Audience Engagement is a large department made up of 5 smaller departments, responsible for all guest-facing roles. Audience Engagement also supports the Friends of the Festival Volunteers. We interact with the audience in all aspects of their visit, other than the actual performance – purchasing tickets, bars, shops, help getting to their seat, etc. Below is additional information on what each of our teams do.

Food & Beverage

Our F&B Team is comprised of Service and Culinary staff. Our service team provides service to our audience at all bars and cafes before performances and during intervals, as well as at on and off-site catered events. Our culinary team prepares delicious food in-house for all cafes, picnics, catered events and the Green Room.

If you have any questions, please reach out to events@stratfordfestival.ca 

Front of House/Parking Team

Our Front of House Team consists of House Managers, Ushers and Parking Attendants.

House Managers: Supervise and manage our ushers and parking attendants in the theatres. House Managers are available to assist patrons with inquiries and concerns, deal with special needs and requests and ensure patron safety and comfort. They provide a liaison with Stage Management for the running of each performance. All House Managers are trained in First Aid and CPR.

Ushers: Greet patrons, answer questions, identify any special needs, distribute house programs and hearing devices, help locate their seats and ensure safety and comfort in the theatre. Most ushers are trained in First Aid and CPR.

Parking Attendants: Over-see the paid parking lots for our theatres. They greet and assist patrons with parking before performances and answer questions.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Samantha at stynkkynen@stratfordfestival.ca

Retail

Our retail stores are located across from the Festival Theatre, beside the Avon Theatre and online. We also have kiosks at the Festival and Tom Patterson Theatres. Our Retail Manager, Supervisors and Sales Associates are responsible for creating a friendly and theatrical shopping environment for all of our patrons. We offer a wide range of giftware, books, DVD and audio recordings, exclusive Stratford Festival branded merchandise and a wide variety of irresistible show-related items to choose from.

If you have questions, please reach out to store@stratfordfestival.ca

Ticketing and Membership

Our ticketing and membership team assists patrons in our Call Centre and Box Offices with ticketing inquiries and purchases for performances as well as Meighen Forum events and purchasing ancillary items. They also assist with general membership, special appeal donations and staff tickets.

If you need any assistance, please reach out to orders@stratfordfestival.ca  

For information on Staff and current Artists discounts please refer to the Ticket Info page of this handbook.

Tours

Our team of tour guides are responsible for safely guiding our audience through The Changeover Experiences (Festival and Avon), Backstage Tours (in collaboration with the Forum), Warehouse Tours, and Ghost tours (in collaboration with the Forum). Our Guides possess a deep understanding of the intricacies of the theaters, including the costumes and props stored in our warehouse, and they are always enthusiastic about sharing that knowledge with our audiences.

If you have any questions, please reach out to kbernard@stratfordfestival.ca

Friends of the Festival 

Committing a minimum of 50 volunteer hours per person, per season, the Friends of the Festival are critical to hosting our audiences.  As ambassadors, Friends greet guests at every performance, engage in conversations, respond to inquiries, and make sure everyone finds their way to the right theater. Volunteers are essential in supporting Festival Staff across various departments and activities including;  forums, tours, educational events, office tasks, and archival assistance, just to name a few.

We welcome new members each year and invite those who are interested in considering Friends of the Festival as a volunteer commitment to send an email to  Friends@stratfordfestival.ca.

Additional Information

FOOD AND DRINK

• We have licensed bars during service hours at the Festival, Tom Patterson, Avon and Studio theaters.
• We offer compostable auditorium-friendly cups for our beverages and invite patrons to bring their drink to their seat. Bottled water is also permitted.
• Food is not permitted in the auditorium.
• All staff, artists and company members receive a 15% discount at any of our theatre concessions (Avon, Festival, Studio or Tom Patterson theatres). This discount applies to all food and non-alcoholic beverages sold before, during or after a performance. The discount does not apply to alcoholic beverages.

Festival Theatre Lobby Café

• The Café is licensed and serves light lunches, baked goods, ice cream and snacks.
• Picnics are also available if pre-ordered through our box office.
• The café is open 2 hours prior to all performances until the end of interval.

Tom Patterson Theatre Café

• The café is licensed and serves light lunch and dinner, baked goods, ice cream and snacks.
• The café is open 2 hours prior to all performances until the end of interval.
• There is plenty of seating in the café, as well as an attached licensed patio overlooking the Avon River

STRATFORD DIRECT BUS

• Round trip transportation from Toronto to Stratford for $39. Departs at the Intercontinental Toronto Centre, 225 Front St. W. Book online or by phone at least 24 hours in advance.
• Coaches run on performance days April 19 to November 2nd at 10 a.m., and at 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays where there is an evening performance.
• Details can be found at: https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/WhatsOn/StratfordDirect
• For a missed bus, items left on the bus, or emergencies, contact the Box office during admin hours (Supervisor can be reached at ext. 2226 or orders@stratfordfestival.ca).
• House Managers can also assist during performance times or directly after evening shows. (A Supervisor or House Manager will contact Coach Canada dispatch, if need).

In extreme emergencies (if the above can’t be reached), contact Samantha Tynkkynen, Senior House Manager at ext. 5530.

PATRON PARKING

Staff Parking information.

Reserved parking for Festival Theatre

• Available in the Lower Queen’s lot at Lakeside Dr. and Queen St. (holds 200 cars).
• $25 at the gate, or $20 if pre-booked at least 24 hours in advance
• The parking attendant arrives approximately two hours before the performance and will have a list of the guests’ names who pre-booked.

Reserved parking for Tom Patterson Theatre

• Available in the lot on Water St. (off Waterloo)
• $25 at the gate or $20 if pre-booked, at least 24 hours in advance
• The parking attendant arrives approximately two hours before the performance and will have a list of the guests’ names who pre-booked.

Special Access parking (Festival and Tom Patterson theatres)

• Reserve in advance with a special access permit only, in our Upper lot next to the Festival Theatre or in the Tom Patterson Theatre Lot for $20. Space is limited.
• Few additional spaces may be available day of performance for $25.
• If a patron parks when no attendant is there, a special access permit is required. The attendant will put a ticket on the vehicle asking for payment at the end of the performance.

Parking for Avon & Studio Theatres

• For City core area parking: https://www.stratford.ca/en/live-here/resources/Parking/Parking-Map-Current.pdf  

LOST AND FOUND FOR AUDIENCE FACING AREAS

• Hours of operation: Monday to Friday 8:00 to 3:30 (closed for lunch 12:00 to 12:30).
• Found items at the Festival are placed in our “lost and found” orange boxes, located at the Coat Check and Box Office, as well as Stage Door. All items are forwarded to our Mailroom at the Festival Theatre each day.
• Avon, Studio and Tom Patterson theatres: Items are held by the Theatre House Manager for the week and then sent to Mailroom Monday morning.
• For lost items, call 519-271-4040, ext. 2224 or provide a lost-and-found business card from info desk, Box Office (L&F orange box) or House Managers.
• For items lost outside our property, patrons can call the police station at 519-271-4141.

Please refer to the Postal Service & Lost and Found page of this handbook for information about items lost in staff only areas of the building.