'As a teenager I attended a production of "Love’s Labour’s Lost" at the Stratford Festival of Canada and it changed my life. On stage I saw characters much like my own school friends – the smart one, the fool, and the studious one with the awkwardness, hopes, and fears of any teenager. The text contained thoughts that seemed to be mine but much wittier, and amazingly written 300 years before I was born.  On that afternoon I was laughing along with 2000 other people in the theatre – most were older than me.  In that moment I felt a connection to humanity that I’d never felt before in my young life; a connection back in time and with those many people present. And I realized being human is a pretty marvelous thing.'

Image credit

Antoni Cimolino

 

 

Scroll down to find out about a medal given by the Mayor of Stratford, Ontario, to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Image credit

Shakespeare Medal (SBT 1964-6)

1964

Silver

A medal presented to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust by the Mayor of Stratford in Ontario, Canada on 25 May 1964. It marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth and features a portrait of Shakespeare on one side, and an image of the Stratford Festival Theatre on the other.

The Stratford Festival has been taking place since 1953 and has attracted some of the world's most celebrated actors. The Festival Theatre was completed in 1957.