Foster Festival in the Community
We are deeply invested in our community here in St Catharines and Niagara. Find out more about the Foster Festival community outreach programs below.
We believe that everyone deserves to have access to the arts and feel welcome at The Foster Festival – this is our Commitment to Community.
Local Hero Program
The Foster Festival’s Local Hero program focuses on providing complimentary tickets to any Foster Festival performance to members of our community who may not be able to attend otherwise due to social or economic barriers.
Continuing this program amidst the pandemic, with the support from our incredible community partner, Meridian Credit Union, The Foster Festival was able to provide complimentary viewing links for our first Foster Feature Film, Wildly Romantic by Norm Foster. Residents in Niagara Retirement Residences and Long Term Care Homes along with clients of Bethlehem Housing and Support Services, were gifted access to view this uplifting Foster comedy during ongoing lockdowns and isolation periods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foster Festival was committed to delivering joy and Foster’s uplifting comedies to residents in Niagara to support mental health and emotional wellbeing in our community.
Emerging Arts Worker Program
Emerging Arts Workers and Post-Secondary Dramatic Arts Students are given the opportunity to be mentored by one of The Foster Festival’s Senior Artists or Technicians, giving program participants their first professional experience in theatre. These experiential learning opportunities and skills gained through the program, help the emerging artists find the confidence to advance their careers in theatre. Program participants have often secured full-time, technical positions within the Festival itself or in other professional theatres upon program completion.
In 2023, the Festival will be seeking funding opportunities to expand this program to include mentorship opportunities for emerging directors, playwrights, and designers.
Arts Educational Series
NEW in 2023! The Foster Festival is developing a year-round arts educational series where students and youth will be able to participate in free arts educational workshops and talkbacks covering a variety of artistic disciplines and topics. Workshops will be presented by professional artists within The Foster Festival Company. The goal of the program is to introduce youth to all facets of theatre and demonstrate that a career in the theatre is attainable and sustainable. There are a myriad of arts positions to choose from including positions that are onstage, behind-the-scenes, in the construction shop, and in the administrative office.
