Photo: David Cooper/Shaw Festival.
The Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre, pictured in this undated file photo, will close at the end of the 2025 season to make way for renovations.
In Ontario, Canada, near Niagara Falls, there is a great summer festival centered around the plays of George Bernard Shaw. I remember a lovely weekend we spent there when Suzanne and John were little. Suzanne had barely started to walk. I think of it every year when I decorate my Christmas tree because a couple crocheted ornaments from China were bought in a shop there.
With two young children, my husband and I had to trade off babysitting. He went to one of the Shaw plays (Arms and the Man? I don’t remember). I took advantage of the opportunity to see the aging concert comedian Anna Russell. I’ll never forget her rendition of an Edith Piaf character: “She vas drinking too much, she vas smoking too much, she vas doing everything too much. And when you do everything too much — even if eet is ni-ice — eet is to-o much!”
Joshua Chong recently reported at the Toronto Star that the province of Ontario is determined that future generations will enjoy the Shaw Festival as much as we did.
“The Ontario government will invest $35 million over three years,” he writes, “to help rebuild the Shaw Festival’s aging Royal George Theatre.
“The announcement [comes] after the repertory company in Niagara-on-the-Lake previously said it was permanently closing the 305-seat venue at the end of this year due to persistent infrastructure issues.
“The proposed theatre that will replace it is expected to honor the original building’s design, the province said, but will also include about 20 per cent more seats, accessible front-of-house areas and new rehearsal space. The project is expected to be completed by the spring of 2029.
” ‘The Shaw Festival is a cultural icon for Ontario and for Canada, and is just one of the many great reasons to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake and the broader Niagara Region throughout the year,’ said Stan Cho, minister of tourism, culture and gaming, in a statement announcing the rebuild. …
“ ‘Rebuilding this beloved venue has been a priority for us, not just so we can continue to deliver outstanding theatre here in the heart of wine country, but to play our part in accelerating the growth of our region as a world-class center for cultural tourism,’ said Tim Jennings, executive director and CEO of the Shaw Festival, in the release.
“The existing Royal George Theatre, which began its life as a vaudeville house in 1915, stands on the site of a former blacksmith shop.
It was initially an entertainment venue for troops stationed in town during the First World War, then served for years as a movie theatre.
“The Shaw Festival acquired the space in 1980, hosting dozens of productions in the decades since. But the venue has become a liability for the organization in recent years. In the 2023 season, a water leak in the building’s clay foundation forced the cancellation of several performances.
“Before it closes, the Royal George Theatre will host four productions this season. Tons of Money, the British farce by Will Evans and Arthur Valentine, will run from April to October in a new production helmed by Eda Holmes.
“In June, Peter Hinton-Davis will direct Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara, a social satire about a Salvation Army officer and her estranged father. The play is the sole Shavian offering programmed for the upcoming season. …
“Shaw Festival artistic director Tim Carroll will then close the Royal George Theatre with his production of A Christmas Carol, which has been revived annually since it premiered in 2017.”
More at the Toronto Star, here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
This post brings back fond memories. For our 15th wedding anniversary (mid 90s) my mother bought us tickets to see three plays at Niagara-on-the-lake. All in the same weekend. Our favorite, and the only one we recall, was Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw, and it was held in the Royal George Theater. I remember marveling at how applicable the story was to modern day and I have looked for it whenever local theaters announce their upcoming seasons. I’d love to see it again.
We’d neglected to reserve a room in advance and when we arrived in town, we went from hotel to hotel without finding a vacancy. Using the AAA guide we were selecting pricier and pricier inns but were still striking out. Finally, a hotel manager took pity on us. After making some calls, he said we could stay in the presidential suite of their sister hotel for the price of a standard room. We took it because on one hand, it was more than we had hoped to pay, but on the other hand, we had a fancy two room suite. We stayed for two nights and because the place was so big, we failed to hear the housekeeper knocking on the outer door. Both mornings, she entered through the living room and then into our bedroom before we were up. The hotel was so embarrassed by this repeated mistake that they comped us one night, sent us a bottle of wine, and gave us complimentary brunch on Sunday morning.
Overall, the weekend was probably the most entertaining, lowest cost weekends we’ve ever spent. I’m glad to hear that the festival and the Royal George will live on.
What a delightful story! I can picture it all — and the sort of magical feeling of the place itself.
What a memory! I especially like how you took turns taking care of the children so that you could see plays. Would love to go to that festival.
We did that in New York, too. Which is one reason we don’t have all the same theater experiences. He saw a murder mystery, and I saw *Elephant Man*!
Neat!