#LoveStratford. Haven’t you heard? Here’s why we’ve been sharing this hashtag over the last month.
Typically at this time of year, people would be flocking to the beautiful, Victorian town of Stratford, Ontario. They would enjoy some of the world’s best theatre. Found themselves wandering along the picturesque Avon River pre-show. Then sipping a glass of Pelee Island wine in the foyer of the Festival’s four theatres pre-performance.
They would have enjoyed an incredible meal at one of the town’s many restaurants. Showcasing a fabulous culinary scene that has developed in the city to cater to the half million visitors that attend the Festival each year.
Why the Tom Patterson Theatre?
Here at Pelee Island Winery, we were working with the Stratford Festival and had a beautiful label in the works for a special 2020. It was designed to celebrate the launch of the Festival’s glorious new Tom Patterson Theatre and all things Stratford.
When the railway industry pulled out of Stratford in the early 1950s, journalist Tom Patterson had an idea for breathing new life into his native city’s economy: a festival of Shakespearean theatre. In January 22, 1952, City Council gave him a grant of $125 to seek artistic advice in New York. Unfortunately, he failed to connect with Laurence Olivier, his intended target there.
However, Canadian theatre pioneer Dora Mavor Moore subsequently put him in touch with legendary British director Tyrone Guthrie. Intrigued by a transatlantic telephone call, Guthrie visited Stratford to see if Patterson’s idea might be viable. He ended up becoming Stratford’s first Artistic Director.
Celebrate and Support Stratford Festival
As we all know, this year has directed a different story for us to play out. Yet when presented with challenges, there are ways to come through them together. Which so many of you have helped us to do these last few weeks.
Our Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir Reserve, with their custom label celebrating the new Tom Patterson theatre, were released in early July with the additional #LoveStratford sticker.
With our friends at the Stratford Festival, we have created special Stratford packages for you. Yes, you can purchase by the bottle. For those in the Stratford area, you will also find them at select Stratford restaurants. We’ll be donating a portion of the proceeds of these sales to the Stratford Festival to help them get through this unprecedented time. If you’d like to join us to #LoveStratford, you can find the packages and bottles here.
If you, like us, are missing summer theatre or if you’d like to see what has thousands of people returning to Stratford year after year, head over and visit the Stratford Festival website. There you can purchase a download or DVD of one of their twelve spectacular Shakespeare films. Acclaimed around the world for the quality of production, these thrilling films feature the very finest actors.
Favourites include the heartbreaking drama King Lear starring Colm Feore, the side-splitting comedy The Taming of the Shrew with Deborah Hay and Ben Carlson, Robert Lepage’s breathtaking Coriolanus starring André Sills, and The Tempest, a sci-fi extravaganza starring Martha Henry.
They all pair perfectly with the #LoveStratford wines and a cozy evening at home.
Cheers!
Pssttt… Don’t forget while you’re here to sign up for our Birthday Club and receive a $20 Gift Voucher for your birthday!