On Friday, local MPP Lisa Thompson met with representatives from the Blyth Centre for the Arts to congratulate them on the work done thanks to two grants, totalling $400,000, that it received through the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) in 2021. The organization received a $150,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant from OTF in March 2021 and a $250,000 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario and OTF later in the year. As the Blyth Festival looks toward the 2022 summer season, it is grateful for the support it has received over the last year.

“The Blyth Festival is truly a remarkable theatrical fixture in Midwestern Ontario,” said Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce. “To have a fully professional theatre, here in the heart of Ontario’s bread-basket gives our community great diversity for entertainment and tourism opportunities. I’m proud that our government is able to invest in the ingenuity, tenacity, and talent that the Blyth Centre for the Arts is fostering in Huron-Bruce.”

In 2020, OTF developed the Resilient Communities Fund grant program to help non-profits to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The focus of the grant was to help support the creation of the new outdoor Harvest Stage, and the renovation of existing infrastructure to improve health and safety for artists and employees. It also helped with the purchase of equipment for the stage, digital equipment and staffing as well.

Built and opened in 2021, the Harvest Stage is a permanent open-air, fully accessible amphitheatre with a thrust stage and audience on three sides, located at the fairgrounds in Blyth. Gil Garratt, Artistic Director of the Blyth Festival says; “This venue, which began as a COVID19 ‘pivot’, is a community building machine, a bright light in a dark time and a welcome addition to the Blyth Festival’s future.”

In the Fall, the organization received its Community Building Fund grant to help with key operating costs. This grant, being delivered for the government by OTF, is currently playing a part in helping Blyth Festival to retain staff and cover operating expenses as it continues to weather the uncertainties of COVID-19 while planning for and delivering a summer 2022 season.

The 2022 season for the Blyth Festival has been announced and will be conducted on the Harvest Stage, generously supported by all levels of Government, dozens of local sponsors and in particular, Bruce Power. See www.blythfestival.com for season information and information about ordering tickets.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit www.otf.ca to learn more.

The 2022 Season is on SALE!

Four plays on the beautiful new outdoor HARVEST STAGE from June to September.

The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey June 22-July 16

Cottagers and Indians by Drew Hayden Taylor July 21 to August 6

The Waltz by Marie Beath Badian August 11 to August 27

John Ware Reimagined by Cheryl Foggo September 1-24

Visit blythfestival.com.