CFRB The Chris Robinson Travel Show
Saturday April 25, 2009 
11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
www.welcometostratford.com
www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com
For Festival tickets call:1-800-567-1600
tickets@stratfordshakespearefestival.com


Spring is the Perfect Time to Visit Stratford


This week on the Travel Show – the civilized city of Stratford. Few places in Ontario are lovelier or more alive with culture and character. Stratford is internationally famous for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the leading classical theatre in North America. But Stratford also has parks, glorious gardens and stunning Victorian architecture. In 2008 Stratford was named Canada's Best Blooming Community and won the International Challenge of Communities in Bloom.

Spring is the perfect time to visit Stratford. Take advantage of spring specials to stay at selected inns and bed and breakfasts, enjoy stunning Stratford Shakespeare Festival previews and sample Stratford's innovative cuisine. Spring room specials start at $99 a night and you can savour exclusive spring menus in selected Stratford restaurants from as low as $15 for lunch and $30 for dinner. Plus the Stratford Shakespeare Festival is offering special preview prices of 3 plays for only $199. Check out www.SensuousStratford.com

The Stratford Festival is hailed around the world for the quality of its theatrical productions. Each year it features 10 -15 shows, including Shakespeare and the classics, the best in musical theatre, contemporary drama and new Canadian plays. More than 500,000 attend the Festival each year, during a season that runs from April to November on four stages.

This year's Festival season includes 14 incredible productions. Renowned stage and screen actor Colm Feore will star as Macbeth and Cyrano de Bergerac. Acclaimed classical actor and director Brian Bedford, a master of comedy, will be directing The Importance of Being Earnest and donning a dress to play Lady Bracknell. Broadway luminaries have a major hand in this year's musicals. Gary Griffin (director of Oprah Winfrey's The Colour Purple) will direct West Side Story, with choreographer Sergio Trujillo (of Jersey Boys fame). Des McAnuff – multiple Tony and Olivier Award-winner (and the Festival's artistic director) - will direct A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with choreographer Wayne Cilento (choreographer of Broadway hits Wicked and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). And Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies fame will be composing the music for Bartholomew Fair.

The Festival also offers lots of Beyond the Stage activities, including tours of the costume warehouse – one of the three largest in the world – and of the backstage areas, and gardens. There are also free concerts, lectures and stage-side chats to enhance your experience at the theatre.

Stratford also attracts international singers, musicians, composers, including the famous Celtic songstress, Loreena McKennitt, Stratford Civic Orchestra and Stratford Concert Band. The city's passion for music is best displayed at Stratford Summer Music (July 20-August 16) when musical artists from around the world come to perform at musical events and concerts in Stratford's churches, heritage concert halls and in parks and gardens.

Stratford has been cultivating a local culinary heritage and pleasing palates since 1832, with one of Ontario's oldest farmers' markets (operating since 1855) and the influential Stratford Chefs School, training chefs for over 25 years. Enjoy the adventures of savouring the local cuisine – from simply dining to wandering Epicurean Treks through rich pastoral countryside in the spring, summer and fall.

Listen to the show this Saturday for your chance to win a trip to Stratford for two including the following:

  • Three nights' accommodation at The Lofts at 99 – Tastefully decorated two level suites in Stratford's heritage downtown. Just steps from the picturesque Avon River and Shakespearean Gardens, yet in the heart of the shopping district and close to theatres. (Subject to availability.) www.bentleys-annex.com
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  • A pair of tickets to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Enjoy Cyrano de Bergerac with Colm Feore in the role of Cyrano at the Festival Theatre. This is one of the 19th-century theatre's most heartbreakingly romantic tales, packed with exhilarating swordplay, grand passion and dazzling repartee. www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com

  • Dine at The Old Prune. With three art-filled rooms and a sunlit Garden Room overlooking a courtyard, The Old Prune offers exemplary dining in a summery setting. Cuisine sparkles, thanks to Chef Bryan Steele's flawless technique and execution. www.oldprune.on.ca

  • Savour the freshness of the season on a guided Epicurean Trek through Perth County. Take your taste buds on an adventure, visiting sweet and savoury culinary artisans in and around Stratford. (Allow 3 hours.) www.welcometostratford.com

  • Canada's tea sommelier, Karen Hartwick, will lead you on a tea tasting journey at Tea Leaves Tea Tasting Bar. Karen is a certified tea sommelier whose passion is introducing people to the sophisticated, rich and varied world of fine tea. (Allow 1 hour.) www.stratfordtealeaves.com

  • Join theatre enthusiasts on a tour of Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Costume Warehouse, one of the largest in North America. View thousands of costumes and props designed by the talented artisans of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com

  • Travel between Montreal and Stratford on VIA Rail. Relax and let VIA do the driving for you. Arrive rested and ready to enjoy all of Stratford's pleasures. www.viarail.com

For your chance to win, phone into the show at 514-790-0991, 1-800-491-CJAD, or *TALK on your cell, or by entering the contest here online.