The Stratford Festival has announced its first corporate donor for the new Tom Patterson Theatre Centre.
BMO Financial Group, one of the Festival's founding partners, has committed $1.5 million to the project. The donation will be earmarked for the naming of the BMO Box Office at the new Centre.
"We have been a proud supporter of the Stratford Festival for over six decades," said Julie Barker-Merz, senior vice-president, South Western Ontario, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We are excited to be part of the campaign for the new theatre, which will enhance the audience experience, and enable the festival to explore new creative avenues and continue to maintain its reputation as a leading global cultural institution."
The $100 million Spirit of the Tent Campaign was launched back in January. It will provide the capital for the facility currently under construction on Lakeside Drive in Stratford.
The Theatre Centre is scheduled to open for the 2020 season and will house the Stratford Festival Forum and Laboratory, as well as new play development, education and digital initiatives.
"BMO is the bank of record for the Stratford Festival," says Executive Director Anita Gaffney, "and also our most faithful corporate partner, with a relationship stretching back 66 years. BMO supported not only Tom Patterson's dream, but also many of our staged productions and some of our most important audience-building initiatives over the years. We are extremely grateful to BMO for this most recent gift and delighted to have them with us for this thrilling new project."
