The National Theater School of Canada will receive the largest private donation in its history: $1.5 million from the Slaight Family Foundation.
Posted at 10:56 a.m.
“These funds will allow us to continue to meet the needs of the Canadian theater community by providing our students with unparalleled training in acting, direction, playwriting, design and production,” said Fanny Pagé, Executive Director of the National Theater School in a statement.
“This major financial support will also help us accomplish our mission, which is to make theater more accessible to anyone interested in Canada,” she continues. This remarkable gift will go a long way towards ensuring a healthy and prosperous future for the performing arts in the country. »
The Slaight family has been the largest donor to the institution on rue Saint-Denis for 30 years. The National Theater School is one of 22 beneficiaries who will receive financial support from this foundation as part of a $15 million initiative to support the resumption of theater activities in the country.
Gary Slaight, CEO of the Slaight Family Foundation, for his part, points to the devastating impact of the pandemic on the performing arts and public nervousness about returning to theaters. “It still happens that shows have to be postponed or even canceled, sometimes the same day of the performance, he says. We are therefore very happy to support these organizations in order to enable them to concentrate on the creative work and the ways of encouraging the public to return to the cinema. »
The Slaight Family Foundation was established in 2008 by John Allan Slaight, a radio host who was one of the pioneers of radio in Canada and owner of a media empire that notably re-established Global Television.