Shaw Festival
Niagara on the Lake
Experience The Shaw Festival and all the cultural and culinary pleasures of Niagara on the Lake, Ontario's "prettiest town"
When the Festival opened in Niagara on the Lake in 1962, it's doubtful that anyone could have foreseen the changes it would bring to this once-sleepy little historic town. That first local summer festival featured two plays by the famous Irish-born playwright George Bernard Shaw and ran for only three weeks. Today, the "season" at the Shaw extends from April (which is hardly "summer" in Canada) to October (which is really autumn), and includes about a dozen plays – a couple by Shaw, and a handful by other playwrights as well. The Festival has become one of the showcases of Ontario theatre. Because of the large number of productions, the plays are now held in three different theatres in town including the grand purpose-built Festival Theatre. The shows attract theatre audiences from not just Niagara on the Lake Ontario, but all over Canada and United States as well. The town has embraced the "Shaw" theme since the Festival took off in the 1960s. Two Niagara on the Lake restaurants make direct references to the famous playwright. The Shaw Café & Wine Bar at 92 Queen Street is one example. Oban Inn Spa Restaurant has a "theatre corner" full of photos and a portrait of the bard. NEXT PAGE: The plays and the playwrights
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