The Stratford Festival’s search for a new artistic director, the most powerful and influential position in the country’s theatre scene, has narrowed in recent weeks, with a leading Canadian candidate no longer in the running, according to multiple sources who spoke with the Toronto Star.
Chris Abraham, the artistic director of Crow’s Theatre, who was previously considered the front-runner to take on the top job at Stratford, has reportedly been dropped from consideration by the search committee tasked with finding a successor to outgoing artistic director Antoni Cimolino. According to two sources, Abraham informed a close network of friends and colleagues in mid-June that he was out of contention.
In an email statement to the Star, Abraham said: “Like all theatre lovers, I’ll be watching with excitement to see who takes on this important role. On a personal note, I’m thrilled to be renewing my commitment to Crow’s and the incredibly exciting work of building the future of theatre here in Toronto.”
A third source said there were six shortlisted candidates in total, who were each interviewed by the festival’s search committee in late May and early June. All candidates were to be interviewed by June 10, the source said.
Ann Swerdfager, publicity director for Stratford, said she couldn’t comment on specific individuals “because the candidates involved have been promised that it will be a confidential process. However, I can confirm that the majority of applicants still under consideration are Canadian.”
The festival has not provided a firm date for when Cimolino’s successor will be named, but the announcement is widely expected to be made sometime later this summer or in the early fall.
The three sources interviewed by the Star were granted anonymity so they could freely discuss proceedings behind the scenes. Two of the sources are in or are associated with Abraham’s network.
Abraham, who has served as artistic director of Crow’s Theatre since 2008, has been a regular presence at Stratford. A notable interpreter of Shakespearean plays, he directed this season’s production of “As You Like It” and “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2023.
In the lead up to the selection process, Abraham had been pegged by many Stratford insiders as the clear favourite to succeed Cimolino. That the Canadian director is now out of the running suggests the search is far more competitive than previously anticipated.
The successful candidate will steer the largest repertory theatre company in North America, with an annual budget of more than $75 million. While the festival is widely known for its productions of Shakespearean repertoire, the company in recent decades has also become an important incubator for new Canadian work.
Stratford, however, has faced an uneven pandemic recovery, struggling to bring audiences back into its four theatres. Last year, the festival recorded a $1.1-million operational shortfall, with audience attendance still about seven per cent below pre-pandemic levels.
Cimolino, the Sudbury-born theatremaker who rose through the ranks of the festival, first as an actor, then moving into increasingly senior administrative roles, before eventually being named artistic director in 2012, is set to step down from his post at the end of 2026.
According to Stratford’s job posting, the role comes with a salary of between $400,000 to $475,000. The new artistic director is expected to begin their term in the fourth quarter of this year, and shadow Cimolino during the 2026 season.
