Stratford’s artistic director bids adieu
“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.”
In The Tempest, William Shakespeare captures the magic of a place alive with sound, story and shared experience. For artistic director Antoni Cimolino, that place is the Stratford Festival.
Soon, the curtain will fall as Cimolino steps away after 39 seasons to spend more time with his family. But not before he treats audiences to a great season featuring his favourite plays. “I chose The Tempest and Saturday, Sunday, Monday to direct because they echo themes of connection, renewal and shared experience that are especially relevant today.” He chose 10 additional plays with extraordinary directors who will bring them to life.
Cimolino talks about what audiences can expect from The Tempest, Shakespeare’s last solely authored play.
“I directed it in 2018 with actress Martha Henry and it’s such a pleasure to come back to a great play like this,” he says. “It begins as a revenge tragedy but, eventually, there is forgiveness and reconciliation. I feel our world needs this right now.”
His other choice is a comedy called Saturday, Sunday, Monday. A company play with 19 different parts, it was written by the great Italian playwright Eduardo De Filippo.
“It’s about a family, a marriage that is on the rocks and a community,” Cimolino says.
“Over the course of the weekend, the marriage is renewed thanks to their kids, neighbours and the couple themselves. It’s very powerful, funny and a little bit sad. It’s a fantastic play.”
In many ways, Cimolino’s life has been a love letter to the Stratford Festival. Growing up in Northern Ontario, he had been fortunate to attend other theatres, but his visit to Stratford as a teenager was different.
Cimolino says he was “blown away” by this Canadian institution. He began his career as an actor at Stratford in 1988. He later worked in theatre management and stage direction, and held roles as executive director and general director. He was named artistic director in 2012.
In what could be described as a full-circle moment, Cimolino led a campaign to build a new theatre to honour that feeling of connection and community and ensure the sustainability of the festival. The award-winning Tom Patterson Theatre opened in 2020 and seats more than 600 people with acoustics that rival any recording studio for clarity and silence.
“Everything is purpose-built for theatre and spoken word with the latest technology to support anything from a rock musical to a new play in an intimate, dynamic configuration,” Cimolino says.
“Theatre going is a very conscious act. You watch people around you and you all know you’re there to see a play – that it is make-believe. Yet you all believe,” he says.
“Since the time of the ancient Greeks, theatre has brought people together to ask difficult questions about the world and how we interact with one another. In a space like Stratford, the design of the theatre reconnects you to that community.”
Honouring the history of live theatre is central to The Meighen Forum. Introduced in 2013 by Cimolino and executive director Anita Gaffney, the forum helps deepen the audience’s experience through compelling discussions, related performances and events, and interactive workshops.
“The forum creates community around something that is beautiful and provokes thought about how we live together and what we do as humanity,” Cimolino says.
In 2026, a series of Themed Weeks return with new discussions and speakers as well as fan favourites such as Peer into the Playbill and Monday Night Music.
While many visitors to Stratford arrive for the theatre, they often leave just as taken with the community and its natural beauty, welcoming arts and culinary scene, and the easy warmth that makes people feel at home.
“The town of Stratford is filled with people who love theatre,” Cimolino says.
“Many move here from other parts of the world. There are 1,200 people who work at the festival, 130 of them actors. There is a real sense of community gathering that brings out the best in people.”
An Order of Canada recipient for his contributions to Canadian theatre, notably through his leadership of the Stratford Festival, Cimolino says that building something in Canada was always important to him.
“As Canadians, we’ve done some things incredibly well and the Stratford Festival is one of those things.”
While Cimolino approaches his final season, he remains intent on staying present, working with quiet focus and taking in each moment as it comes.
“I love this festival and what it represents; I’m so grateful to the artists, staff, volunteers and donors. It is remarkable to have the largest theatre festival in North America right here in Stratford,” he says.
This October, Cimolino will take the stage in Antoni, With Love. Co-directed by Jonathan Goad and Adrienne Gould, the gala evening will be part roast and part celebration, offering a rare chance to learn what it is like behind-the-scenes at the festival.
Like the isle in The Tempest, the Stratford Festival will carry on – alive with storytelling, music, and a shared sense of connection – shaped in no small part by the legacy Cimolino leaves behind.
Content From: Explore Ontario
