St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival News – Take part in this summer’s Community Show!
The Community Show is Back!
Prescott, ON – We’re so excited to officially announce the return of the community show!
This production, presented at the end of our summer season, features the talents of our incredible community members, under the direction of our new Artistic Directors.
“We can’t wait to have this opportunity to get to know the community on a deeper level through collaborating with people of all ages on this play. We know it will be tons of fun, and that we’ll create something really magical together. It’s the perfect way to end the summer!” say Julia and James.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
That’s right, this year’s community show will be the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat!
This show is full of fun, recognizable songs, and great roles for community members of all ages.
The show will rehearse throughout June, July, and August, with performances on August 30th and 31st. To view the full rehearsal schedule, click here.
We’ll be holding auditions on Saturday, May 18 for anyone interested in performing in the show.
Auditions are an opportunity to get to know you. Everyone who wants to be in the show, and is available for rehearsals/performances, will be cast!
For the auditions, please prepare a short song. It can be ANYTHING: from a musical, a pop song, a lullaby, anything that you like to sing.
There will not be an accompanist at the auditions. You are welcome to sing acapella, or bring a backing track to sing to. A bluetooth speaker will be available.
In attendance at the auditions will be our Co-Artistic Directors Julia and James, and Lynda Joanisse, who will serve as the music director for Joseph.
If you can’t attend auditions in person on May 18, please email ad@stlawrenceshakespeare.ca to make alternate arrangements!
St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival History
The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival seeks to achieve the highest possible standards of artistic excellence by producing professional productions in magnificent natural surroundings while encouraging the greatest possible level of community involvement. It aspires to provide a creative summer home for artists with a passion for the classics and the talent to speak to audiences in such a way that their quality of life is enriched and their understanding of the human condition enhanced.
2002
The Company began to take shape in 2002 after Deborah Smith of South Mountain brought a small, self-produced, touring production of Romeo & Juliet to the area.
2003
The community was charmed by the idea of having live theatre in its midst and it was agreed that the Company could utilize the outdoor amphitheatre for a full production of The Tempest in the summer of 2003 and thus the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival was born.
2005
Ian Farthing was appointed as the Festival’s Artistic Director. He oversaw the expansion of the theatre’s activities to a season of two mainstage Shakespeare productions, a full Sunday Series of events and an education program.
2014
SLSF had the distinction of being the only Canadian Theatre to present Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s international touring production of Hamlet.
At the end of 2014, Ian Farthing handed over the Artistic Directorship to Rona Waddington.Innovations introduced by Rona included recruiting a team of local volunteers to plays crowds and soldiers in productions of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, facilitating work on a scale that had not yet been seen at the Festival, and a series of “Community Productions”, in which post-season productions were directed by Rona, as fundraisers for the Festival, that exclusively featured local amateur actors.
2017
In November 2017, Richard Sheridan Willis became Artistic Director, taking the company into its next phase of development and growth.
2023
In December 2023, Julia Nish-Lapidus and James Wallis were named the new Co-Artistic Directors of the company, bringing new energy to foster growth, building an exciting future for the Festival.
With no other professional outdoor theatre in the St. Lawrence Seaway area, the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival fulfils a key role in the artistic life of the region. The unique riverside setting combined with the high quality of the performances has resulted in a 600% increase in attendance over the first twelve years.
