The Stratford Festival is extending artistic director Antoni Cimolino's term for four years, which will see him helm the festival's 70th season.

Board chair Chip Vallis said in a statement, “Antoni is now in his third season and his achievements as artistic director have been monumental...He has introduced exciting new initiatives, increased attendance, nurtured new work and revitalized the Festival’s finances. In looking to the future, we feel that the festival will benefit greatly by extending his term so he can bring his full creative vision to life.”

Cimolino took over as artistic director in 2013, the same year Anita Gaffney was appointed executive director, and the two faced declining attendance and a challenging $3.4 million deficit.

Since that time, the festival says attendance has risen by nine per cent, and there have been two years of operating surpluses amounting to $2.5 million. In addition, the festival’s Endowment has grown to $71 million from $56 million.

 

As part of his efforts, Cimolino introduced themed seasons, the Forum, the Laboratory and Stratford Festival HD.

 

The Forum is a series of about 200 events, including debates, panels, play readings, musical showcases, comedy evenings and discussions, and has drawn about 60,000 people in two seasons.

The Laboratory, described as "an incubator for new work and also as a place where artists can experiment with techniques from around the world and explore new approaches to working with the classics," will have developed six new productions by the end of the 2016 season.

Cimolino said, “It is crucially important that we continue to strengthen the company through exceptional training programs. Stratford must be a place where we can learn and grow as artists. At the same time, we must continue to enrich the relationship between Stratford and artistic communities across Canada and internationally, so that our work can be shared and experienced further afield.”

 

He is also the force behind a move to bring the stage to the screen, filming Stratford Festival productions like King Lear to be shown on theatre screens and on television.

 

 

 

Vallis added, “As a Board, we realize that the time has come for the Stratford Festival to reinvent itself for the modern world and we are confident Antoni is the person to lead that reinvention...We eagerly await his coming seasons.”