The Stratford Adventure
The Stratford Adventure is a 1954 Oscar-nominated  documentary film about the founding of the Stratford Festival, directed by Morten Parker for the National Film Board of Canada. It tells the story of how the small Canadian city of Stratford, on the banks of the Avon River, realized the vision of local journalist Tom Patterson: the creation of a theatre for the staging of the finest Shakespearean drama. Patterson gathered a committee of local people and invited Tyrone Guthrie to advise on the festival and direct the plays. A fund was set up, an Elizabethan stage built, and Alec Guinness and Irene Worth were signed to perform alongside Canadian actors in Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well. The film shows Alec Guinness giving Timothy Findley lessons in breath control, Tyrone Guthrie directing rehearsals, and the creation of elaborate sets and costumes. It also shows the crucial meeting which took place when the project was facing bankruptcy, then visitors flocking to Stratford, and scenes from the triumphant reality of the plays. Cast
 Michael Bates as himself
 Timothy Findley as himself
 Alec Guinness as himself
 Tyrone Guthrie as himself
 Irene Worth as herself

Awards
 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland: Diploma of Merit, 1954
 7th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Genie Award for Film of the Year, 1955
 7th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Genie Award for Best Theatrical Documentary, 1955
 Kootenay Film Festival, Nelson, British Columbia: First Prize, Artistic Achievement, 1956
 Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Award of Merit, Literature in Films, 1956
Johannesburg International Film Festival, Johannesburg: Certificate of Merit, 1956
 27th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Documentary Feature, 1955

See also
 William Shakespeare

References

External links

1954 films
1950s English-language films
1954 documentary films
1954 short films
Canadian short documentary films
National Film Board of Canada short films
Documentary films about theatre
Films produced by Guy Glover
Films shot in Ontario
Films scored by Louis Applebaum
National Film Board of Canada documentaries
Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
1950s Canadian films