Stratford artistic director Richard Monette announced a partial list of 2006 plays on June 27.

Oliver!, at the mainstage Festival Theatre, will be directed by Donna Feore, a Stratford veteran who, like husband Colm, has worked 14 seasons at the famed festival in Ontario.

Colm Feore will also play the title roles in the Shakespearean drama Coriolanus and in Molière's Don Juan, which will have performances in English and French.

"I had the pleasure of directing Colm as Cassius in Julius Caesar, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew and, most recently, as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady in 2002," Monette said. "He's one of the great actors to have come through the ranks at Stratford. He is equally at home in Shakespearean dramas, comedies and musicals. Next year, in his 15th season, he will have the chance to showcase these abilities as he plays in all three."

The musical Oliver!, based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," has book, lyrics and music by Lionel Bart. Also on the Festival Theatre stage in 2006 will be Coriolanus, directed by the Festival's executive director, Antoni Cimolino.

Opening at the Avon Theatre later in the year will be Don Juan by Molière, with performances planned in both English and French. It will be directed by Lorraine Pintal, artistic and managing director of Montreal's Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, which will remount this production after its Stratford run.

Joining Don Juan at the Avon Theatre will be Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific. The creative team for this musical, with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan, is not yet confirmed.

Further play choices for the 2006 season, as well as additional casting, will be announced later in the year.

For more information about the Straford Festival visit www.stratfordfestival.ca.