The Foster Festival is a registered Not-For-Profit, Charitable Organization that celebrates the works of living Canadian playwright, Norm Foster. At The Foster Festival, it is our mission to showcase the heart and humour of Foster's writing in a dedicated environment, employing the finest Canadian theatre practitioners and to foster and support emerging and established Canadian playwrights interested in stories that are entertaining but also deeply meaningful to and reflective of our audience.

It is our Mandate to provide interest in and the study of the Canadian arts generally, to advance knowledge of, and appreciation of, arts and culture through theatrical performances and community programs, to provide education and instruction in the arts of theatre, to advance the development of theatre in Canada, and to conduct an annual Canadian theatre festival in Niagara.

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. The Foster Festival is committed to delivering joy and Foster’s uplifting comedies to residents in Niagara to support mental health and emotional wellbeing in our community. 

We believe that everyone deserves to have access to the arts and feel welcome at The Foster Festival – this is our Commitment to Community.

We also offer our 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.