The Winter’s Tale
Guide d’accessibilité

Whisper Guides

At select performances, a whisper guide will be available for patrons who are blind or low-vision. A whisper guide is a performer who will be set up in an exclusive section of the park to describe visual components of the show as they are happening. This service is provided in English.

Whisper guiding is available on the following dates. More details about the exact locations for these performances can be found in the next section.

July 24th at 7pm at the Mount-Royal Cemetery in Outremont
July 28th at 7pm at Parc Stewart in Pointe-Claire
August 4th at 7pm at Parc Jeanne-Mance in the Plateau
August 11th at 7pm at McGill University
August 15th at 7pm at Parc Westmount

Getting to the Venues

When you arrive at the park, make your way to the yellow tent or to any employee wearing a red Shakespeare-in-the-Park shirt for any assistance. Here are more specific directions to get to each park that offers whisper guiding.

Mount-Royal Cemetery: The show takes place in the grassy area just after the main entrance of the Mount-Royal Cemetery on rue Forêt. The stage is inside the cemetery, to the left of the entrance.

Parc Stewart, Pointe-Claire: The show takes place next to the Galerie d’art Stewart Hall, accessible by chemin du Bord-du-Lac Lakeshore. The stage is in the grassy area to the right of the main entrance to the art gallery.

Parc Jeanne Mance, Plateau: The show takes place in the Jeanne Mance Park Soccer Field. The stage is near the corner of avenue de l’Esplanade and avenue Duluth O, past some trees.

McGill University: The show takes place in the large grassy area directly across from the main entrance to the Redpath Museum, which is located at 859 rue Sherbrooke O.

Parc Westmount: The show takes place near the Westmount Park small soccer fields. The stage is located in the grassy area between the Westmount Park Gazebo and the Westmount Dog Park. It is closest to either rue Academy or avenue Melville.

Pre-Show Descriptions

Set

The stage is V-shaped, with the opening of the V facing toward the audience. The backdrop consists of several rectangular panels of different sizes, textures, and shades of orange. Some of the panels have cut-out geometric patterns. Near the point of the V, at the back of the stage, there is a set of doors made of two, tall orange panels with painted brown patterns, through which characters enter and exit. The doors are periodically opened or shut throughout the performance with tasseled ropes. To the left of the stage, there is a brown bench flanked by two dark brown stools. Next to the bench is another opening in the panels from which characters may enter and exit. On the ground, the stage is lined with tall, green reeds that evoke a Nubian desert landscape. After intermission, these plants are decorated with white, pink, yellow, red, and orange flowers, reminiscent of springtime.

Actors

The Winter’s Tale has an all-Black and brown cast of nine actors. Each actor plays multiple characters. The actors are listed here in alphabetical order by last name.

Quincy Armorer plays Leontes. He is a Black man of average height and build, with short hair, moustache and beard.

Belen Blizzard plays Mamilius and Lil Shepherd. They are a tall, Black non-binary person with a slender frame, and curly hair.

Tamara Brown plays Paulina, Time, and the Old Shepherdess. As Paulina, she appears as a tall, dignified, middle-aged Afroindigenous woman. As the Shepherdess, she appears as an elderly village auntie with bent back and big curious eyes.

esi callender plays Camilo and the Messenger. They are a short, sturdy Black femme, with big expressive eyes. As Camillo, they wear their hair tucked into a wrap, and as Messenger they wear it in a few long braids.

Métushalème Dary plays Perdita and Emilia. She has a warm brown complexion and a semi-athletic build, with piercing eyes and long dreadlocks tumbling past her shoulders.

Dayjan Lesmond plays Autoclys, the Third Lord, and the Mariner. He is a Black man of average height; he is bald and has dark facial hair.

Briauna James plays Hermione and Shepherd Mom. She is a Black woman of average height with long dark hair that is wrapped or covered for most of the play.

Jeremy Lewis plays Antigonus and Florizell. He is tall, masculine-presenting, and has dark-brown facial hair. He is slim and light-skinned.

Aladeen Tawfeek plays Polixenes, the Jailer, the Officer, and the First Lord. He is a six-foot-tall man of Northeast African descent with a fit build, short black hair, and a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard.

Costumes

The costumes in the play have a Nubian-futuristic aesthetic. Many characters wear bright colors and Nubian-inspired patterns, with flowing fabrics, shawls, and gold accents. Below are more detailed descriptions of each character’s costume.

Leontes wears blue striped pants and a dark blue sleeveless shirt with a light blue sash around the middle. He wears regal gold shoulder coverings, a dark blue cape, and a dark blue turban with gold detail.

Hermione wears a long blue dress with a darker blue and gold trim at the bottom. She wears a regal gold neckpiece, necklace, and a dark blue cape. Her hair is covered with a blue fabric headpiece. At the beginning of the play, she is visibly pregnant.

Polixenes wears a gold tunic belted at the waist with a long, gold shawl that flows off the shoulders, and brown pants. He wears a gold crown.

Mamilius wears knee-length silver shorts, a white short-sleeved top, and a black and white neckpiece.

Camillo wears bright yellow pants with a bold purple and green flower pattern, a purple peplum top with colourful detail around the neckline, and a brown turban headwrap that covers his hair.

Emilia wears a long, purple patterned dress with short sleeves. Her hair is up and is wrapped in a dark purple headscarf. She wears square, black glasses.

Antigonus wears a blue sleeveless shirt, an open purple vest, and dark brown and black patterned pants. He wears a small, brown, patterned Kufi hat.

Paulina wears a knee-length red dress with a chunky beaded necklace and a large teal patterned shawl that is draped across her shoulders and arms. Her hair is up and is wrapped in a brown headscarf.

The Shepherd Mom wears a green, ankle-length dress that is belted at the waist and has teal details on the front pockets and a patterned shawl over her shoulders. She wears her hair down with a green headscarf. She carries a wooden staff.

Lil Shepherd wears a shirt of draped, dark green fabric, a brown belt, brown pants, and a green fisherman’s hat.

Time wears a gold draped dress with gold polka dots. She wears her silver hair in three buns on the top of her head with a braid down the back.

Florizell wears a light green sleeveless shirt with a brown belt and brown pants, and a dark green sash that hangs over his shoulders. He wears a light green hat that resembles a medieval Tudor hat.

Autolycus wears a sage green shift of draped fabric with a brown belt, a brown leather satchel, and brown pants. He wears a darker green scarf around his neck and a brown hat that resembles a medieval Tudor hat.

Perdita wears a short white dress with a black and white patterned neckpiece and body. She wears her hair half up and half down with a green scarf headband and a white flower crown. After the feast, she wears a longer purple dress with the same black and white neckpiece and body.