The debut of the Stratford Festival in 1953

When the "peaceful, pretty Ontario city of Stratford" welcomed the first audience to the stage under a big-top tent on July 13, 1953, it was the realization of a dream first conceived by resident Tom Patterson.He enlisted the help ofOld Vic alumniTyrone Guthrie, Tanya Moiseiwitschand Cecil Clarke in starting up the company.

Opening night's Richard III featured renowned British actor Alec Guinness, who hadtrained in Shakespeare at the Old Vic, with Irene Worth, another Old Vic alumnus.Also in the company that year were Lloyd Bochner, Donald Harron, William Needles, Douglas Campbell, Robert Christie, and Timothy Findley.

Known mostly at that time to Canadians for his film roles, Guinness tells CBC Radio in this 1953 interview that he welcomed the change because "to plunge back into Shakespeare is like taking a very refreshing cold bath."

In 1954, CBCTelevison'sNewsmagazine captured the assembly of the tent, 150 feet in diameter, and an"imposing and romantic sign on Stratford's horizon."

The tent goes up in Stratford for year two

71 years ago

Duration 1:45

The mammoth task of installing the stage and big-top tent in Stratford is re-enacted in year two.

In 1957, the tent was replaced with a permanent structure The Festival Theatre.Opening night that year was Hamlet, starring Christopher Plummer, with Lloyd Bochner as Horatio, William Hutt as Polonius, Douglas Campbell as Claudius, and Frances Hyland as Ophelia.

The lineup of celebratedCanadian actors who have performed in Stratford over the years includes Christopher Plummer, Hume Cronyn, Martha Henry, William Hutt, Colm Feore and William Shatner. British stars who have performed in the festival include Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, James Mason and Paul Scofield.