Stratford Festival in gets record donation

The Stratford Festival announced Wednesday it has received its largest single donation, a pledge of $10 million or about $7.8 million US, from its board chairman, Dan Bernstein, and his wife, Claire Foerster. The donation is intended to help pay for a new theatre space to replace the 46-year-old Tom Patterson Theatre Centre. “Dan and Claire’s remarkable gift is an incredible endorsement of the vision we have for the future of the Stratford Festival,” said the festival’s artistic director, Antoni Cimolino. Bernstein and Foerster are residents of Connecticut, where Bernstein is senior strategist and director of Bridgewater Associates, a hedge fund. The Stratford Festival is the largest nonprofit classical repertory theatre in North America. In 2016, it attracted more than 500,000 visitors. In addition to the pledge by Bernstein and Foerster, the provincial government has promised $20 million for the project. The federal government is reviewing a request from the festival for a similar amount. The plans for the new theatre, unveiled in August with a design by the Canadian architect Siamak Hariri, await approval from the city of Stratford; a city council vote is expected by the end of November. The festival estimates that the new theater will cost $60 million and a fundraising campaign to meet that total and establish a fund for future operating costs is set to begin if the plans are approved.