Budget includes $15 million for Shaw
If approved, money would go toward festival’s new education and social outreach campaign
The festival finished last season with a $5.7-million deficit as it continued struggling with reduced audiences since the pandemic
The Shaw Festival is hoping millions of dollars from the federal government takes the sting out of a rough season in 2023.
Canada’s 2024 budget announced last week includes $38 million earmarked for two institutions — $23 million (over three years) for Toronto International Film Festival and $15 million in 2024-25 for Shaw.
The funds would go toward the festival’s new All Together Now expansion campaign.
Shaw executive director Tim Jennings said the campaign, which hasn’t yet been formally announced, aims to strengthen theatre’s social and education benefits while also improving housing for cast members within Niagara-onthe-Lake.
But he’s not celebrating until the budget is passed, which could take weeks.
“I’m curious to hear from them, ultimately, when the budget passes what their focal priorities are for this money,” he said.
He stressed the funds would not be directed toward more performers or bigger budgets.
“This money is not operational,” he said. “It’s for capital projects.
“In the long term, all of this work that we’re doing has an effect on what we are able to do on stage, but in a direct funding way, none of this money’s for operations. It doesn’t help our previous deficit situation.”
The festival finished last season with a $5.7-million deficit as it continued struggling with reduced audiences since the pandemic.
Adding to the festival’s struggles, its historic Royal George Theatre is in dire need of upgrades. The 109year-old venue on Queen Street in
Niagara-on-the-Lake was forced to cancel several performances last year due to flooding.
Jennings said when he first joined Shaw in 2015, he read an engineering report that said the Royal George should be closed in 10 years.
The report was already 10 years old at the time.
“Our thought is, we can continue to mitigate maybe as long as another season,” he said.
“But really, by the end of 2025, if we don’t have a way forward, we’re going to have to close it while we figure that out.”
Jennings said the George’s fate rests on how much funding can be raised to save it.
About 100,000 people attend performances in the theatre throughout the season, creating $70 million in economic impact for the area.
“We don’t want to see that go. We want to do everything we can to stop that.
“But at a certain point, it’s just throwing money down a well. As a charity, we can’t do that.”