“I can resist anything except temptation”

Media Release #14

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, May 9, 2013 . . . An ambitious new production of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan begins previews today on The Shaw’s Festival stage. Director Peter Hinton returns to The Shaw for his first Wilde play, following his critically acclaimed Shaw Festival directorial debut in 2011 with Andrew Bovell’s When the Rain Stops Falling.

Hinton worked closely with designers Teresa Przybylski (sets), William Schmuck (costume), Louise Guinand (lighting) and Richard Feren (sound) to create an original approach to Wilde’s play that promotes contemporary ideas and themes, yet connects clearly to the art of the 1890s.

Wilde’s early play has the wit of his later comedies, but also probes the complexities and darker desires of the human heart. Lady Windermere (Marla McLean), a young woman recently married into the aristocracy, is preparing for her birthday party. Although deeply in love with her husband Lord Windermere (Martin Happer), she is troubled by his relationship with the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne (Tara Rosling) and vulnerable to the advances of the charismatic Lord Darlington (Gray Powell). Society’s high veneer of elegance and propriety threatens to crack as secrets from the past are revealed – only to be quickly suppressed.

Lady Windermere’s Fan was last seen at The Shaw in 1998.

About Lady Windermere’s Fan
May 9 – October 19; Opening: June 8
Lady Windermere’s Fan will be on stage at the Festival Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Cast (in alphabetical order):

Creative Team:

The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season began April 3, runs until November 3 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on our 2013 season, performance schedule and ticket information, please visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to acquire images to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Media Release #13

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, May 6, 2013…Already shaping up to be one of the season’s hottest tickets, Guys and Dolls will continue to captivate audiences for 15 extra performances at The Shaw’s Festival Theatre.

Polish director Tadeusz Bradecki helms the vivacious cast of Elodie Gillett as Sarah Brown, Kyle Blair as Sky Masterson, Jenny L. Wright as Miss. Adelaide, Shawn Wright as Nathan Detroit and Thom Allison as Nicely-Nicely Johnson — whose performances are consistently earning standing ovations during previews. Memorable performances from Aadin Church, Patty Jamieson, Billy Lake, Peter Millard and Kelly Wong round out the stellar production.

Beginning October 15, the added performances are as follows:

Tickets for the added shows are on sale now. To purchase tickets to Guys and Dolls, or other 2013 Shaw Festival productions, please contact the Box Office at 1-800-511-SHAW (7429) or order online at www.shawfest.com.

Guys and Dolls is sponsored by TD Bank Group.

This extension has been financially assisted by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport through Celebrate Ontario and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund.

The Shaw Festival 2013 season runs until November 3 and also features Our Betters, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Enchanted April, Major Barbara, Faith Healer, Peace in Our Time: A Comedy, The Light in the Piazza, Trifles and Arcadia.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to acquire images to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Media Release #12

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, May 3, 2013 . . . A new production of Major Barbara, one of Bernard Shaw’s most celebrated and provocative works, began previews May 2 in the intimate space of the Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre.

Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, along with The Shaw’s celebrated acting Ensemble and the creative team of designer Judith Bowden, lighting designer Alan Brodie and composer/sound designer John Gzowski, reveals a new perspective on the complex triangle between daughter, father and fiancée and challenges the notion of who is really at the heart of Shaw’s most powerful play.

Arms dealer Andrew Undershaft (Benedict Campbell) reunites with his daughter Barbara (Nicole Underhay), a major in the Salvation Army— each convinced their profession is the ultimate solution to solving the crime of poverty. In fine Shavian fashion, fireworks ensue as ideas and beliefs are challenged, undermined and hotly argued. The result is a joining of powers that will face the future in a new and untried way.

Major Barbara also features Graeme Somerville as Adolphus Cusins and Laurie Paton as Lady Britomart Undershaft, with Wade Bogert-O’Brien, Ijeoma Emesowum, Peter Krantz, Billy Lake, Catherine McGregor, James Pendarves and Ben Sanders.

Major Barbara premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1905 and was last seen at The Shaw in 2005. This production marks the first time it will be staged in the intimate setting of the Royal George Theatre.

About Major Barbara
May 2 – October 19; Opening: May 10
Major Barbara is on stage at the Royal George Theatre (85 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake)
Major Barbara is sponsored by Scotiabank®.

Cast (in alphabetical order):

Creative Team:

The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season began April 3, runs until October 27 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on our 2013 season, performance schedule and ticket information, please visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to acquire images to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, April 22, 2013 . . . The Shaw Festival is pleased to announce the return of Jeff Irving to its stages. He will play the young romantic lead Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza and also appear in the lunchtime production of Trifles. A well known member of The Shaw’s Acting Ensemble, Irving last appeared at the Festival in the world premiere of Maria Severa, originating the role of Carlos.

Irving replaces Josh Young, who has withdrawn from the 2013 season to accept a contract in his native United States.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases. For more information, or to download images from our image bank to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Media Release #11

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, April 11, 2013 . . . A new production of the Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls begins previews April 12 at The Shaw’s Festival Theatre. Like its musical predecessors My Fair Lady and Ragtime, the Shaw’s production of Guys and Dolls celebrates glorious storytelling, unforgettable characters and memorable music. Directed by Tadeusz Bradecki and brought to life by The Shaw’s renowned acting Ensemble, the “greatest of all American musicals” pulsates with the neon-lit rhythm, energy and grittiness of New York City nightlife.

In New York City, you’ll meet wise guys and chorus girls, gamblers, cops and bobby-soxers. Nathan Detroit (Shawn Wright) feels the pressure —not only does he need $1000 to save the city’s oldest floating craps game, but his doll Miss Adelaide (Jenny L. Wright) is putting the squeeze on him to go legit and tie the knot. Enter Sky Masterson (Kyle Blair), an old acquaintance and high-rolling gambler, who takes Nathan’s crazy bet – to woo the pious Sarah Brown (Elodie Gillett), a sergeant at the Save-A-Soul mission! Who will take a real gamble on love? Will luck be a lady tonight?

The Shaw Festival’s production of Guys and Dolls reunites much of the team from the wildly successful 2003 and 2005 production of the musical Happy End: director Tadeusz Bradecki, set designer Peter Hartwell and musical director Paul Sportelli. This time around, they are joined by choreographer Parker Esse, who recently choreographed Molly Smith’s celebrated production of Oklahoma! at Arena Stage, for which he won a Helen Hayes award for Best Choreography; designer Sue LePage (costumes), lighting designer Kevin Lamotte and sound designer John Lott.

Full of musical standards including Luck Be a Lady, Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat and A Bushel and a Peck; Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950, ran for 1,200 performances and won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. It also received international attention thanks to the 1955 MGM motion picture adaptation featuring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra.

Based on the short stories of humorist Damon Runyon, Blood Pressure and The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown, Guys and Dolls pays tribute to his quirky and innovative use of language — a bouncy New York brogue that mixes slang with formal language.

About Guys and Dolls
April 12 – October 12; Opening: May 11
Guys and Dolls will be on stage at the Festival Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake)
Guys and Dolls is sponsored by TD Bank Group.

Guys and Dolls
A musical fable of Broadway
Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon; music and lyrics by Frank Loesser; book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.
Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com.

Cast:

Creative Team:

The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season began April 3, runs until October 27 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on our 2013 season, performance schedule and ticket information, please visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to acquire images to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Media Release #9

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, April 2, 2013 . . . The curtain rises tomorrow on the Shaw Festival’s 52^nd season when W. Somerset Maugham’s glittering satire Our Betters begins previews at the Royal George Theatre. Morris Panych brings his usual directorial panache to this brilliant “take no prisoners” portrait of marriage — where English estates and titled aristocracy are bought with the traditional “I do” and a large American dowry. Longtime collaborators Ken MacDonald, Charlotte Dean and Alan Brodie design the sets, costumes and lighting, respectively.

When pretty young American Bessie Saunders travels to London to stay with her sister Pearl, now the sophisticated and worldly Lady Grayston, she is introduced to women of wealth who have also successfully made the marriage-for-status transaction. It doesn’t take long for Bessie to discover the high price paid for ambition, while witnessing first-hand the desperate measures and outrageous strategies all must make to advance their cause. The question Maugham ultimately raises with his wicked wit is who is really better off here — the haves, the have-nots or neither?

The Shaw’s production of Our Betters features Claire Jullien as Lady Grayston, Julia Course as Bessie Saunders, Catherine McGregor as Princess Flora della Cercola and Wade Bogert-O’Brien as Fleming Harvey. Returning this season is Laurie Paton as Minnie, the Duchesse de Surennes.

Our Betters is the third Maugham work to appear at the Festival, continuing the cycle successfully launched with The Circle in 2007 and The Constant Wife in 2005.

About Our Betters

April 3 to October 27; Opening: May 11
Our Betters will be on stage at the Royal George Theatre (85 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Cast:

Creative Team:

The Shaw Festival’s 2013 season begins April 3 runs until October 27 and features 10 productions presented on the Festival’s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages. For more information on our 2013 season, performance schedule and ticket information, please visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW.

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The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw’s provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.

Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to acquire images to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, March 19, 2013 . . . The Shaw Festival’s Niagara Neighbours spring specials continue with new performance dates. This exclusive ticket offer is extended annually as a way of acknowledging the constant support The Shaw has received from its Niagara and regional neighbours, as well as an invitation to participate in the celebrations of a new performance season.

Until April 7, The Shaw’s Niagara neighbours can purchase $39 tickets ($20 for students) to select performances between May 16 and July 3 of Major Barbara, Bernard Shaw’s wittiest and most provocative play; the hysterical Peace in our Time: A Comedy (adapted from Shaw’s Geneva); Oscar Wilde’s bitingly satirical Lady Windermere’s Fan; the social comedy Our Betters and the timelessly beautiful Enchanted April. This represents a savings of up to 43% off the regular ticket price. Niagara Region, Hamilton and Burlington residents, quote 13019. Buffalo, Lewiston and Rochester residents, quote 13020.

Tickets to the April 25 and 28 matinee preview performances of Guys and Dolls are also available for $49. Sunday evening tickets to Guys and Dolls are available from $55. Early booking is advised.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-SHAW (7429) (locally 905-468-2172). Book online and save on the handling fee. *Prices do not include tax. Offer is based on availability. Blue seating only.

The Shaw Festival’s Niagara Neighbours Program is proudly sponsored by Sun Life Financial.

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Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.

For additional information, please contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, March 11, 2013 . . . The Gina Wilkinson Prize Committee is pleased to announce that Krista Jackson of Winnipeg, Manitoba has been awarded the second annual Gina Wilkinson Prize. Ms. Jackson was chosen from a list of 19 nominees from across Canada. The recipient was chosen on March 10^th — on what would have been Gina’s birthday.

Ms. Jackson spent last season at the Shaw Festival in the Neil Munro Intern Directors Project where she assisted on Misalliance, His Girl Friday and Hedda Gabler and directed members of the Ensemble in FourPlay — a combination of two short plays that fell within The Shaw’s mandate — for her Directors Project. She is artistic director of zone41 theatre in Winnipeg and, this fall, will direct Carolyn Gray’s modern comedy inspired by Moliere’s The Miser in co-production with Theatre Projects Manitoba. Ms. Jackson will then direct Manitoba Theatre Centre’s centrepiece production of The Seagull for next year’s Master Playwright Festival: ChekhovFest. She comes to directing from an acting career that began with Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 1986 production of Brighton Beach Memoirs.

“Gina was a huge inspiration to me as a young actress when we first tied corsets together in MTC’s 1997 production of Quills. In a dressing room, we draped from floor to ceiling with fabric from wardrobe and adorned with 19th century furniture from props, she taught me to follow my instincts and be brave in my work,” recalls Ms. Jackson. “In 2010, we met up again at MTC, but this time Gina was directing The Seafarer and I was her assistant. When she took ill, Gina asked me to take over the directing of her show and completely changed my life. I cherish her and hope to express the gratitude I feel in receiving this award in my work, as I could never express it in words. Her indomitable spirit is a constant reminder for me to listen to my heart and wear boots like you mean it.”

The Gina Wilkinson Prize honours a female theatre artist who is transitioning from one theatre discipline (acting, stage managing, playwriting, administration, etc.) to that of directing. The Prize pays tribute to actor/playwright/director Gina Wilkinson whose dedication, vision and indomitable spirit imbued her work and her life. An actor for over twenty years, Ms. Wilkinson began turning her attention to both writing and directing and, in the last few years of her too-short life, established herself as a daring, strong, inventive director and collaborator in the Canadian theatre community. In the spirit of Ms. Wilkinson’s appetite for life, the prize of $2,000 is a gift to be used in any way the recipient chooses.

The committee would like to thank all the nominators and nominees. The list was truly impressive and wonderfully varied. The Gina Wilkinson Prize was established through the generous support of Ms. Wilkinson’s colleagues and admirers from across the country and the committee extends its heartfelt thanks. Through this generosity, the spirit of Gina lives on.

The committee would also like to thank Alan Walker and the Ontario Arts Foundation for their administration of the Gina Wilkinson Prize. Anyone wishing to donate may do so at www.ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca.

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Visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases. For more information, or to acquire an image of Krista Jackson to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

For more information about the Gina Wilkinson Prize, please contact:

Tom Rooney
519-305-0082
tadrooney@yahoo.ca

Media Release #7

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, March 1, 2013 . . . The committee for the 2013 Gina Wilkinson Prize is pleased to announce the short list of nominees for the second annual prize: Krista Jackson of Winnipeg, Tanja Jacobs of Toronto, Meg Roe of Vancouver and Jan Alexandra Smith of Port Hope, Ontario.

Krista Jackson spent last season with the Shaw Festival in the Neil Munro Intern Directors Project where she assisted on Misalliance, His Girl Friday and Hedda Gabler and directed members of the ensemble in FourPlay — a combination of two shorts from the mandate for her Directors Project submission. She is artistic director of zone41 theatre in Winnipeg. Upcoming directing engagements include Carolyn Gray’s modern comedy inspired by Moliere’s The Miser (a co-production with Theatre Projects Manitoba) and Manitoba Theatre Centre’s centrepiece production of The Seagull for next year’s Master Playwright Festival, ChekhovFest. Krista came to directing from an acting career that began with Manitoba Theatre Centre’s 1986 production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. She is so pleased to be shortlisted for the second time for a prize that honours her friend and mentor Gina Wilkinson.

An award-winning actress, director, creator and teacher, Tanja Jacobs has had an extensive career, working at theatres across Canada with many of this country’s foremost artists. Recent companies include Crow’s Theatre, Necessary Angel, National Arts Centre, Theatre Columbus, Soulpepper, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Mirvish Productions, Caravan Farm Theatre, Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Neptune Theatre, Canadian Stage and the Shaw Festival. For her work as an actress in Toronto, Tanja has received eleven Dora nominations and two awards. Her directing credits include new works for SummerWorks, Toronto Fringe, the Buzz Festival and Rhubarb! Festival. She has been a guest teacher, mentor and director at the National Theatre School, University of Toronto, George Brown Theatre School and Humber Theatre. Last year, Tanja was the Artist-in-Residence at Crow’s Theatre as an Associate Artist. Most recently, she was associate director to Chris Abraham for Crow’s production of Kristen Thomson’s extraordinary new play Someone Else. She is currently directing The Seagull in a version by Martin Crimp at the National Theatre School. With her collaborator Philip McKee, Tanja is creating an adaptation of The Oresteia through a residency at the Theatre Centre. She also has a great interest in creating work based on personal memory and narrative with groups outside the professional theatre. This spring, she will continue to develop a project with a group of elderly women from Afghanistan and a group of grade six girls, working title: The Grandmother Project.

Meg Roe’s work as an actor, director and sound designer has appeared across the country at Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Junction, Citadel Theatre, Ruby Slippers Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, Blackbird

Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Arts Club, Belfry Theatre, Theatre SKAM, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Intrepid Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, Western Canada Theatre, National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre, the American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), Center Theater Group (Los Angeles) and with Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM (Frankfurt).

Jan Alexandra Smith was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, then moved to Edmonton, Alberta at age 16. Trained for a career in acting at the University of Alberta, she took a three-year hiatus from her studies to join the original Canadian cast of Les Miserables. She later returned to U of A and completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. Shortly after graduation, Jan joined the Shaw Festival as both a musical theatre and dramatic actress for six seasons. She returned to Edmonton and established a solid relationship as lead actress with the Citadel Theatre. During her years in Edmonton, she choreographed for the FreeWill Shakespeare Festival, the Citadel and Mayfield Suites. She subsequently directed and choreographed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the Mayfield. After 21 years on stage, Jan has increasingly pursued both choreography and direction to enhance and expand her evolution as a theatre professional. She has since directed an award nominated production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, two productions for Vertigo Theatre (Calgary), productions for Lunchbox Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse and the Capitol Arts Center. She is currently directing Theatre Calgary’s production of God of Carnage.

These four nominees were chosen from an impressive and varied list of nineteen women from across the country, each nominated by a respected artist from within the Canadian theatre community. The committee found the deliberation very difficult as the calibre of the nominees’ passion and vision was so high.

The Gina Wilkinson Prize is an annual award that has been established in the name of Gina Wilkinson who passed away in late 2010 due to an aggressive cancer. Gina spent the first 20 years of her career as an actor, but in the latter years of her too-short life emerged as one of Canada’s brightest directors. The Gina Wilkinson Prize was established through the generous support of her colleagues and admirers from across the country. The annual prize of $2,000 is intended to honour a female theatre artist who is making the transition from one theatre discipline to that of directing.

The 2013 winner of the Gina Wilkinson Prize will be announced on Gina’s birthday, March 10. Anyone wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the Gina Wilkinson Prize can do so through the Ontario Arts Foundation at http://www.ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca/.

Visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases. For more information, or to acquire an image of Krista Jackson to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

For more information about the Gina Wilkinson Prize, please contact:

Tom Rooney
519-305-0082
tadrooney@yahoo.ca

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, March 1, 2013 . . . The Shaw Festival is proud to announce that Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. A celebrated director and dramaturge, Ms. Maxwell has been recognized for significant achievement and dedicated service to her peers, to her community and to Canada. The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the commemorative medal at a reception in the Lieutenant-Governor’s suite at Queen’s Park yesterday afternoon.

“My hope when creating theatre is that it not only touches our audience’s minds and hearts, but that it also acts as inspiration or impetus towards enriching Canadian society,” said Ms. Maxwell. “I am extremely honoured and touched by this prestigious acknowledgement.”

This commemorative medal has been presented over the last year to 60,000 deserving Canadians to celebrate significant contributions and achievements, and to recognize those who, like Her Majesty The Queen, have dedicated themselves to service to their fellow citizens, their community and their country. Recipients of the Diamond Jubilee Medal include Lord Mayor Dave Eke of Niagara-on-the-Lake, author Austin Clarke, film director David Cronenberg, ballet dancer Rex Harrington, Karen Kain, artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada; activist and journalist Michele Landsberg, diplomat Stephen Lewis, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, Major General (retired) Lewis MacKenzie, news anchor Peter Mansbridge, actor Gordon Pinsent, former news anchor Lloyd Robertson, lawyer Clayton Ruby and journalist Haroon Siddiqui. Additional information about the Diamond Jubilee Medal program is available at www.gg.ca/diamondjubilee.

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Please visit our website at www.shawfest.com/news for other Shaw Festival media releases.  For more information, or to download images from our image bank to accompany this release, members of the media may contact:

Odette Yazbeck
Public Relations Director
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2222
odette@shawfest.com

Jenniffer Anand
Public Relations Coordinator
905-468-2153 or 1-800-657-1106 ext. 2224
janand@shawfest.com