Driving toward Stratford, Ontario, Tony and I had the sinking feeling that this “Shakespeare Festival” everyone in Canada seems to rave about couldn’t possibly live up to its reputation. Just a few miles out of town, corn fields stretched to the horizon; a thriving theatre community around the corner seemed absurd.

Shortly after a sign welcomed us to “Stratford – home of the Stratford Festival and the Ontario Pork Congress,” we pulled in to the parking lot for the Blue Spruce Bed & Breakfast, where we found a welcome bag from the Hossack Family (Diet Coke, Canadian chocolate, a kid’s book about the festival, a stuffed eagle wearing a Shanghai American School scarf and a heart-warming drawing from 4-year-old Blake). After settling in and chatting a bit with the B&B innkeeper, we walked about 10 minutes to the downtown area, got take-away sandwiches from York Street Deli on Erie (yum!) and found a shady spot to enjoy our lunch. We poked around a few shops and toured the Festival Exhibition, a small museum with costumes, props, set models, photos and video footage celebrating the festival’s 60th anniversary.

I had booked tickets for “Pirates of Penzance” Wednesday afternoon and “Much Ado About Nothing” Thursday night. By the time the pirates took their curtain call, I knew I needed to cram in at least one more show. Tony and I never should have doubted this cultural oasis. Scanning the program, we realized many cast members had boasting rights to Broadway and other world-class theatre experiences (as well as TV and movie roles) and the overall effect of the sets, costumes, sound and lighting proved there was talent behind the scenes, as well. The Major General even sang a hilarious extra verse in honor of the festival’s artistic directors. The Toronto Star’s theatre critic wrote a fairly scathing review of the show, but we were thoroughly entertained. Maybe we’re just out of practice since we rarely have access to plays or musicals…

If you don’t know the Hossacks by now, then you’re clearly not a regular reader of this blog! In a nutshell, we bonded with Scott and Amy while teaching in Shanghai, I was at the hospital when Blake made his appearance, and now we all spend our summers within a three-hour drive. Their summer home is just 20 minutes from Stratford. Perfect! Following our matinee, we were nearly bowled over by Amy’s running-start-leaping-hug sidewalk greeting. Blake, napping in his carseat, was less exuberant, and Scott acted like we had just seen him yesterday, which is just the way it should be.

In my zeal to take advantage of the stage offerings, I bought rush tickets for $25 each to “42nd Street” for that night. Never mind that we had been up since 5 a.m., driven to Canada, already seen a play, socialized for a few hours, and never really ate lunch or dinner. Despite our seats in the nosebleed section, we were entranced.

We enjoyed some more Hossack time the next day, culminating in a grown-ups evening of dinner and “Much Ado About Nothing,” another excellent production. Tony and I went to a Q&A with the show’s Claudio (Tyrone Savage) and Hero (Bethany Jillard) the next morning, checked out and drove to St. Marys to spend the day with our friends.

Here are some shots, taken by Amy’s camera, of our fun visit.
Dinner at Foster’s Inn.

Hanging with the Bard in the Festival Theatre garden.

After a nice riverside picnic, we pushed our bikes up a steep hill to the trail.

Blake chose to climb the cliff face rather than take the steps. When he didn’t appear for a few minutes, Scott and Amy helped him to the top.

Blake got dirty climbing that hill, so we paused to wash hands and get a drink.

Playing on a train car at the old Stratford Junction, where 16-year-old Thomas Edison once worked (and apparently caused a train wreck that led to his prompt departure from Canada).