Festival! Stratford Less Than Two Weeks Away

A mere 13 days is all that separates today and the start of the 6th annual Festival! Stratford.

Headlining this year's fest will be Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," to be performed by Waterbury-based Shakesperience Productions. The Bard's tale will stage on both Saturdays during the 11-day long festival that runs from Aug. 11 to Aug. 21.

"The idea is to get the most out of the production," said Jeffrey Lapham, who is both the executive director and founder of Shakesperience, and the executive producer of Festival! Stratford 2011.

Lapham is in his third year producing the festival that brings thousands of locals and out-of-towners to the grounds of Stratford's former American Shakespeare Theatre at 1850 Elm St. He said this year is unique in that 11 days is the longest the festival has ever run and for the first time since the festival started in 2006, the inside of the theatre will be available for viewing.

As efforts to revive the theatre itself have accelerated, volunteers have been clearing out all the garbage inside the venue. In an interview with Stratford Patch on Monday, Councilman Matt Catalano, who serves on the Festival! Stratford committee, said more than 20 tons of items -- garbage and artifacts -- had been removed from inside the theatre.

The upcoming festival will use some of the newly freed up space to display an art show produced by the Stratford Arts Guild, said Lapham.

"There's more richness in the groups, quality in the programs [this year]," said Lapham.

The Players at Putney Gardens, a Stratford-based Shakespeare company, will make their first appearance at Festival! Stratford with a performance on Aug. 11.

A group of authors in the Stratford area called SquareWrights are scheduled to share their plays with patrons on Aug. 12 and Aug. 20.

Click here for a complete calendar of events, which spans from acting camps to a.m. yoga sessions.

Admission is free, although a $20 donation is suggested.

Lapham said the majority of the festival's funding comes from the town's arts commission, which he said this year staked about $40,000. "I would love to have big corporate support though," he added.

However, the money which the town invests goes directly back into Stratford's economy, said Lapham. For every dollar spent at the festival, seven dollars are spent in the community, he said.

Lapham said the Stratford community and its love of Shakespeare and the performing arts is part of the reason he took the job offer to produce the annual festival.

"This is an incredibly receptive community with such an affinity for the storied history of the theatre," he said. "Their energy feeds the performers, producers -- everyone involved."

Starting Monday next week, every weekday Stratford Patch will highlight one Festival! Stratford performance or activity leading up to the festival's premiere on Aug. 11.

Do you have any memories from past festivals? Are you planning to attend this year's event? Tell us in the comments section below.