One of Stratford’s biggest economic drivers is getting a funding boost.

Stan Cho, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and gaming, announced Friday that the Stratford Festival will be receiving a $250,000 grant from the Experience Ontario 2025 fund.

Cho, who made the announcement at the Tom Patterson Theatre, noted the Festival – beyond its economic contributions, which were estimated at more than $276 million in 2023 – is living proof of Ontario’s rich arts and culture sector.

“I think without the arts and culture, we’re not very human at all, and that’s why our government is proud to support, through Experience Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council, various festivals and events throughout the province,” he said.

The Experience Ontario fund comes at a time when the Canadian way of life and the country’s prosperity are being threatened by the volatile policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, Cho said.

Cho, who made the announcement at the Tom Patterson Theatre, noted the Festival – beyond its economic contributions, which were estimated at more than $276 million in 2023 – is living proof of Ontario’s rich arts and culture sector.

“I think without the arts and culture, we’re not very human at all, and that’s why our government is proud to support, through Experience Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council, various festivals and events throughout the province,” he said.

The Experience Ontario fund comes at a time when the Canadian way of life and the country’s prosperity are being threatened by the volatile policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, Cho said.

Artistic director Antoni Cimolino said the Festival has the “responsibility” of selling 7,000 every day during the city’s peak tourism season.

“We take our economic role in this community very seriously. As a matter of fact, this theatre was started in 1952 for the economic development of this community. It wasn’t started for artistic reasons. The artistic reasons were there, and they were very strong, but the first impetus for the citizens of this community is they needed something to drive the economic engine of the town,” he said.

Although the Festival announced a significant deficit of $1.1 million in 2024, Friday’s announcement was not emergency funding made in response, Cho said in a later interview.

“If you want to call it a response to something, it is the fact that the Stratford Festival is a cultural and artistic icon in our country, and we’re proud to support that,” he said.

The Festival is in strong shape and is actually seeing an increase in visitors this season from the United States, Cimolino said, but declined to give specific numbers, promising they would share accurate figures at a later date.

“It’s a terrific year, and what I think investment tends to do wisely is leverage success,” Cimolino said.

Funding comes at a time when the Festival is looking to extend their 2025 season, executive director says.

Announced in January, the Experience Ontario 2025 fund is investing nearly $20 million in 350 events and festivals across the province.

By Bill Atwood for www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.

Photo: Stratford’s Festival Theatre. © 2020 Howard Clarke.