Foster Festival gets $95,000 from province

A pair of provincial grants totaling $95,000 will help The Foster Festival market itself across Canada and the U.S.

On Friday the St. Catharines company, starting its second season in June, received $50,000 as part of the Celebrate Ontario initiative and $45,000 from the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund.

“Funding from both programs is earmarked for marketing the theatre festival to a broader audience,” said Foster Festival executive director Emily Oriold, adding it will give the company more “flexibility” to work with local businesses and partners.

“This is an extraordinary investment in The Foster Festival’s future by the province of Ontario.”

Devoted solely to the work of prolific Canadian playwright Norm Foster, the company debuted at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre last summer with three shows, one of them a world premiere.

Three more shows will comprise the second season, this time with two world premieres, Screwball Comedy (June 21 to July 7) and Lunenberg (Aug. 2 to 18). In-between will be Foster’s 2008 romantic comedy Old Love, July 12 to 28.

All three shows will be directed by the company’s artistic director, Patricia Vanstone.

Oriold was told of the grants over the phone from St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley, who said the “significant investments” should “greatly enhance” the culture of downtown St. Catharines.

Tickets for the Foster Festival’s second season are available at www.fosterfestival. com or 905-688-0722.