The Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism,
Culture and Recreation, was in Grand Bank today to announce that $40,000
in operational funding will be provided to Lighthouse Productions,
organizers of the Grand Bank Theatre Festival, to offset costs
associated with 2010 programming. The funding represents a $5,000
increase in Provincial Government funding to the festival.
Minister French was joined by the Honourable Darin
King, MHA for Grand Bank, and Bernie Stapleton, Artistic Director of the
Grand Bank Regional Theatre Festival.
"Each year, the province's
professional theatre festivals offer a wide variety of entertaining and
memorable performances, attracting visitors from both within and outside
Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister
French. "Held in various regions throughout the province, these events
continue to be significant contributors to the local economy, while
sustaining and enhancing the unique cultural identity of the surrounding
communities."
The Grand Bank Regional Theatre Festival will be held
at the Grand Bank Theatre from June 18 to August 28.
"This regional theatre festival is an important
contributor for both tourism and economic development on the Burin
Peninsula," said Minister King. "The festival has seen tremendous
improvements and growth over the past number of years, including major
improvements to the facility, increased employment opportunities for
individuals throughout the entire region, and greater tourist traffic to
the area."
Kelvin Matthews, Chair of the Board of Lighthouse
Productions, said the 2010 season is shaping up to be an exciting one,
particularly with the debut of Easy, Down Easy, written by Gordon
Pinsent, and produced in co-operation with the Resource Centre for the
Arts Theatre.
"For 15 years, we have been producing world-class
theatre at the Grand Bank Regional Theatre Festival," said Mr. Matthews
"Our artistic director, Bernie Stapleton and all of our staff work
tirelessly and this can be seen in the high standards and quality of
each and every show."
Professional theatre festivals in Newfoundland and
Labrador have been provided $255,000 in operational funding through the
cultural component of the Provincial Government's 2010 Cultural Economic
Development Program (CEDP), a $25,000 increase over 2009 funding levels.
Budget 2010: The Right Investments — For Our
Children and Our Future provides $2.8 million to support arts,
cultural and heritage initiatives throughout the province, with $1.5
million earmarked for the arts and culture sectors. Since the launch of
the province's cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador
in 2006, the Provincial Government has invested more than $28
million into the arts and culture sectors.
CEDP projects are selected based on the strength of
the business plans, vision, and potential development within the sector.
For more information on the CEDP program and application guidelines,
please visit:
www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/artsculture/cedp/index.html.
- 30 -
Media contacts: