50 | JUNE 8 • 2023 

A

s the Stratford Festival in 
Canada accelerates its theater 
season, audiences will see 
Sarah Orenstein in two roles, each in 
a play adapted from the original. The 
actress, in her sixth year at Stratford, 
portrays strong women — Zaira 
in Grand Magic and Helena Percy, 
Countess of Northumberland, in 
Richard II.
Orenstein, whose career has kept 
her in line with the work of her late 
mother, Joan Orenstein, has appeared 
on many live stages, in film and on 
TV in a variety of castings. Early on, 
the actress traveled to Michigan in a 
children’s theater production. 
“On the simple front of Grand Magic, 
it’s a comedy, but it’s infused with an 
investigation of some of the confusion 
of the human state, including our 
existential angst, politics and such,” 
Orenstein said of the plot that relates 
the results of a magician’s trick that 
goes awry.
“My character is a fierce woman, 
a survivor. She’s someone from the 
working classes in Italy pulling a scam 
on some of the richer people as the 

whole plot unfolds.”
The play, written by Eduardo De 
Filippo, has been translated by John 
Murrell and Donato Santeramo. 
Orenstein’s part in Richard II is 
an adaption of a man’s role into a 
woman’s role by Brad Fraser. 
“Richard II is a quite fascinating 
experiment,” Orenstein said. “It 
uses Shakespeare’s words, but the 
playwright has done a lot of editing 
and shifting of speeches to create his 
own play out of Richard II. 
“Northumberland is all about 
power. She’s trying to put who she 
believes is the right person on the 
throne. She’s one of those political 
manipulators just off of the shoulder 
of the king.
“Each woman I portray really 
represents very different energies, 
which is fun to do in a season. Zaira 
is a feminine presence in her family. 
Northumberland doesn’t pay any 
attention to her feminism; she’s a 
politician.”
As Orenstein prepared for this 
season’s work, she was pleased to 
be assigned to the Tom Patterson 

Theatre, which opened last year. 
“The new theater is a gorgeous 
building and a good place to create,” 
Orenstein said. “It has the best 
rehearsal room I think I’ve ever 
been in. You get a view of the river 
while you’re working. They’ve built 
it beautifully, and your voice carries. 
You can feel the audience wrapped 
around you.”
Orenstein, 60, has wrapped her life 
around theater. The only time she 
has taken off, other than during the 
pandemic, was several months after 
having each of her two sons, whose 
career choices lean toward digital 
initiatives.
The actress met her actor husband 
of 35 years, Richard Waugh, while 
working at the Shaw Festival in 
Canada, and she recently appeared 
with him in the movie You May Kiss the 
Bridesmaid. 
“It was one of those funny, almost- 
Hallmark films,” said Orenstein, who 
explained that her husband is now 
spending his acting time in television 
and film. “It was made during the 
pandemic, and we went to Montreal 

ARTS&LIFE
THEATER

Strong Roles
inStratford

Sarah Orenstein’s sixth 
season at the festival 
shows her versatility in 
two adapted plays. 

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Sarah Orenstein 
as Helena Percy, 
Countess of 
Northumberland, 
stars in Richard 
II at the Stratford 
Festival through 
Sept. 28.

