About The Shaw - Shaw Festival Theatre

About The Shaw
Shaw Festival Theatre
About The Shaw
The Shaw Festival Story

In 1962, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty parlayed his love for the work of Irish playwright Bernard Shaw into a summer theatre festival, producing eight performances of Don Juan in Hell and Candida in the Court House auditorium.  In this singular act of passion for theatre and culture, the Shaw Festival was born.

Today, with 10 or more productions each year performed in three theatres for an audience of more than 250,000, the Shaw Festival has grown to become a major Canadian cultural icon, a gem in this country’s rich cultural heritage. Inspired by the wit and passion of Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival is a contemporary theatre that features a smart, provocative, potent and diverse mix of plays from the past and present, performed by our celebrated repertory theatre Ensemble. The result is theatre that is challenging, surprising, often funny and always entertaining. These plays are lovingly and artfully brought to the stage each year by a talented team of actors, directors, and designers, showcasing the incredible tapestry of talent that this country contributes to the world.

Helmed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll (TC), The Shaw’s 64th Season runs from April 2 to December 23.

As Artistic Director Tim Carroll say, Shaw 2026 will “celebrate theatre itself – illusion, disguise, performance – and all the ways that we delight, mislead, amaze and seduce each other. Life is a theatre, and theatre is life.”

Our season this year includes three amazing musicals. Two at the holidays with Rogers and Hammerstein’s charming Cinderella and the multi-Tony nominated A Year with Frog and Toad, both perfect for families and kids from 8 to 80. But before those, Funny Girl takes the stage. This beloved musical, made famous by Barbara Streisand, looks at the life and career of comedienne and vaudeville star Fanny Brice and includes incredible songs and spectacle.

The Court House Theatre will be home to One for the Pot, and P.G. Wodehouse’s brilliant pairing of Jeeves and Wooster’s antics in Perfect Nonsense. Peter Shaffer’s amazing classic Amadeus takes our mainstage in the summer, while his brother Anthony Shaffer’s masterpiece whodunit Sleuth arrives down the street. In our Studio Theatre, the range runs from A.A. Milne’s adventures with Badger, Mr Toad and Mole in The Wind in the Willows, while for heavier content we offer Shaw’s Heartbreak House and Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders.

Don’t miss what promises to be an amazing season of theatre at The Shaw. We look forward to welcoming you.

Recipient of Trip Advisor’s “Certificate of Excellence”, the Shaw Festival is … the perfect intermission from life.

“directly comparable in scope and quality to such ambitious south-of-the-border classical festivals as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. If you’re up for a weekend—or a whole week—of first-class theater, you should give very serious thought to going there”

– Wall Street Journal

The Shaw Festival

Helmed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll (TC) and inspired by the spirit of George Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival creates unforgettable theatrical encounters.

The Shaw Festival, home to Two-Way Theatre, is a place where people who are curious about the world gather to share the unique experience of live theatre.

Beyond the Stage
Discover events & activities for all ages.
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Ways to Save
Multi-play packages, special pricing for students & seniors, and more Shaw savings.
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Shaw Express
Getting to The Shaw from downtown Toronto and Burlington made easy. Plus, holiday season service.
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