**World première adaptation of Eduardo De Filippo’s Saturday, Sunday, Monday hits the stage**

Stratford, ON… The Stratford Festival is delighted to present the world première of a new English translation of Eduardo De Filippo’s Saturday, Sunday, Monday, a work that celebrates the beauty, complexity and resilience of life. It is the first major English translation of the celebrated Italian classic in decades and the first writing credit for Artistic Directory Antoni Cimolino, who has co-adapted the play with Donato Santeramo. This remarkable production, Cimolino’s final directorial project as Artistic Director, begins today.

Set over the course of a lively weekend in Naples, Saturday, Sunday, Monday unfolds around a family gathering that begins with the preparation of a traditional Sunday meal before simmering into a deeply personal domestic conflict. As long-buried tensions and wounded pride rise to the surface, De Filippo’s richly drawn characters navigate love and forgiveness with wit, warmth and profound humanity, revealing the extraordinary emotional drama found within ordinary lives.

For Cimolino, the play’s enduring relevance lies in its deeply human perspective. “De Filippo seems to suggest that even when our lives are unspectacular, they can yet be worthy of the stage,” he says. At a time when public life can feel defined by division and spectacle, Saturday, Sunday, Monday turns our attention to the quieter, equally meaningful dramas of family life. Through this new translation, the Festival invites audiences to experience De Filippo’s timeless exploration of the complexities of family relationships, reminding us that stories rooted in everyday life remain among theatre’s most powerful and enduring.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday is led by Graham Abbey as Giuseppe “Peppino” Priore and Rose Napoli as Rosa Priore, featuring Rod Beattie as Antonio Piscopo, Seana McKenna as Aunt Amelia “Meme” Priore and Gordon S. Miller as Luigi Ianniello, with Celia Aloma as Maria Carolina, David Collins as Catiello, Ashley Dingwell, Paul Dunn, Jakob Ehman as Roberto Priore, Katarina Fiallos as Giulianella Priore, Michelle Giroux as Elena Ianniello, Jenna-Lee Hyde as Virginia, Matthew Kabwe, John Kirkpatrick, Josue Laboucane as Attilio, Allison Lynch, Jamie Mac, Landon Nesbitt, Marissa Orjalo, Maher Sinno ماهر سنّو as Federico Serretta, Liam Tobin as Michele, Emilio Vieira as Rocco Priore, Michael Wamara as Cefercola, Dakota Jamal Wellman and Geraint Wyn Davies as Raffaele Priore.

Cimolino is joined by set designer Douglas Paraschuk, costume designer Francesca Callow, lighting designer Michael Walton, composer Wayne Kelso and sound designer Ranil Sonnadara.

The production run will include a special taste of Italy intermission experience, with special show-inspired food and beverage offerings in an Italian café atmosphere in the upper lobby.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday officially opens on August 22 and runs until October 24 at the Avon Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1.800.567.1600.

The 2026 season also features The Tempest, Guys and Dolls, Something Rotten!, Death of a Salesman, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Hobbit, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, The King James Bible Play and The Tao of the World. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca.

The 2026 Season is supported by Ophelia Lazaridis.

Proud 2026 Season Partners: BMO, Canada Life and RBC Royal Bank.

Production Underwriters: David and Amy Fulton Foundation and The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation.

Production Co-Sponsors: The Sabourin Family Foundation and Three Generations of the Schubert Family.

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Graham Abbey Giuseppe “Peppino” Priore

Celia Aloma Maria Carolina

Rod Beattie Antonio Piscopo

David Collins Catiello

Ashley Dingwell Understudy

Paul Dunn Understudy

Jakob Ehman Roberto Priore