Magnolia House Bed & Breakfast
103 John St. N N5A 6K8 Stratford, ON, Canada

At this time of year, we should be sharing exciting details of our 2021 season. You'd be eagerly opening your Visitors Guide and we’d be showing a first glimpse... at the stars of next year’s productions. While we don’t have those items to share with you yet, fear not we will be back in 2021! And we will provide those details in the new year. Right now, however, we must all wait patiently for news that will allow a safe and viable return to the stage. From Broadway to the West End, from rock concerts to blockbuster films, opening venues to large audiences feels like an impossible dream, always just beyond our reach. Throughout the arc of the pandemic, we have favoured a course of patience and due diligence. Our goal has been to make announcements as definitive as possible, as change and uncertainty are unsettling for all of us. So we have decided to hold off on our announcement until we can present you with something tangible. When we were forced to cancel our season in April, we had invested $20 million in creating the 2020 season. Then poof! Suddenly, the painstaking work of our actors, directors and designers evaporated. The impeccable work of our artists and artisans didn’t see the light of day. As the classics teach us, we must learn from history, and recent history has had more lessons than most of us would wish. With regards to planning, we know that we need to have a clearer picture of what lies ahead before building a 2021 season. And, as we read about the reintroduction of tighter restrictions, we realize that 2021 will need to be scalable, allowing us to quickly adjust our audience sizes in response to changing circumstances. Unanticipated changes of plan not only inconvenience you, they weaken the financial health of the Festival. But there is another reason why we want to hold off on announcing our season, an artistic one. Theatre is always of the moment. We want to give you a season that responds to what’s going on in the world, one that engages you, entertains you, makes you think and feel. We need that. And that’s what we will give you next season. In the meantime we are doing the essential work of creating a safe environment for you here in Stratford, including some surprises to make 2021 unforgettable in a good way! When the world is ready, when you are ready, our stages will spring to life again. We can’t wait to see you!

When creating my latest music video, "You You You" I couldn't think of anything more fitting than a love letter to my beautiful city of StratfordON and its pree...minent driving force, the Stratford Festival. Colton Curtis stars as the spirit of Stratford, taking us on a magical journey through local characters and scenes - even some places we've never been before! Starring Colton Curtis Choreography by Colton Curtis Directed by Darryl Lahteenmaa Video Produced by Dayna Manning Dancers: Jason Sermonia, Devon Michael Brown, Eric Abel 2nd Camera & Drone Photography: Steven Anderson Production Assistants: Anthony Aguilera, Jonathan Gillespie, Heather Steinson, Pete Watson Hair: The Green Hair Spa - Jessika Guy Makeup: Claire Chapple Actor: Tyrone Savage Music Written & Produced by Dayna Manning Arranged by Ben Bolt-Martin Engineered by John Bailey Piano - Franklin Brasz Violin - Andrew Chung Flute - Laura Chambers Horn - Derek Conrod Cello - Ben Bolt-Martin Percussion - Graham Hargrove Guitar - Dayna Manning With Zac Gribble, Rebecca Scott, Joni Daniels, Dan Mathieson, Simon Marsden The Stratford City Centre City of Stratford - The Municipality The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR) In memory of John David Sterne - without your seeds, none of this would exist. #FACTORfunded #DTStratford #daynamanning #folkarmy #folksinger #singersongwriter #stratfest #songwriter #musiclife #originalsong #acousticguitar #canadianmusic #musicismagic #chamberfolk #morninglight #canadianfolksinger #canadianfolkmusic #canadianfolk #musiclovers #folkmusician #folksong #acousticmusic #folkmusic #recordingartist #livemusic #youyouyou #manymoons #findyourfolk #communitymusic #LightUpLive

67 years ago today, the Stratford Festival presented its very first performance: Richard III starring Alec Guinness. With performances cancelled and theatres ar...ound the world closed, this is the saddest anniversary we’ve ever marked. The support of our fans is getting us through. Thank you all for your financial contributions, your messages of support, your promises to return as soon as you can. We will be back, better than ever. Nothing is a better symbol of that pledge than our new Tom Patterson Theatre, built with the support of donors and government, who believe in the importance of theatre in our society. Please enjoy these photos that hint at what this magnificent theatre will be upon completion and join us as we honour the dream of our founder, Tom Patterson, this and every July 13. Ann Baggley & Hariri Pontarini Architects

If you received our email newsletter on Friday, you already know the exciting news. We will be bringing music to the City of Stratford - The Municipality this s...ummer! We'll be using our Barge, but with a twist. Our line-up of artists and more details will be announced soon, so stay tuned. Want to be the first to know about updates, ticket deals & more? Sign up for our newsletter here: http://ow.ly/6Soz50Aeg25 StratfordON The Stratford City Centre

Here it is! A love song to dining in at Stratford restaurants! Someday I’ll eat - part of that world! Thanks to my fabulous husband Zackh Bryson for helping me ...realize this idea. And to our favourite restaurant friends for letting us use their signs! The Red Rabbit Old Man & Son AVEC rabbit Pollo Morta Somewhere a Restaurant Sirkel Foods! Pazzo Taverna & Pizzeria AO Pasta Pizza Bistro Revel Ramshackle Industries Cheers to a bright future of dining in...someday!

We’re missing you just as much as you’re missing Stratford. We can’t wait to see you again! Until then you can still visit us online https://visitstratford.ca/lovestratford #LoveStratford

Today we came to the heartbreaking conclusion that our spectacular 2020 season cannot go on as planned and so we have put the entire season on hold while we wai...t for a signal from government that tells us it will be safe for you, and for all of us to gather in theatres again. In all likelihood, that means we will have to delay any programming until next year. But, if by some miracle, we are able to open our doors sooner, we will let you know. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to share a special fall or holiday show together? In the meantime, if you have purchased tickets for the 2020 season, we will be contacting you directly about your account. Please check your email for this communication. While the creation of a vaccine and anti-viral drugs will cure this pandemic, ultimately what will cure society in its aftermath is art. We look forward to the time when we can come together again to live, and pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh.

It felt so good to dance today. We can’t dance on the Festival stage right now, but we can dance outside the building. (PS. Dancing is hard...wow, I forgot) Choreography by Steve Cota via video chat . : a very socially and physically distant Jordan Mah

We’ve heard your requests and we’re happy to deliver: our award-winning film series is coming to a couch near you! Next Thursday, we’ll launch a virtual film ...festival offering FREE streaming of 12 of our finest Shakespeare productions. One film will be released on our YouTube channel every Thursday at 7pm ET, starting with King Lear on April 23 aka Shakespeare’s birthday! and will remain available for three weeks. (Repeat viewings strongly encouraged.) Scroll through the photos below for our lineup, grouped around four themes that seem pertinent at this time of pandemic, and stay tuned for more details (did someone say viewing party?!) See you Thursday!

Good way to brighten up your morning! No swan parade this year but they’re back on the river and looking happy and healthy

As theatres around the world are forced to close, we count on you, our loyal supporters, to stand by us as we deal with the eventualities that present themselves.