.

This is your 23rd season performing at the Stratford Festival. Can you describe what it's like to be part of one of the most successful theater events in the world?

It's heaven on a stick for someone like me. We do the best plays ever written in the world. We have a terrific loyal audience that is constantly coming to see us. It really couldn't be better.

Year after year, you probably work with a lot of the same actors at the festival. Is there a sense of family among the actors?

We have a terrific sense of family here. The company by and large, a lot of us have been here for quite some time. But every year there is new blood that comes into the company that freshens us all up. I have to say it is somewhat like a family. There is no question about that.

How did you get started in acting?

I was interested in acting for as long as I can remember. I got involved in high school and in plays there. I went to a theater department at a university. Then, I started a theater company with friends of mine--we were going to school together. I did that for a couple of years. I started to look for work elsewhere. I spent some time in New York City. I've been at the festival for 23 years, but it's been on and off. I've spent a lot of time doing other festivals and working at regional theaters across the country.

You have such a successful career in film and television as well as theater. How do you choose the roles or projects you get to work on?

It's usually opportunities that are presented to me. I don't actually spend much time going out to find the things I do. Things usually come my way now. I like to choose things that keep me broadening my horizons--things that I find intriguing as far as language goes. I'm quite interested in Shakespeare and the Elizabethans in that respect. I think there's a real satisfaction when you can take a play that was written 400 years ago and make it relevant to a modern-day audience.

What attracted you to the role of Atticus Finch?

I've been in love with Atticus Finch and To Kill a Mockingbird for as long as I can remember. My wife and my two daughters and I watch the film probably three times a year. I love the book. I just think it's a fantastic story. Everything about Atticus is something that I admire. He's the kind of person and father that I think any right-minded individual longs to be. We all wish we could be as forthright and upstanding and clear about our social tendencies as Atticus is. He is just a wonderful example of what humanity could be.

Do you have a most memorable moment or favorite scene in playing Atticus Finch?

That's a good question. Not really. There is a lot of stuff that's not in the play that I wish was in the play. But with a two-to-three hour time period it's hard to get everything from the book in there. I think the final scene when he realizes that Boo is the one who saved his family---that for me is the best point in the show. The court scene, the scenes with Scout. I really do love each and every moment of playing Atticus. It's hard to pick one particular one.

With the story being set in a small southern town in the 1930s, what kind of research did you do to prepare for this role?

I did some reading about the legal situation as regards to race in the 30s in the south. Did a lot of listening to voices so I could try to live up to the demands of the accent. I think it's interesting that he's an educated person amongst a lot of people who are less so. He has a lot of responsibility to carry for the community. I sort of focused on that more than on any sort of particular time period thing.

The relationship between Atticus and Scout is such an integral part of the story. How do you collaborate with your cast members, such as Abigail Winter-Culliford, who plays the role of Scout, to bring that dynamic to the stage?

The thing about To Kill a Mockingbird is it's really about the kids. If you don't have the kids you really don't have much of a shot at making it a successful production. We are incredibly blessed at the festival. Susan Schulman who directed the play did a fantastic job in casting the children. All of them, Abigail [Winter-Culliford], Thomas [Murray], Spencer [Walker], Cole [Heppell], Brandon [Banks], Madison [Scott-Leigh], right down the line, they all are terrific people. They have gelled together right from day one. They get along with each other. They get along with us. There has never been one moment in our rehearsal periods when anyone had a problem with there being children in the rehearsal room, or with any of the children specifically. Abigail, in particular, is a complete and utter natural. She is a joy to work with. She is a terrific actress. The most important thing about acting is listening. You can tell when your fellow actor is listening and when they are not, and Abigail is always on her toes listening to what is going on onstage. As far as collaborating with her, it's been a complete and utter joy. We have been colleagues from day one. There has never been any instance where anyone has had to patronize the children. They have just been a dream. That's the greatest part of the experience actually for me--to be able to act with kids and feel totally confident with that.

Have you had a lot of experience in acting with child actors?

I've had some. I did a television series which involved kids as well and that, too, was a wonderful experience. The little girl who was the lead in that series is still a very good friend of ours. I love working with kids.

The AnE Vibe wrote: “Peter Donaldson carried the broad shoulders of Atticus Finch within the shadow of Gregory Peck's ultimate version admirably well, after all, those are big shoes to fill." (Kindah Mardam Bey, July 15, 2007) How do you make a character like Atticus Finch your own after it has been so famously portrayed on film?

Gregory Peck is Gregory Peck. There is no way of getting around it. I have to admit that when I first contemplated playing the part that was something that I spent a fair bit of time thinking about. Ultimately, it's really a non-issue. Because when I go to the rehearsal hall and start rehearsing the play, I can only do what I do. I can't do what Gregory Peck does. So even though you might have some sleepless nights about how you are going to be compared, ultimately, it's really a non-issue. It really doesn't enter into the equation once you start to work on the play.

After a performance, what kind of feedback do you hear from the audience about the show?

The audience reaction here has been outstanding. I'm constantly stopped on the street and told they enjoyed themselves. The audiences are really, really loving the play. They really eat it up.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most-produced plays in the U.S. and widely performed by high schools. Do you have any advice for young performers currently embarking on this play?

Go watch the movie, read the book, learn as much as you can about Harper Lee. Just be true to what's on the page. That's what you always have to rely on, and that's what going to see you through your particular performances.

The story touches so many emotions and social issues that everyone can relate to, such as coming of age, human rights, living as an outsider. What do you hope the audience walks away with at the end of the show?

I agree with those aspects being part of the story. I like the loss of innocence about the story. I think everyone in the play loses some of their innocence. Boo certainly loses his mystique. Atticus almost loses his family. I think Jem and, particularly, Dill are two really good examples of that. Dill, in particular, seems to struggle with a lot of the issues in the play. That wonderful speech he has about wanting to be a clown when he grows up because there is nothing he can do about people is to me one of the greatest speeches in the play. Jem--it's wonderful to watch him develop from, at the beginning, someone who is not quite satisfied with his father as a parental figure. Throughout the play he comes to understand that he actually has one of the greatest dads in the world. It's that loss of innocence and growing up sense that all the characters have, including Atticus. You know, Atticus' realization at the end of the play is he has done exactly the opposite that he set out to do. He was setting out to keep his family safe and he ends up actually putting them in danger.

Being a veteran performer at the Stratford Festival, is there any production you were a part of that is most memorable or significant to you?

We are always trained to be in love with the roles we are playing. It's always a difficult question to answer because every time you play a part you kind of leave a little bit of yourself with the character, and a little bit of the character goes along with you. But I've had a lot of really terrific experiences here and I think Long Days Journey Into Night was a wonderful experience. Timon of Athens , Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, it goes on and on and on. Every year I'm having a great experience and that's why I've been here for 23 years. I can't find this kind of experience in any other theater company.

 

The town of Stratford seems very enchanting...The town is idyllic. The people in the town actually understand that. There is a great deal of pride and respect that the citizens of Stratford have for their city. Stratford actually is quite a flourishing community even without the festival. But the combination of the festival and that industrial base that the town has makes it quite a unique place. And the fact that there are only 35,000 people living here is really quite something. Anyone interested in coming to Stratford should not think twice about it. They should come and catch a couple of plays and take in a little of the atmosphere here. It's great.

Do you have much leisure time to enjoy the town?

Walking through downtown going to work, I see it all.

What projects will you be working on in the near future?

Not too much at the moment. We are here until the end of October. Throughout the winter there's always something that pops up. A little television here and there, but at the moment I really don't have much on the go. Looking forward to what's happening next summer because of course there is a change in artistic directorship going on at the moment, and that's big news. Richard Monette is leaving and is being replaced by Des McAnuff, Marti Maraden and Don Shipley. It's going to be quite an interesting transition to watch. I look forward to seeing what's happening next year.