Richard III featuring Colm Feore in the title role is the newest addition to Stratfest@Home.
The 2022 Stratford Festival production was directed for the stage by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and for film by Barry Avrich, the festival announced in a media release.
“Shakespeare’s work is very cinematic in its structure and this play, with its ruthless, cunning and charismatic protagonist, translates brilliantly to the big screen,” said Cimolino. “Colm Feore gives a masterful performance as Richard and is supported by powerful performances by our finest actors.”
Added Avrich: “When you combine the brilliant and iconic Shakespeare prose with the unbridled power of Colm Feore, the result is pure cinematic bliss. Having produced and directed close to 20 of these filmed productions, I can assert that this one is a career highlight for me.”
Shakespeare’s Richard – the Duke of Gloucester when the play begins – is the embodiment of lethal ambition, manoeuvring and murdering his way to the throne of England. But once he has reached the top, the only way left to go is down – and in Richard’s growing roster of vengeful enemies, none are more menacing than the ghosts of his past, the media release said.
“The historical Richard, like Shakespeare’s tyrant,” said Cimolino, “was defeated and killed. But he was replaced by a much more sophisticated police state, under regimes that were more cruel and more effective at political manipulation. The text of Richard III is an example of that manipulation. Yet it is also a subversive indictment of tyranny, revealing the tricks used to deceive and manipulate.
Stratfest@Home includes Canadian digital theatrical productions, including Stratford Festival’s Shakespeare films, selected productions from recent seasons, original digital content and selected events from the Festival’s Meighen Forum, along with documentaries and original content from across the country.
