Event Details

In the spirit of Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival provokes the mind and stirs the soul through a theatre experience so compelling that, year after year, ever broadening groups of artists, audiences and supporters are drawn to our work in Niagara-on-the-Lake and beyond.

In 1962, Brian Doherty of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Calvin G Rand of Buffalo created a summer festival dedicated to the work of playwright Bernard Shaw. That first season saw four performances each of Don Juan in Hell and Candida staged in the Assembly Room of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s historic Court House. In this singular act of passion for theatre, the Shaw Festival was born.

The following year, the Shaw Festival Theatre Foundation was established as a non-profit organization, with an elected volunteer Board of Governors, and the company’s mandate was to produce the dramatic works of Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries.

This application is for “Making Music for the Holidays at The Shaw,” taking place from November 5 to December 23, 2026, in the Court House and Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Shaw will present two musicals for their holiday programming in 2026, which combined will have more than 100 performances and are designed to entice visitors to Niagara during the shoulder or off-peak months of November and December. Programming includes: (1) “A Year with Frog and Toad” in the Court House theatre from November 5 to December 23 (55 performances); (2) “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” in the Festival Theatre from November 8 to December 23 (50 performances); and (3) Workshops and backstage tours: hands-on workshops prior to performances for children and families, as well as backstage tours including opportunities to meet the designers and directors.