The Blue Bird (Bliss)

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World

Guidance 14+ • 1h 29m

Blurring a true crime podcast with a thrilling ride down the rabbit hole of Wikipedia, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World delves into the unsolved murder of Iranian pop star Fereydoun Farrokhzad. Javaad Alipoor’s gripping production explores violence, digital culture and postcolonialism, revealing the limits of search engines in solving a decades old case.

All's Well That Ends Well

Guidance 13+ • 2h 41m

Set against the backdrop of the First World War, this Stratford Festival production reimagines Shakespeare’s comedy of unrequited love. In a daring adaptation by Scott Wentworth, Helen will go to any lengths to win the acceptance of the man she loves. Filmed live at the Tom Patterson Theatre in September 2022, this version explores the moral ambiguities in Shakespeare’s classic tale of devotion.

Hamlet

Guidance 13+ • 2h 45m

This bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy explores identity, family, and revenge through a modern lens. Directed by Peter Pasyk and starring Amaka Umeh, the first artist of African descent and liminal gender experience to portray Hamlet at the Stratford Festival, this production shines a light on contemporary issues of selfhood and morality. Captured live at the Festival Theatre in October 2022.

Kinky Boots

Guidance 12+ • 2h 1m

Winner of six Tony awards and featuring hit songs by Cyndi Lauper, this huge-hearted musical by Harvey Fierstein follows an unlikely pair who learn to embrace their differences. Factory owner Charlie is struggling to save his family business, and Lola is an entertainer with a wildly big idea. As they work to rescue the factory, they discover that when you change your mind, you can change the world. Captured live at the Adelphi Theatre in 2018.

1939

Guidance All Ages • 2h 4m

Co-written by Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan, 1939 follows a group of Indigenous students in Canada staging a performance of Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well for the visit of King George VI. When they find parallels between themselves and the characters in the play, far from letting themselves be defined by colonial expectations, they set out to make Shakespeare’s bitter-sweet comedy defiantly their own. Captured live at Stratford Festival, 2022.

Henry VIII

Guidance All Ages • 2h 15m

Stratford Festival presents Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, a searing drama about one of England’s most romantic yet brutal periods. When King Henry falls for Anne Boleyn, he must somehow divorce Queen Katherine. The consequences will be momentous for the country – and disastrous for the king’s adviser, Cardinal Wolsey, who is losing his grip on power. Captured live at Stratford Festival’s Studio Theatre in 2019.

Othello

Guidance 15+ • 2h 40m

Rumours feed irrational jealousy in Shakespeare’s gripping psychological drama, filmed at the Stratford Festival in 2019. Othello and Desdemona defy racial prejudice by marrying, but deadly malice lurks where they least expect it. Nigel Shawn Williams’ contemporary adaptation exposes the racism and misogyny at the heart of this tragic tale.

Death and the King's Horseman

Guidance 13+ • 2h 33m

Written by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka and inspired by a true story, this masterpiece celebrates a community striving to uphold its culture in the face of colonial power. In British-occupied Nigeria, a Yoruba king, the Alafin, has died, and it is the duty of his horseman, Elesin, to accompany him into the afterlife. Elesin proudly anticipates his transition to the next world – but the sacred ritual is interrupted, resulting in unforeseen tragedy. Captured live at Stratford Festival, 2022.

Serving Elizabeth

All Ages • 1h 46m

In this ingenious contemporary drama, two parallel narratives seem only coincidentally connected, until a surprising twist reveals a deeper relationship between the two. Weaving between 1950s Kenya and the impending visit of Princess Elizabeth, and London, England in 2015, where a young Kenyan-born Canadian is interning on a TV series about the royal family, this production explores issues of colonialism, nationalism and the question of who gets to have a voice. Captured live at Stratford Festival, Ontario in 2021.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor

All Ages • 2h 34m

In this rollicking Shakespeare comedy, two married women devise a hilarious plan to teach their would-be seducer the error of his ways, while their husbands draw their own conclusions. Captured live at Stratford Festival, Ontario, this riotously funny production of The Merry Wives of Windsor is reimagined in 1950s suburbia.