Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Stratford Festival is planning a major redevelopment of its Tom Patterson Theatre and today received an enormous endorsement from the Ontario government: a promise of $20 million in capital funding.
The announcement was made in Stratford by Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier of Ontario, and Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport, at the launch of the Festival’s 65th season.
“I am so thrilled that our government is able to make this important investment in the new Tom Patterson Theatre Centre. Supporting arts and culture across the entire province is a priority for us – the Stratford Festival is a prime example of the best that Ontario has to offer,” said MPP Matthews.
“The Stratford Festival is a premier theatre festival and cultural destination for tourists from across the province, the country, and the world. I am pleased that our government is showing its commitment to the arts by investing in the construction of the Tom Patterson Theatre Centre. This investment will ensure that the Stratford Festival can continue providing the best experience to visitors for years to come,” said MPP McMahon.
“This most generous support from the Province represents an important step forward in the rebuilding of the Tom Patterson Theatre,” said Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “We are extremely grateful for the vote of confidence in this critical project and are committed to creating a significant new asset for the City and the Province, one that will pay dividends culturally and economically for decades to come.”
For 45 years the Tom Patterson Theatre has been housed in a City-owned building. Sadly, that building is approaching its limit as a viable structure so the Festival is requesting permission from the City of Stratford to build a new facility on the riverside site, one that will rival some of the most beautiful theatres in the world.
“Our dream is to create a jewel on the Avon, a new theatre with all the treasured intimacy of the existing Tom Patterson Theatre but with improvements that will allow us to explore exciting new creative avenues. It would include much-needed facilities for digital media and education activities, as well as space that will allow the Forum and our new-play Laboratory to flourish,” said Mr. Cimolino.
“And, just as important, we would like to enhance our beautiful riverfront for future generations by creating a theatre in a garden setting that will be a gift to the city as we mark Canada’s 150th anniversary.”
A new facility is crucially important to the future success of the Festival, which contributes almost $164 million to the economy’s gross domestic product each year.
“The Stratford Festival began leasing the current space on a temporary basis 45 years ago,” said Executive Director Anita Gaffney. “It has become a much-loved theatre, but it is woefully inadequate for the caliber of performance and experience our patrons have come to expect.
“It is important for the festival to plan beyond present needs. We must consider the audiences and artists of the future in order to be an even more vibrant contributor to the cultural landscape of the country and the economic success of the city of Stratford.”
Productions are severely constrained by the venue’s shortcomings and the Festival has been advised that the current structure is not only unable to support such improvements as a larger lighting rig, but it is also too fragile to withstand renovation.
Before the project proceeds, the Festival must secure further funding from the federal government and private donors. The project hinges on ensuring that the current users of the adjoining community centre are accommodated, as well as on approval from the City of Stratford, which will not have any financial obligation for the new building.
Ideally the Festival would like to see construction begin in the fall of 2017, with the new Tom Patterson Theatre opening in 2019. This scenario would see productions for the 2018 season mounted in the Festival, Avon and Studio theatres. However, there are a number of hurdles to jump before ground is broken.
2017-05-30
Stratford: Province promises $20 million toward rebuilding of Tom Patterson Theatre