Marti Maraden: Artistic director and Stratford Festival actor dies aged 78

Canadian actor and filmmaker Marti Maraden passed away on August 31, 2023 (June 22, 1945). She was born in El Centro, California, emigrated to Canada in 1968, and in the 1970s she rose to prominence as an actor at the Stratford Festival.

From 1997 to 2006, Maraden served as the artistic director of the National Arts Centre English Theatre in Ottawa. The National Arts Centre co-founded the Magnetic North Theatre Festival when she was in this position and as a result of her actions in that capacity.

In 2006, Richard Monette was succeeded as creative director of the Stratford Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, by Maraden. Until the three of them were forced to part ways due to creative disagreements, Maraden worked as one of a three-person artistic team at Stratford, unlike previous artistic directors. The team also featured co-directors Des McAnuff and Don Shipley.

Marti Maraden: Artistic director and Stratford Festival actor dies aged 78

Marti Maraden, 78, who was the creative director, actor, and director of the Stratford Festival, passed away on Thursday after unexpectedly becoming unwell while visiting family in Sweden, according to festival staff. Maraden joined the festival in 1974 as an actress.