All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
William Shakespeare, 1623
In October 1952 a small Shakespearean Festival was incorporated within the City of Stratford with the hopes to draw tourists and boost the local economy. The idea of local journalist Tom Patterson, the festival had humble beginnings with it's first 4 seasons performing under a giant canvas tent purchased from a circus in Chicago while a permanent theatre was built. This first year showcased Alec Guinness (YES! Obi Wan Kenobi!) who spoke the first lines of the festival in Richard III.
Fast forward almost 70 years the festival is now the largest theatre festival in Canada running 4 theatres for local and international theatre goers. Today the festival has a mix of Shakespeare, Greek Tragedy, and Musical productions to suit many tastes.
For this Virtual cache you will visit the 4 theatres that are now home to the festival to gather some answers. All virtual stages are outside the theatres so admission or costs are not required. I have added photos of each stage to the cache page so you can see the differences in staging and performance space. I suggest finding roadside parking somewhere in the middle of the theatres and walk as parking can be troublesome during the busy Summer months.
Virtual Stage 1 - Festival Theatre - The posted coordinates is stage 1 on your journey, and is the main festival theatre, which strangely enough is called the Festival Theatre. This is the first theatre built and the premier and largest theatre of the festival seating over 1,800. Built in 1957 with unique arc seating and a thrust stage all spectators are no more than 65 feet from the stage. The exterior design was deliberately intended to resemble a huge tent to pay homage to the festival's beginnings under a canvas tent.
Virtual Stage 2 - Tom Patterson Theatre - The newly built Tom Patterson Theatre is near the banks of the Avon river and named after the founder of the Stratford Festival. This theatre replaces the previous Tom Patterson theatre located at this exact spot that was completely torn down in 2018. The theatre was built in similar fashion to the previous theatre but with vastly improved comfort and accessibility, as well as superb production capabilities. Seating 600, the new theatre will have a similar unique elongated thrust stage with seating on 3 sides like it's predecessor.
Virtual Stage 3 - Avon Theatre - A one-time vaudeville and movie theatre built in 1901 the Avon Theatre has an old time charm. It is a classic front stage three-storey theatre seating 1,100 similar to the smaller historical theatres on Broadway and Toronto. The entrance stairs of the theatre is a popular spot for local street performers prior to festival shows.
Virtual Stage 4 - Studio Theatre - Attached to the back of the Avon Theatre, the Studio Theatre was opened in 2002 and is the smallest of the 4 theatres with seating for 260. Steeply inclined seats surround the stage on three sides allow all spectators with intimate non obstructed views of Shakespearean and smaller experimental type productions.
How to Log
To log this cache you will need to visit each of the 4 virtual stages and gather a piece of information from each as indicated below.
- Question 1 - Statue (Waypoint 1 - Festival Theatre) - Near the theatre entrance in the garden you will find a large tin statue of William Shakespeare holding a book. How many lines has he written on the first page?
- Question 2 - Tree (Waypoint 2 - Tom Patterson Theatre) - At the corner of the garden is a plaque. What date was the tree planted to commemorate the start of construction of the theatre? Month/date/year
- Question 3 - Walk of Fame (Waypoint 3 - Avon Theatre) - What actor has his Walk of Fame star in front of the Theatre Shop next to the theatre. i.e. The last one as you walk north up Downie St?
- Question 4 - Plaque (Waypoint 4 - Studio Theatre) - To the left of the front doors find the dedication plaque on the wall. What is the full quote from the play "The Tempest"?
- Picture - Add a photo or selfie of you standing in front of any of the theatres. If you're shy and don't want to show your face then no problem, just add a picture of your foot next to your favourite actor/actress' star along the walk of fame in front of the Avon Theatre. If anyone is attending a performance I'd love to see pictures posted of the stage setup too!
Shout out to TheBoz5 who had the same idea for her Adventure Lab as I did with this virtual. We had a good laugh and agreed great minds think alike!
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.