Welcome to the Team – Guild Festival Theatre

May 16th 2018 Blog

Cast of GFT’s 2017 production of “She Stoops To Conquer” and 2014’s “The Importance of Being Ernest”

 

The Guild Festival Theatre (GFT) inspires audiences of today and nurtures the artists of tomorrow by showcasing live theatre masterworks of the past. As a registered charity, GFT provides cultural enrichment through professional entertainment performed outdoors at the unique Greek Theatre in Scarborough’s historic Guild Park & Gardens, where “Art Meets Nature.”. This summer, we are proud to present, Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, from July 11^th to August 12^th, Wednesdays to Sundays starting at 7:30 PM.

 

Since its founding in 2009, the organization has brought the performing arts back to Guild Park, site of the former Guild of All Arts, Canada’s original artists’ community during the Great Depression. Today, GFT brings to Scarborough the tangible economic benefits that professional theatre has achieved in other Ontario communities.

Since 2011, we’ve employed a diverse spectrum of students for performance and production positions. School’s we’ve drawn from include Centennial College, U of T Scarborough, Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate, Ryerson University, Humber College and York University. We have also established strong links with local community theatre groups and have used their talent and resources where appropriate.

 

The GFT’s “on-stage” accomplishments since 2011 include:

• presenting six theatre classics to audiences totalling more than 25,000
• employing a total of more than 150 cast and crew, ranging from veteran performers, leading designers and emerging talent
• having former cast members go on to perform at Canada’s Stratford Shakespearean Festival
• winning the Urban Hero Award from Metroland Media (a Torstar subsidiary) in the Category of Arts and Culture in 2013.

 

These accomplishments highlight how GFT delivers popular, professional entertainment to the public, plus provides employment and training opportunities to those working in the cultural industries.

By performing in Scarborough, GFT reaches diverse audiences in east Toronto. This addresses one of the City of Toronto’s priorities to make more arts /cultural programs and services accessible outside the downtown core.

 

With its pioneering performances at Guild Park, the GFT became a “cultural catalyst” that also helped spark a multi-million dollar transformation now underway throughout the 36 hectare (88 acre) public space. This major ongoing revitalization at Guild Park includes:

 

• The $20 million restoration and expansion of the site’s original Guild Inn
• A $5 million arts centre scheduled to open in 2020
• Park and facilities improvements, including upgrades to the Greek Theatre beginning in 2018

 

For further information, please visit our website at www.guildfestivaltheatre.ca, and then come visit us this summer in Scarborough by the Bluffs!

 

Jamie Robinson, Artistic Director.

[email protected]

 

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