Shaw Festival’s 2018 season to honour 100th anniverary of end of First World War

The Shaw Festival’s 2018 season will feature several productions honouring the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

The Ontario theatre festival’s slate of newly announced shows includes Bernard Shaw’s satirical comedy “O’Flaherty V.C,” directed by Kimberley Rampersad.

The production centres on a young man awarded the Victoria Cross who is paraded around Ireland to recruit others.

The festival will also stage “Oh What a Lovely War” directed by Peter Hinton, which is billed as a Canadian take on a classic anti-war musical.

Festival artistic director Tim Carroll will team with Kevin Bennett to co-direct Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” which will be set in the trenches of France in 1918.

Tickets for the 2018 season will be available to Friend of the Shaw members on Nov. 4, and to the general public on Dec. 9.

The festival will also feature “The Orchard (After Chekhov)” directed by Ravi Jain, which will explore the Canadian immigrant experience through a century-old Russian play.

Eda Holmes will direct the 1920s-set musical “Grand Hotel,” while Anita Rochon will helm romantic comedy “Stage Kiss.”

Shaw will also showcase “Of Marriage and Men: A Comedy Double-Bill,” with “How He Lied To Her Husband” and “The Man Of Destiny” directed by Phillip Akin.

The festival playbill also includes the Sherlock Holmes murder mystery “The Hound of Baskervilles” directed by Craig Hall; “The Baroness and the Pig,” helmed by Selma Dimitrijevic; and “A Christmas Carol” directed by Carroll.

Previously announced works include “Mythos: A Trilogy – Gods. Heroes. Men” starring celebrated British actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry, and C.S. Lewis fantasy “The Magician’s Nephew” adapted for the stage by Michael O’Brien and directed by Carroll.

Next year will also see the return of the second season of Secret Theatre, which features surprise theatrical experiences throughout the year.

The festival will also mark the end of an era for the historic Court House Theatre, which has housed productions since 1962. It will now be purposed as a rehearsal, training and education facility and used for the festival’s expanded audience programs. Shaw will now expand use of the newly renamed Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre.