A Day in Stratford

Last spring, we saw our first ad for the Stratford Festival's new season and we knew we would be heading out at some point to catch a play. Spring passed and then summer, and here we were in autumn and the time was running out for the year.

So even with all kinds of events we would have loved to do in the city, we headed out on the 401 West on a bright, clear Saturday morning. 

We arrived early and were surprised by the amount of available parking by the Festival Theatre.  Certainly, it wouldn’t be like this during the summer, when the season was at its height. It was great getting there before the crowds that would show up just a little later and not just because of parking. We were able to spend some quiet time, surveying the surround gardens without anyone else around.

When do we eat?

From there, we headed into town in search of a place to have lunch. This turned out to be a longer walk than we had anticipated but the weather was so beautiful that it was impossible to mind the time outside. We took a meandering route through the side streets, walking passed picturesque old homes and staying away from the busy main street for as long as we could.

We decided on Mercer Hall for lunch because of the many positive reviews it has received. It was a beautiful and surprisingly large dining room.  It was just the place we love to go for lunch: well-made casual fare and a good selection of Ontario craft beers on tap.

We started off with an amazing Thai chili chicken wings, they were more sweet than spicy, but good and crispy as wings should be. Then Jen had their excellent burger and David had the curry chicken salad off the specials menu.  The burger was good and classic and you could see the care the kitchen took in the way the stacked the fries on the plate. The salad with watermelon and feta was fresh and flavourful. Everything tasted great but there seemed to be an odd disparity in portion sizes as the appetizers we saw going out were huge and the mains tended to be smaller than average. Not that we left hungry.

Take me to the River

Heading back to catch our play, we followed the Avon River. Since its inception in the early nineteenth century, the town of Stratford has paid homage to its namesake. Every year swans are released on the river to add to Shakespeares birthplace. In addition to the swans, numerous species of ducks and geese flock to the banks.

In the wonderful autumn weather both people and birds filled the river's shores and the lovely green-space that flanks it. The water fowl brazenly claimed the shore, and in some instances the path as they awaited handouts.

But as warm and enjoyable as the weather was, there were signs that summer was quickly fading and fall colours were occasionally spotted.

It was impossible to stroll along there and not wish to have a picnic. We vowed next year, we would plan one.

The play's the thing

The town may have been honoring Shakespeare since it was founded but the festival has only been there for a little more than sixty years, but in that time the Festival has built a world-class theatrical destination.

We attended Love’s Labour’s Lost, one of Shakespeare’s earliest and perhaps least conventional comedies.  The cast and direction was amazing and proved that even after four hundred years, the play was still funny and a joy to watch.

If Shakespeare is not your thing, they perform a wide variety of plays. One of the big productions of the 2015 season is Sound of Music.  We would have loved to see just about everyone of their shows, if we had enough time to do so.

Stratford is at a distance that makes it unlikely that our visits will be often, but the quality of the Festival’s plays and the charming town has earned it a place in our plans for next summer.