How do you bring a 1905 play into the present without losing its punch? In this episode, director Peter Hinton-Davis and designer Gillian Gallow share their creative process behind Major Barbara at the Shaw Festival, from deep research and instinctive design to the urgent questions that make Shaw’s satire feel startlingly relevant in 2025.

Together, they explore what it means to approach a George Bernard Shaw play as living, political theatre that challenges audiences not just to watch, but to reflect.

Peter Hinton-Davis is an award-winning director and dramaturg who has led productions across Canada, including The Shadow of a Doubt, Sex, An Octoroon, and Cabaret at the Shaw Festival. He served as Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre from 2005 to 2012, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Gillian Gallow is a Siminovitch Prize–winning designer whose work at the Shaw Festival includes An Octoroon, The Devil’s Disciple, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Shadow of a Doubt. She has designed for major companies including the Canadian Opera Company, Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Tickets to all of our shows are available now at shawfest.com.

Hosted by Alexis Milligan
Produced by Kelly Wong
Original Music by Travis Seetoo

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