Anita Gaffney

Ms Gaffney was appointed Executive Director of the Stratford Festival in 2012. Since that time, she has worked to steer it towards financial stability while supporting the artists, staff, volunteers, partners and audiences who shape the Festival's success. In addition to guiding efforts to plan and fulfill the season offerings, Ms Gaffney has worked alongside Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino in the development of the Festival's strategic direction as well as the introduction of new initiatives including the Meighen Forum, The Laboratory, the HD films series, Stratfest@Home and the Stratford Direct bus service.

In 2020, the Festival completed a $100 million campaign to support the redevelopment of the Tom Patterson Theatre. The new building is complete and will officially open in 2022.

The public health crisis has brought about extraordinary challenges and opportunities for the Festival addressing both its survival as well as its reinvention. 2020 saw the Festival cancel its in-person season and build its digital capacity; 2021 saw the Festival mount a season of 11 plays and cabarets outdoors under canopies and at the Studio Theatre; and 2022 sees the Festival returning to its four indoor venues with 10 productions.

Ms Gaffney joined the Festival in 1991 as a Publicity Assistant, and over the past 31 years has held a variety of positions, including Director of Marketing during the theatre's years of peak attendance.

An active member of the Stratford community, Ms Gaffney is Past Chair of the City of Stratford's economic development agency, the Stratford Public Library, and in 2011 she served as the Campaign Chair of the United Way Perth-Huron.

Ms Gaffney received an honorary doctorate from Western University in 2019. She participated in the Governor General's Leadership Conference in 2008 and received a Business Excellence Award for Personal Achievement from the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce in 2006.

She has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a degree in English Language and Literature from Western University. She has continued her executive education through Harvard Business School. She resides in Stratford with her husband, Kevin.