Marking the 400th anniversary of the publication of two of the most significant texts in the English language, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts and the Shakespeare Globe Centre of Canada present a Festival in celebration of the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare.

Performers at The Word Festival include the Resident Artists of the Young Centre and Soulpepper Theatre Company, alongside renowned international performers, presenters and artists.

Word Festival Events:

Toronto’s Elmer Iseler Singers, a twenty-voice professional chamber choir, present a rich collection of music inspired by the King James Bible. Albert Schultz narrates, with Gene DiNovi on piano and Dave Young on bass.
Buy Tickets: Fri. November 25 at 8:00pm

Stage and screen star Kenneth Welsh presents a staged reading of The Gospel According to Mark, created for The Word Festival. Featuring: Kenneth Welsh.
Buy Tickets: Fri. November 25 at 7:45pm, Sun. November 27 at 2:00pm

Direct from Off Broadway, Raoul Bhaneja returns to Toronto for this first time since 2006 with his solo take on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Developed over six years including a residency at Shakespeare's Globe with Tony Award winner Mark Rylance, Hamlet (solo) has been performed over 100 times across Canada, the UK and in New York. Bhaneja and Brooklyn-based director Robert Ross Parker, a 2010 Obie winner, create an intimate take on a classic. Featuring: Raoul Bhaneja.
Buy Tickets: Sat. November 26 at 2:30pm, Sun. November 27 at 6:30pm

The collision between the artistic and the academic is a vital element to our understanding of dramatic texts, and as the recent release of the film Anonymous has proven, the gap between scholars and performers can often seem unassailable. Or is it? Join Professor Jill L. Levenson (editor of the Oxford Shakespeare edition of Romeo and Juliet) and Dr. Toby Malone (Soulpepper Resident Dramaturg and Shakespearean scholar), in discussion over the state of Global Shakespeares and the performance of academic texts. Featuring: Toby Malone and Jill Levenson.
Free Event! Fri. November 25 at 6:30pm

Canada’s leading comedy troupe The National Theatre of the World presents Impromptu Splendor, their award-winning improvised play series. At The Word Festival, the group will improvise a never before seen play based on The King James Bible and The Collected Works of William Shakespeare. Featuring: Matt Baram, Naomi Sniecku and Ronald Pederson.
Buy Tickets: Fri. November 25 at 10:00pm, Sun. November 27 at 4:45pm

An epic adventure that will change the way you look at Shakespeare forever. In this dark tale, the Bard's most famous heroes embark upon a journey to discover a long-lost soul. Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Romeo and Puck search for a reclusive wizard who may have the ability to assist them in their battle against the evil forces led by Richard III, Lady Macbeth and Iago. That reclusive wizard? William Shakespeare. Based on the award-winning graphic novels the Kill Shakespeare performance will use an innovative mix of comic art, live reading and music to tell the tale of the "Wizard Shakespeare" in a way you’ve never before seen on stage. Featuring: Anthony Del Col, John Jarvis, Toby Malone, Conor McCreery, Michelle Monteith, Gregory Prest, Rich Roberts, Andre Sills, Brendan Wall and Sarah Wilson.
Buy Tickets: Sat. November 26 at 8:00pm, Sun. November 27 at 4:15pm

The KJV: The Bible Show is a quirky theatrical examination of the definitive English translation of the Good Book on its 400th anniversary year. Collectively created, it is a personal and reflective compilation of songs, vignettes, facts and stories that explores the relevance of the King James Bible to the lives of four contemporary Christian theatre artists. Creators Ins Choi, Arthur Wachnik, Rebecca Davey and Kristopher Van Soelen leave no page unturned in their quest to understand what makes this collection of words like no other. Featuring: Ins Choi, Rebecca Davey, Kristopher Van Soelen and Arthur Wachnik. Directed by Tom Carson.
Buy Tickets: Sat. November 26 at 6:45pm, Sun November 27 at 8:45pm

A live-streamed reading of the King James Bible kicks off the Festival on Thursday, November 24 and continues in the Young Centre atrium over the weekend. Once the Festival begins, the reading can be followed online 24 hours a day.
Free Event! Watch online beginning Thu. November 24 at 3:00pm

Mike Ross and Derek Boyes bring their popular talk show cabaret, Saturday Night at the Young, to the Word Festival to celebrate the performers from the festival and perhaps meet some historical figures who can share their knowledge of Shakespeare and the Bible in conversation and song. Featuring: Derek Boyes and Mike Ross.
Free Event! Sat. November 26 at 9:45pm

Legendary actor Kenneth Welsh brings his Cabaret-style comedic recitation of Shakespearian texts to The Word Festival. Originally created with director Mike Nichols, the show features Welsh as Shakespeare (as a standup comedian), and includes live song, puppetry, and audience participation based on Shakespeare's greatest works. The two special presentations of Stand Up Shakespeare at The Word Festival include accompaniment from the multi-talented Mike Ross. Featuring: Mike Ross and Kenneth Welsh.
Buy Tickets: Sat. November 26 at 6:45pm, Sun. November 27 at 6:15pm

The Young Centre’s Resident Artists present two, free, open studio showcases of a new multidisciplinary work based on the Song of Solomon. Featuring: Ken MacKenzie, John Millard, Aline Morales, Andrea Nann, Patricia O'Callaghan and Gregory Oh.
Free Event! Sat. November 26 at 8:15pm, Sun. November 27 at 6:30pm