STRATFORD, Ontario, April 7, 2010 - On behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Gary Schellenberger, Member of Parliament (Perth-Wellington), today announced additional funding for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. With this funding, the Government is fulfilling commitments made in 2009 in Canada's Economic Action Plan .
Our Government proudly supports culture and strongly believes in fostering tomorrow's great artists,
said Minister Moore. That is why we have invested more in arts and culture than any Canadian government in history. We are committed to giving artists all the tools they need to succeed.
We are happy to make a difference in the lives of future generations of artists,
said Mr. Schellenberger. Thanks to the dedication of organizations like the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, many talented actors can now pursue their dream of a professional artistic career, and emerging directors will receive valuable training in directing theatre productions in quality facilities.
The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival is the only program in Canada that concentrates exclusively on assisting actors in the interpretation of classical text. Through classes in voice, movement, text, and other disciplines, the 18- to 20-week program prepares young actors for the rigours and requirements of acting in classical theatre. The participants are then hired by the Festival to take part in the following season's productions.
The Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction will train a number of early- and mid-career directors from across Canada. They will work at the Festival as assistant directors and, through master classes, lectures, and classroom seminars, will explore the specific textual, vocal, and physical skills used in bringing classical plays to the stage.
It is crucial that we use the unmatched talent and artistic resources of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival to develop the skills of emerging Canadian theatre artists,
said Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Festival. The Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction, together with the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre, will allow us to train the actors and directors in state-of-the-art facilities; they will carry our traditions forward and contribute to the evolution of stagecraft in the 21 st century. We are grateful to the Government for providing the financial resources needed to pursue these significant projects.
Thanks to the Economic Action Plan, an additional $150,000 in funding will be added to the $150,000 that the Stratford Shakespeare Festival is already receiving for 2009-2010 through the Canada Arts Training Fund , bringing the total funding for this year to $300,000.
The Government is also providing $350,000 to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Sound and Sustainability project through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund . The project will enhance the physical conditions in three theatre spaces by upgrading sound and speaker systems.
The Government is providing $20 million over two years for training in the arts sector through Canada's Economic Action Plan. The budget has risen from $17.1 million to $24.1 million per year, an increase of 41 percent. The increased funding will be provided on an ongoing basis. The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund is also benefiting from additional funding of $60 million over two years, doubling its budget in 2009-2010 and extending it to 2010-2011.
The Canada Arts Training Fund (formerly the National Arts Training Contribution Program) offers funding to non-profit Canadian professional arts training institutions for training of the highest calibre. With the success they achieve, artists trained in schools that receive support from the Fund provide outstanding cultural leadership.
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (formerly known as Cultural Spaces Canada) seeks to improve physical conditions for artistic creativity and arts presentation or exhibition. It is also designed to increase access for Canadians to performing arts, visual arts, media arts, museum collections, and heritage displays.
Matthew Deacon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister
of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
matthew.deacon@pch.gc.ca
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca
