Dame Maggie Smith remembered for contributions to Stratford, Ont. stage
She was a world-renowned actor who captured the imagination of audiences on the silver screen for decades, but closer to home, Dame Maggie Smith is being remembered for her spellbinding work on an Ontario stage.
But in the 70s and 80s, with an Oscar win already under her belt, she appeared in several Stratford Festival productions.
“She wanted a chance to play a wider variety of parts. To really challenge herself on Shakespeare and the classics and Chekhov and other writers,” Antoni Cimolino, artistic director of the Stratford Festival recalls.
“We all know of Maggie Smith as being a kind of tough and very funny actor. But here at the festival and playing parts like Cleopatra or Rosalind in As You Like It, we saw a softer side of her,” Cimonlino said. “Her work was extraordinary. She was someone who drew audiences from around the world to the Stratford Festival.”
Throughout her time in Stratford, Smith’s credits include Hippolyta and Titania in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rosalind in the 1977 version of As You Like It, Judith Bliss in Hay Fever, Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and Lady MacBeth in 1978 production of MacBeth.
She was a regular presence on the Stratford stage for four seasons.
Stratford Festival honoured her contributions in 2012 by presenting the British actor with a Legacy Award.
“We still have many people who remember her work on our stages who are attending the festival,” Cimonlino said. “We like to share stories about her work here internally because she could usually sum things up in a brilliant way.”
Cimonlino said when Smith was on the stage, audiences couldn’t take their eyes off her.
“She was constantly reinventing herself, trying new things. [She was] never afraid to dive into a project that was entirely to do with a world that had changed so much during the course of her career. She was always modern. She was always our contemporary. She really insisted on showing different aspects of herself. She didn’t settle for what the producers or even the public told her she was about. She was brave in that way.”
Smith is survived by two sons, five grandchildren and millions of fans.
“A great one is gone,” Cimonlino lamented.
Cimonlino said The Stratford Festival will be dedicating their upcoming productions of As You Like It to Smith’s memory.
“We would benefit from a few more Maggie Smiths in our world today.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut after another strike destroyed buildings
The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut on Friday in a series of massive explosions that targeted the leader of the militant group and levelled multiple high-rise apartment buildings.
Killer who stabbed victim 'at least 52 times' dies in B.C. prison
A 72-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a brutal murder that happened in Chilliwack in 2016 has died, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
U.S. fines Air Canada over flights over prohibited Iraqi airspace
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday it had fined Air Canada US$250,000 for operating flights in 2022 and 2023 in prohibited Iraqi airspace.
Rescuers race to free people trapped by Hurricane Helene after storm kills at least 40 in 4 states
Hurricane Helene left an enormous path of destruction across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, killing at least 40 people in four states, snapping towering oaks like twigs and tearing apart homes as rescue crews launched desperate missions to save people from floodwaters.
Former military reservist sentenced for shotgun video calling Liberal MP a 'communist agent' for China
A former Canadian military reservist has been sentenced to house arrest after posting a video of himself firing a shotgun at a picture of a member of Parliament whom he accused of being a "communist agent" for China.
P.E.I. shellfish festival gastrointestinal illness outbreak largest in province's history: health officer
More than 550 symptomatic people responded to an online questionnaire about a gastrointestinal illness at a Prince Edward Island shellfish festival last weekend.
Ship, extra CAF members deployed near Lebanon in case of evacuation needs: defence minister
Defence Minister Bill Blair says there is a ship in place near Lebanon, as well as 150 deployed additional Canadian Armed Forces members prepared for a military-assisted departure of stranded Canadians, if more violence in the region requires it.
Canada booking seats on flights out of Lebanon
Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.
Family of man who died in incident involving Calgary police issues statement
The family of Jon Wells, a man who died in an incident involving Calgary police earlier this month, say they are seeking time to grieve their loss.