Stratford Festival nets $250,000 in provincial funding; AD says season is off to “strong” start

The Stratford Festival has netted $250,000 in one time funding from the Province of Ontario, expected to bolster an $80 million 2025 budget and improve the festival’s marketing efforts.

CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae said, pound-for-pound, the Stratford Festival punches above its weight – which is why the Province of Ontario has awarded $250,000 to the local theatre company in one-time funding.

“Actors such as Christopher (Plummer), William Shatner, Colm Feore and Maggie Smith, to only name a few, have graced the stages of the Stratford Festival Theatre,” Rae said during the funding announcement. “And it's not only a jewel in Ontario's theatre scene, but also a major economic driver – locally, provincially and nationally contributing over $275 million in annual economic activity and now employing over 1,000 workers – and I know our provincial government continues to stand with our theatres and the larger arts and culture sector across Ontario.”

The announcement was made on June 25 in the Tom Patterson Theatre, where Rae was joined by Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, Mayor Martin Ritsma, Stratford Festival executive director Anita Gaffney and artistic director Antoni Cimolino on the Spriet Lounge stage.

Gaffney and Cimolino thanked Rae and Cho for the funding, with Cimolino in particular reminding attendees that it was actually economics that spurned the creation of the festival in 1952, rather than a pursuit of the arts.

“The artistic reasons were there, and they were very strong,” Cimolino said. “But the first impetus for the citizens of this community is they needed something to drive the economic engine of the town. And as Anita said, we have done that extremely successfully, but simultaneously, we created a theatre of national and international importance, an organization that Ontarians can be very, very proud of.”

The grant comes from the Experience Ontario Fund, a $20 million pool to support 350 arts and culture festivals and events across the province. Specifically, the festival’s funding comes from the “marquee fund,” a stream for larger organizations.

Speaking with reporters after, Cho said that Rae’s advocacy was the “majority of the reason” the marquee funding was awarded.

“But the premier also heard the business case that was being presented – that the Stratford Festival is a major economic driver. I mean, you heard the statistics, almost $300 million in economic activity, 1,500 jobs, most of those local … and arguably even more importantly than the economics of it all, it's a true source of national pride. I mean, the Stratford Festival is special.”

The $250,000 injection will go towards its marketing efforts domestically, such as billboards along Highway 401, and internationally, such as outreach in Michigan (a major market for the festival). It bolsters an $80 million 2025 budget, according to Gaffney.

Along with Cimolino, they both shared that with rising attendance and provincial support, this year is off to a “strong” start.

“The support from this government has been fantastic,” Cimolino said. “We are in fantastic shape … We’re having a very strong year. American attendance is up. It’s a terrific year.”

Last year was a different story, however. In 2024, the festival posted a $1.1 million deficit, despite cutting expenses by four per cent. Due to the financial pressure, earlier this year Cimolino publicly petitioned Stratford city council to sell the Normal School to the festival for $1, stating that while the festival couldn’t put up the capital for the building, it could be a good steward of the historic landmark.

When asked if this recent funding or the start of a successful season changes their bid for the school, Gaffney answered that they want to put their investments into more economically impactful endeavours.

“We love the Normal School, it's a treasure of the community,” Gaffney said. “It's something that is really convenient for us to have because it's right next to us, and we hope the city (is) considering the possibility of transferring it to the festival for $1. We'd like to put our resources into creating plays and attracting visitors, and we hope that that creates prosperity for the community.”

According to a 2024 impact study commissioned by the festival and undertaken by Sport Tourism Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Research Institute and the Conference Board of Canada, the festival has an economic impact of $276.7 million. In 2023, it generated $147.3 million in local spending and supported $46.2 million in federal, provincial and local taxes.