08/13/2025
✨With Deep Gratitude to Our Co-Artistic Producers ✨
As the inaugural season of the Great Works Theatre Festival draws to a close, we honour the two architects and visionaries whose shared passion, artistry, and leadership brought this dream to life: Brian Richmond and Mercedes Bátiz-Benét.
Between them, Brian and Mercedes brought decades of theatrical experience, artistic leadership, and a deep love of the stage to the creation of this festival. From the earliest planning stages, they worked side by side to shape the vision, secure its home at the Belfry, assemble the extraordinary ensemble, and guide every artistic and logistical detail of its first season.
Imagining and bringing to life something new is always an act of courage. To shape something of this scope and magnitude — especially something never before seen in this city — is nothing short of remarkable. It takes vision, persistence, and hard, unrelenting work. It means facing countless unknowns, solving problems as they come, and holding fast to a dream until it stands on its own.
From conceiving the festival artistically to overseeing every element of its production, Brian and Mercedes guided the creative and logistical planning, secured funding and sponsorships, contracted and supported artists and crew, built the festival’s visual identity, handled marketing and publicity, managed budgets and administration, liaised with partners and the venue, coordinated hospitality, and ensured that every detail — from first rehearsal to final curtain — was handled with care. Their work touched every corner of the festival, creating a space where artists could thrive and audiences could gather in connection, artistry, and welcome.
Brian directed La Bête with wit, precision, and daring — transforming it into an exuberant high-wire act of language and theatrical bravado that delighted audiences and showcased the company’s range. Mercedes conceived, adapted, and directed Blood Wedding: The Forest Remembers — a haunting, ritual-rich reimagining of Lorca’s classic, infused with poetry, movement, and ancestral memory.
Brian and Mercedes — your vision, tireless dedication, and belief in what this festival could be have made its first season not only possible, but unforgettable. We are grateful beyond words.
