Lazaridis family gives $5M to Stratford
Last Updated: Monday, January 18, 2010 | 11:04 AM ET
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A statue of William Shakespeare stands in the Festival gardens in Stratford, Ont. (Stratford Shakespeare Festival)RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis and his wife, Ophelia, have pledged $5 million to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the theatre festival announced Monday.
In an effort to encourage further donations, the couple has specified the $5 million will be handed out in increments as other individuals and governments commit to giving to the festival.
Ophelia Lazaridis has been a member of the board at Stratford since 2007 and is particularly interested in educational outreach.
"We're inspired by what the festival has accomplished but even more energized about its potential for the future, particularly its efforts to connect with young audiences through its Shakespeare productions," she said in a statement.
Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion with Jim Balsillie, was voted The Canadian Press Business Newsmaker of the Year for 2009.
The matching-gift challenge will be used to encourage incremental donations beginning in the 2010 season.
The Lazaridis gift is the largest the festival has ever received directed to annual operations. Other donors have given equally generous donations to the festival's endowment fund.
The season, with productions that include As You Like It, Kiss Me, Kate, The Tempest, Dangerous Liaisons, Evita and Two Gentlemen of Verona, begins previews in April.
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