April 28, 2026… A theatrical event of rare scale and emotional resonance has arrived. The Tempest, directed by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino in his final Shakespeare production before concluding his tenure at the end of the 2026 season, is now on stage at the Stratford Festival, captivating audiences with its breathtaking scope, ethereal design and profound humanity.
Led by Geraint Wyn Davies as Prospero, this powerful tale of magic, love and forgiveness unfolds on an enchanted island where a deposed duke conjures a storm at sea, using magic to draw his betrayers within reach at last. What begins as a reckoning gradually transforms into something more tender and unexpected, as old grievances give way to reconciliation and a new generation discovers love unburdened by the past.
Through romance, illusion and mischief, long-buried truths rise to the surface and hearts are irrevocably changed. Vengeance softens into compassion, and the possibility of freedom reveals itself not through control, but through the courage to relinquish it.
“A thirst for liberty, to control one’s own life, is shared by many of the characters in The Tempest,” says Cimolino. “Yet Prospero finds the possibility of freedom not through his overwhelming power to control others, but by taking the risk of releasing that control through discovering compassion. The theatre itself is a place of control. In staging a play, every element is carefully managed to make an audience’s feelings be stirred by a fiction.”
The Tempest also features Ben Carlson as Stephano, David Collins as Alonso, Ashley Dingwell as Miranda, Jonathan Goad as Caliban, Josue Laboucane as Trinculo, Gordon S. Miller as Antonio, Marissa Orjalo as Ariel, Fiona Reid as Gonzala, Dakota Jamal Wellman as Ferdinand, and Micah Woods as Sebastian, with Jacqueline Burtney, Paul Dunn, Jakob Ehman, Katarina Fiallos, Michelle Giroux, Jenna-Lee Hyde, John Kirkpatrick, Allison Lynch, Jamie Mac as Boatswain, Rose Napoli, Landon Nesbitt as Adrian, Maher Sinno ماهر سنّو, Shannon Taylor (Rehearsal Understudy), Emilio Vieira and Michael Wamara as Francisco.
Cimolino is joined by Set and Costume Designer Julie Fox, Lighting Designer Imogen Wilson, Composer Berthold Carrière, Sound Designer Ranil Sonnadara and Movement Director Adrienne Gould.
The Tempest officially opens on May 25 and runs until October 24 at the Festival Theatre. Tickets are available at stratfordfestival.ca or by calling 1.800.567.1600.
The 2026 season also features Guys and Dolls, Something Rotten!, Waiting for Godot, Death of a Salesman, The Hobbit, The Importance of Being Earnest, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, The Tao of the World and The King James Bible Play. For more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca.
The 2026 Season is supported by Ophelia Lazaridis.
Proud 2026 Season Partners: BMO, Canada Life and RBC Royal Bank.
Support for the 2026 season of the Festival Theatre is generously provided by Daniel Bernstein & Claire Foerster.
Production Underwriters: Laurie J. Scott, Carol Stephenson, O.C., The Whiteside Foundation.
Production Co-Sponsors: Dr. Dennis & Dorothea Hacker, Dr. M. Lee Myers, Peggy Ptasznik, Cathy Wilkes in memory of David.
CAST (in alphabetical order)
Jacqueline Burtney Sea Attendant
Ben Carlson Stephano
David Collins Alonso
Ashley Dingwell Miranda
Paul Dunn Sailor, Spirit
Jakob Ehman Sailor, Spirit
Katarina Fiallos Sailor, Spirit
Michelle Giroux Iris
Jonathan Goad Caliban
Jenna-Lee Hyde Ceres, Sailor, Spirit
John Kirkpatrick Sailor
Josue Laboucane Trinculo
Allison Lynch Juno, Spirit
Jamie Mac Boatswain
Gordon S. Miller Antonio
Rose Napoli Sailor, Spirit
Landon Nesbitt Adrian, Sailor
Marissa Orjalo Ariel
Fiona Reid Gonzala
Maher Sinno ماهر سنّو Sailor, Spirit
Shannon Taylor Rehearsal Understudy
Emilio Vieira Shipmaster
Michael Wamara Francisco, Sailor
Dakota Jamal Wellman Ferdinand
Micah Woods Sebastian
Geraint Wyn Davies Prospero
ARTISTIC CREDITS
Director Antoni Cimolino
Set and Costume Designer Julie Fox
Lighting Designer Imogen Wilson
Composer Berthold Carrière
Sound Designer Ranil Sonnadara
Fight and Intimacy Director Anita Nittoly
Movement Director Adrienne Gould
Assistant Director Drew Douris-O’Hara
Assistant Set and Costume Designer Rose Tavormina
Assistant Lighting Designer Mathilda Kane
Associate Sound Designer Adam Campbell
Apprentice Sound Designer June Zinck
Associate Fight Director David Chinchilla
Dramaturgy Consultant Stephen Marche
Magic Consultant Eric Woolfe
Stage Manager The. John Gray
Assistant Stage Manager Marie Fewer-Muncic
Assistant Stage Manager Michael Hart
Assistant Stage Manager Elizabeth McDermott
Production Stage Manager Krista Blackwood
Production Assistant Katherine Hunter
Technical Director Greg Dougherty
