The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
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ANNUAL
REPORT
PREPARED BY
THE NORM FOSTER
THEATRE FESTIVAL
www.fosterfestival.com
5 Race Street, Upstairs, St. Catharines, ON L2R 3M1
OUR
FESTIVAL
OUR MISSION
The Foster Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of
internationally renowned Canadian playwright Norm Foster. It is our
mission to showcase the heart and humour of Foster’s writing in a
dedicated environment employing the finest Canadian theatre
practitioners, and to foster and support emerging and established
Canadian playwrights interested in stories that are entertaining but
also deeply meaningful to and reflective of our audience.
NORM FOSTER'S PLAYS
Norm Foster is renowned for his ability to examine extraordinary moments
in the lives of ordinary Canadians. As always, Norm says it best, “I think for
the most part, they’re about ordinary people just trying to get by in life. I never
set out with a monumental purpose in mind. I’m not trying to teach an audience
a lesson or pass along some profound message, because I don’t think I’m
qualified. What I am trying to do is make them feel a little better about this
world, and that’s not easy these days”. Watching a Foster play, you feel that
his characters are people you really know. It is not an accident that he is
the most beloved and popular playwright in Canada. His stories are laughout-loud
funny while delivering tremendous heart and depth.
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
OUR
STAFF
MESSAGE FROM OUR
ARTISTIC PRODUCER
This past year has been filled with change and feels like a transitional moment for
us. In what seems like an intermission between acts, we are using this pause in
production to review, restructure and rehearse for what may come. We have yet
to learn or fully appreciate the true impact that COVID-19 has had on our
performing arts institutions and our artists. Only time will tell.
In this report , you will learn more about the Economic & Social Impact The Foster
Festival, and the Arts Industry as a whole, has on our local communities and the
importance of that impact. Whatever comes next for our industry The Foster
Festival will persevere, continuing our commitment to our artists, our audiences
and our community.
Emily Oriold
MESSAGE FROM OUR BUSINESS MANAGER
Thirty-two years ago I sat in a dark theatre. The town, Niagara-on-the-Lake, the
theatre, The Royal George, and the play -- J.B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner.
The show begins in darkness with a muffled gunshot and a scream. Lights
come up to reveal a drawing-room at a stylish country retreat. Four women
are seated listening to a radio play. A chance remark ignites a series of
devastating admissions, the disclosure of which, has tragic consequences. The
play ends with time slipping back to the start of the evening, the chance
remark not being made, the secrets stay hidden and the ‘dangerous corner’
avoided. I thought about that play early in my work to help the Foster Festival
recover from several unexpected events. But, like the play, we managed to
rewind time.
Now, COVID 19, the latest dangerous corner. As the lights come up on our
return to normal, Norm Foster’s newest world premiere is the only thing we
know for certain. There will be laughs, there will be comedy, there may even be
a gunshot and a scream!
Candice Turner-Smith
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
01
OUR
FESTIVAL FACTS
FOSTER FESTIVAL FACTS
12,000 Tickets
1000 Volunteer Hours
$2 million Economic Impact
8 World Premieres over 4 seasons
First producer of all future Foster World Premieres
Member of the Professional Association of Canadian
Theatres (PACT)
Fully engaged community partner with Arts Outreach
Programs supporting the Kirsten French Child Advocacy
Centre, the Niagara Children's Centre, Bethlehem
Housing & Support Services, the Ozanam Centre and the
Walker Family Cancer Centre
If laughter is the best medicine,
you will have your measure and more!
- Terry B., St. Catharines, ON
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
02
OUR 2019
SEASON
THE SHOWS
THE ARTISTS
Theatre - Recital Hall, FirstOntario
Performing Arts Centre in
St. Catharines, ON
The Writer - World Premiere
Hilda's Yard - Greatest Hit
Beside Myself - World Premiere
The Writer
Guy Bannerman
Hilda's Yard
Daniel Briere
Amaka Umeh
Darren Keay
Jamie Williams
Norm Foster
Patricia Vanstone
Erin MacKinnon
For the first time, we also offered a
Holiday Family Show! The World
Premiere of Aunt Agnes For
Christmas which played to over
80% houses.
Beside Myself
Breton Lalama
Gabrielle Jones
Griffin Hewitt
Johnathan Whittaker
Visit Niagara and take in The Foster Festival in St. Catharines.
The theatre itself is gorgeous and elegant and the Norm Foster
play was a big treat. We were blown away by the whole
experience. Restaurant options close by were abundant, we
can't wait for the next play!
- Karen K., Toronto, ON
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
03
OUR 2019
FINANCIALS
FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
04
OUR 2019
FINANCIALS
Continued...
In 2019, The Foster Festival changed its fiscal year-end from September
30 to December 31 to better reflect the programming year which now
includes a December offering. Therefore, the 2019 Audited Financial
Statements reflect a 15-month financial year.
This 15 months of financials also explains the 46% increase in 2019
revenues and expenses in comparison to the previous two years.
In 2019 we produced a total of 4 productions including a new Holiday
Family show, Aunt Agnes For Christmas by Norm Foster. The show ran to
80% houses which definitely contributed to a surplus at year-end.
In past seasons what has remained one of the biggest challenges for the
organization is only having one full-time administrative employee
(Executive Director) and one part-time employee (Group Sales Manager)
executing the day to day operations. This meant that during the summer
season, administrative staff were working upwards of 80 hours/week,
creating an environment for staff burnout.
With a desire to amend this staffing challenge, the organization has
taken this time during the COVID-19 shutdown to form a new
restructuring model that can be found on page 10 of this report.
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
05
OUR
IMPACT
According to Statistics Canada, the Live Performing Arts industry in Ontario
generates over $2.5 Billion in direct annual income and leverages more than $12
Billion in additional economic impact.
In 2013, the Niagara Region commissioned an Economic Impact study and found
that the Arts & Culture sector in Niagara has an impact of $565 million.
With the addition of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and The Foster
Festival in downtown St. Catharines in 2016, these numbers have significantly
grown over the last four years.
More than 55% of Ontarians attend plays or musicals every year, with live
performing arts attendance – plays, concerts, dance, etc - outstripping in person
attendance at sporting events.
Since its 2016 inaugural season, The Foster Festival has increased its Economic
Impact from $550,000 to over $2 million. Foster Festival audiences have increased
from 5,000 in 2016 to 12,000 in 2019.
The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres has predicted it will take arts
organizations 3 to 5 years to get back to their pre-COVID earned revenues.
The Arts & Culture industry, however, means more to our communities than just
numbers. It's a way for us to connect to our audiences through laughter, through
storytelling, and through heartfelt shared experiences that we find ourselves
reflecting on long after the final bow. Arts & Culture deepens our connection to
one another and enriches our lives.
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
06
OUR
AUDIENCE
Because we did not see an increase in audience numbers in our summer season
(8,500 in 2018 and same in 2019), our audience demographics have not changed
and the percentages remain the same from year to year.
Our Artist Talk Back Series was again a great success for the Festival. This series
continues to be an attractive perk for our audiences, giving them an opportunity
to interact with our artists and ask questions about the show following a
performance. We hosted twenty-three (23) Artist Talk Backs in 2019.
"Norm Foster's plays are like peeling
an onion. They address layers of
topics such as homosexuality,
homophobia, racism, misogyny,
orphanism, missed opportunities,
teen pregnancy, abandonment,
family breakups, unfaithfullness,
death and yet all interjected with so
much mirth. These are very human
plays with a very realistic plot and a
beautiful message exposed once the
onion is all peeled."
100+km & Canada
30.9%
International
4.5%
Niagara
64.6%
-Wendy K., Hamilton, ON
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
07
OUR
OUTREACH
While our primary function is to deliver top-notch theatre to
audiences from Niagara and beyond, we are wholeheartedly
invested in our community here in St Catharines.
Mayor Sendzik’s challenge to create a #CompassionateSTC resonated deeply and
we have focused our outreach on marginalized populations within our city and
region. Our outreach program, called The Drama Club, continues to meet the
needs of children and youth who experience difficulties in their young lives by
offering extracurricular arts enrichment in partnership with other Not-for-Profits.
Our partnership with the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre of Niagara
continued to grow and expanded with programming for girls 8 – 11 (Cathy’s Kids).
The Foster Festival offered and led three 12-week sessions for girls who have
experienced abuse. We offered two 6-week sessions of Drama Club at the Niagara
Children’s Centre for children with disabilities.
Our Youth Drama Club program provided over 100 hours of free arts enrichment
throughout the year and contracted more than 20 regional artists in the delivery
of this drama enrichment programming.
Originally funded by a seed grant from the Wise Guys Charity Fund in 2017, The
Foster Festival continues to able to provide complimentary tickets to any Foster
Festival performance to members of our community who may not be able to
attend otherwise due to social or economic disadvantage. Since 2017, over 300
community members have been able to see our shows through our Local Hero
Program. Partnering organizations for this program include Bethlehem Housing
and Support Services, the Ozanam Centre and the Walker family Cancer
Centre.
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
08
OUR BOARD &
KEY PERSONNEL
2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers
Glen McCann - Chair
Robin McPherson - Treasurer
Deborah Slade - Vice Chair
Rod Hollick - Secretary
Directors
Tom Arkell
Adam Bornstein
Alison Buchanan
Renata Difilippo
David Hulley
Annalisa Medina
Paddy Parr
Bill Ralph
2019 KEY PERSONNEL
Support Staff
Lou Bradley, Group Sales Manager &
Volunteer Coordinator
Tracy Bush, Lounge Manager
Production Team
David Costello, Production Manager
Pip Bradford, Production Manager
Ryan Mahon, Head Carpenter
Kassidy Noble, Properties & Scenic Painter
Alexa Fraser, Wardrobe & Properties
James McCoy, Wardrobe Coordinator
Aaron Millward, Craftsperson
Whitney Braybrook-Byl, Craftsperson
Creative Team
Patricia Vanstone, Artistic Director
Jim Mezon, Director
Peter Hartwell, Set & Costume Designer
Chris Malkowski, Lighting Designer
Stage Management Team
Carolyn Mackenzie, Stage Manager
Sam Hale, Stage Manager
Barb McLean, Stage Manager
Melanie Coomber, Apprentice SM
Stephen Pike, Apprentice SM
Noa Katz, Apprentice SM
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
09
NEW
STRUCTURE
Our 2020 Season was postponed due to COVID-19. On March 17, 2020, the
Provincial Government of Ontario declared a state of emergency forcing theatres
and arts venues to close their doors across the province. It became noticeably clear
that this state of emergency would not be lifted quickly, so the Board of Directors of
The Foster Festival made the difficult decision to postpone our 2020 Season.
During this time, the organization has taken the opportunity to restructure the
management roles at The Foster Festival. The restructuring model is as follows:
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
10
THANK
YOU
OUR HEARTFELT MEMBERS
Five Hearts
$5,000+
Four Hearts
$2,000-$4,999
Three Hearts
$1,000-$1,999
Emily Oriold
Two Hearts
$500-$999
Lou Bradley
Norm Foster
Patricia Vanstone
Dawn Jacklin
Glen McCann
Annalisa Medina
Allen & Barb McCormick
Catherine Oriold
Deborah Slade
Candice Turner-Smith
Tom Arkell
Edith Bacon
Connie Buis
Sis Bunting-Weld
Marilyn Dickinson
Renata Difilippo
Anne Kemp
Dan & Arthea Lucas
Lisa Matheson
Brian & Paddy Parr
One Heart
$250-$499
Susan Anderson
Ron & Jan Ashenhurst
Carol Baggot-Forte
Adam Bornstein
James Bradley
Alison Buchanan
Raplay Bunting
Kathy & Mike Burtnik
Paul Chapman
Catherine Clarkson
Marnie Collins
Cathy Comerford
Rob & Carolyn Culliton
Carolyn Dittmar
Carman & Jackie Dix
George & Kim Doros
Rosemary Drage Hale
Don & Lois Fretz
Maurice Gomme
Mike Hanson
Barbara Harris
Tony Hayes
Linda Hilko
Rod & Sherrill Hollick
David & Lorraine Hulley
Susan Kelly Kister
John Lefurgey
Ginny Lovelace
Ian MacMillan
Sally Mitchell
Kelly Monoghan
Stacey Mulholland
Wynne Nicholson
Christine Nolan
Carol & George Oriold
Marilyn Pilkington
Leah Pinsent
William Ralph
Fred Ross
Don & Jan Sawyer
Paul Sheppard
Grant & Monica Simmie
Linda Smith
Margo E. Smith
Ross Stuart
Janice Thomson
Richard Wilkinson
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
11
OUR
SUPPORTERS
The Foster Festival would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of our 2019 Sponsors,
Foster Festival Members, and Volunteers who helped make our Festival run so smoothly
and successfully this past season. Our Volunteers went above and beyond last year by
contributing an astounding 1000 volunteer hours to The Foster Festival's 2019 Season
and special events. Bravo!
In 2019, we welcomed back our Founding Sponsor, Meridian Credit Union, who not
only supported our festival with a generous season sponsorship, but also supported
our Youth Drama Club Outreach Program at the Niagara Children's Centre and
supported our 50/50 ticket sales by providing over 20 volunteers to help facilitate those
raffle sales at our performances. The Foster Festival would also like to thank all of the
following 2019 Sponsors for their support!
Founding Sponsor
$15,000+
Presenting Sponsor
$10,000
Season Sponsors
$5,000
Meridian Credit Union Vineland Estates Winery The Farm Wines
Form & Affect
Bridgman & Durksen
Niagara Casinos
Production Sponsors
$2,000
Howick Apartments
Burtnik Printing
Tymbrel
Rankin Construction
Media Sponsors
105.7 EZ Rock
610 CKTB NEWSTALK
YourTV Niagara
Local Hero Sponsors
$500
Hub International
Promus Niagara
Primerica
Lounge Sponsors
Critelli's Furniture
FirstOntario PAC
Outreach Sponsors
Rotary Club of St. Catharines
Rodman Hall Art Centre
Government Support
Canada Summer Jobs
Celebrate Ontario
Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program
Niagara Investment In Culture Fund
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
12
WE BRING YOU
THIS MESSAGE...
MESSAGE FROM OUR
BOARD CHAIR
2019 was an extraordinarily ambitious year for the Foster Festival and
we met the challenges with the vision and hard work of our dedicated
artistic and administrative team. The Board is extremely proud of the
efforts that everyone made to produce a four show season, including
three world premieres and a Christmas show. And to do so with a
balanced budget. We had hoped that 2020 would have been Trish
Vanstone’s last season as Artistic Director but, of course, that was not to
be. We thank her for her four years of fine work for the Festival.
I think that 2019 was the year that the Festival hit its stride and we will
experience even greater success starting in 2021.
Glen McCann
MESSAGE FROM OUR
PLAYWRIGHT
Dear Cherished Donors, (Is ‘cherished' too pandering or is it not
pandering enough?)
In any event I want to personally thank you for sticking with The Foster
Festival during these uneasy times. I can assure you that I am still
writing. In fact, I’ve got a backlog of ideas that I must get to work on
soon. At this rate, I’ll have to live to be 90 to get them all done. On the
positive side, I'll get to live to be 90.
Believe me, I do appreciate your kindness and your generosity, and
because of you, we are going to come back bigger and better than
ever. I’m already excited about the 2021 season!!
Norm Foster
Best wishes,
Norm Foster
The Foster Festival 2019 Annual Report
13
2019
The Norm Foster Theatre Festival
5 Race Street, Upstairs
St. Catharines, ON
L2R 3M1
info@fosterfestival.com
www.fosterfestival.com