BWW News: Stratford Festival Receives a Provincial Grant to Rebuild the Tom Patterson Theatre

On Monday night, prior to the official opening of Stratford Festival's 65th season, it was formally announced that the Festival has received a Provincial Grant of $20 million to rebuild the Tom Patterson Theatre.

The Tom Patterson Theatre, which sits along the Avon River has been housed in a city-owned building. The unique, narrow shape to the building has allowed for a some creative staging of classic plays, but the Festival reports that it is reaching its limits in structural viability and so it has requested permission from the City of Stratford to build a new facility. Executive Director, Anita Gaffney comments that the Tom Patterson "has become a much-loved theatre, but it is woefully inadequate for the caliber of performance and experience [Festival] patrons have come to expect. "Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino adds: "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."

Deputy Premier of Ontario, Deb Matthews and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Eleanor McMahon made the announcement about the Provincial Grant. Says Matthews: "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." McMahon adds that "this investment will ensure that the Stratford Festival can continue providing the best experience to visitors for years to come." Cimolino echoes the desire to improve and beautify the riverfront area for generations to come by "creating a theatre in a garden setting that will be a gift to the city as we mark Canada's 150th anniversary."

A press release from the Stratford Festival indicates that the hope is for construction to begin in the fall of 2017 with the new theatre opening in 2019. This would mean that if all goes as planned, all 2018 productions would be housed in the Festival, Avon, and Studio Theatres.

Much of the information above was provided by the official press release issued by the Stratford Festival, which can be found at www.stratfordfestival.ca

Photo Credit: Erin Samuall

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