Grand Theatre receives $1M donation from Helen and Andy Spriet

CTV London: Ain’t life Grand? Grand Theatre receives $1M donation from London philanthropists. Marek Sutherland has more.

It's being called the largest individual gift in the Grand’s Theatre's history.

On Thursday, it was announced that London philanthropists Helen and Andy Spriet, donated $1 million to the theatre.

In honour of the donation, the theatre’s main stage has been renamed to the Spriet Stage.

“The Grand Theatre has always held a special place for us. Over the years we have been inspired by other London families, like the Iveys, who have shown their leadership and leveraged impact with significant gifts to local causes and organizations that matter to the community. We had planned to leave a legacy gift to the Grand but the opportunity to see our donation have an immediate and lasting impact for all Londoners was really exciting for us,” said Helen Spriet in a news release.

"This transformational gift will be instrumental in expanding the theatre’s programming and building new community initiatives,” said theatre Executive Director Deb Harvey in the release.

“Donations of this size in London, and in particular in the arts community, are rare. We are humbled by the trust instilled in us by Helen and Andy and what this will mean in terms of our growth in the coming years.”