“I am proud and happy to be a Canadian and proud
and happy to receive this Canadian award,” said Mr. Shatner upon
learning of the honour. “I guess I am just proud and happy.”
Mr. Shatner’s vast career and enormous contribution
to the Festival in its founding years will be honoured at a gala at
Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel on Monday, October 21.
“As a screen and television actor, William Shatner has had a legendary career,” said Artistic Director
Antoni Cimolino. “He is known around the world for his iconic portrayal of
Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, and for a host of other leading roles, including T.J. Hooker and
Boston Legal’s Denny Crane.
But many people may not realize that
he has also won acclaim as a classical actor. One of my favourite pieces
of Stratford lore is the story of William Shatner going on as the
understudy for Christopher Plummer’s Henry V in
1956. He became an overnight sensation. In fact, Chris later reflected:
‘I knew then that he was going to be a star.’
“It gives us great pleasure to pay tribute to
William Shatner and his legacy at the Stratford Festival. We look
forward to creating a tribute worthy of his illustrious career.”
Mr. Shatner was a member of the Stratford Festival
company for three years, beginning in its second season, 1954, when he
played Lucentio in
The Taming of the Shrew, the Young Lord in Measure for Measure and a member of the chorus in the acclaimed production of
Oedipus Rex. In 1955, he played Lucius to Lorne Greene’s Brutus in Julius Caesar, Gratiano in
The Merchant of Venice, and reprised his role in Oedipus Rex. In 1956, the year he famously understudied Mr. Plummer, Mr. Shatner played Gloucester in
Henry V and Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He then toured to Broadway, playing Usumcasane in the Festival’s production of
Tamburlaine the Great.
Mr. Shatner’s impressive television career was
already underway when he joined the Festival company. His credits
include such TV classics as
Howdy Doody, Space Command, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone,
77 Sunset Strip, The Outer Limits, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,
The Defenders, Dr. Kildare, Gunsmoke, Mission Impossible,
Marcus Welby, MD, Ironside, Mork and Mindy and, of course,
Star Trek, in which, as Captain James T. Kirk, he rocketed to fame,
starring in more than 100 episodes and seven feature films, one of which
he also directed. Mr. Shatner played the title role in
T.J. Hooker before hosting television’s first reality-based series, Rescue 911.
In addition to having his star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, Mr. Shatner won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his
portrayal of Denny Crane in the hit TV series
Boston Legal and a second Emmy for The Practice. He has toured extensively – and continues to do so – with his one-man show,
Shatner’s World, which is now set to air on TMN and Movie Central on October 27 at 8:30 p.m.
Mr. Shatner was last in Stratford in 2009 for a screening of the documentary
Gonzo Ballet at the Avon Theatre as part of DocFest. The film profiled the Milwaukee Ballet’s performance of
Common People, a dance presentation set to the music of Mr. Shatner’s critically acclaimed album
Has Been. His newest musical project is a space-inspired album called Seeking Major Tom, which features a number of heavy metal covers as well as songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen and Pink Floyd. His new album,
Ponder the Mystery, will be released in October.
Mr. Shatner is also the author of nearly 30
best-sellers, both fiction and non-fiction, and of a comic book series. A
longtime dedicated breeder of American Quarter Horses, Mr. Shatner
founded the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which is
held annually in support of Los Angeles-based children’s charities.
Tables for the Stratford Festival’s Legacy Award
presentation to William Shatner are now available at two levels: Silver
($25,000) and Bronze ($15,000). To reserve, contact the Festival’s
Director of Advancement,
Rachel Smith-Spencer, at 519.271.4040, ext. 2402.
The Stratford Festival’s Legacy Award committee is chaired by
Barry Avrich, Brian Cooper and Beth Kronfeld.
Last year the award was presented to Dame Maggie Smith, who was a Festival company member for four seasons between 1976 and 1980. The first recipient, in 2011, was
Christopher Plummer, a member of the company for 12 seasons, beginning in 1956.
The Stratford Festival’s 2013 season runs until October 20, featuring
Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof; The Three Musketeers,
The Merchant of Venice, Tommy, Blithe Spirit, Othello,
Measure for Measure, Mary Stuart, Waiting for Godot, Taking Shakespeare, and
The Thrill, along with more than 150 events at The Forum.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment