The government of Ontario is supporting cultural tourism in the province by providing $105,000 to the Stratford
Festival`s Don Juan Project, Ontario`s Culture Minister Caroline Di Cocco announced at the Festival`s season opening.

The Stratford Festival has traditionally presented 12 to 14 productions per season. This year, the festival will feature a fifteenth theatrical production, said Di Cocco. This grant will result in English- and French-language productions of Moliere`s Don Juan, the Festival`s first French-language production in half a century.

The Ontario government`s investment is through the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF), a $20 million initiative to increase cultural tourism by assisting Ontario`s arts, cultural and heritage organizations to capitalize on the potential of new and expanded events and activities, including exhibitions, festivals and performances. The grant will foster a new creative partnership between the Stratford Festival and Montreal`s Theatre du Nouveau Monde. At the end of Stratford`s 2006 season, the French-language production of Don Juan will move to the Theatre du Nouveau Monde`s presentation facility in Montreal.

While the Stratford Festival itself is a major cultural tourism driver for Ontario, the OCAF board is convinced that the addition of Don Juan in 2006 will attract new audience goers, and encourage the existing audience to stay in town longer, commented Dr. Murray Frum, Chair of the OCAF Board.

The Stratford Festival creates, directly and indirectly, almost 3,300 jobs and $96 million in wages and salaries, and contributes an estimated $125 million to the regional economy. Overall, the Festival has a $145 million impact on Ontario`s gross domestic product.

We are grateful for this support and hope that this innovation between the Stratford Festival and Montreal`s Theatre du Nouveau Monde will continue in the future, said Richard Monette, the Festival`s artistic director. It will be very exciting for our patrons to hear Moliere`s play in its original language.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the French Language Services Act, said Madeleine Meilleur, Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs. This grant reflects the McGuinty government`s ongoing commitment to the province`s French-language communities, while also recognizing their social, economic and cultural contributions.