PARTNERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS

For more than fifteen years, the Stratford Festival has led an annual residency in Michigan in partnership with teachers and students at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Its mandate is to explore innovative pedagogical drama strategies and to provide an opportunity for teachers to meet and share experiences with their peers across the state. Participating teachers and students work with Festival staff and teaching artists to tie Common Core Standards to the study of Shakespeare. 

"The workshop increased my conviction that Shakespeare is a vital language experience, especially when brought to life physically by the students in the classroom. Using the real elements of theatre - voice, movement, embodied imagination - students are far more likely to connect with the spirit and value of Shakespeare. Silent reading just doesn't work."

- Michigan Residency participant.          

To learn more about how to participate, email educate@stratfordfestival.ca

The Michigan Residency is supported in part through the Michigan Education Outreach Fund, held within the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Endowment Foundation.

For information on how you can support the Residency, please call our Advancement department at 1.800.561.1233, extension 5617.

The Stratford Festival is a registered expert with Digital Human Library, a social enterprise advancing K-12 education as Canada's premier digital experiential learning library. Through Canada's largest network of Canadian teachers, industry leaders, businesses, experts, and collaborative community partnerships, Digital Human Library creates opportunities for teachers and students to engage in community-connected experiential learning by offering hundreds of interactive video conferences and engaging livestreamed educational programs.

The Stratford Festival and the McMaster University Alumni Association have a longstanding partnership. Every season since 1960, we have held a summer seminar series open to all theatre and Shakespeare enthusiasts. Participants attend numerous productions, take part in lectures and discussion sessions, learn about backstage and production activities, and have the opportunity to meet with the cast and creative teams. In the spring, we also hold a lecture series in collaboration with the Hamilton Public Library.

The Stratford Festival was a founding member of the Professional Arts Organizations Network for Education (PAONE), a home for professionals who are committed to meaningful arts education within their organizations and communities.

As a member-driven service organization, PAONE provides networking and professional development opportunities and advocates for the value of arts education and strive to elevate the broader standards in arts education practice.

We are proud members of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE). CODE believes that specific Drama & Dance knowledge, skills and values are critical for learning at all levels of education in Ontario and that in order for this to happen, it is essential for Drama & Dance teachers to develop partnerships with the educational and artistic communities and with the public.

We value our relationships with the Board and teacher members throughout the province and have benefitted greatly from our participation in and support of professional development events and resources created by CODE.

We are grateful to be longstanding members of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) which provides a forum for the artistic, managerial and educational leadership for theatres primarily involved with the production of the works of William Shakespeare. Alongside other members throughout the world, we discuss issues and share methods of work, resources and information through regular virtual communication, meetings and an annual, in-person conference.