Stratford
iPhoto caption: Members of the company in 'The Tao of the World.' Stratford Festival 2026. Photo by David Hou.
Set in an opulent world of Singaporean elites, writer-director Jovanni Sy 施崇梵’s world premiere work at the Tom Patterson Theatre is a bubbly, Crazy Rich Asians-style romcom that sweetens the palate before releasing a poignant pop of acidic social commentary, arguing that the concept of restoration is laughable to those who suffered most in the interim and returned to a status quo little better than the disruption.
iPhoto caption: Shannon Taylor, Jasmine Case, and Zara Jestadt in 'Love Us Most.' Photo by Ann Baggley.
Q&A: Sara Farb takes a piercing look behind the curtain in her new play Love Us Most
"It's a fictional theatre company — and it's also very obviously a familiar rep theater company," says Farb. "I think it's audacious for Here For Now. I'm very grateful that they understand that it's a satirical and skewering look at something that so many of us have experienced or witnessed."
iPhoto caption: Marissa Orjalo as Ariel with members of the company in 'The Tempest.' Stratford Festival 2026. Photo by Ann Baggley.
For Marissa Orjalo, this season at Stratford is such stuff as dreams are made on
“Every day feels like a new adventure,” says Orjalo. “I always look to the people who've come before me, and they're always very generous. I'm on this journey of learning, and I hope to learn for the rest of my life.”
iPhoto caption: Raymond Strachan and Tom McCamus in 'Death of a Salesman.' Photo by David Hou.
REVIEW: Stratford Festival’s Death of a Salesman is stark and melancholy
The relatively straightforward production is aesthetically austere, but strong central performances of the family at its core keep it human.