Planned and Legacy Giving

The Case
Classical theatre changes lives. It brings depth, understanding, a sense of purpose – an effect that you experience in a single afternoon or evening but that often lasts for a lifetime. 

Your enjoyment of great classical theatre is likely what prompted you to consider planning a gift to benefit the Festival. Through your gift you know that you will touch audiences at Stratford for generations to come. 

Your Gift
Planning your gift can be as simple as including the Festival in your will, establishing a life insurance policy or trust, or making the Festival the beneficiary of your retirement savings plan.

The Impact
Planned and legacy gifts may be directed to the Stratford Festival or to the endowment fund. Supporting the work of artists, artisans and educators, planned or legacy gifts give donors the satisfaction of knowing that their generosity allows the Festival to prosper.

Browse Types of Planned Gifts

Bequests
The most flexible and popular method of charitable gift planning is to create a bequest through your will. Your estate gift could be:

• a percentage of your estate or a fixed sum of cash, securities or property;
• a residual bequest whereby the Festival receives all or a portion of the remainder of your estate after all debts, taxes and other bequests have been dispensed;  or  
• a contingent bequest that provides first for family or friends and comes into effect only when the primary beneficiaries have predeceased you.

A bequest may be acknowledged in your name or in honour or memory of another person. With a bequest of $50,000 or more, you can establish a permanent named fund in our endowment.

If you already have a will and would like to add a bequest for the benefit of the Stratford Festival, a codicil or amendment, consisting of a simple sentence or paragraph, may be the most appropriate way to do so.

To make a bequest to benefit the Festival, please speak with your lawyer about drafting your will. The Festival’s Advancement Office would be pleased to assist you or your lawyer, on a confidential basis, with:

Sample wording for your bequest, U.S. donors
Sample wording for your bequest, Canadian donors

Other Planned Giving Opportunities
To find out more about making the Festival the beneficiary of your insurance policy, retirement savings plan or charitable remainder trust, please click here to download our planned giving brochure for U.S. donors, and please click here to download our planned giving brochure for Canadian donors.

This information does not constitute legal or financial advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. The Stratford Festival encourages you to seek professional, legal, estate planning and financial advice before deciding on a course of action.

To receive further information or to discuss your bequest intentions, please contact our Planned Giving Manager, Kathryn McKie, at kmckie@stratfordfestival.ca or 1.800.561.1233, ext 5640.

The Prospero Society
During the 2004 season, the Stratford Festival inaugurated a very special society to recognize patrons and Members who have planned a future gift to benefit the Festival, called The Prospero Society. Members of The Prospero Society are invited to special Festival events, and may choose to be acknowledged in our house and souvenir program (or to remain anonymous.) In all cases, details regarding individual planned gifts will remain strictly confidential. more >>

Prospero Society Events – 2013
In appreciation of your generosity, members of the Prospero Society are invited to join us for one, or more, of the following opportunities to meet our actors and artisans at the following events:

Innovation and Exploration: 2013 and Beyond

A Leadership Luncheon with Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino

Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

The Church Restaurant, 70 Brunswick St.

Antoni Cimolino shares his vision for the Festival's future and expounds

on the newly launched Forum series. Includes lunch. $75 plus tax.

Opening Week Champagne and Dessert Reception

Tuesday, May 28, 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Eaton Lounge, Festival Theatre

Celebrate Opening Week with senior staff and members of the company

prior to the opening of Fiddler on the Roof. For members of the Prospero

Society and PWC Members at the Gold Stage and above. $40 plus tax.

Behind the Scenes of Blithe Spirit

Saturday, August 10, 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Chalmers Lounge, Avon Theatre

Actors, artisans and designers discuss the complexities of staging this classic

comedy with "spirit" and style. Includes lunch. $60 plus tax.

Creating the Illusion of Time and

Place: Sets for a Varied Season

Friday, September 13, 10:30 a.m.

Eaton Lounge, Festival Theatre

Join Festival artisans for an interactive discussion - illustrated with designs, working models and actual props - of the work that goes into creating the settings of the season's productions. Admission is free, but registration is required.

 
Event Tickets
Prospero Society Event Tickets are available by calling the box office

at 519.273.1600 or toll-free at 1.800.567.1600