON by Alan Bennett
1969
THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA by Bernard Shaw
BACK TO METHUSALAH (Part 1) by Bernard Shaw
FIVE VARIATIONS FOR CORNO di BASSETTO from the music criticism of Bernard Shaw
THE GUARDSMAN by Ferenc Molnar, English version by Frank Marcus
1968
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Bernard Shaw
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR based on the life and works of Oscar Wilde, by Michael MacLiammoir
THE CHEMMY CIRCLE by Georges Feydeau, translated by Suzanne Grossman
1967
ARMS AND THE MAN by Bernard Shaw
THE CIRCLE by W. Somerset Maugham
MAJOR BARBARA by Bernard Shaw
1966
MAN AND SUPERMAN by Bernard Shaw
MISALLIANCE by Bernard Shaw
THE APPLE CART by Bernard Shaw
1965
PYGMALION by Bernard Shaw
THE SHADOW OF A GUNMAN by Sean O’Casey
THE MILLIONAIRESS by Bernard Shaw
1964
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Bernard Shaw
VILLAGE WOOING by Bernard Shaw
THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS by Bernard Shaw
JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND by Bernard Shaw
1963
YOU NEVER CAN TELL by Bernard Shaw
HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND by Bernard Shaw
THE MAN OF DESTINY by Bernard Shaw
ANDROCLES AND THE LION by Bernard Shaw
1962
DON JUAN IN HELL (from MAN AND SUPERMAN) by Bernard Shaw
CANDIDA by Bernard Shaw
Helmed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll (TC) and inspired by the spirit of George Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival creates unforgettable theatrical encounters.
The Shaw Festival, home to Two-Way Theatre, is a place where people who are curious about the world gather to share the unique experience of live theatre.