Stage Door News
Toronto: The Toronto Arts Council cuts funding for Theatre Smith-Gilmour
Monday, December 23, 2024
This year has been a mixture of bad news and wonderful news. We felt let down, to say the least when we learned that the Toronto Arts Council is cutting us off operating funding after 40 years of creating theatre, touring, performing for audiences and contributing to Toronto’s cultural life. On the other hand good news came from Tamara Bernstein and the Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation who, unhappy with the TAC's decision, has done a matching campaign this year of $25,000 to ensure that we can continue to create our unique 'theatre that moves'.
This year we have been creating a new show called Pu Songling: Strange Tales, in collaboration with a talented group of Chinese/Canadian colleagues. We were invited to do a one week residency at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre and the show blossomed.
Now here we are, the dawn of a new year upon us, we feel great about having a new show that beautifully captures the essence of our vision.
With the support of Tamara Bernstein, our board of directors and of course you, our community, we feel held and seen. We're not ready to kick the bucket, in fact we feel our best years are ahead of us. So here we go 2025, with a run of Pu Songling: Strange Tales in sight at Crow’s Theatre, workshops for actors of all stages, a new project, our curiosity and gumption, we're excited about what's next and appreciate you coming along the way with us all these years.
Happy Holidays to you and a very Happy New Year! - Dean and Mimi
Double Your Impact
A big thank you to the generous support of the Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation for the opportunity to do a matching campaign this year. This is a great time to double the impact of your gift. The foundation will match, dollar for dollar, every donation up to a cumulative total of $25,000. With your support and generosity, I'm sure we'll meet that goal by the end of the campaign on December 31st.
"I'm delighted to offer matching funds for Theatre Smith-Gilmour’s year-end fundraising appeal. It's a way of thanking Dean and Mimi for all that they've contributed to Toronto over the years: the creative ebullience, the boundary-pushing, the integrity, the magic and the humanity that have touched so many. And together, we can help ensure that they can keep creating and sharing their wonderful productions. The Toronto Arts Council is cutting TSG off from operational funding at the end of the 2024-2025 season – a decision I find unfathomable, to say the least. I've written a strong letter of objection to the TAC."
-Tamara Bernstein (Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation)
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Photo: Dean Gilmour and Michelle Smith. © 2024.