Canadian summer theatrical festival.
The foremost classical repertory theatre in North America, it was founded by Tom Patterson in Stratford, Ontario, in 1953. It includes three permanent theatres: the 220° open-stage Festival Theatre, the Avon Theatre, and the Tom Patterson Theatre, which is reserved for experimental works. The festival features productions of William Shakespeare 's plays (Stratford was chosen as its locale because the town's name matched that of Shakespeare's birthplace) but also performs other classic dramatic works.