Two huge gifts will help launch The Spirit of the Tent Campaign for the New Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford.
Ophelia Lazaridis has announced a gift of $10-million toward the $100-million campaign.
Lazaridis has been supporting the festival for over a decade, and has been inspired by its accomplishments. She says she pledged the money because to help with the festival's efforts to expand the youth audience and education initiatives.
“This is a big day for Stratford,” said Antoni Cimolino. “We are so grateful to Ophelia for coming forward with such a remarkable gift for this important project. The Tom Patterson Theatre is one of our most treasured creative spaces, but one that is woefully inadequate for the calibre of performance and experience our patrons have come to expect. This campaign will allow us to turn it into a facility befitting the founder whose name it bears. Together with our artists, staff and most generous donors, we look forward to rekindling the infectious spirit that Tom Patterson inspired 65 years ago, a spirit that awakened a belief in Canadian creativity and changed the cultural landscape of this country.”
Board member Dan Bernstein and his wife, Clair Foerster, have pledged another $10-million to the campaign, calling the festival a remarkable theatre company with vast capabilities in performance, production, education, and cultural digital content.
As well, 10-million in additional pledges have already been received and the federal and provincial governments have committed $20-million each, so the campaign has already reached 70% of its goal.
The campaign is co-chaired by Ophelia Lazaridis and Dr. M. Lee Myers, with the Honourable Michael Meighen serving as honorary chair.
Dr. Myers, a cardiac surgeon at London Health Sciences Centre, says the campaign will lead to a stunning new facility, and fund new and expanded programs. She says that will ultimately strengthen a very important part of Canada's cultural heritage.
Michael Meighen, a lawyer and retired Senator, was a member of the festival’s board of governors from 1986 to 1997. He was chair of the festival’s Act III campaign to renew the Festival Theatre from 1995 to 1997.
“Members of the Meighen family have been supporters of the Stratford Festival for three generations,” said Meighen. “And we are proud to be involved with this newest project, which will see the Festival in an excellent position to remain a world leader in theatrical production and cultural tourism.”
Also serving as core members of the campaign are: Dan Bernstein (Westport, CT), Sylvia Chrominska (Toronto), Robert Gorlin (Northville, MI), Beth Kronfeld (Chicago), Rick Orr (Stratford), Dr. Cecil Rorabeck(London, ON), Carol Stephenson (London, ON) and Donald Woodley (Mono Township, ON).