The Stratford Festival has announced its fourth season of dramatic readings at the Glenn Gould Studio.

This series, taped before a live audience, is aired on CBC radio and records works that have special significance to the Festival. Both the readings and the resulting cassettes have proved immensely popular, as well as providing a rich archive for the Festival.

First up, on January 21 and 22, is Eduardo De Filippo's romantic comedy Filumena. The Neapolitan comedy, newly translated for the Festival by Canadian Vittorio Rossi for last season, is the most often produced, post-war, Italian play both in and out of Italy. It was also turned into the film Marriage-Italian Style with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.

Stratford's artistic director Richard Monette, and Lally Cadeau, will reprise their leading roles from this summer's popular production and Antoni Cimolino will once again direct.

Next in line is Shakespeare's The Tempest, on February 19 and 20. In a departure from recording recently staged productions, this version will be directed by Monette specifically for the Bank of Montreal-sponsored series. It will feature William Hutt as Prospero, along with a cast that includes Stephen Ouimette. Then on March 4 and 5, former Stratford Festival actor Colin Fox will perform his one-man show, Guthrie on Guthrie. Written by Margaret Dale and based on British director Tyrone Guthrie's autobiography, the show draws on anecdotes and memories of the Festival's first artistic director.

The shows will be aired on CBC radio later in the year and the cost for all three readings is C$40, C$30 for seniors and students. Call the Glenn Gould Studio box office at: 416-205-5555.

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For the second year in a row, the Stratford Festival has received a Lieutenant Governor's Awards.

The C$25,000 award given out recently in Toronto, is in recognition of the Festival's outstanding fundraising accomplishments during the recent Act 111 Festival Renewal Project, which renovated both the interior and the exterior of the Festival Theatre.

Said Artistic Director Richard Monette: "We are thrilled that not only have we met the original C$13 million goal we set for ourselves during the short nine-month campaign, we exceeded it by an additional C$2 million."

By Mira Friedlander
Canadian Correspondent