ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT 1 “If I learned anything from my visit to the Shaw...it was that they offer a range of theatrical experience that one can only view with a certain envy.” THE GUARDIAN, LONDON, UK PETER MILLARD AND WENDY THATCHER IN WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING. DEBORAH HAY, PATRICK GALLIGAN AND BENEDICT CAMPBELL, WITH THE ENSEMBLE, IN MY FAIR LADY. MISSION “An exceptional opening week in Niagara CANDIDA is completed by Candida, usually one of In the spirit of Bernard Shaw, the my least favourite Shaw plays... Tadeusz CANDIDA BY BERNARD SHAW. DIRECTED Bradecki’s production, however, gives Shaw Festival provokes the mind BY TADEUSZ BRADECKI, DESIGNED BY WILLIAM SCHMUCK, LIGHTING DESIGNED it a hard comic edge and, even more BY JOCK MUNRO, ORIGINAL MUSIC COM - rewardingly, a hard passionate edge.” and stirs the soul through a theatre POSED BY REZA JACOBS. THIS PAGE: NATIONAL POST CLAIRE JULLIEN AND WADE BOGERT- experience so compelling that, year 0’BRIEN. after year, ever-broadening groups of artists, audiences and supporters are drawn to our work in Niagara- on-the-Lake and beyond. CORE PRINCIPLES ENGAGING THEATRE that constantly surprises and ignites conversation. 2 DEEP EMPATHY for humankind 3 while not suffering fools gladly. The SPIRITED CHALLENGE of the assumptions and the power structures that rule our lives. A passionate belief in EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY. The use of WIT AND PASSION to stamp out hypocrisy and pretension. The love of a GOOD ARGUMENT. Chair’s Report A great theatrical company respects the past, but more importantly, relishes the future. In 2011, the Shaw Festival not only celebrated fifty years of delivering theatrical excellence, but also took steps to secure our next fifty years, both artistically and financially. On the playbill this year was a brilliant new production of My Fair Lady, with an energetic cast of 26 actors and a 19-piece orchestra that played to sold-out houses. Audiences couldn’t get enough of Morwyn Brebner’s head-spinning adaptation of The President by Ferenc Molnár, and it was hard to get a ticket to Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. To meet audience demand we extended Paul Sportelli and Jay Turvey’s new musical Maria Severa, as well as Drama at Inish by Lennox Robinson. Our audience reached 259,000 – an increase of more than 5% from 2010 – and our annual fundraising efforts saw an overall increase of 12%. This growth, at a time when arts organiza- tions around the world are suffering, is encouraging and demonstrates that we are on the right track. And yet, we ended the year with a significant deficit. The Board and senior staff take the deficit issue very seriously: difficult decisions have been implemented; an organizational restructuring has taken place; and the 2012 budget is based on conservative attendance targets, while instituting aggressive strategies to grow through fundraising and ticket sales. These steps will strengthen The Shaw, as financial strength in 2012 is critically important if we are to continue to be a leader in offering great theatre. In 2011, the Shaw Festival entered into an agreement with Vintage Hotels to purchase property next to Queen’s Landing, where the Anchorage Motel currently stands. This once-in- a-lifetime opportunity allowed us to secure land for potential expansion, and to consider the future artistic needs of the company. With your continued support, we look to the future with optimism, excitement and energy. I must take a moment to acknowledge the administrative leadership of Executive Director 4 Colleen Blake, who, after 17 thrilling seasons at The Shaw, will retire in 2012. Colleen has been 5 in the pilot’s seat through many of the organization’s most turbulent moments and has faced the challenges with a calm and steady hand. Her energy, heart and steadfast commitment to the company will be greatly missed. I also wish to recognize the many people who played roles in the Shaw Festival’s 50th season: my fellow Governors and senior volunteers of the Governors International Advisory CAT ON A Council, the Shaw Festival Endowment Foundation and the U.S. Shaw Festival Foundation; Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, the Ensemble and Company; government supporters at all levels; and the individual, corporate and foundation donors who generously supported us. HOT TIN ROOF Thank you! CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. gary comerford DIRECTED BY EDA HOLMES, DESIGNED BY SUE LEPAGE, LIGHTING DESIGNED BY KEVIN LAMOTTE, ORIGINAL MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGNED BY JOHN GZOWSKI. “Some people think Cat on OPPOSITE: GRAY POWELL. THIS PAGE: JIM MEZON a Hot Tin Roof is Tennessee AND MOYA O’CONNELL. Williams’ best play. As of this Shaw Festival revival, I’m one of them...a continuous and exhilarating blast.” NATIONAL POST Board of Governors Senior Staff gary m. comerford GOVERNORS INTERNATIONAL jackie maxwell Chair ADVISORY COUNCIL Artistic Director malcolm s. macdonald janet mckelvey colleen blake Chair & cynthia macdonald Past Chair Executive Director the honourable lincoln pamela davis heilman m. alexander, p.c., Vice Chair eda holmes c.c., q.c. hazel c. claxton Associate Director david & carol appel Treasurer jerry doiron eric & ann baker peter e.s. jewett Planning Director Secretary robert t. & marilyn paul sportelli broyhill beach HEARTBREAK HOUSE BY BERNARD SHAW. DIRECTED peter barwell Music Director BY CHRISTOPHER NEWTON, DESIGNED BY LESLIE President, Shaw Guild allison blinken jim mezon FRANKISH, LIGHTING DESIGNED BY KEVIN LAMOTTE. greg berti elizabeth t. daly Academy Co-Director, Acting THIS PAGE: MICHAEL BALL AND ROBIN EVAN WILLIS. shauneen e. bruder leslie l. & anna dan joanna falck Literary Manager michele s. darling ben j. fischer & laree hulshoff vivien dzau james d. & margaret fleck don finlayson dave eke Production Director HEARTBREAK Lord Mayor of susan j. glass william schmuck Niagara-on-the-Lake roe green Design Director jay a. forbes shirley greenberg kevin lamotte HOUSE martha m. hyde nona macdonald heaslip Lighting Design Director gundy jackson mary e. hofstetter judy farthing richard v. lee, md sir michael holroyd Production Stage Manager mona levenstein james f. & diane ronald h. luczak metcalf king susan benton Director of Sales michael m. militello barbara l. laughlin jane dagg r. bruce moore gerry c. miovski Director, Donor Relations peter e. nesbitt ross h. paul, ph.d. & jane e. brindley, ph.d. steven endicott barbara f. palk Director of Development victor a. & corinne rice 6 andrew m. pringle sarah fabiani walter m. ross 7 calvin g. rand Information Services Director Founding Chair donald l. & elaine triggs thom friesen ellen rose jay r. & kelly s. tunney Director, Finance and judy goetz sanger james m. & michal Infrastructure wadsworth nancy smith dianne gibbs Director, Human Resources gregg d. watkins FOUNDER brian doherty, c.m. adam d. martens donald j.p. ziraldo, cm (1906-1974) Associate Director, Endowment and Special Gifts HONORARY PATRONS the right honourable valerie taylor stephen harper Marketing Director the honourable shari willerton dalton mcguinty Associate Director, Corporate Partnerships odette yazbeck Public Relations Director “What preserves the genuine charm of Heartbreak House also dis- tinguishes this vivacious production: brilliantly drawn characters as embodiments of enduring human frailty — the illusions, compromises, gamesmanship and fundamental need for grounding and truth.” THE DETROIT NEWS Artistic Director’s Report DRAMA AT INISH – A COMEDY 2011 saw us celebrating the Shaw Festival’s 50th birthday season in DRAMA AT INISH – A COMEDY BY LENNOX ROBINSON. DIRECTED BY JACKIE MAXWELL, many wonderful ways, but ultimately the most lasting celebration DESIGNED BY WILLIAM SCHMUCK, LIGHTING DESIGNED BY LOUISE GUINAND. OPPOSITE: had to be the work that appeared on our stages. I wanted us to pay JULIA COURSE AND CRAIG PIKE. THIS PAGE: CORRINE KOSLO AND THOM MARRIOTT. homage to our past and give a strong vision of our future and both were achieved with great success. We led off with Molly Smith’s stunning production of My Fair Lady, which rendered this classic anew with dazzling designs and brilliant performances, delighting audiences and becoming the highest selling production ever for the Festival. The first of our co- missioned Shaw “remixes” – Michael Healey’s version of On the Rocks, gave a new spin to this political satire, emphasizing its dizzy- ing relevance. Our productions of Candida and Heartbreak House gave us a Shaw play on each stage, the latter being joined by Morris Panych’s delightful new musical take on The Admirable Crichton. We had a universally hailed production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof where our Associate Director Eda Holmes lay open the play, allowing for ab- solutely riveting, barn-burning performances. We also remounted the phenomenally successful lunchtime show, The President. A new musical kept us looking forward, with Paul Sportelli and Jay Turvey’s passionate Maria Severa which, along with the little known comedy Drama at Inish, proved so popular that both had their runs extended. In the Studio, the future of the company shone brightly. The opening up of our mandate to include ‘Contemporary Shavian’ writers has revealed itself as a vital addition to our pro- gramming. We produced two extraordinary contemporary dramas – Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/ Underdog, directed by Obsidian Theatre’s Philip Akin and When the Rain Stops Falling by Australian Andrew Bovell, directed by Peter Hinton. Both drew stunning performances from our actors who revelled in these new worlds. The unanimously enthusiastic reaction to these two shows and the diverse audience it brought in made it very clear that, while we will always 8 re-examine the works of Shaw and his contemporaries, we must also include the provocative, challenging work of our own contemporaries to keep ourselves truly relevant. It requires bravery and creative risk-taking from all parts of the organization to produce a season like last year’s and, once again, everybody stepped up to the plate.