Support Live Theatre

Our Impact

When you donate to Festival Antigonish Summer Theatre, Bridge the Bauer, Theatre Antigonish or the Festival Antigonish Foundatio, you are helping to protects access to professional theatre and arts education for a small rural region with limited cultural infrastructure and an aging venue.

We respond to three linked needs: belonging and social connection in a time of isolation; creative learning and leadership pathways so StFX students and local youth can build skills and see a future in the arts here; and a safe, appropriate performance space, as the Bauer Theatre now requires urgent fire-safety upgrades and a clear plan for long-term replacement. Our work centres people who are often left out of arts experiences due to financial, geographic or disability-related barriers, and ensures they can see themselves reflected on stage and in the stories we tell.

We use an integrated set of strategies that link artistic production, education, access, and facility planning. Each summer we present a professional repertory season at the Bauer Theatre, creating paid work and mentorship for artists while bringing high-quality theatre to a rural audience. Year-round we partner with StFX and local schools to offer Academy classes, camps, matinees, placements, and workshops so learning is directly connected to live performance. Access is built into our model through low-cost and Pay-What-You-Can tickets, Relaxed Performances, a hearing loop, and community access passes. Through the Bridge the Bauer fire-safety campaign and a shared roadmap with partners, we are stabilizing the Bauer as an interim hub while developing the business case for a future arts centre.

Our approach is designed to create lasting cultural and structural change, not one-off projects. By building access programs into our core budget, we ensure people who are usually excluded from professional theatre can be in the room. Each year over 8,000 people experience our work, including more than 1,000 students and youth, plus hundreds who rely on Pay-What-You-Can tickets, Relaxed Performances and our hearing loop. At the same time, the Bridge the Bauer fire-safety campaign addresses the lack of a safe, right-sized venue and helps make the case for long-term public and philanthropic investment in a future arts centre.

Our long-term goal is a fire-safe, accessible performing arts hub in Antigonish, anchored by a new arts centre and supported by a stable transition at the Bauer. We envision a year-round facility where professional theatre, youth programs, and community events share a home, and where access measures like PWYC, Relaxed Performances, hearing support, and low-cost tickets are standard. Each year 1,000+ students and youth will be able to learn, lead, and see the arts as a viable future here. We will know we are succeeding when we consistently reach 8,000+ people annually, hundreds of patrons continue to use our access programs, alumni credit FAST as pivotal in their development, and the Bauer has been safely “bridged” into the opening and operation of a new arts centre sustained by community and partners.

Other Ways To Help

Donate by Mail

If you prefer to donate by mail, you can send a cheque payable to Festival Antigonish.

Mailing Address

Festival Antigonish – Bauer Theatre

PO Box 5000

Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5

All gifts over $20 are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Subscribe to Our Season

The savings are great, and you get first pick at seating when ticket sales go live each season. Season Subscriptions generally go on sale in March of each year.

THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR ANNUAL SUPPORTERS!

FIRINN Investments

The Craig Foundation

Sisters of Saint Martha

THANK YOU TO OUR BRIDGE THE BAUER SUPPORTERS!

THANK YOU TO OUR MONTHLY SUPPORTERS

 for being a F.A.S.T. Friend

As a theatre lover, you know what you are really supporting is not just the arts but also the health, vibrancy, and prosperity of our entire community. With your help, we will continue to create theatre, and support and enrich the cultural, social, and economic fabric of our region.

For questions or more information, please contact:

Caleb Marshall

Managing Director

cmarshal@stfx.ca

902-867-3954