Ted McGee, U of Waterloo
Juliet’s Dresses: the Stratford Festival, Politics, and “True Beauty”

This paper begins with one of the special collections in the archives of the Stratford Festival, that of the dresses worn by the Juliets at the Capulet balls presented on Stratford Festival stages from 1961 to 2002. These dresses provide specific, material evidence of a crucial theatrical moment, when Romeo, gazing upon Juliet as “true beauty,” falls in love with her at first sight. These dresses are also part of the visual language by which both the development of Juliet’s character and her relationships with other women are established. This paper studies four Juliets: Julie Harris (1961), Louise Marleau (1968), Susan Coyne (1987), and Megan Follows (1992)—actors who themselves engage with issues related to the modern construction and reception of “true beauty.”