Slaight Family Makes $5 Million Gift to Shaw Festival Academy - Embargoed

The Shaw Festival is thrilled to announce the establishment of The Slaight Family Academy at the Shaw Festival. A transformational gift of $5 million from the Slaight Family will endow The Academy and sustain it long into the future.

The Academy at the Shaw Festival was formed in 1985 during the tenure of Allan Slaight, the Chair of the Board of Governors, and past Artistic Director Christopher Newton. Created to foster the growth of the Company, it began as an informal skills exchange among Company members. Under the leadership of the Shaw’Äôs current Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, the Academy has retained the important function of skills exchange and mentoring, and has grown to become an enrichment centre for further developing artists’Äô skills. The Shaw is one of the few institutions in North America with a strong commitment to the training of theatre artists attached to a permanent acting ensemble.

For over 25 years The Slaight Family has had a profound impact on The Shaw Festival through their leadership and generosity. In addition to establishing The Academy with Christopher Newton in 1985, Allan Slaight served as a Board member at The Shaw from 1982 to 1988 and as Board Chair from 1985 to 1986. In addition, he and Newton founded The Shaw Boxing Evening, the largest charity fundraiser of its kind in the world, which has raised more than $5 million for The Shaw.

An exemplary leader and patron as well, Ada Slaight served on the Board from 1990 to 1998 as a Governor, National Governor and Honorary Governor.

The investment made by the Slaight family will be used in four ways. The Mandate Intensive, a new training initiative, will provide apprentice actors, and actors new to the Company with two weeks of immersion in the world of The Shaw’Äôs mandate before the start of rehearsals, with classes in text, voice, and a detailed course in the ’Äúmanners’Äù of the Mandate ’Äì information available virtually nowhere else. Training programs for the Acting Ensemble will be enriched including voice, dialogue, singing, movement and acting. At present the Shaw Festival and other theatre companies must recruit coaches from outside Canada. The Slaight gift will help The Shaw develop Canadian professional trainers through Apprentice Teacher positions in Voice and Dialect and Alexander Technique.

Finally, the Slaight gift will allow the Shaw Festival to establish The Shaw Theatre School, which will open in the fall of 2009. Drawing on The Shaw’Äôs professional artists and resources, and augmented by other theatre instructors, The Shaw Theatre School will initially offer a ten-

week drama course designed for young people (Grades 4 ’Äì 12). Classes will be offered in such areas as: Acting, Improvisation, Choreography, Voice & Dialect, Musical Theatre, Mask Work, Stage Combat, Monologues, Scene Study and Warm-up Techniques.

On presenting the gift to The Shaw, Allan and Ada’Äôs son Gary Slaight said: ’ÄúThe Shaw Festival is an organization close to the heart of the Slaight family, one that my parents served with joy and commitment as Board members. We’Äôre delighted to be part of the story of the Festival and to make this investment in The Shaw’Äôs Academy.’Äù

In announcing the Slaight Family gift, Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell said: ’ÄúWe are tremendously grateful for the Slaight Family’Äôs generosity, and thrilled to be given this opportunity to enhance the programs of our renowned Academy.’Äù

Shaw Festival Campaign Chair, Richard D. Falconer, acknowledged the Slaight Family’Äôs generosity: ’ÄúThe Slaight Family’Äôs magnanimous gift provides transformational leadership that is particularly critical during this period of economic difficulty. The gift supports the Shaw’Äôs Festival’Äôs campaign for the future - A Splendid Torch - a $20 million campaign to grow The Shaw’Äôs endowment and other financial resources to a level that will allow The Shaw to create innovative theatre without compromise, unencumbered by financial constraints.’Äù

www.shawfest.com