Bedford, Carlson, Dow, Feore, Griffin, Maxwell, Stickney, et al. Cast in Stratford’s 2009 Season

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has announced updated casting for its 2009 season.

Highlights include two new productions of the musicals, West Side Story, directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (April 11-October 31) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, helmed by artistic director Des McAnuff, choreographed by Wayne Cilento, and starring Bruce Dow (June 11-November 1).

Festival stalwart Colm Feore will headline two productions: McAnuff’s Macbeth (May 22-October 31), co-starring Yanna McIntosh, Dion Johnstone, Gareth Potter, Timothy D. Stickney, and Geraint Wyn Davies; and his wife Dona Feore’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac (May 29-November 1), co-starring Amanda Lisman and Mike Shara.

Brian Bedford will direct a production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in which he will play Lady Bracknell (May 9-October 30) as well as perform and direct in an evening of Wilde’s correspondence entitled Ever Yours, Oscar (June 19-August 19).

Davies plays the title role in James Macdonald’s production of Julius Caesar (May 23-October 31), which also features Ben Carlson, Jonathan Goad, and Tom Rooney. Roberta Maxwell will join Seana McKenna in Carey Perloff’s production of Jean Racine’s Phedre, translated and adapted by Timberlake Wertenbaker (August 6-October 3)

Rounding out the festival will be David Grindley’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (August 7-October 30); Martha Henry’s production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters with Adrienne Gould, Lucy Peacock, and Irene Poole (May 9-October 3); Antonio Cimolino’s production of Ben Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair (May 7-October 2); Morris Panych’s The Trespassers (July 26-October 4); Sunil Karuvilla’s Rice Boy (August 11-October 3), and Jennifer Tarver’s production of George F. Walker’s Zastrozzi (August 12-October 3).

Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, January 10. For more information, including further casting, visit www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.