Tom Patterson (theatre producer)

Harry Thomas "Tom" Patterson, OC, O.Ont (June 11, 1920 – February 23, 2005) was a Stratford, Ontario born journalist who went on to found the Stratford Festival of Canada, then called the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the largest theatre festival in Canada.

Patterson was a veteran of World War II and a journalist writing for Maclean's magazine in 1953. From the time that he was a teenager, he had thought that his home town of Stratford, Ontario should be home to performances of Shakespeare's plays. The town was suffering from industrial decline due to the declining fortunes of the rail industry. Patterson, with no experience of the theatre, proposed the idea of a theatre festival. He persuaded the town council to back it, an enthusiastic committee of local citizens to organize it, and most importantly well-known Shakespearean director Tyrone Guthrie to run things. Alec Guinness was persuaded to perform the first year, playing Richard III in the opening production. The festival has grown and expanded significantly since that time.

Patterson served as the festival's general manager during the first season and worked in other capacities until 1967. He also founded the touring company Canadian Players with actor Douglas Campbell and took part in the establishment of a number of cultural institutions, including the Canadian Theatre Centre and the National Theatre School. Patterson was also the founder of the Dawson City Gold Rush Festival.<

Patterson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967 and was also awarded the Order of Ontario. He also received honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario. One of the festival theatres was named after him in 1991, as is one of the islands in the Avon River.

His memoirs, First Stage: The making of the Stratford Festival, co-authored with Allan Gould, were published in 1986.