More than $24,000 awarded to young musicians at the 2024 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition

Call for Applications: National Arts Centre Orchestra Announces New Resident Conductor Program

February 1, 2024

Canadian, early-career professional conductors are invited to apply by March 7

February 1, 2024 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) is expanding its suite of professional development programs with the announcement of a new Resident Conductor Program.

The new two-year position, commencing at the start of NACO’s 2024-25 season, provides an immersive professional development opportunity for an emerging Canadian conductor under the mentorship of Music Director Alexander Shelley. Primary responsibilities will include serving as assistant conductor for the Orchestra’s guest conductors as well as with Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds and Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. The Resident Conductor will also work closely with NACO’s administrative team to learn about orchestra management, media relations and audience and community engagement. The position will offer a competitive salary and will finance travel for additional professional development.

EXCHANGE WITH MONTREAL AND TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS

As part of this new program, NACO will collaborate with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a conductor exchange program. The participants from the three orchestras will each spend one week per season with the other two orchestras, working as assistant conductor alongside the respective music director or visiting conductor.

During his tenure as Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, Shelley has championed orchestral musicians, young conductors, music librarians and administrators—creating opportunities for hundreds of young artists to immerse themselves into the full-time professional environment of a world-class orchestra.

“There is nothing more important than top-flight, hands-on experience for an emerging conductor. Reflecting our passion for professional development and its central role in our work, I believe that our new Resident Conductor position offers a significant opportunity for early-career Canadian conductors. In their side-by-side work with me, our guest conductors and administration and, not least, the time spent conducting our world-class NAC Orchestra, this will be an enriching, wide-ranging and challenging role that will offer an important stepping-stone into the profession."- Alexander Shelley, NACO Music Director.

Nelson McDougall, Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra, expressed his enthusiasm for the creation of this position: “We are thrilled to support the professional development of Canadian conductors and to collaborate with our dear friends at the Montreal and Toronto symphony orchestras in this meaningful exchange which greatly enriches the experience for the conductors. I can’t wait to welcome our new resident conductor and witness their growth under the expert mentorship of our outstanding Music Director, Alexander Shelley, as well as with our NAC Orchestra and administration.”

Applications open February 1, 2024, and the deadline is March 7, 2024. The Resident Conductor Program is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and welcomes candidates who identify as women, Indigenous, Black, People of Colour (IBPoC), and members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and persons with visible and invisible disabilities. Complete application information is available online.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS  

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence.  

ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA  

  Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart piano concertos;  

The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);  
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);  
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre;  
Clara, Robert, Johannes, a multi-album series including Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.  

ABOUT THE NAC

 The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.  
 

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THE HOTTEST KIDS PARTY THIS WINTER: THE BIG BANG FESTIVAL AT THE NAC

January 16, 2024

January 16, 2024 – OTTAWA – On February 17 and 18, the National Arts Centre will be bursting at the seams with children’s joyful energy during the BIG BANG Festival. Two days of colourful festivities and musical adventures for kids and their families, perfectly timed for Family Day weekend during Winterlude.

From interactive sound installations to the return of the famous singing plants, there are lots of activities to bring joy and wonder to young and old alike. With performances that range from brass band fanfare to micro-concerts featuring household items turned instrument, the variety of musical offerings is as eclectic as a child’s imagination. Artists hailing from diverse backgrounds, several all-women performances, and a concert co-created with a class of nine and ten-year-olds – it is safe to say all voices are welcome at this party!

The BIG BANG Festival puts kids front and centre, including in the role of host. Ten superstar young people from across the Ottawa-Gatineau region have been selected as ambassadors and will help to welcome families and artists. Spending five weeks working with Festival Curator Melanie Dumont and her team, this crew of young people will get to meet and interview artists and see behind-the-scenes preparations. This enriching experience for local youth is a staple of BIG BANG Festivals worldwide and at the heart of the festival’s philosophy.

Since 2019, the BIG BANG Festival has attracted thousands of young visitors and their families to the NAC for an incredible weekend of adventures in sound. In addition to the affordable paid shows, a wide range of performances and activities are presented free of charge for all families to enjoy.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

The BIG BANG events will blow your mind ... and your ears. The 2024 edition of the festival has something for everyone!

FREE ACTIVITIES AND SHOWS

Burning BRASs Band

Funk for the family

Make way for the Burning BRASs Band! Canada’s first brass and percussion band composed exclusively of women and gender diverse people, it will blow you away with its joyful feminist funk. Its lively arrangements of popular songs tickle the ears with traditional brass band favourites, not to mention a few nods to upbeat pop classics.

February 17-18 | Free | 3 Showtimes each day
Bilingual ● For all ages

Solarium

Interactive sound garden

Solarium is back! This enchanted greenhouse delighted festivalgoers in 2022 for the summer edition of BIG BANG. A unique opportunity to (re)discover this magnificent garden, filled with musical plants, where every child can dream of being a sound gardener.

February 17-18 | Free
Without words ● For all ages

The Aerophone
The World’s Most Useless Machine ™ © Inc.

Interactive symphony

Picture a makeshift piano keyboard and an array of old tape recorders. The ingenious mechanism that links all this together is just waiting for you to set it in motion. So, take control of this bizarre machine with its tapes and motors and compose a sensational score! Chain reaction: You press a key on the keyboard, a tape recorder starts up, and the first note of an amazing symphony rings out!

February 17-18 | Free
Without words ● Ages 5+

NOMAD

Concert performed by kids for kids

Nomad is an emblematic BIG BANG Festival project. It unites, connects and delights wherever it is recreated. London-based artist Paul Griffiths will bring his electric guitar and jazz, funk and rock influences to meet with 9- and 10-year-olds from St. Dominic Elementary School in Ottawa. A week to get to know each other, master the groove, and savour the joy of singing together before they perform their free concert.

February 17-18 | Free | 2 Showtimes each day
Bilingual ● For all ages

Liminal

Interactive video installation

In an empty space, a glowing arch seems to float in mid-air. A highly sophisticated and joyfully light-hearted interactive installation, Liminal invites you to play with your image. Thanks to hidden sensors and a screen facing the luminous ring, your movements produce a strange soundtrack as your reflection is repeatedly stretched, twisted, multiplied and distorted!

February 17-18 | Free
Without words ● For all ages

Hip Hub

Interactive musical dance

Step into a virtual space and become a percussionist—all in the blink of an eye, thanks to the magic of Hip Hub! In this fascinating interactive installation, Congolese singer Junior Akwety appears opposite you—not the real one, but his avatar. Let him guide you! First, Junior’s pixelated double teaches you a few tricks. Then he turns your movements into music, and you determine the groove!

February 17-18 | Free
Without words ● Ages 5+

TICKETED EVENTS

Families will find accessible prices with ticketed events ranging from $5-$15.

Pantayo

When the gong is pop

This Toronto based quintet, made up of members of the Filipino diaspora, remixes kulintang music, and it's downright cool! Pantayo brings a pop flavor to the traditional instrumental music made with gongs by integrating vocals, guitar, synths and drum machines.

February 17 | $15 
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 6+ 

Les Royal Pickles – Second show added due to popular demand!

Bite into swing

A swing band inspired by the street music of New Orleans, Les Royal Pickles will get everyone up on their feet dancing! Banjo, guitar, tuba and vocals are all they need to rock out to tasty hits from the 20s and 30s as well as compositions of their own. A joyful, boisterous mix of jazz, blues and folk, the perfect treat for young and old alike. 

February 18 | $15 
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5+ 

Music Rooms

À la carte micro-concerts

With just a small group of audience members and an accessible price, these micro-concerts are a festival favourite. Enjoy the casual atmosphere, as artists perform in a tucked away and mysterious NAC setting. There will be three Music Rooms to choose from in 2024, featuring instruments ranging from an oud to everyday household objects, not to mention a duet of hoop dancing and Indigenous music.

February 17 & 18 | $5
20 minutes ● Multilingual ● Ages 5+

roundABOUT # Tsubasa Hori - SOLD OUT!

Like Japan, but in a dream

Take a seat inside a fantastic lantern/stage, illuminated by spellbinding video projections and brought to life by the music, singing and dancing of incandescent Japanese-born performer Tsubasa Hori. A journey through a kaleidoscopic world of images and music.

Produced by Zonzo Compagnie and ChampdAction

February 17-18 | $15 
40 minutes ● Performed without words ● Ages 5–12 

PLAN YOUR VISIT 

Explore the full program at www.bigbangfestival.ca  

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photos of featured productions and festival creative are available here.

WHAT MAKES THE BIG BANG UNIQUE? 

The BIG BANG is a one-of-a-kind festival of musical adventures. It invites children and their families on a colourful journey featuring a rich array of sound concepts whose diversity and originality make the festival a hit wherever it goes.

The BIG BANG loves to travel, and what’s more, it loves to take visitors of all ages on adventures. It builds on the legacy of the OORSMEER festival, founded by Wouter Van Looy in 1995, to offer children an artistic and musical program designed specifically for them, and which they even help deliver by participating in certain interactive installations.

Since its inception, the festival has travelled to several European cities, from Tallinn to Lisbon, from Antwerp to Athens, from Seville to Dublin, from Lille to Enschede, via Ghent, Brussels, Rouen, Reykjavik and Copenhagen. In 2019, the event took a giant leap across the ocean to land in its first North American city: Ottawa! Since then, each edition has been a resounding success, bringing together thousands of curious people attracted by the many guest artists and invigorating performances and micro-concerts.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BIG BANG FRIENDS 

The BIG BANG is an initiative of Zonzo Compagnie. The 2024 festival will be in full swing during Winterlude.

ABOUT THE NAC

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Sarah Conn Appointed Artistic Producer of the NAC’s National Creation Fund

January 11, 2024

The National Arts Centre today announced that Sarah Conn has been appointed Artistic Producer of the NAC’s National Creation Fund, effective immediately.

One of the NAC’s major national initiatives, the National Creation Fund invests up to 2 million dollars a year in the development of compelling new creations in the performing arts. Fuelled by donors, the Fund has invested more than $13 million in projects over the last six years. The 88 productions supported by the Fund Since include the acclaimed productions of Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata, Mani Soleymanlou’s epic Un. Deux. Trois., Kidd Pivot’s Revisor, and Kid Koala’s The Storyville Mosquito.

Sarah Conn is an award-winning performance creator, producer and curator. She has been part of the National Creation Fund team since it started and has been the Fund’s Acting Artistic Producer since the departure of Sarah Garton Stanley at the start of the season.

Sarah has played a leadership role in developing relationships with artists and companies across the country over the past six years. From initial conversations to collaborating with creators and producers in the months leading up to opening night, Sarah has shared her passion for creation, deep experience in creative development, and extensive network to support the hundreds of artists and dozens of ambitious projects that have received Fund investments.

“I’ve been so fortunate to work with Sarah since the Fund opened its doors,” said Chris Dearlove, Managing Director of the National Creation Fund and Professional Development. “Sarah is a thoughtful and generous collaborator and is passionate about engaging with artists and fostering a sector where everyone can thrive. In recent years, she has led the Fund’s work on strategic initiatives centered on accessibility, sustainability, equity, and international partnerships, and has developed exciting relationships with industry innovators. All of us at the Fund look forward to working with her in this new role.”

“I am deeply honoured to step into the Artistic Producer role, at a moment where sustaining time and space for artistic creation feels increasingly urgent,” said Sarah. “Artistic creation is a critical response to the questions facing our world. It needs latitude to breathe, to iterate, to transform. The National Creation Fund is uniquely positioned to champion dreaming, to dare us to reimagine, and to carve out space for risk-taking and transformation. I am excited to build on the rich legacies of my predecessors Heather Moore and Sarah Garton Stanley. And, with our incredible curators, National Advisory Committee, and the entire NAC team, I look forward to supporting new models of creation, encouraging the beautifully bold creative dreams of Canadian artists, and inviting audiences to fall in love with creation.”

ABOUT SARAH CONN

Sarah Conn is an interdisciplinary performance creator, producer, and curator. Her practice is centered in collaboration across disciplines, and the creation and dissemination of new performance. Her career layers together institutional and independent practice, collaborations with local communities and high-profile artists, international touring and hyper local work, and traditional and experimental productions. Her creative work includes site responsive performance installations and live art rooted in relationship and community, which have toured to festivals and galleries in Canada, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and England. Her research and writing focus on curatorial frameworks, creative process design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the politics of co-existence. Her writing has been published in Canadian Theatre Review, Dance Research Journal and TURBA.

She is a passionate collaborator, and has supported hundreds of Canadian artists of all disciplines in the creation, presentation, and touring of work on national and international stages. As the National Creation Fund’s inaugural Artistic Associate and Senior Manager of Artist Engagement, she has collaborated with artists across Canada to create 88 bold new performance works, develop new creation methodologies, and drive emergent curatorial practices. The resulting productions have toured to 33 countries and won many awards, including the UK’s Olivier Award. She has developed partnerships with industry leaders including artEquity, Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, and Fogo Island Arts.

Sarah holds a Master of Arts in Performance Curation from the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance. She is a recipient of the Ontario Arts Council’s Pauline McGibbon Award and is a Siminovitch Prize Protégé.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CREATION FUND

The NAC’S National Creation Fund is dedicated to the alchemy of artistic creation and driven by a conviction in the power of creation as a means of evolving culture, sparking innovation, and shaping our world. The Fund champions creation through transformative investments in the development of bold new music, dance, theatre and interdisciplinary performances, and through our work as a home for research and experimentation on the conditions required to create ambitious work.

The Fund invests up to $2 million per year in the development of 10 to 12 compelling new Canadian performance works. Fuelled by donors, the Fund has invested more than $13 million in 88 projects since it opened in 2017.

The Fund is a catalyst for Canadian artists to take their creations to a new level. Fund investments provide the time, space and resources necessary to make inspiring and impactful work for national and international stages. It invests in both new work, and in promising productions that need additional development after their initial run before going on tour.

The Fund invests in work that reflects the vitality and diversities of Canada, and supports bold and ambitious work representing a diversity of disciplines, abilities, genders, ethnicities, languages, cultures, and regions.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613-291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

Frances Končan's Women of the Fur Trade Flips the Script of Conventional Tales

January 9, 2024

Lively Historical Satire Launches at the NAC in a Sold-Out Co-Production with the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts

JANUARY 9, 2024 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Francis Končan’s Women of the Fur Trade is a comedic and playful look at Canadian history, re-examining the narratives of Treaty 1 territory, the fur trade era, and the building of a new nation through a vibrant mix of rom-com and satirical gold.

With the British advance and confederation becoming increasingly inescapable, we meet three women in a fort along the banks of the Reddish River. Unable to go anywhere, they sit together, sharing work, tea, and thoughts about the heartthrob Louis Riel and his assistant, Thomas Scott.

Končan's irreverent touch pokes fun at the sober precision of colonial recorded history, connecting our shared past, present, and future. Co-produced with the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts, this sold-out production hits the stage at the National Art Centre’s Azrieli Studio from January 17 - 27 before heading to Native Earth Performing Arts’ Aki Studio in April.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33715

GREAT CANADIAN THEATRE COMPANY (GCTC)

The Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) is celebrating its 49th Season in 2023-24. GCTC is dedicated to producing outstanding theatre that provokes examination of (Canadian) life and our place in the world. GCTC aims to increase the diversity on its stages, in its creative teams, make its work inclusive for more audiences, and deepen their experience. GCTC embraces artistic risk and promotes a wide range of theatrical experiences.

NATIVE EARTH PERFORMING ARTS

Native Earth Performing Arts is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous performing arts company. Currently, in our 41st year, we are dedicated to developing, producing, and presenting professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada. Through stage productions (theatre, dance, and multi-disciplinary art), new script development, apprenticeships, and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. It is a vision that is inclusive and reflective of the artistic directions of members of the Indigenous community who actively participate in the arts.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the support of The Slaight Family Foundation, Presenting Sponsor BMO Financial Group, and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Thank you also to Meta, Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, NAC Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
(343) 588-0742
ian.hobson@nac-cna.ca

The layers and colours of an important Canadian painter's life

December 14, 2023

NAC French Theatre ends 2023 in style with Le projet Riopelle

Decembre 14, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Hailed by critics in Montreal and Quebec City, Le projet Riopelle, a biography in living canvases by Robert Lepage / Ex Machina, hits the stage tonight in Ottawa for four performances. Sold-out for months in advance, the show is part of a series of activities in the capital, including the National Gallery of Canada’s exhibition “Riopelle: Crossroads in Time”, that highlight the centenary of the birth of one of Canada’s most important painters, Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002).

With his incomparable theatrical genius, Robert  Lepage revives the light-and-shadow existence of the master of lyrical abstraction. The anchor point: Riopelle’s fresco L’hommage à Rosa Luxemburg, which he began the day after the announcement of the death of his soulmate, painter Joan  Mitchell. Thirty paintings like thirty sequences of a torrid love story and an extraordinary life woven into the fabric of a sociocultural revolution.

This spectacular creation, for which NAC French Theatre acts as co-producer with the Fondation Jean-Paul Riopelle, Duceppe, and Le Diamant, marks the return of Robert Lepage, NAC French Theatre’s former artistic director (1989-1993), whose last production at the NAC was 887, in 2016. Seven years later, Le projet Riopelle closes the first half Mani Soleymanlou’s actual season with a bang, and sets the tone for 2024, a new year which is filled with projects and collaborations that are as beautiful as they are varied.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Babs Asper Theatre

December 14 (Thursday) and 15 (Friday) at 7pm, December 16 (Saturday) at 3pm, and December 17 (Sunday / added performance) at 1:30pm.

Although the show is sold out, it is always advisable to check the event page as tickets sometimes become available at the last minute; to do so, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33682 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

Quand tu me regardes: A theatrical dance with endless play possibilities

December 11, 2023

NAC French Theatre’s Enfance/jeunesse series continues with a mobile ball that will remind the whole family of the beauty of being oneself

December 11, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – What’s better, amid the frenzy of December, than taking some time off to dream together? Quand tu me regardes [When you look at me] unleashes vibrating bodies and wheelchairs on stage, taking your imagination with them. Three impressive performers twirl their super machines, dance with them, break them into pieces so that they become puppets, light wheels, disco robots... what else? There are no limits here!

Corpuscule Danse dedicates itself to developing inclusive dance—an artistic endeavour that unites performers with and without disabilities, whether visible or invisible. On December 16 and 17 in the NAC Azrieli Studio: original music and songs with choreography by Guillaume Chouinard (assisted by Georges-Nicolas Tremblay) featuring bodies in unison highlighted by individual movement as each one reveals its own story; Quand tu me regardes will make the senses your children (age 6+) dance too. It’s poetic, it’s funny, it’s beautiful!

ACCESSIBILITY MEASURES

The performance on Sunday, December 17 will be offered in French audio description to people with visual loss. Please write directly to Véronique Lavoie-Marcus (veronique.marcus@nac-cna.ca) to find out more or to register.

Additionally, a certain number of spots are wheelchair accessible. These being limited, please let us know your needs when confirming your presence.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

School matinees: December 13, 14 and 15 (it is possible for the media to attend if there are seats available)

Family performances: December 16 and 17, at 3pm

Duration: 60 minutes (followed by a post-show discussion)

Tickets: $15

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33689 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

FAMILY FUN AHEAD: THE BIG BANG FESTIVAL IS BACK FEBRUARY 17-18

December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023 – OTTAWA – Beat the drums and sound the trumpets: the BIG BANG Festival is set to return Family Day weekend in 2024!

The NAC will be booming with performances and activities perfect for kids aged 5-12 and their families on February 17 and 18, for this two-day festival of sonic adventures.

Every square inch of the NAC will be transformed into a kaleidoscope of colour and sound not to be missed! From gong pop to pickles with a swinging beat, via an immersive experience from a Japanese artist, there is an amazing collection of festival performances on sale today.

“Music in all its forms has a tremendous power to connect people of different generations and backgrounds. We see this at the BIG BANG, and it's what makes this festival such an incredible celebration!”
—Mélanie Dumont, Curator for BIG BANG Festival Ottawa and Associate Artistic Director of Youth Programming, NAC French Theatre

Since 2019, the BIG BANG Festival has attracted thousands of young visitors and their families to the NAC for an incredible weekend of adventures in sound. This year’s edition will once again be a Winterlude highlight with enchanting mini concerts, magical projections, musical surprises, and a party atmosphere!

Full details about the current performance lineup available online: www.bigbangfestival.ca. Additional free activities and events will be announced on January 16.

FEATURED PERFORMANCES

A host of captivating performances for the young and young at heart are on offer at this year’s festival. As always, BIG BANG has a real international flavour with artists and musical styles hailing from far and wide. Traveling from Belgium, Toronto, Quebec City and Montreal, drawing from Filipino, Japanese and Ottoman musical influences to name a few, the musical landscape on display will be diverse. Families will find accessible prices with ticketed events ranging from $5-$15.

roundABOUT # Tsubasa Hori 

Like Japan, but in a dream

Produced by Zonzo Compagnie and ChampdAction

February 17 & 18 | $15
40 minutes ● Performed without words ● Ages 5–12 

Pantayo

When the gong is pop

February 17 | $15
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 6+ 

Les Royal Pickles

Bite into swing

February 18 | $15
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5+ 

Music Rooms

À la carte micro-concerts

February 17 & 18 | $5
20 minutes ● Multilingual ● Ages 5+

PLAN YOUR VISIT 
Explore the performance lineup at www.bigbangfestival.ca
Additional free activities and events to be unveiled on January 16.  

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos of featured productions and festival creative are available here.

WHAT MAKES THE BIG BANG UNIQUE? 
The BIG BANG is a one-of-a-kind festival of musical adventures. It invites children and their families on a colourful journey featuring a rich array of sound concepts whose diversity and originality make the festival a hit wherever it goes.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BIG BANG FRIENDS
The Ottawa presentation of the BIG BANG is the result of the NAC’s relationship with Belgium’s Zonzo Compagnie, which specializes in musical theatre for young audiences and is directed by Wouter Van Looy. In recent years the NAC has presented several Zonzo performances, including Listen to the Silence, set to the music of John Cage; Slumberland, an exploration of the world of dreams and the night; Mile(s)tones, a show about legendary jazzman Miles Davis; and HUSH: Henry’s Dream Machine, an off-the-wall concert-performance about Henry Purcell, the Shakespeare of English music! .

The BIG BANG is an initiative of Zonzo Compagnie. The 2024 festival will be in full swing during Winterlude.

ABOUT THE NAC
The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

The NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition opens for applications

November 30, 2023

Close to $25,000 to be awarded to talented young musicians from across Canada

November 30, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) continues to nurture young musical talent in Canada’s National Capital Region with its 2024 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition, which opens to applications on Friday, December 1st, 2023.

The 2024 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition will take place on April 7th, 2024, at the University of Ottawa School of Music in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. A jury comprised of four NACO musicians, two invited guests, and two non-voting members of the NACO Bursary Committee will select up to eight finalists.

This year’s competition is open to students between 16 and 26 years of age who play wind, brass, percussion, and timpani instruments, including the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, and percussion. Complete eligibility criteria are detailed online.

The upcoming Bursary competition brings several notable updates. Donald Renshaw, the NAC Orchestra’s former principal trombone who passed away in December 2022 at the age of 66, will be honoured a with a new bi-annual $500 grant. Don was a longtime supporter of the Orchestra’s community engagement activities, including the Bursary.

In addition, Christina Cameron is appointed as the new NACO Bursary Committee Chair. The 2014 Order of Canada recipient is a resident of Ottawa. Her professional career as a public servant with Parks Canada and as a Canada Research Chair at the Université de Montréal has focused on heritage conservation. In particular, she has worked with UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention since 1987, chairing the World Heritage Committee in 1990 and 2008.

2023 Grand Prize-winner Justin Saulnier expressed, “I feel honoured to have participated in the NACO Bursary Competition and to have been chosen as the first prize winner. I would like to thank my family and circle of friends for their continued support, and my violin teacher, Andrew Wan, for his wisdom and admirable dedication.” Justin Saulnier is an 18-year-old violinist from Orléans, Ontario. He was the recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Scholarship to attend McGill University Schulich School of music and is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in violin performance with Andrew Wan.

The application deadline is Friday, January 26, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

To learn more about the competition and how to apply please visit our website: www.nac-cna.ca/bursary

ABOUT THE BURSARY

The National Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary Competition was first held in 1981. The prime objective of the competition is to encourage the pursuit of excellence on the part of young instrumentalists aspiring to orchestral careers. Each year, a jury identifies deserving recipients through audition and competition.

The Bursary was created in 1979 by members of the NAC Orchestra as a gesture of appreciation to the audiences who had been so supportive of it during its first decade. It is meant to provide recognition and financial support to help further the development of young musicians who have connections to the National Capital Region (NCR). Funding for the award came originally from two sources: the NAC Orchestra Bursary Fund created in 1979 by the members of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the NAC Orchestra Trust (originally the Capital Trust founded in 1932 to benefit the Ottawa Philharmonic Society which on its demise in 1970 transferred the income to the NAC). It is now known as the NAC Orchestra Trust Fund. In 1981, one prize of $1,000 – the NAC Orchestra Bursary – was awarded. In subsequent years, thanks to the growth of the Fund as well as the generosity of private organizations and individuals, prizes now total nearly $25,000.

ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart piano concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre;
Clara, Robert, Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the generous support of the Crabtree Foundation and Friends of NACO.

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Près de 25 000 $ en prix pour de jeunes instrumentistes de talent du Canada

Le 30 novembre 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – L’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts (CNA) continue à encourager les jeunes talents musicaux de la région de la capitale nationale grâce au Concours de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA 2024. Les candidatures pourront être déposées dès le vendredi 1er décembre 2023.

Cette année, le Concours se tiendra le 7 avril 2024, à l’école de musique de l’Université d’Ottawa (Ontario), dans le centre-ville. Le jury, formé de quatre membres de l’Orchestre du CNA, de deux personnes invitées et de deux membres, sans droit de vote, du Comité de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA, sélectionnera jusqu’à huit finalistes.

L’édition 2024 est réservée aux jeunes interprètes de 16 à 26 ans des sections des vents, des cuivres et des percussions, ce qui comprend la flûte, le hautbois, la clarinette, le basson, le cor français, la trompette, le trombone, le trombone basse, le tuba, les timbales et les percussions. Les critères d’admissibilité sont consultables en ligne.

Plusieurs nouveautés sont attendues dans cette édition du Concours. Le prix commémoratif Don Renshaw pour les cuivres, une bourse bisannuelle de 500 $, a été créé à la mémoire de l’ancien trombone solo de l’Orchestre du CNA. Don Renshaw, qui est décédé en décembre 2022 à l’âge de 66 ans, a longtemps contribué aux activités communautaires du CNA, y compris la Bourse.

Par ailleurs, Christina Cameron a été nommée présidente du Comité de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA. Décorée de l’Ordre du Canada en 2014, elle travaille comme fonctionnaire chez Parcs Canada et est titulaire d’une chaire de recherche du Canada à l’Université de Montréal sur la préservation du patrimoine. Plus précisément, l’Ottavienne est impliquée dans la Convention du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO depuis 1987 et a présidé le Comité du patrimoine mondial en 1990 et 2008.

Le lauréat du grand prix de 2023, Justin Saulnier, mentionne : « Je suis très honoré d’avoir pu participer au Concours de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA et d’avoir été choisi pour le premier prix. Je voudrais remercier ma famille et mes amis pour leur soutien infaillible, ainsi que mon enseignant de violon, Andrew Wan, pour sa sagesse et son dévouement admirable ». Justin Saulnier est un violoniste de 18 ans d’Orléans, en Ontario. Il a reçu la bourse d’études pour cordes Lloyd Carr-Harris de l’École de musique Schulich de McGill, où il effectue un baccalauréat en interprétation du violon sous la tutelle d’Andrew Wan.

La date limite de candidature est le vendredi 26 janvier 2024, à 17 h (HE).

Pour en savoir plus sur le Concours et le processus d’inscription, rendez-vous sur le site : https://cna-nac.ca/fr/orchestra/bursary.

À PROPOS DE LA BOURSE

C’est en 1981 qu’a eu lieu la première édition du Concours de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts. Ce concours a pour but premier d’encourager l’excellence chez les jeunes instrumentistes qui aspirent à faire carrière au sein d’un orchestre. Chaque année, un jury choisit les personnes lauréates par voie d’auditions et de concours.

Le Concours a été créé en 1979 par les interprètes de l’Orchestre du CNA, qui souhaitaient ainsi remercier les auditoires qui avaient soutenu l’ensemble au cours de sa première décennie d’existence. Il vise à reconnaître de jeunes instrumentistes qui ont un lien avec la région de la capitale nationale et à leur fournir un soutien financier aux fins de perfectionnement. Au départ, son financement provenait de deux sources : d’une part, le Fonds de la Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA créé en 1979 par l’Orchestre et, d’autre part, la Fiducie de l’Orchestre du CNA (à l’origine la Fiducie de la capitale, fondée en 1932 au profit de la Société philharmonique d’Ottawa qui, au moment de sa dissolution en 1970, fut transférée au CNA). Le Fonds porte désormais le nom de Fonds de fiducie de l’Orchestre du CNA. La première Bourse de l’Orchestre du CNA, en 1981, était d’une valeur de 1 000 $. Par la suite, grâce à la croissance du Fonds et à la générosité d’organisations et de particuliers, d’autres prix sont venus s’ajouter, pour un total de 25 000 $.

À PROPOS DE L’ORCHESTRE DU CNA

Depuis sa création en 1969, l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts (OCNA) reçoit des éloges pour la passion et la clarté de ses interprétations, ses programmes éducatifs novateurs et son apport à l’expression de la créativité canadienne. Sous la conduite inspirée du directeur musical Alexander Shelley, l’Orchestre du CNA est le reflet de la diversité des paysages, des valeurs et des communautés du Canada. Il est reconnu pour sa programmation audacieuse, ses contenus narratifs marquants, son excellence artistique et ses partenariats innovants.

Depuis son inauguration, l’Orchestre du CNA a commandé plus de 80 nouvelles œuvres, la plupart à des compositeurs et compositrices du Canada, et compte plus de 40 enregistrements commerciaux à son actif. Parmi ceux-ci, notons :

Un album de concertos pour piano de Mozart interprétés par Angela Hewitt (prix Juno 2015);

L’avant-gardiste Réflexions sur la vie, qui comprend My Name is Amanda Todd de la regrettée Jocelyn Morlock (prix Juno de la composition classique de l’année en 2018);
Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes d’Ana Sokolović (prix Juno de la composition classique de l’année en 2019), tiré de l’album Nouveaux mondes (finaliste aux Juno en 2019);
Aux frontières de nos rêves, interprété par le pianiste Alain Lefèvre (finaliste aux Juno en 2020); et
Clara – Robert – Johannes : Échos lyriques (finaliste dans la catégorie album classique de l’année aux Juno en 2023).

À PROPOS DU CNA  

Le Centre national des Arts du Canada (CNA) est un carrefour des arts de la scène multidisciplinaire et bilingue. Comme diffuseur, créateur, producteur et coproducteur, il propose une offre artistique des plus variées dans chacun de ses volets de programmation – Orchestre du CNA, Danse, Théâtre français, Théâtre anglais, Théâtre autochtone, et Musique populaire et variétés – et cultive la prochaine génération d’artistes et d’auditoires à l’échelle du pays. Le CNA est situé dans la région de la capitale nationale sur le territoire non cédé de la Nation Anishnaabe Algonquine.

MERCI À NOS PARTENAIRES

La Fondation du Centre national des Arts souhaite remercier la Fondation Crabtree et Les Amis de l’OCNA pour leur soutien généreux.

Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra announces groundbreaking recording project, commissioning four Canadian composers

November 17, 2023

New recording cycle led by Alexander Shelley sees the NAC Orchestra premiering new works by Canadian composers alongside Richard Strauss masterpieces, November 22 and 23 at Southam Hall, broadcast live on November 23

November 17, 2023 – OTTAWA – Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) is thrilled to unveil a pioneering music project that promises to redefine the boundaries of orchestral music canon. Under the visionary leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, NACO is embarking on a multi-season journey that marries the timeless compositions of Richard Strauss with the creative brilliance of leading Canadian composers. The project is set to debut two of four new commissions in Southam Hall on November 22-23, 2023—with a free livestream on November 23, 2023, at 8PM Eastern Time—and will crescendo with its final notes in the Orchestra’s 2025-26 season.

Four Canadian composers have been commissioned to create new works that serve as modern counterparts to the music of Richard Strauss (1864-1949), the German composer and conductor best known for his tone poems and operas. They have been tasked with crafting compositions that resonate with the spirit, narratives, soundscapes, or moods found in the original works of Richard Strauss. Drawing from their 21st-century sensibilities, these composers will create a dynamic juxtaposition between tradition and innovation, creating new works to live alongside Strauss's masterpieces. The selected Canadian composers for this significant endeavour and their respective Strauss compositions are as follows:

Kevin Lau (responding to "Death and Transfiguration")
Kelly-Marie Murphy (responding to "Don Juan")
Ian Cusson (responding to "Also Sprach Zarathustra")
Alexina Louie (responding to "Der Rosenkavalier")

A highlight of this grand undertaking is the eagerly anticipated world premiere of Kevin Lau's composition, The Infinite Reaches, and Kelly-Marie Murphy's opus, Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, which will take place at Southam Hall on November 22-23, 2023, conducted by Alexander Shelley. Lau's composition will be performed alongside Strauss's Tod und Verklärung ("Death and Transfiguration"), while Murphy's work will resonate with Strauss's Don Juan.

The project extends its reach beyond the concert hall. The Orchestra’s November 23, 2023, performance will be broadcast live online, accessible worldwide, and available on-demand on the National Arts Centre website. A commercial release of all four works and their Strauss counterparts will be released in partnership with the independent Canadian music label Analekta at the culmination of this project.

It is no secret around the National Arts Centre that Strauss is one of Alexander Shelley’s favourite composers. Daphne Burt, Artistic Planning Manager, recalls his first-ever concert with the NAC Orchestra: “Since his debut concert at Southam Hall in 2009, featuring a program that included the tone poem Don Juan, Alexander Shelley and the National Arts Centre Orchestra have forged a powerful and enduring bond through the captivating music of Richard Strauss. Shelley's deep connection to Strauss's compositions has served as the foundation for this groundbreaking project, where he, alongside the Orchestra and visionary Canadian composers, seeks to expand the horizons of orchestral music and bring Strauss's legacy into the 21st century. Their shared passion for Strauss's works and their commitment to pushing artistic boundaries have set the stage for a remarkable journey that promises to leave an indelible mark on the world of classical music.”

Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, shared his enthusiasm for the project: "Commissioning new music by Canadian composers and taking it out into our communities and around the world through live broadcasts, recordings and tours—and shouting loudly from the rooftops that this is an extraordinary orchestra, an extraordinary organization—is my personal ambition as Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. And as a Brit, I think I’m allowed to do that even more than Canadians, because I’ve come from away, and I can say this is an extraordinary place because it really is. I have nothing but admiration for these composers, their work, and how the diversity of programming at the National Arts Centre speaks to the diversity in the conversations that are part of Canadian and world culture."

Each newly commissioned work is approximately 10 minutes in duration, matching the orchestra size of its companion Strauss tone poem. “In 1888, Richard Strauss became convinced that his artistic direction as a composer was to ‘create new forms for every new subject’,” writes musicologist Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley in her program notes for the upcoming concert. “[Strauss] embarked on writing orchestral ‘tone poems’... a one-movement work that illustrates or evokes the content of an extra-musical source, be it a story, poem, or painting. It was a novel way to structure the experience of orchestral music compared to the traditional abstract forms of the four-movement symphony.” Strauss wrote his first tone poems in quick succession, beginning with Macbeth, followed by Don Juan and Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration) in 1889.

Commissioned by the NAC Orchestra and composed in 2023, Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, is a striking new composition by Kelly-Marie Murphy. In her response to Richard Strauss, she explores other events taking place while Strauss wrote Don Juan, drawing inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night and the extraordinary life of Scottish astronomer, Williamina Fleming, one of the founding members of the “Harvard Computers”.

As Murphy’s work responds to Don Juan, Kevin Lau’s commission is inspired by Strauss’s tone poem Death and Transfiguration. “I gravitated immediately toward it,” he says, “its gripping, transcendent musical narrative resonated powerfully with my own creative sensibilities. At the same time, its central, existential question—what lies beyond death—had begun to occupy my own thoughts with increasing regularity.”

He continues, “I felt free to explore the emotional and psychological terrain of Death and Transfiguration without explicitly following in Strauss’s footsteps. Having said that, I did include a reference to Strauss’s iconic Transfiguration theme. It is quoted once in its original form before being inverted, so that its opening three notes are followed by a vertiginous plunge and octave below—a despairing mirror image of transcendence.”

With this bold project, Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra continues to push the boundaries of creativity and collaboration, delivering unforgettable musical experiences that unite the classics with the contemporary. This unique commissioning project is made possible by the collaborative spirit of NACO, its creative collaborators, and the support of the National Arts Centre.

As NACO embarks on this journey, audiences worldwide can anticipate an extraordinary new concert series and album release, a symphonic dialogue that transcends time and tradition. For further information and updates on the NAC Orchestra’s performances and free live broadcasts, please visit nac-cna.ca/orchestra.

ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart piano concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre;
Clara, Robert, Johannes, a multi-album series including Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence.

ABOUT KEVIN LAU

One of Canada's most versatile and sought-after young composers, Kevin Lau (b. 1982) has been commissioned by some of Canada’s most prominent artists and ensembles, and his work has been performed internationally in the USA, France, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. A prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, ballet, opera, and film music, he served as Affiliate Composer of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2015; to date, he has produced seven works for the TSO. Shortly after, he was commissioned to write two ballets with choreographer Guillaume Côté: a full-length ballet (Le Petit Prince) for the National Ballet of Canada and a half hour ballet (Dark Angels) for the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He served as composer in residence for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra from 2021 to 2023.

Kevin’s creative output, often inspired by the fantastical and the surreal, includes two JUNO Award-winning albums, Detach (Redshift, harpist Angela Schwarzkopf) and Mosaique (Ensemble Made in Canada), and the JUNO-nominated Spin Cycle (Centrediscs, Afiara Quartet and DJ Skratch Bastid) and Encount3rs (Analekta, NAC Orchestra). His music to The Spirit Horse Returns, an orchestral family concert featuring Indigenous artists and storytellers, has been performed in Canada six times since its premiere and will be performed at Southam Hall in February 2024.

ABOUT KELLY-MARIE MURPHY

With music described as “breathtaking” (Kitchener-Waterloo Record), “imaginative and expressive” (The National Post), “a pulse-pounding barrage on the senses” (The Globe and Mail), and “Bartok on steroids” (Birmingham News), Kelly-Marie Murphy’s voice is well known on the Canadian music scene. She has created a number of memorable works for some of Canada’s leading performers and ensembles, including the Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, The Gryphon Trio, James Campbell, Shauna Rolston, the Cecilia and Afiara String Quartets, and Judy Loman.

Kelly-Marie Murphy was born (in 1964) on a NATO base in Sardegna, Italy, and grew up on Canadian Armed Forces bases all across Canada. She began her studies in composition at the University of Calgary with William Jordan and Allan Bell, and later received a PhD in composition from the University of Leeds, England, where she studied with Philip Wilby. After living and working for many years in the Washington, D.C. area where she was designated “an alien of extraordinary ability” by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, she is now based in Ottawa, quietly pursuing a career as a freelance composer. Winner of the Azrieli Music Prize (2018) and the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music (2020).

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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Get Ready for a Breakout Hit! Showstopping Musical Prison Dancer takes over the NAC in November

November 9, 2023

GET READY FOR A BREAKOUT HIT! SHOWSTOPPING MUSICAL PRISON DANCER TAKES OVER THE NAC IN NOVEMBER

All-Filipino musical marks Nina Lee Aquino’s first directed production as Artistic Director

November 9, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada). In 2007, a video featuring 1,500 inmates in a Filipino prison dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller was uploaded to YouTube, quickly becoming one of the internet’s first viral videos. The “Dancing Inmates of Cebu” became the inspiration for an ambitious and joyous musical titled Prison Dancer. Created by Filipino Canadian creators Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus, this production is now set to entertain audiences at the NAC from November 23 to December 2, 2023.

The musical is a landmark production in Canada - marking the first Filipino musical ever produced in the country. Under the direction of NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino, the all-Filipino cast premiered Prison Dancer to critical acclaim at the Citadel Theatre this past May, winning five Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, including Outstanding Musical Production.

Paying tribute to pop, house, and R&B while unabashedly reveling in its deep love for sentimental ballads and drag, Prison Dancer reimagines the origin story of a viral sensation. This tale of resilience and hope chronicles the journey of Lola, a prisoner who instills purpose and joy in her fellow inmates. Under Lola's leadership, a community forms within the prison walls, uniting as a pangkat (a Filipino term for group) to support and look out for each other.

Over the past several years, creators Candido and De Jesus have developed this story, presenting it through various mediums. These include an award-winning transmedia project comprising an interactive web series, a performative cinematic experience, and a cast recording. Now, the tale returns to its beloved original form as a live musical production.

Prepare to be captivated by the cast's powerhouse performance and inspired by a story of hope found in the most unexpected places.

PRISON DANCER – NOVEMBER 23 – DECEMBER 2 BABS ASPER THEATRE

An NAC English Theatre Revival of the Citadel Theatre Production. Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s Nation Creation Fund

Music and Lyrics by Romeo Candido; Book by Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus; Directed by Nina Lee Aquino; Produced by Ana Serrano and Carla Serrano. Featuring Norm Alconcel, Pierre Angelo Bayuga, Dominique Brillantes, Josh Capulong, Diana Del Rosario, Renell Doneza, Daren Dyhengco, Chariz Faulmino, Byron Flores, Julio Fuentes, Jovanni Sy, Stephen Thakkar; Music Director, Additional Scoring, Piano Arrangements; Kierscey Rand Regozo; Musicians Jeremie Guitierrez, José Monchito Hernández Garcia, Leighton Rodney; Costume Designer Joyce Padua; Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay; Set and Props Designer Joanna Yu; Sound Designer Owen Hutchinson; Fight Director Richard Lee;; Choreographer Julio Fuentes; Associate Choreographer Keiran Bohay; Dramaturgy Rick Boynton; Audio Coordinator Wayne Hawthorne; Stage Manager Gina Puntil; Assistant Stage Manager Alysse Szatkowski; Associate Stage Manager Angela Mae Bago;

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33675

PASKONG PINOY SA OTTAWA (FILIPINO CHRISTMAS IN OTTAWA) – DECEMBER 2

The Philippine Centre Canada (PCC) and the Philippine Embassy in Canada, in partnership with the National Arts Centre, invite you to join us for a festive holiday market - the Filipino way! Shop for holiday goodies and gifts made by local Filipino businesses and artisans, learn how to make a parol (lantern), and enjoy listening to Filipino Christmas carols.
10 am – 4 pm
Peter A Herrndorf Place

NAC’S NATIONAL CREATION FUND

The National Creation Fund’s investment of $135,000 allowed the artists to invest in research phases – including a research trip to Cebu City, Philippines -- and additional creation workshops that integrated designers and design concepts. This enhanced development set the stage for the Filipino Canadian-majority Prison Dancer team to collaborate in entirely new way, with space for the risk-taking and innovation necessary to create a brand-new large-scale musical.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank The Slaight Family Foundation and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

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Bear Grease: An Indigenous Reimagination of a Beloved Classic

October 3, 2023

Experience this Must-See Rendition of Grease at the NAC in October

October 3, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Get ready for a jaw-dropping, toe-tapping spectacle. From October 11 to 14, Bear Grease takes the 1978 musical Grease on an Indigenous joyride — with fashion that slays, humour that tickles your funny bone, and music that makes you groove. It's a rez makeover for the beloved characters, keeping the authenticity alive while adding a burst of cultural flair.

Buckle up for an electrifying experience that celebrates Indigenous cultures and dances its way into your heart — Bear Grease is a one-of-a-kind adventure you don't want to miss. Crystle Lightning and MC RedCloud, renowned for their contributions to the music industry, have brought this captivating production to life.

Originally premiering at the Edmonton Fringe Festival and since touring across Turtle Island, Bear Grease is known for tailoring each show to the communities they visit. They adopt last names and language for the show to personalize the message and stories of Bear Grease for each unique location.

"We change the show just a bit," Lightning says. "For instance, if we're in Treaty 6 territory, in Cree territory, we'll infuse some Cree words to make it more meaningful for the audience."

Bear Grease plans to wow audiences at the National Arts Centre with this innovative blend of genres and cultures, promising to create a mesmerizing and unforgettable theatrical experience.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33712

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the support of The Slaight Family Foundation, Presenting Sponsor BMO Financial Group, and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Thank you also to Meta, Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, NAC Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
(343) 588-0742
ian.hobson@nac-cna.ca

NAC French Theatre launches 2024 Collective activities and presents Le virus et la proie

November 6, 2023

In November, NAC French Theatre tackles politics in all its expressions and contradictions

November 6, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – With the 2023–24 season well underway, NAC French Theatre is preparing to present the Nouveau Théâtre Expérimental’s production of Le virus et la proie (“the virus and the prey”) and to host the first working meeting of the 2024 Collective.

Le virus et la proie, the acclaimed wake-up call by intellectual Pierre Lefebvre, is directed by Benoît Vermeulen, French Theatre’s former Associate Artist, Youth Programming, who has adapted the text for four exceptional actors: Tania Kontoyanni, Alexis Martin, Ève Pressault and Madani Tall.

This letter to an all-purpose power figure retains its original voice, using lacerating language to denounce the brutality of a dehumanizing social system:

“Sir,
You won’t read this letter. That’s my fault. I don’t have the imagination or the strength or whatever to make you hear me. No matter how much I shout, mumble, whisper, scream or roar, the result is the same: ridiculous. I don’t know how to bridge the distance between us or make it any shorter. I’d like to be able to wear it down, to settle into the length of time, to make it brittle through sheer patience, like water on rock, until one day it suddenly bursts through, but I can’t do that either.”

—Pierre Lefebvre, Le virus et la proie (transl.)

Lucid, sensitive and ironic, Le virus et la proie is a direct attack on the violence of the status quo, and above all a plea for poetry, for everything within us that is fragile and so difficult to name.

The November 25 performance is presented with English subtitles.

Sound Installation

It’s in this context that French Theatre, in association with local artists and teachers, created Les voix de la génération Z, a sound installation that echoes the concepts behind Pierre Lefebvre’s text. The audience will be able to hear the heartfelt demands of today’s youth, which are also addressed to “Sir.” To create the piece, slam poet David Dufour, a.k.a. D-Track, led a writing workshop for local students, who were given the assignment of writing a poetic manifesto. A dozen or so were selected to give voice to their manifestos in the Transistor Média studio, and the resulting podcast can be heard in the lobby of the Azrieli Studio.

Mani reçoit Pierre Lefebvre

On Wednesday, November 22, the opening night of Le virus et la proie, Mani Soleymanlou will be joined by author Pierre Lefebvre as part of the Grandes rencontres du Théâtre français discussion series. The conversation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the NAC Salon.

2024 Collective’s First Workshop

The same day will see the official launch of the 2024 edition of the Collective, an annual project initiated by Mani Soleymanlou and supported by Théâtre du Rideau Vert. The team will meet for two days in an NAC rehearsal room to begin its work.

The 2024 cohort will be directed by writer, director and artistic director (of Théâtre Denise-Pelletier) Claude Poissant. For the occasion, he commissioned a script from playwrights François Archambault and Gabrielle Chapdelaine. The play, Faire le bien, will be presented in September 2024, and performed by nine recent theatre school graduates: Xavier Bergeron (Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal), Anaelle Boily Talbot (École de théâtre professionnel du Collège Lionel-Groulx), Mehdi Boumalki (École supérieure de théâtre de l’UQAM), Simon Champagne (École de théâtre du Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe), Joephillip Lafortune (Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal), Christophe Levac (National Theatre School of Canada), Elizabeth Mageren (National Theatre School of Canada), Charlotte Richer (University of Ottawa Theatre Department Conservatory), and Léa Roy (Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal). These young performers will share the stage with experienced actor Eve Landry, well known to theatre and TV audiences.

“Doing good comes down to little stories of toxic positivity—to situations, sometimes banal, sometimes radical, sometimes absurd, imbued with consensual benevolence. They are dramatic vignettes that shine a light on the blind spots of what is considered ‘the right thing to do according to my values.’

Between hope and discomfort, here are young humans zigzagging, nearly 25 years into a more than imperfect new millennium, from the ridiculous to the rigid, from the valiant gesture to the dark underside, seeking their horizon amid thousands of confusing particles.”

—Claude Poissant, director of the 2024 Collective (transl.)

Between denouncing neo-liberalism and affirming the right, these different projects will address politics in a variety of ways, reflecting one of the fundamental and complex concerns of theatre: living together.

LE VIRUS ET LA PROIE PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio

November 22, 23 and 24 at 8pm, as well as November 25 at 4pm

On the Friday, the performance, offered with English subtitles, will be followed by a talkback with the artists.

Tickets: $37

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30, at $15

All my Relations: $15 tickets welcoming the Indigenous community

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33686 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

Margo Kane Receives National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring

November 6, 2023

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased to announce that Margo Kane has been awarded the 2023 National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring.

Ms. Kane is being recognized for her lifelong commitment to creating new performance and touring opportunities for Indigenous artists and companies, and the development of Indigenous touring networks in Canada and abroad. The $2,500 award was presented on Saturday, November 4 during the opening of the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts’s (CAPACOA) annual conference in Ottawa, which runs through November 8.

" Encouraging touring for Indigenous artists and audiences has been uppermost in my work for some time now,” said Ms. Kane. “By developing relationships with presenters and artist representatives along with our national and international Indigenous artists, presenters and producers, we are working together to achieve our goals of bringing the stories of our People's to audiences longing to hear them. Thank you for this encouragement!"

Cree-Saulteaux performing artist Margo Kane is the Founder and Artistic Managing Director of Full Circle: First Nations Performance. For over 45 years she has been active as an actor, performing artist and community cultural worker. Her desire to share artistic performance that has meaning for her people is the catalyst for her extensive work, travels and consultation within Indigenous communities across Canada and abroad. Moonlodge, her acclaimed one-woman show, an Indigenous Canadian classic, toured for more than 10 years nationally and internationally. The Sydney Press (AU) during The Festival of the Dreaming praised it as being ‘in the top echelon of solo performance.’

Ms. Kane developed and runs the annual Talking Stick Festival in Vancouver, as well as numerous programs including Moccasin Trek: Arts on the Move!, Indian Acts and an Indigenous Ensemble Performing Arts Program.

Ms. Kane has received numerous awards and honors during her distinguished career including the Order of Canada, honorary degrees from the University of the Fraser Valley and SFU – Simon Fraser University, and an International Citation of Merit from ISPA – International Society for the Performing Arts.

Established in 1992 in collaboration with the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts (CAPACOA), the National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring honours exceptional achievement in fostering the touring of live performing arts in Canada. The recipient is chosen from nominations solicited from within the industry and is selected by a committee composed of presenters, agents, administrators, the National Arts Centre and CAPACOA. The recipient may be an individual, performing company, corporation or other organization.

Previous recipients include Ballet BC (2019), Derek Andrews (2018), the East Coast Music Association (2017), Paul Tanguay (2016), Norman Armour (2015), Tafelmusik (2014), Alain Paré (2013), Peter Feldman (2012), Ballet Jörgen Canada (2011), La danse sur les routes du Québec (2010), Uriel Luft (2009), the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (2008), Judy Harquail (2007), Ottie Lockey (2006), Colin McIntyre (2005), CBC Radio/la radio de Radio-Canada (2004), Debut Atlantic (2003), Richard Stoker (2002), Nicholas Goldschmidt (2001), Bruce Owen (2000), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (1999), David Haber (1998), Dr. Elmer Iseler (1997), Jean-Paul Gagnon (1996), Hugh Davidson (1995), Mark Porteous (1994), George Zukerman (1993), and CAPACOA (1992).

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. CAPACOA is a federally incorporated, non-profit pan-Canadian organization serving the performing arts touring and presenting field.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Chandel Gambles
Membership and Programs Manager
CAPACOA
613 562-3515
chandel.gambles@capacoa.ca

Carl Martin
Senior Communications Advisor
National Arts Centre
613 291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

NAC GALA : Celebrating Arts Education in Canada Over the Past 25 years

November 1, 2023

The NAC Gala in support of the National Youth and Education Trust has raised over $15 million through the years.

November 1, 2023 – OTTAWA, Canada — This evening, on the occasion of its 2023 Gala featuring world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming, the National Arts Centre (NAC) and its orchestra, led by Music Director Alexander Shelley, celebrated the 25th anniversary of the NAC Gala. Since 2001, the NAC Gala has raised over 15 million dollars for the National Youth and Education Trust to support the NAC’s artistic and educational programs across the country.

The NAC Orchestra and Maestro Alexander Shelley opened the concert with a lush performance of Georges Bizet’s Toreadors before being joined by the celebrated Renée Fleming. Sharing the spotlight with the NAC Orchestra for the first time since 2013, the soprano brought her inimitable voice to the stage with selections from Handel, including “Calm thou my soul ... Convey me to some peaceful shore” from his oratorio Alexander Balus, followed by French classics, including Gabriel Fauré’s Mandoline, Op. 58, No. 1, and Jules Massenet’s “Allons! ... Adieu, notre petite table” from his opera Manon. This was Ms. Fleming’s second appearance at the NAC Gala, her first being in 2002.

In the second half, Renée Fleming, Maestro Shelley and the NAC Orchestra returned to the stage, changing registers to treat the audience to a spellbinding rendition of “I Want Magic” from André Previn’s opera A Streetcar Named Desire. The soprano then gave riveting performances of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical Carousel and “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady.

Renée Fleming worked magic with Music Director Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra in this spectacular evening in honour of patrons Earle and Janice O’Born, C.M., O.Ont.. Over the past 15 years, the Toronto couple have become passionate champions of the NAC through their support of Canada’s performing artists, new works, touring, and orchestral compositions.

For a selection of photos of this evening’s performance click here.

Since its first Gala in 1997, headlined by singer Jessye Norman, the NAC has welcomed a constellation of renowned Canadian and international artists to the Southam Hall stage for this fundraising event. They include Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman, New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Canadian tenor Ben Heppner, and Canadian-American soprano Erin Wall, as well as Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Paul Anka, Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang and Jann Arden. For its 10th anniversary edition in 2007, the NAC Gala welcomed American pianist Emanuel Ax, Canadian folk violinist Natalie MacMaster, Israeli-American violinist Gil Shaham, and Franco-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

This glamorous fundraising event benefits the National Youth and Education Trust by providing much-needed resources for the National Arts Centre’s youth and education programming all across the country. Established by the NAC Foundation in 2001, the Trust is the primary resource for youth and education funding at the NAC. It gives Canada’s next generation of artists the chance to grow, master their art, and take their rightful place in the spotlight. It also helps us introduce young people across Canada to the wonder of the performing arts and the incredible difference it can make throughout their lives.

SUPPORTERS

The NAC Gala is made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and sponsors. We are grateful to Earle O’Born and Janice O’Born, C.M., O.Ont., for their longstanding leadership and transformational support. Thank you to the Gail Asper Family Foundation & Asper Foundation, Adrian Burns, LL.D., & Gregory Kane, K.C., Susan Glass, C.M., & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., Gail O’Brien, LL.D., & David O’Brien, O.C., Alexander Shelley & Zoe Shelley, and Dasha Shenkman, OBE. Thank you also to our corporate sponsors: Aria Partners, Azrieli Foundation, CGI, Emond Harnden LLP, and RBC Royal Bank; our Dinner Sponsor, A&E Television Networks; and our Soprano Patrons, Air Canada, Mark Motors Group, and Trinity Development Group Inc.; as well as the NAC’s Forest Planting Partner, Canada’s Forest Trust. Proceeds from the Gala support the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION

The National Arts Centre Foundation raises funds to support the National Arts Centre’s work in performance, creation and learning across Canada. Since its founding in 2000, the National Arts Centre Foundation has raised more than $170 million to enrich the lives of Canadians through the performing arts and champion our country’s artists, students and educators.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Anicée Lejeune

Communications Strategist
Programs and Special Projects
National Arts Centre
514-237-9553
anicee.lejeune@nac-cna.ca

Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young’s Highly Anticipated New Work Comes to the NAC

October 24, 2023

Assembly Hall, a Kidd Pivot Production, is a brilliantly orchestrated hybrid of dance and theatre

October 24, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Sure to be a hot ticket this season, Assembly Hall comes to Babs Asper Theatre from November 2 to 4.

From the team that created the ground-breaking, award-winning productions of Revisor and Betroffenheit — which The Guardian hailed as “the best dance work of the 21^st century” — comes Kidd Pivot’s latest offering that promises the company’s signature wit and invention. Fuelling Kidd Pivot’s work is a fascination with story and the role of language as an animating force.

Eight superb performers are brought together in this new work that explores our need for a sense of togetherness and belonging. In a setting somewhere between a community hall and a mythical kingdom, audiences will witness the joys and pitfalls of devoted like-mindedness and the pain of exile.

Crystal Pite’s bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired a generation of dance artists. In 2002, she founded Kidd Pivot and made it her mission to translate universal issues into works of art that connect to deep and essential parts of our humanity. More than 50 creations later, Crystal continues her commitment to refine the universal language of dance.

“I’m inspired by things that can’t be measured or understood. What interests me is the human spirit and how we connect to each other.”

— Crystal Pite, Choreographer

“NAC Dance audiences won’t want to miss Crystal Pite’s return to Babs Asper Theatre with this new collaboration with Jonathon Young. Assembly Hall is an incredibly dynamic performance with characters that are larger-than-life. These two co-creators are master storytellers, and we are in for a treat.”

— Caroline Ohrt, Executive Producer, NAC Dance

“Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young’s collaboration is legendary. They are one of the few two-time recipients of Creation Fund investments, a testament to the rigour and ambition of their work. In Assembly Hall, Pite and Young playfully invite us to consider the stakes of our need to be together, in a vital exploration of human belonging.”

— Sarah Conn, Acting Artistic Producer, National Creation Fund

Assembly Hall is an NAC co-production and was developed with support from the NAC's National Creation Fund.

This performance includes English-only dialogue that is integral to the work's narrative.

Click here to download photos and videos.

SHOW AND TICKET INFORMATION

Babs Asper Theatre
November 2 - 4, 7:30 p.m.
Pre-show chat at 6:30 p.m. on November 2, Peter A, Herrndorf Place

Duration: 90 minutes, no intermission.

To purchase tickets, visit nac-cna.ca/en/event/33704 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To learn more about the NAC’s building and facilities before you arrive, click: nac-cna.ca/en/visit.

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023–2024 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

NAC Dance and the NAC Foundation would like to thank the donors and partners who have made the season possible. Thank you to our Hotel Partner, the Lord Elgin Hotel. The role of Executive Producer, NAC Dance is generously supported by an anonymous donor.

ABOUT KIDD PIVOT

World-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theatre, Kidd Pivot creations are assembled with a keen sense of wit and invention. Led by Canadian choreographer and director Crystal Pite, the company is unflinching in the face of such challenging and complex themes as trauma, addiction, conflict, consciousness and mortality. Pite’s bold and original vision has earned her international acclaim and inspired an entire generation of dance artists.

Kidd Pivot strives to distill and translate universal questions into artworks that connect us to profound and essential parts of humanity. “Running through all of our work is the question of what moves us,” says Pite.

Kidd Pivot tours internationally with critically acclaimed works such as Betroffenheit and Revisor (both co-created with playwright Jonathon Young), The Tempest Replica, Dark Matters, Lost Action, and The You Show. Since 2015, Kidd Pivot has measured its touring carbon footprint and offset over 1,000 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), enabling it to be one of the first dance companies to tour carbon neutral.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Alexandra Campeau

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance
613-668-2736
alexandra.campeau@nac-cna.ca

Theatre Icon Walter Borden Brings Highly Anticipated The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time To The NAC

October 17, 2023

THEATRE ICON WALTER BORDEN BRINGS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ONE MAN SHOW TO THE NAC
 Autobiographical The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time arrives after previously cancelled performances in 2022.

October 4, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada). In February of 2022, NAC English Theatre was set to present Walter Borden’s masterpiece, The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time, when protests in downtown Ottawa caused its cancellation. Following critically acclaimed runs at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre in May and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre in September and October, the play is set to make a triumphant return to Ottawa, from November 1 to 11, 2023.

Directed by former NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Peter Hinton-Davis, The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time is a one-man, multi-character tour-de-force. It chronicles the poignant journey of a young Black queer man growing up in rural Nova Scotia. 

Initially written and performed by Walter Borden in 1986 and presented as Tightrope Time Ain’t Nuthin’ More Than Some Itty Bitty Madness Between Your Twilight & Your Dawn, the work was one of the first Canadian plays to explore male homosexuality from a Black perspective.

Infusing the play with wisdom and perspective garnered over the past 35 years, Borden has crafted a diary of imagination and experience. In 2023, he now presents a powerful performance articulated through the voices of 10 dynamic characters, each instrumental in reflecting his philosophy on life's journey.

In The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time, legendary Walter Borden leads the audience on a personal odyssey across the town square, into the church, and through the perspective of a Black gay man. This piece offers a unique opportunity to experience the resilience and vitality of the human spirit.

CELEBRATING WALTER BORDEN

This homecoming serves not only as a celebration of a critically acclaimed production, but also as a tribute to Walter Borden, the venerable actor, playwright, poet, and teacher who has been graced with numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Order of Canada in 2006.

In honour of this Canadian theatre icon, NAC English Theatre is curating a special display outside the Azrieli Studio. This vibrant installation will feature over 100 brightly colored ribbons, each one representing a milestone in Walter’s extensive theatre journey, showcasing his rich timeline of credits, awards, and recognitions. Additionally, audiences will have the opportunity to delve deeper into Walter’s world through video links where they can witness him engage in a heartfelt conversation with playwright and actor Andrew Moodie, as part of the Legend Library project from Canada's Theatre Museum.

BLACK OUT NIGHT 

On November 3, NAC English Theatre’s first Black Out Night of the season will coincide with the evening performance of The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time. We invite audiences to join a pre-show panel and a post-show celebration honoring Walter, co-presented by Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario. Given the overwhelming success of last season's Black Out Nights, tickets for this event are expected to sell out quickly.

Black Out Nights at the NAC offer Black audiences and their guests an opportunity to enjoy performances within their community, showcasing the vibrant spectrum of the Black experience. As always, everyone is welcome to join the Black Out Night during The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time performance, fostering a spirit of inclusivity and celebration.

As the show arrives at the NAC, a new and fully revised edition of The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time will be released for sale by Nimbus Publishing. For more information, visit: https://nimbus.ca/store/the-last-epistle-of-tightrope-time.html

THE LAST EPISTLE OF TIGHTROPE TIME – NOVEMBER 1 - 11, AZRIELI STUDIO  
 
The NAC English Theatre/Tarragon Theater revival of the NAC English Theatre/Neptune Theatre co-production

Written and performed by Walter Borden 
Directed by Peter Hinton-Davis 
Set, Lighting, Projection and Costume Designer Andy Moro; Sound Designer and Composer Adrienne Danrich O’Neill; Associate Sound Designer Wayne Hawthorne; Stage Manager Fiona Jones; Assistant Stage Manager Alison Crosby.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION 

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33678. For Black Out Night, visit: https://arts.nac-cna.ca/en/booking/production/bestavailable/92

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS  
  
The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank The Slaight Family Foundation and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE   
   
The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.   

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT  
 
Sean Fitzpatrick 
Communications Specialist 
NAC English Theatre 
613 899-9737 
sean.fitzpatrick@nac-cna.ca

Une petite fête: A Space for Freedom and Joyful Dissent

October 16, 2023

NAC French Theatre’s Enfance/jeunesse family series kicks off with festive chaos and a healthy dose of irreverence

October 16, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – On October 28 and 29, two performers and a dynamic musician invite children ages 4 to 8—and perhaps their parents—to a secret party, a little mischievous, a little delirious; a party where mild delinquency is encouraged, because in this cabaret of dissent, the children make the decisions!

Over the last 50 years, Le Carrousel theatre company has reached more than a million spectators in 16 countries on 4 continents, and has gone on nearly 100 international tours! To mark the occasion, the company has prepared a magical cake scene and an exuberant party that thumbs its nose at rules and conventions.

“The show is meant to be an ode to freedom, a place where differences are welcomed with open arms and a time to reflect on our collective habits and convictions. Join us as you laugh, delight and grow.”

– Marie-Eve Huot, Director of Une petite fête and Artistic Director of Le Carrousel

NAC French Theatre is delighted to co-produce this series of outrageous tableaux that question some of the rules that govern our daily lives ... even in the theatre. That’s what this show written by Martin Bellemare celebrates: the importance of making room for questioning, and even resistance, with humour and intelligence.

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITY

Because the experience of going to the theatre begins long before you step into the performance hall, families are welcome to arrive 45 minutes before the start of the performance to warm up their imaginations. Many activities and surprises await you in the Studio Foyer!

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio

School matinees: October 25, 26, 27 (it is possible for the media to attend if there are seats available)

Family performances: October 28 and 29, at 1pm and 3pm

Duration: 45 minutes

Tickets: $15

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33692 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

LEGENDARY CHOREOGRAPHER AKRAM KHAN’S LATEST WORK JUNGLE BOOK REIMAGINED COMES TO THE NAC

October 5, 2023

Storytelling at the heart of Khan’s signature movement style

October 5, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Akram Khan’s latest work, Jungle Book reimagined, an NAC Co-Production, comes to Southam Hall for three performances, including a Saturday matinee.

At the age of ten, Akram Khan played Mowgli in an Indian dance version of The Jungle Book, and decades later, the choreographer decided to revisit the story. Based on the original story of Rudyard Kipling’s much-loved classic, Khan reinvents the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a climate refugee.  

Set in a near future world, it is the story of a family torn apart as they escape their homeland ravaged by the impact of climate change. Arriving alone in a deserted modern city, and with wild animals claiming the streets as their own, the child soon discovers unlikely allies in this strange new jungle. 

Featuring an original score, ten international dancers and state-of-the-art animation and visuals, Jungle Book reimagined is a beautifully compelling and vital piece of storytelling about our intrinsic need to belong and bond with others, and the importance of connecting with and respecting our natural world. Audiences will be transported by the animated visual projections, haunting music, and masterful choreography that mimics the movements of the animals.    

Akram Khan very consciously approached the creation of this production as a direct action towards climate change. In place of traditional physical sets that are heavy for touring, projections and animated films achieve an immersive non-physical realm, and props made of cardboard are recycled after the tour. He brought in YeastCulture, a UK-based design firm, to create stunning hand-drawn animations, some of which will be showcased on the NAC’s Kipnes Lantern.

“We are now living in unprecedented and uncertain times, not only for our species but for all species on this planet. And the root cause of this conundrum is because we have forgotten our connection to our home, our planet. We all inhabit it, we all take from it, and we all build on it, but we have forgotten to return our respect for it.” 

– Akram Khan

Director and Choreographer

“This is a truly exceptional production. We are thrilled to welcome once again Akram Khan Company, who have graced the NAC stages numerous times over the years, each time wowing audiences. Jungle Book reimagined stands out for its powerful message about the impact of climate change – and it speaks to all generations.” 
– Caroline Orht. Executive Producer, NAC Dance

This performance is recommended for children ages 8 + years.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION 

Southam Hall

October 19-20, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. 

October 21, 2023, Matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Duration: Two hours and 10 minutes with one intermission 

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33696 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To learn more about the NAC’s building and facilities before you arrive, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit.  ;

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023–2024 NAC Dance season. 

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS 

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre , French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre
343-998-4244

Hip Hop Culture Takes Centre Stage with the NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival

October 4, 2023

Hip Hop Culture Takes Centre Stage with the NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival

An eleven-day festival celebrates the power of words in the convergence of hip hop and theatre, January 31 – February 10

OTTAWA (Canada) – Hip hop is a highly theatrical form. Why then couldn’t it be part of English Theatre’s season? When the NAC English Theatre team explored this question, it sparked an idea and ignited a conversation about what defines a theatrical performance.

Emerging in the 1970s from disenfranchised Black communities in the Bronx, hip hop has deeply influenced Canadian culture for over four decades. The term ‘Hip Hop Theatre’ emerged in the early 1990s, coined by London-based dancer and emcee Jonzi D, to describe a performance style fusing hip hop dance and theatre. As hip hop celebrates 45 years in Canada, NAC English Theatre kicks off 2024 with the NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival, curated by Rose-Ingrid Benjamin with Nina Lee Aquino and NAC Popular Music and Variety.

“Hip hop in its purest and most unadulterated form is theatre. If we look at the arc of theatre history all the way from Shakespeare to contemporary theatre, including vaudeville and early and current Broadway, hip hop in all its forms belongs without a doubt,” observed Curator Rose-Ingrid Benjamin. “It is so much more than music – it’s a lifestyle, a culture, a revolutionary language that gives voice to a facet of the Black struggle, and now resonates globally.”

“The question led me to revisit my work, seeking and finding intersections with hip hop," said NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino. “I discovered other global Hip Hop Theatre festivals, confirming that the convergence of theatre and hip hop is a shared passion among many artists, celebrating the synergy of the hybrid works which emerge from this confluence.”

The eleven-day festival will revolve around the text-based essence of hip hop, opening with a free monumental Hip Hop Cypher. Subsequent performances will encompass battle rap, spoken word, staged readings, panels, concerts, and virtual events, all aimed at broadening our perspective on how we view and experience theatre at its core.

“I kept revisiting the realm of plays grounded in text, where the interplay of words and rhythm are central. I wanted not only to explore and satisfy my curiosity but also to showcase this intertwined relationship,” remarked Ms Aquino.

NAC English Theatre is excited to join in the tradition of Hip Hop Theatre festivals being presented around the globe. Through the festival, we hope audiences will cultivate a deeper respect and admiration for hip hop as a distinct and vibrant theatrical form.

NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival Schedule – January 31 – February 10, 2024

The NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival will host ten events over 11 days, featuring two concerts from Popular Music and Variety’s Fridays at the Fourth series, two free panels and the Spoken Word presentation The Old Black Maple, will hold two performances, including the second Black Out Night for English Theatre in 2023-2024. To check out the entire festival, visit:
www.nac-cna.ca/en/series/hip-hop-theatre-festival-2023.

The Cypher
Wednesday, January 31, 8 p.m. Peter A. Herrndorf Place - FREE

Can I Kick It Too?: An exploration of Queerness in Hip Hop
Thursday, February 1, 1 p.m. Peter A. Herrndorf Place -In person and livestream - FREE

Freedom: A Mixtape - Live and Unplugged
b current Performing Arts
Thursday, February 1, 8 p.m. Azrieli Studio

Dangerous Minds: In Conversation with the Hip Hop Headucatorz
Saturday, February 3, 1 p.m. Peter A. Herrndorf Place – In person and livestrem - FREE

The Old Black Maple
Saturday, February 3, Azrieli Studio
7 p.m.
9:30 p.m. – Black Out Night Performance

Twisted
Created and performed by Charlotte Corbeil–Coleman and Joseph Jomo Pierre
Wednesday, February 7, 8 p.m., Fourth Stage

Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera
Created and performed by Sébastien Heins
Thursday, February 8, 8 p.m., Azrieli Studio

NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival in collaboration with Charron Presents
Cold Heat
Saturday, February 10, 7 p.m., Azrieli Studio

Fridays At The Fourth

Popular Music and Variety’s Fridays At The Fourth is excited to introduce emerging Hip Hop artists from across Canada to the stage as part of NAC’s inaugural Hip Hop Theatre Festival.

Asuquomo with S.O.A.P
Friday, February 2 8:30 p.m. Fourth Stage

DijahSB and Charmaine with Lia Cloud
Friday, February 9 8:30 p.m. Fourth Stage

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS 
 
The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank The Slaight Family Foundation and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre.

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Official Car Partner Mark Motors Group, Performance Sponsor BMO Financial Group, and Official Hotel Partner The Metcalfe. The Arts, Medicine and #Life speaker series is made possible thanks to the support of The Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management, and Scotiabank.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE  
  
The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.  

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L'ÉCOUTE D'UNE ÉMOTION: Waves of Desire and Radio

September 25, 2023

From October 11 to 14, the remarkable Larissa Corriveau delivers the story of an intense passion in the NAC Studio

September 25, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – After a collective work featuring nine young performers giving form to the invisible, French Theatre continues its “inner dive” with a production that explores the high stakes of passion. L’écoute d’une émotion is a powerful monologue with the feel of a radio show taking us down the winding paths of a stir that is both intoxicating and liberating.

Who better than the sublime Larissa Corriveau to take on this high-wire act, which uses physical movement to investigate desire and the limitations of language to express the pulse of that desire? Lauded for her versatility as well as for her solid physical technique, Corriveau seizes both the microphone and the stage to deliver this spellbinding dramatic monologue by Marie-Laurence Rancourt.

“The beginning of a radio show is like the beginning of a love affair; you’re at the very beginning, it’s the very beginning; all time is ahead of you; you have no idea what’s coming next, and yet you’re drawn in; you’re afraid; you see the clocks, you see the time, the time that may run out, you see the silence, you see the unforeseen, the unexpected …. I love the beginning of a radio show like I love the beginning of a love affair; from the very first moments, something unfolds that wasn’t there at the beginning, something you didn’t know was there and that you’re going to create,” reveals the woman at the microphone.

The founder of Magnéto company – which created L’écoute d’une émotion (coproduced by French Theatre) –, Rancourt has proven her talent as an investigator of our social worlds with the radio drama Aalaapi | ᐋᓛᐱ, which was presented at the NAC in the fall 2022. Here, she does it once again, adding directing to this intimate gem, presenting a unique voice that, while addressing the many, seems secretly to be saying, “Deep down, you’re the only one I’m talking to.”

So, get ready for a great performance by an exceptional actor, an extraordinary text ... as well as one or two songs.

ABOUT LARISSA CORRIVEAU

Larissa Corriveau is an artist who transcends classifications. An actor, author and director, she has made a name for herself in the theatre scene, where she has worked with such luminaries as Marie Brassard (La fureur de ce que je pense), Brigitte Haentjens (Richard III and L’opéra de quat’sous), Catherine Vidal (Je disparais) and Emmanuel Schwartz (Nathan) – all of these works have been presented at the NAC. In 2019, she drew acclaim for her film debut in Denis Côté’s Répertoire des villes disparues (selected to compete at the 69^th Berlinale). She went on to act in several other film productions: Denis Côté’s Hygiène sociale, Un été comme ça and Mademoiselle Kenopsia; Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking. She has several television appearances under her belt as well, including in Toute la vie, Motel Paradis, L’échappée, À cœur battant and Les yeux fermés.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio

October 11, 12 and 13 at 8pm, as well as October 14 at 4pm

On the Friday, the performance will be followed by a talkback with the artists.

Tickets: $37

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30, at $15

All my Relations: $15 tickets welcoming the Indigenous community

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33685 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

catherine.jones@nac-cna.ca

French-language theater across the country shines once again this year

September 5, 2023

Let's celebrate together the 10th edition of Zones Théâtrales

Ottawa - September 5, 2023 - Let the countdown begin! The biennial Zones Théâtrales kicks off on Monday, September 11, and runs until Saturday, September 16. Come see us on stages across Ottawa and outside the Canadian Museum of History for a week of festivities. On the program for this 10th edition: nine original shows, six workshop productions and tons of different free events. Whether you work in theatre, are a theatre buff or just want to learn more, there’s something for everyone. It’s the perfect way to start this cultural season.

Since 2005, the pride and prosperity of French theatre has taken centre stage at Zones Théâtrales, an event with the primary goal of bringing people together and showcasing the incredible originality of new works hailing from the Franco-Canadian scenes and regions of Quebec. Zones Théâtrales is a creative engine for artists working in French, setting the tone for local theatrical pieces and helping to promote national and international French theatre.

“Here’s to the 10th edition!” - Gilles Poulin-Denis, artistic director of Zones Théâtrales. “May it stoke our imaginations and our memories, so that we might say ‘I was there that night when…’ And though the future is still unwritten, one thing is clear: creativity thrives here, enough so that I see another 10 editions!”

This year, the biennial is tackling today’s popular topics, with some of our shows asking audiences to reflect on the evolution of our relationship to land and to the environment as a society.

● WINNIPEG │ KOUROU │ ZIGUINCHOR Our opening show On marronne ? (Si ça te dit, viens) will be making its world premiere at NAC’s Azrieli Studio onSeptember 11 and 12. Indigenous artist Marie-Josée Dandeneau’s soundscape immerses us in the midst of a forest, in a play written by Gustave Akakpo and dramaturgy by Tomson Highway. At the crossroads of nature and resilience, artists from three territories ponder the history that needs to be rectified and the future that remains to be written.

● CARLETON-SUR-MER │La conquête du béluga is presented on the banks of the Ottawa River at the Canadian Museum of History, September 14 and 15. Presented at sunset against the backdrop of Parliament Hill, Maryse Goudreau’s La conquête du beluga takes us through the history of the beluga whale in a gentle call to take action for the environment and change our attitude toward living things. Other works try to redefine creativity with the help of new technology.

● OTTAWA │In the vein of true crime podcasts, Durant des années transports us back to 1999 in rural Quebec, in the middle of the Ottawa River, where a teen’s murder has shrouded residents in silence. Relevant to our times, this work from Théâtre du Trillium and Théâtre Catapulte uses AI-generated interactive stage design. Making its world premiere at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins’ Studio A, September 12 and 13.

● MONCTON │Using science-fiction inspired visuals, gimmicks and scale models, the Satellite Théâtre company pulls out all the stops in its most technologically ambitious creation to date : Bouée. Between existential questions and interstellar ambitions, this show asks life’s biggest questions and reflects on its absurdities in the time an interstellar trip takes – with Katrine Noël of Les Hay Babies. Bouée will be presented at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins’ Studio A, September 15 and 16.Two shows take us on journeys to explore the world.

● OTTAWA │In the aftermath of a deadly epidemic, a brother and sister undertake a perilous journey to the United States in search of their father. The post-apocalyptic thriller Murs questions what remains of humanity when civilization collapses. Making its premiere at the University of Ottawa’s Academic Hall, September 13 and 14.

● MANITOBA │Young audiences (8 to 11) and seniors are invited to embark on a sensory journey with Cet été qui chantait by Franco-Manitoban author Marie-Ève Fontaine. Loosely based on the work of the same name by Gabrielle Roy, this deeply poetic world comes to life through puppet, shadow play and object theatre. Performances at the University of Ottawa’s LabO, September 15 and 16. Meanwhile, Crawlspace brings us back to reality with a real estate horror story.

● TORONTO │Crawlspace paints the funny, tear-inducing absurdity of the Toronto real estate market. Join the play’s protagonist as she finds—not without a sense of humour—disaster after disaster under the bricks and boards of her new home. Performances at the University of Ottawa’s Studio Léonard Beaulne, September 12 and 13. Last but not least, some works examine the notions of memory and inheritance,while paying tribute to loved ones.

● VANCOUVER │In 1960s Quebec, Michel makes a name as a drag queen before becoming Michelle. In Michel(le), a powerful autobiographical solo, Joey Lespérence questions the roles that society forces upon us all. Making its world premiere at the Arts Court theatre, September 12 and 13.

● CHICOUTIMI │Ainsi passe la chair is a love letter from Sara Moisan. Through headphones, you’ll listen to a fictitious conversation, based on old recordings between her and her father. This deeply personal work questions our relationship with death, the act of creation, and the traces we leave behind. At the University of Ottawa’s Studio Léonard-Beaulne, September 14 and 16.

Zones Théâtrales is also an opportunity to discover works in progress.

https://nac-cna.ca/en/zonestheatrales/labo

The biennial gives space to upcoming creations by helping to build a bridge between creators and the public, but also to artistic directors who might be interested in presenting these works to their audiences.

This year, the works in progress presented at the Zones Théâtrales are:

TORONTO │ Ça rime avec vinaigre by KaFé Productions Inc

CHELSEA │Créatures by L’eau du bain

SHERBROOKE │Sainte-Johanne-des-Calvettes by Traces et Souvenances

OTTAWA │Vivances by Guillaume Saindon

CARAQUET │Vent à vendre by Théâtre Populaire de l’Acadie

OTTAWA, PORT-AU PRINCE AND TORONTO │Quel dernier grand conflit pour

satisfaire la haine entre les humains by Guy Régis Jr

Industry professionals can enjoy Zones Théâtrales’ round tables, speed dating-style project

presentations, a fun roleplay game and get-togethers meant to grow and to support the

theatre community from French Canada and across Quebec.

Two free exhibits and several other events are also open to the general public.

https://nac-cna.ca/en/zonestheatrales/pop

Audiences can check out Towards Home, an artistic installation by Geronimo Inutiq, who is known for creations and performances that draw on his Inuit and Quebec background. On September 14 at 10 p.m., a performance and DJ set will showcase Geronimo Inutiq and local DJs. Finally, in addition to La conquête du Béluga, multidisciplinary artist Maryse Goudreau will be showcasing her installation Dans le ventre de la baleine—an immersive sound and tactile experience that plunges you into the center of a beluga whale nursery. Both installations are being held continuously at Club SAW, from September 13 to September 15. Zones Théâtrales is offering more than just theatre, livening things up with happy hours and festive evenings. Plus, new this year—a drag night hosted by show-stopping drag queens (Chiquita Mére, Sami Landri and Ruby Foxglove). Audiences and artists alike can celebrate together at these events. On Saturday, September 16, a very special literary cabaret will close out the week, looking back at the ten biennials from 2005 to 2023.

Check out the full program at : https://nac-cna.ca/en/zonestheatrales

Show tickets are $25 and workshop productions $10. Save 15% when you purchase three shows or more, or check out our various affordable price options.

The Zones Théâtrales biennial event is produced by the National Arts Centre with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Zones Théâtrales team would also like to thank its partners and venues: La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, the SAW Gallery & l’Association des groupes en arts visuels francophones (AGAVF), Club SAW, the Canadian Museum of History, the University of Ottawa, the Association des théâtres francophones du Canada (ATFC), Théâtre Action, the Théâtre français de Toronto, the Théâtre du Trillium, Les Transfrontaliers ; partner hotels ; the Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites, Cartier Place Suite Hotel and graphic designer ; Simon Guibord.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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Don’t miss out on Zones Théâtrales

zonestheatrales.ca / Facebook / Instagram / #ZT2023

Informations :

Catherine Jones (she/her/elle)

Stratège en communications-marketing

Communications-Marketing Strategist

819 918-0848

L'OMBRE: "A Person Takes Flight..."

September 14, 2023

NAC French Theatre opens its 2023-2024 season with a tribute to imagination and freedom of thought

September 14, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Mani Soleymanlou’s second season at the helm of NAC French Theatre opens on September 28 with L’ombre [The Shadow], a collective creation by the 2023 Collective. Initiated by Soleymanlou, the Collective is an annual project designed to broaden the horizons of the next generation of artists by giving them hope and, above all, a genuine work opportunity as they put together, in collaboration with the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, a professional production with guidance from top-level creators.

“It seems to me that we need to take care of what’s coming next. First we need to take the time to take stock of what we have and who we are; then we need to equip ourselves with the tools to secure the future. That’s the concept behind the Collective.”

—Mani Soleymanlou

Directed by internationally renowned artist and NAC regular Marie Brassard (Violence, La fureur de ce que je pense, Moi qui me parle à moi-même dans le futur, L’invisible, Peepshow, La noirceur and Jimmy, créature de rêve), the members of the 2023 Collective are Élodie Bégin, Samuel Boulianne, Marion Daigle, Ahlam Gholami, Stella Lemaine, Cassandre Loiselle, Charles-Olivier Maltais, David Noël and Kevin Pereira, nine strong performers who also wrote the various scenes in L’ombre.

“I wanted this creative experience to be first and foremost about the young actors, who become conduits linking us to the invisible world. I want to highlight that quality of the medium and the inventive talent of the performers.

“Together we imagined a territory—a territory animated by flying ghosts, a lot of wind, mysticism, malice and melancholy, dreams, desires, loneliness and vertigo ... It’s all mixed together, driven by the powerful wind of everyone’s ideas, thrown in there, free and entire, unfiltered.”

—Marie Brassard

The director of L’ombre will be in conversation with Mani Soleymanlou at Peter A. Herrndorf Place at 6 p.m. on the show’s opening night, as part of French Theatre’s Grandes rencontres interview series. Meanwhile, you can listen to the winner of the Siminovitch Prize—the country’s highest honour in theatre—chat with Julien Morissette in a podcast also featuring the cast members.

Together, these emerging words and original voices reaffirm French Theatre’s commitment to creation. By giving shape to the invisible, L’ombre extends an invitation for all ages to dream from the inside and out in the open, in keeping with the theme of the 2023-2024 season.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Babs Asper Theatre

September 28 and 29 at 7:30pm, September 30 at 3pm

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30.

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/34100 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023-2024 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black Makes Its North American Debut at the NAC

September 18, 2023

Adrienne Rich meets Nina Simone in Pioneers, a double bill presented on October 3 and 4

September 18, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The National Arts Centre is kicking off its 2023–2024 Dance season with Pioneers,a stunning double bill from Cassa Pancho's Ballet Black, marking the company's first-ever foray into North America.

Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black is known for celebrating diversity by showcasing artists from Black and Asian communities. With Pioneers, 10 of the UK-based company’s dancers take the stage to pay tribute to the lives and ideas of two of the 20th century’s most notable women.

The evening opens with Then Or Now, choreographed by the immensely talented William Tuckett, bringing to life the poetry of influential award-winning author Adrienne Rich. Next up, Mthuthuzeli November, South Africa’s rising young choreographic star, brings us Nina: By Whatever Means, a love letter to the peerless singer, songwriter and political icon Nina Simone. Pioneers, which serves as both a celebration of the unique artistic talent of these two American women and an homage to their unwavering commitment to social justice, delivers performances filled with awe-inspiring movements and lyrical contrasts.

“Intricately crafted writing, staging and dance performances magnificently capture the essence of Adrienne Rich and Nina Simone’s lives,” says Caroline Ohrt, the newly appointed Executive Producer of NAC Dance. “We are thrilled to be able to welcome Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black to the National Arts Centre for their first North American tour.”

“We are delighted to make our North American debut at the National Arts Centre, the realisation of an ambition I have held for a long time – to take the wonderful dancers of Ballet Black and share their talent with the world. I believe this programme’s universal themes of love, inspiration and power will resonate with our new audiences in Canada, and I hope you will all enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy performing it.” —Cassa Pancho MBE, Founder & Artistic Director, Ballet Black

This program offers a sneak peek into the richly diverse lineup that NAC Dance has in store for the 2023–2024 season, programmed by Cathy Levy, Producer Emerita. Prepare to be moved!

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black
Double Bill: Pioneers
Then Or Now by William Tuckett
Nina: By Whatever Means by Mthuthuzeli November
Babs Asper Theatre, October 3 and 4, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.

95 minutes with one intermission

Tickets start at $31
Under 30 and All My Relations: Tickets are $15

Mature themes. Not recommended for children.

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33701 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To learn more about the NAC’s building and facilities before you arrive, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit.

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2023–2024 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Marie-Chantale Labbé

Marketing Strategist

National Arts Centre

343-588-0526

mclabbe@nac-cna.ca

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

NAC Indigenous Theatre opens its 2023-2024 season with Papakanje

September 13, 2023

NAC INDIGENOUS THEATRE OPENS ITS 2023-2024 SEASON WITH PAPAKANJE

Presented as part of Days of Truth and Reconciliation programming

September 13, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Indigenous Theatre welcomes you back to experience an incredible season of Indigenous stories and artistry. Join us on Saturday, September 23 at Papakanje, an unforgettable evening bringing the dynamic online movement #ReconcileThis to life in a live concert experience. This one-night-only event celebrates Indigenous voices through electrifying performances of beats, rhymes, and raw perspectives. Featuring performance from Crown Lands, Cody Coyote, DJ POPTRT, Tamara Podemski, and Zoey Roy.

#ReconcileThis is a social media initiative to uplift and amplify Indigenous voices online by activating and sharing stories, languages, cultures and perspectives through provocative digital performances and conversations in response to this hashtag. As part of this four-year initiative, thanks to generous support from Meta, NAC Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer funding and production equipment to transformative Indigenous voices to share stories, languages, histories, cultures, and perspectives.

Papakanje is featured as part of Indigenous Theatre's Days of Truth and Reconciliation. In observance of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous Theatre proudly presents a collection of virtual and in-person offerings, highlighting the strength and resilience of Indigenous cultures. These all-ages activities aim to educate and share the truths of Indigenous peoples, our stories, and the beauty of our communities.

As we have in past seasons, Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer community engaged activity, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. We are honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community throughout the upcoming season. It extends to programming from all disciplines at the NAC.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33717

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the support of The Slaight Family Foundation, Presenting Sponsor BMO Financial Group, and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Thank you also to Meta, Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, NAC Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
+1 343-588-0742
Ian.Hobson@NAC-CNA.ca

Fiery and Explosively Operatic: The Queen In Me Opens NAC English Theatre’s 2023-2024 Season

September 1, 2023

Fiery and Explosively Operatic: The Queen In Me Opens NAC English Theatre’s 2023-2024 Season

An electrifying performance by Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 launches Nina Lee Aquino’s first season as Artistic Director

August 31, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – NAC English Theatre is proud to open Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino’s inaugural curated season with The Queen In Me, a spirited exposé of the opera industry, created and performed by interdisciplinary artist Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/them).

As the crescendo of one of opera's most iconic arias approaches its peak, the Queen of the Night shatters our expectations, smashing the fourth wall and defying traditions with a captivating, genre-defying spectacle. In a whirlwind evening that blends biting drama with uproarious comedy, they call out the suffocating norms that have bound opera for centuries.

Accompanied by concert Pianist David Eliakis, Kasahara takes audiences through mesmerizing renditions of familiar arias from the giants of opera - Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, Strauss, and Mozart – with commanding presence and sardonic narrative. The haunting refrains of La Bohème and the stirring heights of The Magic Flute become clarion calls for change, championing the countless women, trans, and non-binary talents overlooked in the annals of opera history. The Queen In Me is more than a performance; it's a daring challenge to envision a bolder, brighter future for opera and, by extension, our world.

Premiering in 2022 to rave reviews and sold-out performances, The Queen In Me has continued its successful run, including a tour to Northern Ireland as part in the Belfast International Arts Festival.

NAC English Theatre is thrilled to present this extraordinary multi–Dora Mavor Moore Award nominated production to Ottawa audiences, for a limited run of six performances.

THE QUEEN IN ME – SEPTEMBER 20 - 30, AZRIELI STUDIO

The NAC English Theatre presentation of the Theatre Gargantua/Amplified Opera/Canadian Opera Company/Nightwood Theatre co-production.

Creator and Performer Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野; Co-Directors Andrea Donaldson & Aria Umezawa; Accompanied by Pianist David Eliakis; Set & Costume Designer Joanna Yu; Lighting Designer André du Toit; Projection Designer Laura Warren; Stage Manager Troy Taylor.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/33677

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank The Slaight Family Foundation and Official Hotel Partner Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. 

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Call for Nominations_NAC Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring

September 11, 2023

The National Arts Centre and the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA) are once again extending a call for nominations for the National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring. The deadline for nominations is Friday, September 29, 2023.

The National Arts Centre award will be presented at a special event during CAPACOA’s annual conference, which takes place from November 4 to 8, 2023 in Ottawa.

Established in 1992, the $2,500 award honors exceptional achievement in fostering the touring of live performing arts in Canada. The recipient - who will also receive an exquisite porcelain sculpture by Gatineau’s Paula Murray - is chosen from nominations solicited from within the industry and is selected by a committee composed of presenters, artists, managers and representatives from the National Arts Centre and CAPACOA. The recipient may be an individual, performing company, corporation or other organization.

Previous recipients include Ballet BC (2019), Derek Andrews (2018), the East Coast Music Association (2017), Paul Tanguay (2016), Norman Armour (2015), Tafelmusik (2014), Alain Paré (2013), Peter Feldman (2012), Ballet Jörgen Canada (2011), La danse sur les routes (2010), Uriel Luft (2009), the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (2008), Judy Harquail (2007), Ottie Lockey (2006), Colin McIntyre (2005), CBC Radio/la radio de Radio-Canada (2004), Debut Atlantic (2003), Richard Stoker (2002), Nicholas Goldschmidt (2001), Bruce Owen (2000), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (1999), David Haber (1998), Dr. Elmer Iseler (1997), Jean-Paul Gagnon (1996), Hugh Davidson (1995), Mark Porteous (1994), George Zukerman (1993), and CAPACOA (1992).

Nominations for the National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring may be submitted using the attached nomination form, and must be sent directly to the National Arts Centre along with documentation detailing the nominee’s background, experience, achievements and long-term contribution to live performance touring in Canada. Submissions should also include at least two supporting letters of reference and any other material pertinent to the nomination.

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. CAPACOA is a federally incorporated, non-profit pan-Canadian organization serving the performing arts touring and presenting field.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Chandel Gambles
Membership and Programs Manager
CAPACOA
613 562-3515 ext 1
chandel.gambles@capacoa.ca

Carl Martin
Senior Communications Advisor
National Arts Centre
613 291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

NOMINATION FORM

NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO TOURING

The National Arts Centre Award for Distinguished Contribution to Touring honours exceptional achievement in fostering the touring of live performance arts in Canada. The 2023 award will be presented during CAPACOA’s annual conference, which takes place from November 4 to 8 in Ottawa.

Any individual, performing company or other corporation or organization is eligible for the award.

Please print or type all information.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Name of nominee

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nominee's present position

_________________________________________________________________________________

Nominee's business address

_________________________________________________________________________________

City, Province Postal Code E-mail address

_________________________________________________________________________________

Name of Nominator

_________________________________________________________________________________

Address

_________________________________________________________________________________

City, Province Postal Code E-mail address

Please attach to this completed form documentation detailing the nominee's background, experience, achievements and long-term contribution to live performance touring in Canada. Please include a minimum of two supporting letters of reference and any other material (newspaper articles, press releases, etc.) that you feel is pertinent to the nomination.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Send completed nomination documents to:

Chris Dearlove
National Arts Centre
chris.dearlove@nac-cna.ca

THE JOURNEY AHEAD: THE NAC’S 2023-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN

September 7, 2023

The NAC Unveils its Vision, Values and Strategic Goals, along with Actions Plans on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism and Environmental Sustainability

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 – OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre, led by President and CEO Christopher Deacon, today unveiled its 2023–2026 Strategic Plan, The Journey Ahead. It details how the NAC will continue to work with artists and arts organizations from across the land to revitalize the Canadian performing arts sector, and to fulfil its mandate of presenting and developing the performing arts across Canada. Through the Plan, the NAC also recommits to a journey of ensuring that equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, accessibility and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples will guide its actions.

“The NAC is a house of dreams, an idea of creativity and story that takes flight on stages across the country through our collaborations and partnerships with artists and arts companies coast to coast to coast,” Christopher Deacon said. “We recommit to the journey of working with others to build a performing arts sector that is more creative, adaptive and relevant to communities; that is equitable, diverse, accessible and welcoming to all; and that advances environmental sustainability and reconciliation with Indigenous nations, so that the art on the stages reflects all of what Canada is.”

ABOUT THE JOURNEY AHEAD

The Journey Ahead, the NAC’s 2023–2026 Strategic Plan, was developed by the NAC’s leadership team and its Board of Trustees, chaired by Guy Pratte, C.M.

The Plan is centred on the following Vision Statement:

“We believe the performing arts are vital to human experience. A house of dreams for the Canadian performing arts, the National Arts Centre will work with artists and arts organizations from across this land to revitalize our sector. We are on a journey, committed to ensuring that equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, accessibility and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples will guide our actions.”

The Journey Ahead will pursue five Strategic Goals:

Develop the Canadian Performing Arts Through the Work on our Stages
Elevate Indigenous Voices and Stories at the NAC and Across the Land 
Engage Meaningfully with Audiences and Communities
Support Engagement in the Arts for Children, Youth and Families
Foster Best Practices in Management

Six Values will guide the NAC’s priorities and actions:

Creativity
Grounded in Communities
Sense of Belonging
Generous Collaboration
Walking Gently on the Land
Children of Today, Future of Tomorrow

THE NAC’S ACTION PLANS ON EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND ANTI-RACISM, AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

Alongside the launch of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, the NAC also unveiled two Action Plans that outline the NAC’s commitments to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism, as well as environmental sustainability. (The NAC’s Accessibility Action Plan was launched in December 2022). These Plans are publicly available on the NAC’s website. Progress reports will be posted as the Corporation moves along its journey. 

Learn more about The Journey Ahead and the NAC’s Strategic Goals, Priorities and Actions Plans: https://nac-cna.ca/en/about/strategic-plan/2023-2026

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613-301-2764
annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

The NAC celebrates 25 years of the annual Gala with soprano Renée Fleming and the NAC Orchestra

August 24, 2023

The 2023 edition is a musical and celebratory tribute to philanthropists Janice and Earle O’Born. 

OTTAWA, Canada, August 24, 2023 — World-renowned soprano Renée Fleming will headline the 25th NAC Gala on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, in Southam Hall. For the first time since 2013, she will share the stage with the NAC Orchestra under Music Director Alexander Shelley in a spectacular evening in honour of NAC patrons Janice and Earle O’Born. A glittering post-concert reception on the Terrace Level will round off what is sure to be the most glamorous fall event in the nation’s capital. 

Proceeds raised from the Gala will be directed to the National Youth and Education Trust, which gives Canada’s next generation of artists the chance to grow, master their art, and take their rightful place in the spotlight. It also helps us introduce young people across Canada to the wonder of the performing arts and the incredible difference it can make throughout their lives. 

JANICE AND EARLE O’BORN: A PHILANTHROPIC LIFE 

“The NAC Gala is an important annual event that helps ensure the future of the performing arts in Canada. Thanks to the generosity of donors such as Janice and Earle O’Born, we can raise funds in support of art-learning programs that spark a sense of wonder in youth,” said Christopher Deacon, President and CEO of the NAC. “We are very proud to present this 25th edition of our gala with guest artist Renée Fleming, an internationally renowned soprano who will no doubt offer a memorable performance, accompanied by our NAC Orchestra.” 

Over the past fifteen years, Toronto’s Janice and Earle O’Born have become major champions of the National Arts Centre through their support of Canadian performing artists, creation, touring and orchestral work. They were the Lead Partners of the NAC Orchestra’s 50th anniversary tour to Europe and the Honorary Patrons of the Music Alive program in Nunavut. Janice and Earle O’Born also made their mark with the largest individual gift in the history of the NAC in support of artistic excellence. They made a major gift to the NAC’s first-ever national fundraising campaign in support of the NAC’s National Creation Fund, which provides risk capital to compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance, music and interdisciplinary arts. 

“Canadian performing artists are among the best in the world. Earle and I believe that when youth are exposed to such excellence, a whole new world opens up for them. We are thrilled to be honoured at this year’s NAC Gala in recognition of our philanthropy and encourage the next generation of artists to ‘dream big’,” Janice said. 

Janice O’Born was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2021 and a Member of the Order of Ontario in 2018 in recognition of her philanthropic contributions. She joined the NAC Foundation Board of Directors in 2012, served as Chair from 2017 to 2022 and is currently Emeritus Chair. 

ABOUT RENÉE FLEMING  

One of the most beloved and celebrated singers of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. At a White House ceremony in 2013, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest honour for an individual artist. In May 2023, Renée was named a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization, and in June it was announced that she will be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor. 

Winner of the 2023 Grammy Award (her fifth) for Best Classical Vocal Solo, and honoured with the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Crystal Award at Davos, Renée is the only classical artist ever to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl (2014). As a musical statesperson, Renée has sung at numerous prestigious occasions, from the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to performances in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. In 2014, she sang in the televised concert at the Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2012, in an historic first, she sang on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in the Diamond Jubilee Concert for HM Queen Elizabeth II. 

A ground-breaking distinction came in 2008 when Renée became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala. In January 2009, Renée was featured in the televised We Are One: The Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial for President Obama. She has also performed for the United States Supreme Court and, in 2009, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s “Velvet Revolution” at the invitation of Václav Havel. 

Follow Renée Fleming: Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube 

SHOWTIMES AND TICKETS 

The NAC Gala will take place in the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Wednesday, November 1, 2023. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a concert start time of 7:30 p.m. Your concert-only ticket, starting at $85, will provide you with an unforgettable performance and the great feeling that comes with contributing to a worthy cause. 

Upgrade your Gala experience with the new High Note package! Enjoy complimentary drinks and light canapés at the pre-show reception in the Salon. After the show, mingle with fellow music lovers at the after-party on the Terrace Level, featuring curated chef dessert stations, special cocktails and a DJ. The new High Note package is an additional $85. 

Tickets for the 25th Annual Gala will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 10 a.m. and will be available through the NAC website and in person at the NAC Box Office. 

* Charitable tax receipts will be issued for allowable amounts. 

SUPPORTERS 

The NAC Gala is made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and sponsors. We are grateful to Janice O’Born, C.M., O.Ont & Earle O’Born for their longstanding leadership and transformational support. Thank you to the Gail Asper Family Foundation & Asper Foundation, Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, K.C., Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., Gail O’Brien, LL.D & David O’Brien, O.C., and Alexander Shelley & Zoe Shelley. Thank you also to our corporate sponsors: RBC Royal Bank; our Aria Partners, Azrieli Foundation and Emond Harnden LLP; our Dinner Sponsor, A&E Television Networks; and our Soprano Patrons, BMO Bank of Montreal, Mark Motors Group, and Trinity Development Group Inc.; as well as the NAC’s Forest Planting Partner, Canada’s Forest Trust. Proceeds from the Gala support the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION 

The National Arts Centre Foundation raises funds to support the National Arts Centre’s work in performance, creation and learning across Canada. Since its founding in 2000, the National Arts Centre Foundation has raised more than $170 million to enrich the lives of Canadians through the performing arts and champion our country’s artists, students and educators. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE 

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.    

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 

Anicée Lejeune 
Communications Strategist 
Programs and Special Projects 
National Arts Centre 
514-237-9553 
anicee.lejeune@nac-cna.ca  

Alexander Shelley and Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra conclude critically acclaimed album series with fall festival and final release

August 25, 2023

Clara, Robert, Johannes: Romance and Counterpoint unites performances by Angela Hewitt, Stewart Goodyear, Yosuke Kawasaki and the NAC Orchestra of Clara’s Romances for violin and piano Op. 22 and rarely heard solo piano works alongside the fourth symphonies of Robert Schumann and Brahms.

AUGUST 25, 2023 – OTTAWA – Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and its Music Director Alexander Shelley have deepened their creative partnership in recent years with help from the works of three closely linked composers. The point is handsomely underscored by the fourth and final title in their pioneering Clara, Robert, Johannes series. The double disc album, set for release on September 22, 2023, on the Analekta label, offers the compelling combination of the fourth symphonies of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. These towering landmarks of the orchestral repertoire are presented in company with Clara Schumann’s sublime Romances for violin and piano Op. 22, performed by the NAC Orchestra’s Concertmaster, Yosuke Kawasaki, and Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt.

Clara, Robert, Johannes: Romance and Counterpoint also includes Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear’s interpretations of Clara’s Romance in B minor for piano and Trois Romances for piano Op. 11. Goodyear also highlights Clara’s deep knowledge of Bach’s counterpoint with readings of her Three Fugues on Themes by J.S. Bach, the spellbinding Prelude and Fugue in F-sharp minor and Three Preludes and Fugues Op. 16, and contributes an engaging personal reflection on Clara Schumann’s art entitled, Can I call you Clara?

Each of the Clara, Robert, Johannes volumes, soon to be available as a limited-edition box set, invites listeners to explore the symphonies of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms from fresh and enlightening perspectives. The first album, released in 2020, established the project’s programme pattern by presenting both composers’ first symphonies in company with Clara Schumann’s music. Gabriela Montero, one of the NAC Orchestra’s Creative Partners, was soloist in Clara’s Piano Concerto in A minor, and contributed four improvisations inspired by the romantic spirit of Clara’s compositions. Other series highlights include Montero’s seductive account of Clara’s Piano Sonata in G minor; a representative selection of the composer’s Lieder, brought to life by soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and pianist Liz Upchurch; and her yearning Piano Trio in G minor Op. 17.

“With this volume we reach the conclusion of a multi-year, multi-disc exploration of the music and, through that music, of the lives of Clara, Robert and Johannes,” comments Alexander Shelley. “Their creative output reflects not only their individual brilliance and characters, but also the role of the creative artist both in their time and across the centuries. In grappling with the abstract symphonic form at a moment in music history when storytelling was in vogue, Robert and Johannes carried forward a vital mantle, moulding it into their own shape. Clara, a musician of breathtaking skill and breadth, juggling the pressures of a solo career and motherhood, gifted us intimately touching and brilliantly crafted songs and chamber music.”

“It is my hope that across the span of these recordings you have been able to enjoy the mutual inspiration and admiration that is evident between these three friends. It is my hope also that through the prism of these programs and the brilliance of our guests—from the interpretations and improvisations of Gabriela Montero and Stewart Goodyear, to the joyous chamber music of Yosuke Kawasaki, Angela Hewitt, Rachel Mercer, Adrianne Pieczonka and Liz Upchurch—you have garnered a sense of how music was presented and consumed in their time. Fluid, improvisational, tautly constructed, intimate and deeply personal, they speak to us across the ages.”

Nelson McDougall, Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra, pays tribute to all involved in the creation of Clara, Robert, Johannes. “I am excited about the culmination of this series and proud of what it represents,” he notes. “I believe diving into the music of Clara Schumann has been a wonderful opportunity to explore her work in the context of these three composers as a group. It’s also contributed to the overall growth of the Orchestra. And, of course the recordings have featured Clara’s chamber compositions performed by such fantastic musicians as Gabriela Montero, Angela Hewitt, Liz Upchurch and Stewart Goodyear and some fabulous principal players from the Orchestra. Much of the music was recorded during challenging pandemic times, when the NAC Orchestra and Alexander Shelley were the epitome of class, collaboration, and strong mutual support. It has been a truly rewarding project for us.”

The artistic concept underlying Clara, Robert, Johannes was informed by the work of Clara Schumann scholar Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers and Brahms biographer Jan Swafford and refined in consultation with Alexander Shelley. Their insightful programming trains the spotlight on the close relationship that developed between Brahms and the Schumanns and the influence over Brahms and creative energy that stemmed from it.

“People are so often drawn to music by the stories behind it,” comments Nelson McDougall. “The relationship between Clara and Robert Schumann and Brahms is one of the most enthralling narratives in music history. We’re also interested in the fact that the young Clara was, for a time, much more famous than Robert and in how that shifted after their marriage so that his career could take precedence over hers. The exceptional quality of her music begs questions about neglected works by other female composers from the past and what we might be missing.”

The NAC Orchestra and Alexander Shelley are set to celebrate the final album’s release by launching their 2023-24 season with a five-concert festival devoted to the music of the three composers. The series begins on Wednesday, September 13 with a sequence of Clara Schumann’s songs, followed by Robert’s Symphony No. 1 ‘Spring’ and Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with Emanuel Ax as soloist. Soprano Midori Marsh opens the second concert on Thursday, September 14 with another selection of Clara’s songs, before Nicolas Altstaedt takes the solo part in Robert’s Cello Concerto and Alexander Shelley directs the NAC Orchestra in Brahms’s Symphony No. 1. On September 17, Creative Partner James Ehnes joins forces with Stewart Goodyear and string players from the Orchestra for an afternoon of chamber works by the three composers.

The festival continues Wednesday, September 20 when James Ehnes appears as soloist in Brahms’s Violin Concerto, which will be followed by a trio of Clara’s songs and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Rhenish’. Altstaedt and Ehnes return to the National Arts Centre stage on Thursday, September 21 as the soloists in Brahms’s Double Concerto. The final concert of the series also contains a miscellany of Clara’s songs, freshly orchestrated by Canadian composers Sarah Slean and Cecilia Livingston, and Clara’s Piano Concerto, with Isata Kanneh-Mason as soloist. Each evening will include pre-concert discussions led by Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers, Jan Swafford, and musicologist Hannah Chan-Hartley, allowing audiences to discover more about three of the 19th century’s greatest musicians.

ABOUT CANADA’S NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart piano concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre;
Clara, Robert, Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Greggory Clark
Communication Strategist
NAC Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca

Music Producers From Around the World Meet in Canada in September

August 22, 2023

Global Women’s Producers Program helps right the gender imbalance in the music industry

August 22, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – From September 1st to 10th, music producers from Australia, Argentina, Wales and Canada will meet in person in Montreal and Toronto for an inspiring week of knowledge sharing and networking activities. Working together, they will explore new avenues to further their careers.

Certain events will be accessible to the press and the public. For more information about our itinerary, please visit our website and follow us on Instagram.

“Supporting and empowering amazing professionals, creating opportunities for discussion and collaboration, and making connections for women and non-binary producers is at the heart of the Global Network. During our week together in Toronto and Montreal in September, we will continue to build on what we started just over two years ago, welcoming producers from Estonia, Wales, Argentina, and Australia – I can’t wait!”

- Heather Gibson, Executive Producer, Popular Music & Variety Programming, National Arts Centre, Canada.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

THE GLOBAL NETWORK FOR WOMEN MUSIC PRODUCERS also known as the “PRODUCERS PROGRAM” is an initiative that supports women and non-binary music producers and helps right the gender imbalance in their field. Founded by Heather Gibson, Executive Producer, Popular Music and Variety at Canada’s National Arts Centre, and designed in consultation with partners from around the world, the program aims to overcome barriers in the music industry, and provide opportunities for support, discussion, networking and collaboration. The program also serves as a resource for musicians and record labels who are looking to work with women producers. The Global Network for Women Music Producers is a partnership with Sounds Australia, Music Estonia, MTA Productions (Sweden) , Elen Elis (Wales), and producer liaison Belen Fasulis Aramburú (Argentina) . Special acknowledgement goes to the Adrian Burns Fund for Women Leaders in the Performing Arts.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS

The Producers Program brings together 33 music producers from diverse parts of the world, including Canada, Argentina, Australia, Estonia, Sweden, Mexico, and Wales. This impactful assembly encompasses award-winning professionals as well as a new generation of producers. Comprising engineers, songwriters, film music composers, recording music producers, and artists, this dynamic group spans a wide array of styles, from jazz, pop, and hip hop to ambient and experimental music. These women take the lead in their projects, making independent decisions, owning their endeavors, and contributing as composers, writers, and producers. The Producers Program strives to make their contributions visible and tell their stories. Feel free to explore the profiles of our producers by clicking HERE.

Canada: Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac (MADISON VIOLET) / Katharine-fountain/ Sarah MacDougall/ Hill Kourkoutis / Denise De´ion / Elisa Pangsaeng / Maia Davies / Erin Costello/ Carole Facal “Caracol” / Argentina: Ignacia / Mica Hourbeigt / Natalia Perelman / Lucy Patané / Australia: Kween G. Kibone / Becki Whitton “Aphir” / Antonia Gauci / Estonia: Kelly Vask / Anett Tamm / Mariin Kallikorm / Anneliis Kits / Maris Pihlap / México: Pahua / Sweden: Maja Långbacka and Matilda Bådagård (LÅNGBACKA/BÅDAGÅRD) / Anna Engberg / Hanna Ekström/ Katharina Nuttall/ Vera Vinter/ Natalie Knutzen/ Karin Turesson/ Melisha Linnell / Sibille Attar / Wales: Eädyth / Ani Saunders (Ani Glass) / Lleuwen Steffan.

The Producers Program was initiated in December 2020 and is gearing up to celebrate its 3rd anniversary next winter! It kicked off with monthly Zoom meetings and knowledge-sharing sessions among the producers within the group. Subsequently, the program established an Instagram account to showcase individual profiles, conduct interviews, and daily promote their work. In August of the previous year, 2022, a significant event occurred as all the producers gathered in person for the very first time in Stockholm. This gathering provided a unique opportunity for them to get to know each other and connect with key individuals in the industry, a feat that might have been difficult to achieve individually.

After enduring the period of COVID isolation, it was an emotionally charged experience to finally come together in person. The participants shared personal stories and embarked on a collective journey in a city that was unfamiliar to most of them. The occasion presented an opportunity to meet influential figures within the music industry, leading to mutual encouragement and a profound realization of the strength derived from being part of this group. The experience highlighted how much easier and safer it feels to navigate challenges together.

The vision of this program stands out because, as women, we often find ourselves accustomed to working in isolation, handling everything on our own, and constantly striving to prove our worth while struggling to be heard and find our place. Collaborating with other empowered women in a truly cooperative manner, devoid of competition or egos, and genuinely relishing in it, presents a novel approach. It introduces a fresh narrative that places significance on learning, a sense of belonging, nurturing a network, sharing experiences, and constructing a secure environment. This approach isn't centered around the immediate question of "what can I gain?" Rather, it centers on what holds importance to us and revolves around the idea of collectively building something that lasts.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre
343-998-4244

jennifer.payette@nac-cna.ca

Jennifer Payette (on site during the events)

Marketing Strategist, Audience Engagement

National Arts Centre

613-668-5958

ENGLISH THEATRE GENERAL AUDITIONS September 12-15, 2023

July 21, 2023

ENGLISH THEATRE GENERAL AUDITIONS

Audition Dates: September 12-15, 2023

Deadline to submit: Friday, August 25, 2023 at 5:00pm Eastern

National Arts Centre English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino will be conducting general auditions at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, as an invitation to meet the local acting community with an eye to casting upcoming seasons of artistic activity.

Performers will be asked to prepare two contemporary, contrasting monologues from the works of Canadian playwrights written in 2000 or later, of no more than two minutes each. Alternatively, performers can opt for one two-minute monologue along with a song. No accompaniment will be provided but artists are welcome to accompany themselves.

NAC English Theatre is committed to inclusive casting. We encourage submissions from professional artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities, a concept we understand very broadly.

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

To request an appointment, please submit this form no later than Friday, August 25, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

AGENTS – please note we are not accepting e-pitches (e.g. Casting Workbook). We recommend forwarding this information to your clients so they may self-submit by completing the form themselves.

Please note that we are not able to accept self-tape video submissions.

Those selected for an audition will be notified by Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

Questions may be directed to judi.pearl@nac-cna.ca.

Monologue Resources:

Playwrights Canada Press

Canadian Play Outlet (Playwrights Guild of Canada)

The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

NAC Orchestra unveils "FOCUS: Clara, Robert, Johannes" classical music festival to open the 2023-2024 season

July 12, 2023

Discover the powerful bond between legendary composers Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms

July 12, 2023 – OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) is delighted to present FOCUS: Clara, Robert, Johannes, a two-week festival from September 13 to 21, 2023, that will open the 2023-2024 season.

This edition of FOCUS will celebrate the music and intimate connections between three extraordinary composers: Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms. These renowned 19th-century composers shared profound personal and musical bonds, which will be explored through a series of performances and events curated by Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra.

FOCUS will feature a diverse range of programming, including mainstage concerts at Southam Hall in the National Arts Centre (NAC), as well as a special chamber music event at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre and includes pre-concert talks by music scholars Hannah Chan-Hartley, Jan Swafford and Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers. Additional events and opportunities to meet the performers will be announced in the coming weeks, promising a rich experience for attendees.

Renowned artists invited to the NAC include GRAMMY-winners James Ehnes and Emanuel Ax, Canadian superstar pianist Stewart Goodyear, as well as British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and German cellist Nicolas Altstaedt making their debuts with the NAC Orchestra. Canadian mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington and the captivating soprano Midori Marsh will perform songs by Clara Schumann with pianists Liz Upchurch and Darren Creech. On closing night (September 21) the NAC Orchestra will premiere commissions by Sarah Slean and Cecilia Livingston, who have created orchestral arrangements of Clara Schumann songs. Every concert at Southam Hall will be led by the esteemed Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, Alexander Shelley.

The festival will culminate in a remarkable event as Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra conclude their acclaimed Clara, Robert, Johannes recording project, which encompasses major works by Clara Schumann, as well as the complete symphonies by Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann. The final album, marking the completion of the Orchestra’s JUNO-nominated Clara, Robert, Johannes project, will be released worldwide by the Canadian music label Analekta on September 22, 2023. This four-part album series explores the personal and artistic connections between these three composers, providing listeners with liner notes from leading writers and music historians Jan Swafford and Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers.

List of Concerts:

Emanuel Ax plays Brahms
September 13, 2023
Southam Hall, NAC

Schumann’s Cello Concerto & Brahms 1
September 14, 2023
Southam Hall, NAC

Music for a Sunday Afternoon: Clara, Robert, Johannes
September 17, 2023
Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre

James Ehnes & Brahms’s Violin Concerto
September 20, 2023
Southam Hall, NAC

Ehnes, Altstaedt, & Kanneh-Mason
September 21, 2023
Southam Hall, NAC

“We are thrilled to present FOCUS: Clara, Robert, Johannes as a captivating exploration of the interconnected lives and music of these remarkable composers,” says Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. “Through an array of exceptional concerts and thought-provoking talks, we invite audiences to embark on a musical journey that delves into the profound artistic relationships between Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms.”

TICKETS AND CONCERT SERIES SUBSCRIPTIONS

Single tickets and packages are available online at nacofocus.ca, by telephone at 1-866-850-ARTS and in-person at the NAC Box Office. Patrons save 15% off regular ticket prices with a Choose Your Own package for three or more shows. Under30 tickets for $15 are available to anyone under the age of 30 years old.

ABOUT FOCUS

FOCUS is an expansive exploration of classical music with artistic direction and concept by Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra dives deep into a singular theme, going beneath the surface of the music and its makers through concerts, talks and more. Each edition of FOCUS presents the opportunity to uncover outstanding composers. The last edition of FOCUS brought to light the musical genius of Beethoven, with the NAC Orchestra performing Beethoven’s nine symphonies over the course of 10 days in fall 2018.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre;
Clara - Robert - Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Greggory Clark
Communication Strategist
National Arts Centre Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca

NAC Orchestra presents free Canada Day Concert with Alexander Shelley, Iskwē, Alex Hetherington, and YAO.

June 20, 2023

The Canada Day Concert will take place at Southam Hall on July 1st at 2:30pm. Admission is free.

Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated Canada Day Concert, a showcase of exceptional musical talent by Canadian artists and composers. On July 1st, music director Alexander Shelley will lead the Orchestra in concert with singer-songwriter Iskwē, mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington, and the bilingual slam poet and songwriter YAO, featuring extraordinary repertoire by Canadian composers.

This free concert promises an immersive and memorable music experience. The 75-minute performance, presented without an intermission, will captivate audiences with a diverse range of music from Canadian composers Iman Habibi, Rita Ueda, and Ana Sokolović, to the late, great Oscar Peterson. More exciting repertoire will be announced from the stage.

The NAC Orchestra has a long-standing tradition of presenting free concerts on July 1st and this year’s concert continues that legacy with a stellar lineup of artists. The immensely talented mezzo-soprano Alex Hetherington performed Mozart’s Requiem with the NAC Orchestra in November 2022; the bilingual songwriter and slam poet YAO also hosted the Canada Day Concert in 2022; and the sensational Cree singer-songwriter Iskwē’s original music has been specially arranged for the orchestra. These collaborations bring an extraordinary dimension to the performance, showcasing the rich artistic tapestry of Canadian music in diverse styles.

To conclude the free concert, the NAC Orchestra will perform a moving rendition of “Hymn to Freedom”, a soul-stirring masterpiece by the late Canadian jazz pianist and composer, Oscar Peterson.

Expect the Canada Day Concert to be an inspiring celebration of Canadian artistry and showcase of musical excellence. This free event provides an opportunity for families, friends, and communities to come together on July 1st, commemorating Canada’s cultural richness through the power of music.

“Music has the remarkable ability to connect us, inspire us, and evoke a deep sense of pride in our communities,” said Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. “Our Canada Day Concert is a platform to celebrate the immense talent of Canadian artists, our National Arts Centre Orchestra, and to pay tribute to the exceptional works of this country’s living composers. We invite everyone to join us for a special musical celebration of our collective spirit.”

The Canada Day Concert 2023 by the NAC Orchestra will take place on July 1st at 2:30pm. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors to Southam Hall will be opened at 2:00pm, half an hour before the concert begins. The National Arts Centre and 1 Elgin Restaurant will be open before and after the show.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre, and;
Clara - Robert - Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Greggory Clark
Communication Strategist
National Arts Centre Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca

The biennial Zones Théâtrales announces its full program lineup for its 10th edition

June 6, 2023

Ottawa, June 6, 2023 - Zones Théâtrales is back for its 10th anniversary! This must-attend biennial event is hitting the stages of Ottawa from September 11 to 16, 2023. It’s a great opportunity to get together and showcase the best theatre that French Canada and Quebec’s regions have to offer. Artists from Moncton to Vancouver have once again prepared an array of theatre that will wow and amaze you. Don’t miss it!

2023’s program tackles a number of trendy topics: space exploration, the housing market crisis, fake news, transgender identity, life after the pandemic and the evolution of our collective relationship to land and ecosystems. This vibrant event is a must for industry professionals, theatre lovers in the Ottawa/Gatineau region.

“We’ve received lots of proposals this year,” said Zones Théâtrales Artistic Director Gilles Poulin-Denis. “For the 10th biennial event, I wanted the audience to rediscover artists and projects that we’ve presented before, as well as fresh new faces and never-before-seen creations. This Zones Théâtrales edition focuses heavily on memory, legacy, the things we leave behind — but also how our relationship to others, land and nature fills our minds.”

SHOWS

Featuring nine different shows and six workshop productions. 

On marronne ? (Si ça te dit, viens) kicks off the 10th Zones Théâtrales. This piece on Indigenous heritage will be presented at the NAC’s Azrieli Studio, September 11 and 12. Théâtre Cercle Molière, Théâtre de l’Entonnoir and the Alliance française de Ziguinchor have come together to convey the power of human nature that transcend borders, from French Guiana to Winnipeg to Senegal.

Durant des années, a cross between contemporary drama and true crime podcasts, takes us back to the rural Quebec of 1999. Relevant to our times, this work from Théâtre du Trillium and Théâtre Catapulte uses AI-generated interactive stage design. The show speaks to a media-wary era, where journalistic integrity and fake news, truth and lies, all blend together. Making its world premiere at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins’ Studio A, September 12 and 13.

Young audiences (8 to 11) and seniors are invited to embark on a sensory journey with Cet été qui chantait from Franco-Manitoban author Marie-Ève Fontaine. Loosely based on the work of the same name by Gabrielle Roy, this deeply poetic world comes to life through puppet, shadow and object theatre. Performances at the University of Ottawa’s LabO, September 15 and 16.

Full immersion into worlds of fiction

The post-apocalyptic thriller Murs questions what remains of humanity when civilization collapses. In collaboration with Transistor Média, Créations In Vivo imagines a world turned upside down and ravaged by an epidemic. The protagonists, brother and sister Éric and Zoé, wander in search of their father and a better world on a long and perilous journey to the United States. Making its premiere at the University of Ottawa’s Academic Hall, September 13 and 14.

When the Voyager space probe was launched in 1977 a Golden Record was placed aboard. Céleste Godin’s Bouée tackles the question of what we would put in an interstellar time capsule to represent humanity today. Using science-fiction inspired visuals, gimmicks and scale models, the Satellite Théâtre company pulls out all the stops in its most technologically ambitious creation to date. Bouée will be presented at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins’ Studio A, September 15 and 16. https://nac-cna.ca/fr/event/34588 ;

Themes ripped from the headlines that paint a revealing picture of our society

Crawlspace may be absurd and comical, but it’s hardly a stretch of the imagination. This piece takes an unflinching look at the brutal and ludicrous battleground of Toronto’s horrifying housing market. A true real-estate horror story of playwright Karen Hines and her lovely new home… that’s just riddled with defects. Performances at the University of Ottawa’s Studio Léonard Beaulne, September 12 and 13.

La conquête du béluga runs alongside the banks of the Ottawa River at the Canadian Museum of History, September 14 and 15. Presented at sunset against the backdrop of Parliament Hill, Maryse Goudreau’s La conquête du beluga takes us through the history of the beluga whale in a gentle call to take action for the environment and change our attitude toward living things.

Intimate narratives and touching true stories from the artists

Brothers Joey and Michel struggled to be their true selves, growing up in the working-class Quebec of the 60s and 70s. The pair took to the art scene as a way to escape this harsh reality, with Joey becoming a successful actor in Vancouver and Michel dazzling the Montréal drag scene. Then came the ultimate moment of freedom: Michel became Michelle, the woman she had always been deep down. With Michel(le), Joey Lespérence paints a complex and nuanced portrait of a courageous existence on the fringes. Making its world premier at the Arts Court theatre, September 12 and 13.

Ainsi passe la chair is an intimate autobiographical show written and performed by Sara Moisan that explores her relationship with the work of her father, the painter Gatien Moisan, who died of brain cancer in 2019. Through headphones, you’ll listen to a fictitious conversation, based on old recordings between the actor and her father. This precious work questions our relationship with death, the act of creation, and the traces we leave behind. At the University of Ottawa’s Studio Léonard-Beaulne, September 14 and 16.

Zones Théâtrales strives to create a space for artists to play in and explore how far they can push their creativity. The event will feature a number of workshop productions and two installations.

Ça rime avec vinaigre by KaFé Productions Inc. is a workshop production that looks at lingering systemic inequalities in our society. In Créatures, L’eau du bain dreams up a space of women and girls, weaving together moments of affection, sharing, violence and humour. The author of Sainte-Johanne-des-Calvettes uses his caustic sense of humour and gritty, dreamlike language to examine the place of the distressed individual in an isolated community. Once again, Guillaume Saindon returns to the Zones Théâtrales stage with Vivances, a sensory experience that explores anxiety and depression as seen through the eyes of our loved ones. Vent à vendre is an in-progress work of documentary theatre that focuses on different points of view about energy projects. Finally, Guy Régis Jr., a prominent playwright and pillar of the Haitian theatre scene, will be showcasing Quel dernier grand conflit pour satisfaire la haine entre les humains, , which looks at the inherent causes of human conflict and the hateful and destructive urges that lie within us. This workshop production will be the result of an artistic residency that will span over the course of several weeks leading up to this performance at Zones Théâtrales.

Audiences can check out Towards Home, an artistic installation by Geronimo Inutiq, who is known for creations and performances that draw on his Inuit and Quebec roots. Finally, in addition to La conquête du Béluga, multidisciplinary artist Maryse Goudreau will be putting on the installation Dans le ventre de la baleine—an immersive sound and tactile experience that plunges you into the centre of a beluga whale nursery. Both installations will be at Club SAW, September 13 and 15.

Industry professionals can enjoy Zones Théâtrales’ round tables, speed dating-style project presentations, fun roleplay and get togethers meant to grow the theatre community of French Canada and across Quebec.

Check out the full program on June 6 at https://nac-cna.ca/fr/zonestheatrales

TICKETS

Show tickets are $25 and workshop productions $10. Save 15% when you purchase three shows or more, or check out our various affordable price options.

PARTNERS

The Zones Théâtrales biennial event is produced by the National Arts Centre with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The Zones Théâtrales team would also like to thank its partners and venues: La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, the SAW Gallery & l’AGAVF (Association des groupes en arts visuels francophones), Club SAW, the Canadian Museum of History, the University of Ottawa, the ATFC (Association des théâtres francophones du Canada), Théâtre Action, the Théâtre français de Toronto, the Théâtre du Trillium, Les Transfrontaliers, partner hotels the Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites, Cartier Place Suite Hotel and graphic designer Simon Guibord.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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CONTACT:

Catherine Jones (she/her/elle)

Stratège Communications – Marketing

Communications – Marketing Strategist

catherine.jones@nac-cna.ca

1, rue Elgin / C.P. 1534 Succ. B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W5

(819) 918-0848

Au jardin des Potiniers: Super-Intimate Show in the Form of a Visual Art Installation

May 25, 2023

On June 3 and 4, get into this tabletop theatre wordless experience addressed to the beauty and fragility of living things

May 25, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – As a conclusion to its 2022-2023 season, French Theatre presents Au jardin des Potiniers, a slightly Martian garden/show offering a total change of scene!

Children are invited to find a spot under a curious table/set, put their head through a hole, and suddenly become a living rock in a surreal landscape that unfolds its miniature botany. Now they can listen to the sounds springing up all around them, and watch mechanized plants growing, balloon snails quietly gliding by, delicate foam anemones dancing in the light.

This super-intimate show in the form of a visual art installation suspends time to allow us to consider together, with our eyes and ears wide open, a world in miniature larger than life, like a love poem written with the senses.

Performance without words for audiences 6 to 12 years old.

BOTANICAL IMAGINARY AND PRE-SHOW ACTIVITY

A collective work of art made by children in conjunction with the show, this installation was designed by artist and educator Emily Rose Michaud in collaboration with the Centre d’exposition L'Imagier.

Families are invited 45 minutes before each performance to participate in the collective work. Guided by Emily Rose Michaud, children will create various artistic elements to create a magnificent garden space.

ABOUT CRÉATION DANS LA CHAMBRE

Création Dans la Chambre is a living art creation company that explores the intimate in unusual and unsettling settings. With its multifaceted, often unclassifiable shows, Création Dans la Chambre reconnects the art of the stage with a sensitive approach thanks to artisanal processes that weave links between the intimate and the spiritual, politics and existentialism.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio, June 3 and 4

11 am, 1pm, and 3pm; duration: 50 minutes

Hurry: there are only a few spots left!

There’s a possibility for the media to attend, upon availability, a June 1 matinee.

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30.

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31896 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the https://nac-cna.ca/en/%20%20theatrefrancais to learn more about the NAC French Theatre.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

Le partage: Yes, of course, but...

May 10, 2023

Autofiction in 3D written, directed and performed by Emmanuel Schwartz, presented at the NAC from May 18 to May 20

May 10, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – With Le partage, the second instalment of his trilogy Essais that began with L’exhibition, the incomparable Emmanuel Schwartz continues his exploration of the dramatic concept of “story within a story.” Familiar to NAC audiences for his appearances in Nathan (2012), Le tigre bleu de l’Euphrate (2018) and Un. Deux. Trois. (2022), Schwartz now turns his attention to the notion of creative identity as he unashamedly recounts his spectacular freefall.

“Everyone thinks they know actors. Sure, they’ve seen someone on TV, in a play or in a movie. But what everyone thinks they recognize isn’t that person: rather, it’s a cobbled-together collection of bits and pieces of the characters the actor has played and that may coexist inside them, deep within, under the skin, the flesh, the bones, like tropical fish piled up in an empty aquarium and reflected in a fogged-up store window,” muses Schwartz in the play.

On stage, surrounded by an ingenious 3D projection system, he walks without a net, one step at the time, on the thin line of auto-fiction. Codirected by Alice Ronfard, the story of the young prodigy’s epic downfall allows him to demonstrate, with uninhibited generosity, the full range of his talent as he recalls his journey back into the world.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

An intense and polymorphous performer, Emmanuel Schwartz moves easily from acting to writing and directing. For more than a decade he has been supported many institutions: the NAC French Theatre, the Festival TransAmériques, La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines and the Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui. He has worked with great creators such as Wajdi Mouawad, Denis Marleau, Dave Saint-Pierre, Mani Soleymanlou and Jan Lauwers’ famous Needcompany, as well as participting in movies by Xavier Dolan (Laurence Anyways), Denis Villeneuve (Next Floor), François Girard (Hochelaga, terre des âmes – for which he received an award for best supporting actor at Iris 2018) and many others. From 2005 to 2012, he co-directed, with Wajdi Mouawad, the company AbéCarréCéCarré. In 2019, he founded La Clairière, compagnie de création. In 2022, he was spokesperson for the 40th edition of Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio
May 18-19, 8 pm / On Friday, a talk with the artist will follow the performance.

May 20, 4 pm

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30.

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31895 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams – the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety – and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

343-588-0743

Celebrate National Indigenous History Month with the NAC

May 29, 2023

Learn, share, and amplify Indigenous voices, histories, and traditions

May 29, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Join us for National Indigenous History Month throughout June, as we present a captivating series of events, workshops, and discussions and deepen our understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures.

The NAC offers something for everyone, from opportunities to engage with Indigenous leaders to immersive experiences in traditional arts, storytelling, and music. Free events include the Jukebox Lunchtime Concerts series and Powwow Life-Drawing events; new stories from Montreal in Indigenous Cities; performance videos from music, dance and theatre; the Summer Indigenous Art Market, and more!

Let's come together, learn, celebrate, and embrace the diverse tapestry of Indigenous history and traditions.

For more information: https://nac-cna.ca/en/series/national-indigenous-history-month

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of The Slaight Family Foundation, an Anonymous Donor and the Kenneth & Margaret Torrance Endowment for Indigenous Theatre. Thank you to Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group, Hotel Partner The Embassy Hotel and Suites, and #ReconcileThis Presenting Partner Meta. We also express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts for their longstanding support of the NAC and the arts in Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
(343) 588-0742
Ian.Hobson@NAC-CNA.ca

Margie Gillis to mentor Anne Plamondon as part of the 2023 GGPAA Mentorship Program

May 24, 2023

New award: Ralph Escamillan named laureate of the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from RBC, presenting sponsor of the 2023 GGPAA Gala.

OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased to announce that internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer Margie Gillis has selected choreographer and dancer Anne Plamondon as her protégée under the 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) Mentorship Program.

In addition, RBC, presenting sponsor of the 2023 GGPAA Gala, is announcing the inaugural laureate of its RBC Emerging Artist Award. Building on its commitment to artists in the early stages of their career, RBC has launched a new award recognizing an emerging Canadian artist. Supported by RBC, and an addition to the 2023 GGPAA Gala, laureates of this new award are selected by an NAC committee.

2023 GGPAA MENTORSHIP PAIRING
Made possible with support from The Keg Spirit Foundation, the program allows past recipients of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts, to give back to the next generation. During this mentorship, Margie will help Anne develop her creative vision of their art.

“I was in my teens when I first saw Margie Gillis dance at the Grand Théâtre de Québec. Her performance opened my eyes to the transcendent power of dance to tell stories and move people,” said Anne Plamondon. “Later, Margie inspired me to try solo performance. She is a model of strength and inspiration. I’m very honoured and enthusiastic to be participating in the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program with this dance legend.”

“I chose Anne for her talent, which I recognized immediately the first time I saw her,” said Margie Gillis. “Like me, she dances solos; like me, she choreographs for others; like me, she is socially engaged with femininity. She has given a lot of thought to what the future may hold, not just for herself but for others. We haven’t spent a lot of time together, but whenever we do meet, we lose all sense of time. So it’s a real pleasure for me to support Anne in developing her ideas for her next creation.”

“Through The Keg Spirit Foundation, we are proud to support mentorship programs that enhance personal and professional growth, and enhance the broader community” said David Aisenstat, Chairman and Founder of The Keg Spirit Foundation. “We are thrilled that widely acclaimed choreographer and dancer Margie Gillis will be sharing her breadth of knowledge with her protégée Anne Plamondon for the next year through the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program.”

RALPH ESCAMILLAN, LAUREATE OF THE INAUGURAL RBC EMERGING ARTIST AWARD

The laureate of the first-ever 2023 RBC Emerging Artist Award is Ralph Escamillan, a Filipino-Canadian performer, choreographer, teacher and queer community leader based in Vancouver, British Columbia. RBC commissioned ceramic artist Paula Murray to create the Award that will be presented to Ralph Escamillan along with a $25,000 prize.

“Success in the arts is heavily influenced by the wealth, resources, and cultural capital an individual has access to, and receiving this award uplifts the hard work of artists who don’t have that same access,” said Ralph Escamillan. “By paying forward the continued support I’ve received to the communities who pour into me, I hope to remind and empower queer and racialized artists of our value and necessity to the artistic milieu.”

“RBC is a long-standing supporter of the arts and the important role that it plays in our community,” said Andrea Barrack, Senior Vice President Corporate Citizenship & ESG, RBC. “The National Arts Centre is key to bringing important artistic voices to Canadians. A huge congratulations to Ralph Escamillan as the inaugural recipient of the RBC Emerging Artist award! Your work will continue to build a strong future for the arts.”

BIOGRAPHIES

Margie Gillis – 2023 GGPAA Mentor

Internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Margie Gillis (GGPAA 2011) is one of Canada’s most influential and prolific dance artists. She is a courageous and free-spirited pioneer of modern dance whose unique naturalistic style has influenced an entire generation of performers. She has created more than 150 works addressing such topics as the feminine consciousness, the natural world, and the transformative process. Teaching, mentoring, and sharing her creative history are an integral part of Margie’s vision, and have provided the impetus for her Legacy Project. She has received many awards and honours, and is celebrating her 50-year career anniversary in 2023.

Anne Plamondon – 2023 GGPAA Protégée

Choreographer, dancer, teacher and curator Anne Plamondon made her choreographic debut in 2012 and founded her own company, Anne Plamondon Productions, in 2018. She has danced with major companies in Canada and internationally, including Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Kidd Pivot, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and Gulbenkian Ballet. She has also worked with leading choreographers and directors, including Marie Chouinard, James Kudelka, Serge Denoncourt, Marcos Morau and Ina Christel Johannessen. In 2002, she joined Victor Quijada’s company RUBBERBANDance, where she acted as co-artistic director (2006–15), participated in the creation of a dozen works, and was instrumental in developing the RUBBERBAND Method.

Ralph Escamillan – 2023 RBC Emerging Artist Award Laureate

Ralph Escamillan’s company, FakeKnot, creates inclusive performance works that strive to understand the complexities of identity and culture through costume, sound, technology and the body. As an artistic director, Ralph gathers his breadth of experience as a dancer from street, commercial and contemporary dance to create a truly unique choreographic perspective, while also questioning his identity as a queer person of colour. With his latest work, Piña, which premiered earlier this month, Ralph explores the parallels between the body and piña, a traditional Philippine fiber made from pineapple leaves.

ABOUT THE GGPAA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

A unique partnership between the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation, the National Arts Centre and The Keg Spirit Foundation, the GGPAA Mentorship Program is designed to offer, since 2008, creative guidance to talented mid-career artists, and serves as an investment in future Canadian artistic achievement. Each year, a past laureate of the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award is invited to select a professional artist (or artists) to share, learn and grow from the experience and insight of their mentor. In addition to receiving artistic guidance and an honorarium, each protégé or protégée is recognized during the GGPAA celebrations in Ottawa, including the star-studded GGPAA Gala at the NAC.

ABOUT THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’S PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS

Created in 1992, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) are Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts. This year’s laureates for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are Michel Marc Bouchard, Molly Johnson, James Kudelka, Rosemarie Landry, k.d. lang. John Kim Bell will receive the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee will receive the National Arts Centre Award. The laureates will receive the Awards at a special ceremony and reception at Rideau Hall on Friday, May 26. Then on Saturday, May 27, the NAC will host a star-studded gala featuring superb performances and evocative film portraits by the National Film Board of Canada.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Thanks also to the many sponsors and donors who make the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala possible, including Presenting Sponsor RBC, Lead Donor Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Boston Pizza International Inc., Labatt Breweries of Canada, Manulife, The Keg Spirit Foundation, The Azrieli Foundation, Bonnie & John Buhler, Margaret Fountain, C.M., DFA (h.c.), DHL (h.c.), & David Fountain, C.M., Ann, John and Roxanne McCaig, the Honourable Bill Morneau & Nancy McCain, Rogers Communications, and Telefilm Canada.

The National Arts Centre is proud to produce the 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala in partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation. The Awards are presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. Compass Rose is our Communications Partner. As well, each year the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) creates incomparable short films that capture the essence of the laureates, and will première at the Awards Gala at the NAC on May 27 and online on NFB.ca.

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards and the National Arts Centre Foundation are deeply grateful to The Keg Spirit Foundation, which has generously supported the Mentorship Program since 2009. Established in 2001, The Keg Spirit Foundation supports organizations that mirror the mentorship that The Keg Steakhouse + Bar has provided to hundreds of thousands of young staff for more than 50 years. In that time, the foundation has granted more than $11 million to more than 400 charities across North America. 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE  

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.  

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Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer arrives at the NAC

May 4, 2023

Governor General’s Award-winning playwright and director Kevin Loring brings this biting satire to the stage

May 4, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – In association with Theatre Calgary, the Belfry Theatre and Savage Society, NAC Indigenous Theatre is proud to welcome the relentlessly irreverent Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer in the Babs Asper Theatre from May 18 to 27, 2023.

"Little Red wakes up one day and discovers that a development is under construction on his ancestral land. So, he runs in, attacks a developer, and gets arrested. At the jail, he meets his court-appointed lawyer, who devises a plan to get Red his land back. We follow Red on this journey, but it's pretty heightened... and hijinks ensue!"—Kevin Loring.

More than 20 years ago, Loring conceived the idea for the play during his theatre studies in Vancouver. As he delved into classic European farces, including those by renowned French playwrights Molière and Ionesco, he was reminded of the traditional creation stories of his Salish-speaking Indigenous culture, stories that originate from the interior of what is now British Columbia.

In this Trickster Fable, we are taken through the play from the storyteller's perspective: the Coyote. As Kevin explains, "In Trickster stories, nobody gets away unscathed."

Touching on weighty topics such as land usage, sovereignty, colonialism, and the historical exclusion of First Nations from having rights to their land, Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer challenges—in a very satirical form—experiences and realities about Canada, our relationship with First Nations people and First Nations people's relationship with the Crown, all while poking fun at everything and everyone.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30732

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS).
As we have in past seasons, Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer community engaged activity, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. We are honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community in the upcoming season. It extends to most of the programming from all disciplines at the NAC.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre and Programming at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mohammed A. Faris, Kenneth and Margaret Torrance Endowment for Indigenous Theatre and an Anonymous Donor. Thank you to Indigenous Theatre Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group, Official Hotel Partner Embassy Hotel & Suites, and Official Rail Partner VIA Rail. Thank you also to TD Bank Group and the Slaight Family Foundation, Major Sponsors of Indigenous Programming at the National Arts Centre, and Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis Meta. We also express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts for their longstanding support of the NAC and the arts in Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
(343) 588-0742
Ian.Hobson@NAC-CNA.ca

Your Stories, Your Stage: The National Arts Centre Unveils its 2023-2024 Season

May 11, 2023

YOUR STORIES, YOUR STAGE: THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE UNVEILS ITS 2023-2024 SEASON

Time to mark your calendars—a wide variety of music, dance and theatre will fill up any wish lists of live performances

MAY 11, 2023 – OTTAWA, CANADA – The NAC’s artistic leaders have created a line-up packed with a blend of powerful new works and treasured classics for the 2023-2024 season, delivered by some of the most creative and diverse range of artists, voices and companies from across Canada and beyond.

This season marks new beginnings and farewells. English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino explores the full spectrum of theatre for her inaugural season, while Cathy Levy, after over 20 years as Executive Producer for NAC Dance, has created an inspiring and innovative final season that will be carried by her successor, Caroline Ohrt. French Theatre Artistic Director Mani Soleymanlou builds on the huge success of his first season with a highly anticipated follow up. Led by Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra has programmed a vast number of concerts and performances that celebrate the classics and introduce new works. Popular Music and Variety under Executive Producer Heather Gibson continues to highlight legendary performers and up-and-coming artists from Canada and around the globe. Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Loring presents his fifth season with the some of the most exciting Indigenous artists and stories told in theatre, dance, and music from coast to coast to coast.

“All of us at the National Arts Centre are extremely excited about welcoming all audiences to the 2023-2024 season,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “Our dynamic artistic leadership team has crafted a season that features some of the most extraordinary artists from across Canada and around the world. Through music, theatre, and dance, they tell stories that entertain, inspire and heal. We invite all communities to come together at the NAC, and on stages across Canada, to hear those stories—and experience live the power of the performing arts.”

All six NAC artistic streams have created exceptional opportunities for a wide range of audiences and communities to experience connections with artists, while also sparking dialogue around the performances on stage. The warm and inviting atmosphere at the NAC sets the stage for audiences and artists to connect in anticipation of new and exciting adventures in live performances.

WISH LIST OF LIVE PERFORMANCES WITH A NEW TICKETING EXPERIENCE

Below are a number of highlights for audiences this coming season.

A new ticketing system will improve the way you buy tickets online to our performances. Our seamless new platform will provide added features—you will have the chance to view the stage from your seats before buying, build wish lists, and create user profiles in which you can manage preferences and view your subscriptions and upcoming performances.

Check out our 2023-2024 season and learn how to create and log into your account.

NAC ORCHESTRA 2023/2024 SEASON

Throughout the season, audiences will hear a full spectrum of symphonic music, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s evocative Scheherazade and the ever-inspiring Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven.

The NAC Orchestra welcomes a Who’s Who of guest performers in 2023-2024, including pianists Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, and Seong-Jin Cho; and violinists Ray Chen and Blake Pouliot.

This season, Music Director Alexander Shelley and the Orchestra launch a multi-year commissioning project pairing vivid tone poems by Richard Strauss with new work by some of today’s most exciting Canadian composers, including Kelly-Marie Murphy and Kevin Lau. Creative Partner and pianist/composer Gabriela Montero performs her own Latin Concerto. In addition, Creative Partner and violinist James Ehnes leads an all-Bach concerto program featuring members of the orchestra as soloists.

The Pops series, helmed by Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, showcases the best of Broadway and cinema, with both Home Alone and Jurassic Park onstage in Southam Hall. Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads Family Adventures, NACO’s vibrant musical experiences for all ages. Chamber music with orchestra members and special guests is a feature of the season, with Music for a Sunday Afternoon returning, in its new home at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre; and WolfGang Sessions at Club SAW.

“I remain inspired by the dedication and the skill of our NACO musicians, and by the warmth and generosity of our audience. Whether you have been to a concert before or are hearing your NAC Orchestra for the first time, I can promise you an unparalleled experience. The coming season is filled with moments for renewal, for connection and for celebration. Very close to my heart is our opening festival, Focus: Clara, Robert, and Johannes. It is the culmination of a multi-year recording project of which the Orchestra and I are immensely proud. Our festival celebrates three great composers and friends—Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms—and includes performances by some of the most interesting names in classical music, including the wonderful pianist Emanuel Ax, our dear friend James Ehnes, and debuts by two brilliant artists, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and cellist Nicolas Altstadt.”

—Alexander Shelley, Music Director, NACO

Check out the full NAC Orchestra season.

NAC DANCE 2023/2024 SEASON

The 2023–2024 NAC Dance season will feature both classics of the repertoire and innovative new works. A total of 16 shows will be presented in the upcoming season.

The line-up includes return engagements by such favourites as Akram Khan, with his brand new show Jungle Book reimagined. We’ll also welcome renowned companies making their NAC Dance debut: Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black, for example, will open the new season with a double bill. As part of its commitment to the development of dance nationally and internationally, NAC Dance will present a number of coproductions, including one with Kidd Pivot, the company helmed by award-winning choreographer Crystal Pite.

The season also features some spectacular ballets. From Cinderella by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens to Snow White reimagined by choreographer Angelin Preljocaj and danced by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, these exciting works will help broaden the spectrum of the ballet world by allowing fans to travel between the classical and contemporary. Finally, this new season invites emerging voices to share their new work with NAC audiences and showcases the vitality of the Dance milieu: Ralph Escamillan and his company FakeKnot will present Piña, and the duo of Jean Abreu and Naishi Wang, Deciphers.

This final season designed by Cathy Levy, NAC Dance Producer Emerita, will be proudly delivered by Caroline Ohrt, NAC Dance’s new Executive Producer. The season will be balanced and diverse, amplifying the universal language of dance and delighting both new and seasoned dance lovers.

“It is with great pride that the programming for my final season, 2023-2024, is now being announced! The works of these artists collectively unite us in a season-long adventure of daring, insightful, unique and often gravity-defying performances from across the country and around the globe—each of them brimming with originality and heart. I invite you to delve in and celebrate and be prepared to be moved by their astonishing creativity.”

—Cathy Levy, NAC Dance Producer Emerita

“The 2023–2024 NAC Dance season is packed with surprising encounters, inspiring artists, and touching performances. It’s with joy and excitement that I look forward to sharing the experience with you, and to meeting you inside and outside the performance hall!”

—Caroline Ohrt, Executive Producer, NAC Dance

Check out the full NAC Dance season.

NAC ENGLISH THEATRE 2023/2024 SEASON

Since the moment she landed at the NAC last September, English Theatre Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino has been energetically conceiving and planning her inaugural NAC season for 2023‑2024.

Inspired by the exciting evolution that the NAC, and theatre more generally, have undergone over the past few years, Nina’s selections have emerged out of her reflections on this profound ongoing transformation.

Her first season is a collection of curiosities, perspectives, real and imagined histories, and possible futures. The colourful programming offers a celebration of stories that represent Canada and the global world, and an invitation to our audiences, both long-standing and first-time, to see themselves and the world around us through a vivid theatrical kaleidoscope.

This brilliant season proudly captures the full colour spectrum of possibility in theatrical form, from operatic musings (The Queen In Me) to dance (Prison Dancer), tour de force dramas (The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time) to popular musicals, intimate stories (Rose in the Machine) to large ensemble productions (Come From Away). The 2023‑2024 season lays out the beginning of a rich and vibrant exploration of Canada’s place in the world, and the world’s place in Canada, in full colour.

“The 2023 Pantone Colour of the Year is Viva Magenta. 2023 also marks my first season as the new Artistic Director of English Theatre. This is a cosmic-level coincidence because Viva Magenta happens to be my favourite colour in the whole universe. It is also the chosen lead colour of our 2023‑2024 season. In the last three years of the pandemic, we have been living in shades of grey. We've been in transition, living in liminal space. I'd like to believe that the stories we have to offer this season will bring a little Viva Magenta into our lives … along with all the other colours we’ve been so hungry for.”

—Nina Lee Aquino, Artistic Director, NAC English Theatre

Check out the full NAC English Theatre season.

NAC INDIGENOUS THEATRE 2023/2024 SEASON

NAC Indigenous Theatre and Artistic Director Kevin Loring welcomes you to a season of incredible Indigenous artistry. Surround yourself with living stories, transforming how we experience, understand, and walk on the land together.

His fifth season celebrates stories of kinship and love for the land, honouring traditions, and creativity through the magic of performing arts. Experience the beauty of Indigenous storytelling, dance, and music and witness the transformational power of theatre as a tool for healing, connection, and empowerment. Gather with us for another season of Indigenous Artists from across Turtle Island and around the world.

“Welcome to Indigenous Theatre's new season. Like a pair of moccasins crafted with care and laughter, this season of Indigenous Theatre celebrates the resilience of Indigenous love. Love for the Land, for each other and love for ourselves. Meet your Inner Elder for wise and nurturing care, find long-lost love, experience the true power of the Fur Trade—shifting your gaze toward the feminine—and let Summer Lovin' on the Rez leave you singing in the aisles. Through it all, remember that the answer is always Land.”

—Kevin Loring, Artistic Director, NAC Indigenous Theatre

Check out the full NAC Indigenous Theatre season.

NAC FRENCH THEATRE 2023/2024 SEASON

After a first season on the theme of reconnecting, Artistic Director Mani Soleymanlou unveils a new program inspired by the notions of dreaming and “diving inward.”

Coming up in French Theatre’s 2023–2024 season: A quartet of impassioned performers shares a political outburst like a scream; a duo of female warriors delivers a moving testimonial that invites a profound collective questioning; a woman at the microphone tells the story of a passion that is both intoxicating and liberating. Audiences will have the opportunity to meet a collective of nine young performers attempting to give form to the invisible; to enter a luminous elsewhere ruled by sound, smoke and light; and to travel back in time with Robert Lepage as he revives the memory of the illustrious painter Riopelle through 30 staged tableaux, and with Catherine Vidal as she transforms Chekhov’s landmark play La mouette (The Seagull) into a vast living laboratory.

As for family programming, the Enfance/jeunesse series designed by Mélanie Dumont musters a crowd of imaginations in full flight that take over the space and paint it with a thousand colours. A giant lantern stage, a set in the shape of a birthday cake, little travelling islands, a playground for art ... a whole world comes alive.

“The 2023–2024 season is filled with offerings that highlight our capacity to tackle life’s most difficult challenges and welcome its most wonderful gifts. A new season that seeks to remind us of our titanic power: confirming our ability to overcome the insurmountable and affirming our insatiable need and unquenchable thirst for beauty.”

—Mani Soleymanlou, Artistic Director, NAC French Theatre

Check out the full NAC French Theatre season.

NAC POPULAR MUSIC AND VARIETY 2023/2024 SEASON

NAC Popular Music & Variety and Executive Producer Heather Gibson presents what promises to be one of its most exciting seasons yet. She'll be presenting Canada’s foremost artists on our stages and bringing the best of the world here. Renowned British-American sitar player Anoushka Shankar will make her thrilling NAC debut and we’re excited to present the unique performance by the Japanese drum and dance ensemble Drum Tao!

This fall, Juno Award-winning artists Dominique Fils-Aimé and Jeremy Dutcher return to Babs Asper Theatre. The franco soul artist will present her new album Our Roots Run Deep in October, and the charismatic Jeremy Dutcher will bring his captivating show in November.

Canadian legend and beloved children’s entertainer Raffi performs in Southam Hall. The first opera in joual will bring a lyrical voice to the famous play Albertine en cinq temps by Michel Tremblay. Six singers and five musicians will bring to life this spellbinding music by composer Catherine Major, with a libretto by the Collectif de la Lune Rouge, directed by Nathalie Deschamps.

We’ll also see the return of Fridays at the Fourth and Sessions with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Stay tuned for more announcements in June and throughout the season.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome great Canadian musicians and some of the best artists in the world to the National Arts Centre stages. Expect 2023-2024 to be a captivating season of discovery and reuniting with long time favourites. I’m truly excited about the upcoming season and the many artists yet to be announced.”

—Heather Gibson, Executive Producer, Popular Music & Variety

Check out the full NAC Popular Music and Variety season.

FAMILY SHOWS AND STUDENT MATINEES WITH OUR ARTS ALIVE PROGRAMMING

In terms of school and family programming, audiences will be delighted to see that the 2023–2024 season presents a full school and family offering for the first time since the pandemic.

The new season will feature the return of student matinees in all NAC disciplines, and includes the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production of Nutcracker and the NAC Orchestra's virtual workshop, Finding the Ojibwe Horse, copresented with NAC Indigenous Theatre.

View the 2023–2024 Student Matinees and Family and Youth Programming.

“We’re delighted to present such amazing, rich and varied programming for families and schools. Regardless of language or age, we have a variety of offerings in each of our disciplines at the NAC.”

—Natasha Harwood, Acting Director, Learning and Engagement, Arts Alive

BUY TICKETS FOR 2023-2024

Renewing season subscribers can book Fixed Series and Create Your Own subscriptions as of May 12.

New subscriptions and individual show tickets for most of our programming will go on sale June 22.

Visit the NAC Box Office online, contact us by email at subscriptions@nac-cna.ca, or call us at 1‑844‑985‑2787 (ARTS).

The 2023–2024 season will introduce a new online and in person ticketing system that will enhance the purchasing experience for patrons. Learn more on our website.

EXPERIENCE MIND-BLOWING SHOWS FOR $15

As in past seasons, Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer community-engaged activity, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. We are honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community in the upcoming season. It extends to most of the programming from all disciplines at the NAC.

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30. And yeah, that includes teens and kids! We know high ticket prices can keep away some young arts lovers, so we created Under30 to make it easier for you, your friends, and the kids in your life to enjoy amazing theatre, dance and music at the NAC.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Programming at the National Arts Centre is supported by many generous organizations from across the country. The NAC Foundation would like to thank the Azrieli Foundation, BMO Financial Group, The Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank, the Crabtree Foundation, the Janice & Earle O'Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, the Lord Elgin Hotel, Mark Motors Group, Meta, The Metcalfe Hotel, Ottawa Embassy Hotel & Suites, Power Corporation of Canada, The RBC Foundation, Rogers Communications, The Slaight Family Foundation, and TD Bank Group.

A huge thank you to our devoted Donor’s Circle individual donors for making programming at the NAC possible.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sean Fitzpatrick
Communications Strategist
NAC English Theatre
613-899-9737
sean.fitzpatrick@nac-cna.ca

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
343-998-4244
mireille.allaire@nac-cna.ca

Kevin Loring’s Tenure as NAC Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Renewed for Four Years Until 2026-2027

May 9, 2023

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is proud to announce that Kevin Loring’s tenure as NAC Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director has been renewed for four years, from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2027.

Since taking on the position in 2017 and launching the inaugural season of Indigenous Theatre in 2019-2020, Kevin Loring has programmed bold and ambitious artistic works “with one foot in community and one foot on the stage” and championed the stories of First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities from coast to coast to coast, nationally and internationally. Kevin Loring’s seasons have featured extraordinary productions and collaborations with all NAC departments and external partners incorporating music, dance and visual art. Seasons have also included dozens of learning and community engagement programs and digital mentorship initiatives.

“JUST GETTING STARTED”

“Kevin Loring and the Indigenous Theatre team have enabled hundreds of Indigenous artists to proudly claim their rightful place on the national stage,” said Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO. “We are proud and delighted that he will continue to lead the Theatre and can’t wait to see how he will build on the important work he has begun."

"I am honoured to renew my tenure as the Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre,” said Kevin Loring. “Given the interruptions we’ve all had to navigate, I feel that we are really just getting started. I am so excited for the future of Indigenous Theatre and for the artists we will be able to celebrate here at the NAC. I look forward to more collaborations, creating new works, and sharing more amazing productions from Indigenous Artists from across Turtle Island and around the world."

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES AWARD

The renewal announcement comes on the same day that Kevin will be honoured with a Library and Archives Canada Scholar Award co-presented by the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Foundation and LAC. The LAC Scholar Awards, which are being presented tonight at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, were created to recognize remarkable Canadians who have made an outstanding contribution to the creation and promotion of our country’s culture, literary heritage and historical knowledge.

NAC INDIGENOUS THEATRE MILESTONES UNDER KEVIN LORING

Kevin Loring’s first-ever NAC Indigenous Theatre season in 2019-2020 celebrated Indigenous languages, as well as women’s resilience, strength and beauty. The inaugural season opened with the two-and-a-half week Mòshkamo festival and featured a spectacular Algonquin-led Grand Canoe Entry procession along the Rideau Canal.

Under Kevin’s leadership, the NAC commissioned hundreds of Indigenous artists through various initiatives including #CanadaPerforms, Indigenous Cities, Dancing the Land and #ReconcileThis.

Another highlight of Kevin’s tenure was The Breathing Hole, a theatre work translated into an at-risk dialect of Inuktut and created in close collaboration with the Inuit community's language and knowledge keepers. A recording of the Ottawa presentation of the play was gifted to the three Inuit communities who speak the dialect.

Kevin Loring will finish the current NAC season with his award-winning work, Little Red Warrior and his Lawyer.

ABOUT KEVIN LORING

Kevin Loring is an accomplished Canadian playwright, actor and director and was the winner of the Governor General’s Award for English Language Drama for his outstanding play, Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. The play explores the intergenerational effects of the residential school system. It toured nationally and was presented at the National Arts Centre in 2010, when Loring was serving as the NAC’s Playwright in Residence.

A Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, Loring created the Songs of the Land project in 2012 in partnership with five separate organizations in his home community. The project explores 100-year-old audio recordings of songs and stories of the N’lakap’amux People. Loring has written two new plays based on his work with the community including Battle of the Birds, about domestic violence and power abuse, and The Boy Who Was Abandoned, about youth and elder neglect.

A versatile artist and leader Loring has served as the co-curator of the Talking Stick Festival, as Artist in Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, as Artistic Director of the Savage Society in Vancouver, as a Documentary Producer of Canyon War: The Untold Story, and as the Project Leader/Creator, and Director of the Songs of the Land project in his home community of Lytton First Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT :

Carl Martin
Strategy and Communications Advisor National Arts Centre
613 291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

National Arts Centre mourns the loss of Gordon Lightfoot

May 2, 2023

OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre joins Canadians and music lovers around the globe in mourning the loss of Gordon Lightfoot.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, Canada's most legendary singer-songwriter,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “His music reflected the mood and spirit of a generation, and became the soundtrack of our country. We send our condolences to his family, his friends, and his many, many fans.”

A Companion of the Order of Canada, Gordon Lightfoot performed at the National Arts Centre many times since its opening in 1969. His last show in Southam Hall, in front of a crowd of long-time fans, was in November 2018.

The NAC will fly its flag at half-mast in honour of Gordon Lightfoot.

About the NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams – the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety – and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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For more information, please contact:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives
National Arts Centre
(613) 291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

The National Arts Centre Orchestra collaborates with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity to present Mozart's epic Don Giovanni

April 25, 2023

After a pause of more than four years, opera returns to the National Arts Centre on Thursday, June 15, and Saturday, June 17.

April 25, 2023 – OTTAWA – In collaboration with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the National Arts Centre (NAC) is proud to present the music of Mozart’s epic opera, Don Giovanni. Overflowing with comedy, tragedy, drama, and the supernatural, Don Giovanni recounts the conquests and ultimate downfall of the womanizing Giovanni, all wrapped in some of the most beautiful music ever written for the opera stage. NAC Orchestra Music Director Alexander Shelley conducts this blockbuster Opera in Concert in the NAC’s Southam Hall.

The cast for Don Giovanni includes soloists Elliot Madore as Don Giovanni, Justin Welsh as Leporello, Jane Archibald as Donna Anna, Andrew Haji as Don Ottavio, and Mireille Asselin as Zerlina, as well as Ottawa’s own Ewashko Singers, under the direction of Laurence Ewashko.

These exciting performances are part of the NAC’s collaboration with the Banff Centre’s Opera in the 21st Century 2023, a multidisciplinary program comprising two modules. Module 1 will be held in June at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and Module 2 will unfold in July at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

The program offers a unique opportunity for emerging opera artists, selected by the Banff Centre, to shadow and learn from the roster of professional artists in Ottawa. In Module 1, Banff Centre participants will observe the cast of career principal artists at the NAC and prepare the roles needed for their own production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In Module 2, the learning artists will remount this Opera in Concert at the Banff Centre in July 2023.

“At Canada’s National Arts Centre, professional development for the next generation of creative artists is at the core of what we do,” says Nelson McDougall, Managing Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. “Mozart’s Don Giovanni in theatrical concert production here at the NAC and in Banff will provide an exciting and meaningful experience for many young emerging arts professionals. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Banff Centre’s Opera in the 21st Century 2023 program for this project.”

Opera in the 21st Century at Banff Centre is a performance-based, collaborative training experience for emerging opera professionals that truly challenges the conventions of opera performance, production, and design. Their focus is to provide early-career professionals with the skills and experience to take them to the next level of their careers and beyond. Led by Artistic Director Joel Ivany, Banff’s Opera faculty comprises internationally recognized professionals from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

Ivany is equally excited about the opportunity. “To be able to collaborate with an institution like the National Arts Centre is a dream. The quality, passion, and vision of that organization align perfectly with the training and contemporary vision that Opera in the 21st Century at Banff Centre has developed over the past several years. The opera program this year will be one of the highlights of my tenure!”

TICKETS

Tickets can be purchased at NAC Box Office or at Ticketmaster outlets, by telephone from Ticketmaster, 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS), or online through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC’s website (http://www.nac-cna.ca).

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Opera in the 21st Century at Banff Centre is generously supported by the David Spencer Endowment Encouragement Fund. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre, and;
Clara - Robert - Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

ABOUT THE BANFF CENTRE FOR ARTS AND CREATIVITY

Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Greggory Clark
Communication Strategist
National Arts Centre Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca

More than $21,000 awarded to young musicians at the 2023 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition

April 24, 2023

Seventeen-year-old Franco-Ontarian violinist Justin Saulnier wins the Grand Prize

April 24, 2023 – OTTAWA – On Sunday, April 23, a talented group of music students aged 16 to 26, with ties to the National Capital Region, competed for a chance to win prizes worth more than $21,000 in the 40th annual National Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary Competition.

This year’s Bursary winners are:

2023 NAC Orchestra Bursary ($7,000) – Justin Saulnier, violin
Crabtree Foundation Award ($5,000) – Austin Wu, violin
Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award ($3,000) – Christoph Chung, viola
The NAC Orchestra Vic Pomer Award ($2,000) – Emily Kistemaker, viola
The Sturdevant Orchestral Excerpts Prize ($1,500) – Austin Wu, violin
Friends of the NAC Orchestra Evelyn Greenberg Award ($1,500) – Maria Krstic, violin
The Piccolo Prix ($1,000) – Patrick Paradine, violin
Honourable mentions of $350 each were awarded to Aidan Fleet, cello, and Katherine Moran, viola

Winners were evaluated on their performance of short orchestral excerpts and movements from a concerto or sonata written for their instrument. The 2023 Bursary competition was open to emerging young players of strings and harp.

Grand Prize-winner Justin Saulnier expressed, “I feel honoured to have participated in the NACO Bursary Competition and to have been chosen as the first prize winner. I would like to thank my family and circle of friends for their continued support, and my violin teacher, Andrew Wan, for his wisdom and admirable dedication.”

Justin Saulnier is a 17-year-old violinist from Orléans, Ontario. He was the recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Scholarship to attend McGill University Schulich School of music and is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in violin performance with Andrew Wan.

Interim Chair of the NAC Orchestra Bursary Committee, Francine Schutzman, noted that: “The competition, established by members of the NAC Orchestra, seeks to encourage and support young musicians at a critical time in their professional development. The need is clearly there, and the competition addresses it directly.”

The jury to select this year’s award winners comprised Interim Chair Francine Schutzman (non-voting); four NAC Orchestra musicians (Stephanie Morin, winds; Lawrence Vine, brass and percussion; Leah Wyber, low strings; and Leah Roseman, upper strings); Christine McLaughlin of the Friends of the NAC Orchestra (non-voting); and two external judges (Angela Schwarzkopf, harpist, and Murielle Bruneau, former NACO double bassist).

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA BURSARY AWARD

In 2024, the competition will be open to students of wind, brass, and percussion instruments.

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Since its inception, the NAC Orchestra has recorded for radio and more than 40 commercial recordings many of the 80+ new works it has commissioned, primarily from Canadian composers. These include:

Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos;
The ground-breaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by the late Jocelyn Morlock (winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year);
Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year (from the 2019 JUNO-nominated New Worlds);
The 2020 JUNO-nominated The Bounds of Our Dreams, featuring pianist Alain Lefèvre, and;
Clara - Robert - Johannes: Lyrical Echoes, nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

Cheryl Foggo’s Pioneer Love Story Heaven Closes out NAC English Theatre’s 2022-2023 Season

April 21, 2023

Cheryl Foggo’s Pioneer Love Story Heaven Closes out NAC English Theatre’s 2022-2023 Season

Revival of Citadel Theatre production marks the latest Black Theatre Workshop’s Co-Curation work with the NAC

April 20, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – As Black pioneers fled the southern United States, Canadian settlements weren't just the last stop; they were considered “heaven”. In one of those settlements – Amber Valley, Alberta – sharp-witted schoolteacher Charlotte arrives from Ontario to make a better life for her and her new students. But the memories she's outrunning may threaten what she's found, and her budding friendship with widowed farmer Ezra, forever.

From the moment Charlotte arrives in the small town, she is not what Ezra envisioned. Not expecting her to be the outspoken and strong-willed woman she is, he learns to appreciate what she brings to the town, the community and to his life.

As award-winning playwright Cheryl Foggo’s comedy shares a fictional story of Black history in Alberta, Heaven draws on the little-known past of Black pioneers in the prairies. First produced in 2001, the play has recently celebrated new productions in Edmonton and Calgary over the past two years. The Citadel Theatre production from 2021 is being revived for NAC audiences.

The play marks the latest production in the two-year co-curation partnership with Black Theatre Workshop and closes out the 2022-2023 English Theatre season.

BLACK OUT NIGHT

On May 5, the evening’s performance of Heaven will welcome the second Black Out night at the NAC this season. In addition to the performance, playwright Cheryl Foggo will be in person for a pre-show discussion. Following the hugely successful Black Out night in February, tickets for this evening will go fast.

NAC's Black Out nights are open invitations for Black audiences and guests to experience performances with their community and witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience. As with every performance at the NAC, all audiences are welcome at Black Out night for Heaven.

HEAVEN – MAY 3 – 13, AZRIELI STUDIO

An NAC English Theatre revival of the Citadel Theatre production
Curated by Black Theatre Workshop

Written by Cheryl Foggo; Director Patricia Darbasie; featuring Helen Belay and Christopher Clare; Set Designer Whittyn Jason; Costume Designer Leona Brausen; Lighting Designer Jeff Osterlin; Sound Designer Wayne Hawthorne; Assistant Lighting Designer FengYi Jiang; Associate Sound Designer Effy Adar; Dialect Coach Caroline Clay; Stage Manager Renate Hanson.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31493
For ticket information on Black Out night, please visit: https://www.ticketmaster.ca/black-out-night-heaven-ottawa-ontario-05-05-2023/event/31005D27B0BF2BBB?artistid=2941351&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=32

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, The Slaight Family Foundation, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to Margaret Fountain, C.M., D.F.A.(hc), D.H.L.(hc) & David Fountain, C.M. and to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation.

ABOUT BLACK THEATRE WORKSHOP

Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) is Canada’s longest running theatre company dedicated to the works of Black and diasporic communities. BTW’s mission is to promote and produce outstanding theatre that educates, entertains, and inspires. The company strives to create greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo. Expanding the representation of Black Canadian artists, BTW bridges cultural divides – uniting hearts, minds, and communities.

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SUMMER PROGRAMMING RETURNS TO THE NAC: MUSIC, DANCE AND THEATRE PERFORMANCES IN THE HEART OF THE CAPITAL

April 18, 2023

Spend your summer months enjoying exciting performances at the NAC.

Ottawa, April 18, 2023 – The National Arts Centre is delighted to announce the return of its summer series to its stages this July and August.

Bold and eclectic, the NAC’S 2023 Summer Programming is where Canadian and international talent meet. Featured in this year’s program are contemporary renditions of Flamenco dance, Arabic folk, and many more vibrant classics from here and around the globe.

Marking the second year of the series, the 2023 line-up will showcase more than 200 free and affordable shows and activities. Locals and visitors alike will have the opportunity to experience spectacular dance ensembles, floating concerts, and powerful musical and theatrical performances — the ultimate treat for arts lovers.

“Summer 2023 is all about celebrating Canadian artists, our culture, and the many communities of Canada. Each performance is unique and evocative of rich lived experiences from coast to coast to coast. Summer is set to be another exciting season at the NAC,” said Heather Gibson, Executive Producer of NAC Popular Music and Variety.

SUMMER PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

Stage Series

Bold Concerts and Plays

Take a seat in Southam Hall and experience beloved classics performed by the NAC orchestra or your favourite artists. Visit the Babs Asper Theatre for some outstanding dance and music. Or, if you prefer something more intimate, settle into either the Studio or the Fourth Stage for theatre and music. There you can connect with artists and ensembles from here and across the globe as they share their history, truth and powerful points of view.

You won’t be disappointed, no matter what you see.

Feeling of Free

Free Summer Beats

Some of our best shows aren’t on the stage this summer. They are in and around the NAC, suspended in our lobby, floating down the canal or happening in workout gear.

Whatever you choose to do, it’s fun for the whole family and all abilities. Plus, everything is free!

Wooden Terrace

Music Under the Stars

Spend your sunsets with us as under the stars as inspirational artists share their musical visions of culture, identity and tradition. Access our terrace directly from Elgin Street, the canal, or the Mackenzie King Bridge and take in the best free beats offered in Ottawa this summer.

Outdoor concerts every Tuesday and Wednesday night. Limited seating available.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Visit our website to book your tickets now and stay tuned for more shows coming soon.

EXPERIENCING THE ARTS FROM A NEW ANGLE

The NAC is thrilled to collaborate with a new generation of visionaries and creators, to present a selection of unforgettable performances.

“I am grateful for the way NACO has been a part of the beginning of my career and given me a platform to share my heart with their audiences” — Jonelle Sills, soprano.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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INFORMATION:

Salma Bedir

Communications Strategist, Summer Programming

National Arts Centre

343-588-0750
salma.bedir@nac-cna.ca

ROME: A Capital Epic

April 19, 2023

The Shakespeare/Dalpé/Haentjens triumvirate returns to the NAC

April 19, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – In 2015, French Theatre audiences experienced the impressive Richard III by Shakespeare/Dalpé/Haentjens. With ROME, a production of unparalleled scope will rock the capital on May 5 and 6. For seven and a half hours, 29 artists will take the stage to perform, end-to-end, Le viol de Lucrèce (The Rape of Lucrece), Coriolan (Coriolanus), Titus Andronicus, Jules César (Julius Caesar), and Antoine et Cléopâtre (Antony and Cleopatra), with a prologue to kick off the sequence.

Under the invincible pen of Jean Marc Dalpé, a key figure in Franco-Canadian theatre and Brigitte Haentjens’ long-time associate, the Shakespearean texts have been updated to emphasize their undeniable modernity. Because whether we like it or not, we are still influenced by the Roman culture of which the Bard made himself an unparalleled conduit, and thanks to Dalpé, his plays find a new impetus as poetic as it is rhythmic, and surprisingly in tune with our times.

Brigitte Haentjens has brought her characteristic passion and talent to her masterful direction of this monumental work, which captures several themes dear to the heart of French Theatre’s former artistic director (2012–22): freedom, notions of power and subjugation, and the loss of reference points. These topics sustain the role of Sibyllines’ artistic director as a driving force in the arts community, as she demonstrates once again with ROME, an epic charged with essential reflections on democracy and the paradoxes these issues raise.

“Some of Shakespeare’s historical plays have a huge appeal for me. They unsettle me by the singular way they have of questioning the workings of power and interweaving personal and political life, human and political issues. Their richness is inexhaustible as they reflect who we are, with all our contradictions, our dark sides, our weaknesses, and sometimes our greatness.”

– Brigitte Haentjens, director of ROME

A true marathon, with only two performances in Ottawa, ROME is perhaps most of all a reminder, delivered by an incredibly talented cast, that theatre is a larger-than-life art form, and that fiction is an essential part of understanding our world in all its harshness.

ON STAGE

Jean-Denis Beaudoin, Marc Béland, Alex Bergeron, Éliane Bergeron, Céline Bonnier, Vincent Carré, Samuël Côté, Guido Del Fabbro, Leïla Donabelle Kaze, Sylvie Drapeau, Irdens Exantus, Bernard Falaise, Reda Guerinik, Lauren Hartley, Bozidar Krčevinac, Frédéric Lavallée, Roméo Lucas, Jean-Moïse Martin, Iannicko N’Doua, Gaétan Nadeau, Leni Parker, Alice Pascual, Véronique Perron, Viktor Proulx, Sébastien Ricard, Joakim Robillard, Madeleine Sarr, Mattis Savard-Verhoeven and Valérie Tellos.

HOW THE EVENT UNFOLDS

The performance includes two intermissions, during which sandwiches and refreshments will be available for purchase at the NAC concession stands. You can also bring your own food.

Part 1 ~ 1 hr 45 min

PROLOGUE

LUCRÈCE: Movements I, II, III

CORIOLAN: Movements I, II

Intermission ~ 30 min

Part 2 ~ 2 hrs 40 min

CORIOLAN: Movement III

JULES CÉSAR: Movements I, II, III

ANTOINE ET CLÉOPÂTRE: Movement I

Intermission ~ 20 min

Part 3 ~ 2 hrs 10 min

ANTOINE ET CLÉOPÂTRE: Movements II, III

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Movements I, II, III

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Babs Asper Theatre, May 5 (6pm) and May 6 (3pm).

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30. And yeah, that includes teens and kids!

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31894 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC French Theatre season.

NATIONAL CREATION FUND

The National Creation Fund’s investment of $150,000 made it possible for the creative team to dedicate additional time to develop and refine the script, including a dramaturgical workshop. This was followed by extensive work on staging, with a creation workshop with the cast and a technical residency with the creative team. In the final development phase, the creators explored the integration of live music and a choir.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-prod uces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

613-240-3786

THIS SPRING, TANGO TAKES OVER THE NAC

April 12, 2023

From the streets of Buenos Aires to the stage of Southam Hall: Social Tango Project lands at the NAC with its outstanding dancers, musicians and singers.

OTTAWA, Canada, April 12, 2023 – A warm Argentine breeze will blow through the NAC on April 22, when the Southam Hall stage welcomes Social Tango Project. Based in Buenos Aires, this unique interactive dance experience features a mix of narrative, performance, and documentary film. On stage, 12 professional dancers, 4 musicians and 2 singers deliver Social Tango Project’s mission and message: “Everyone can dance.”

Choreographer Agustina Videla, the originator of the concept, encourages the audience not only to try out some tango dance steps but also to fully understand its essence. It’s not often that people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds can come together in an “embrace” and create a new community that vibrates in unison.

“The passion and dynamism of tango is compelling: watching its sensuous yet precise footwork accompanied by music and song makes us want to move and revel in the rhythms. A feast for the eyes and the soul.” – Cathy Levy, NAC Dance Producer Emerita

Knowing that Social Tango Project is more than just a show, the NAC Dance team invites patrons to start off their evening with a pre-show talk. NAC Dance’s new Executive Producer, Caroline Ohrt, will welcome choreographer Agustina Videla, the creator of Social Tango Project, and give the audience the opportunity to learn more about the production.

Following the performance, the Canal Lobby will be transformed into a dance floor where spectators can watch or actively participate in a free milonga hosted by Siempre Tango Ottawa, with the support of the Argentine Embassy. Amateur and professional dancers will be on hand to explain, demonstrate and dance with members of the public. No previous experience required.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Social Tango Project

April 22, 2023

Pre-show talk

Place Peter A. Herrndorf

7 p.m.

Performance

Southam Hall

8 p.m.

Milonga

Canal Lobby

9:10 p.m. (once the performance ends)

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31886 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

Julie.gunville@nac-cna.ca

Les mots secrets: A great celebration of poetry!

April 11, 2023

Written by Louise Dupré and directed by Ottawa artist André Perrier, presented at the NAC on April 22 and 23

April 11, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Words have a history while also being ageless. In this playful and athletic show, they are bouncing balls, modeling clay, super glue to stay together...

She and He were inseparable. But one truly rotten day, He had to leave for a town so far away we’ve forgotten its name. She stayed behind, playing alone as if there were still two of them. Then She opens a box of old letters, a paper plane flies across the stage, words start to grow, they are smoke signals!

This inspiring text by Louise Dupré is brought to life by two athletic, energetic performers and the radiant presence of an incredible magician–musician. The creative team even visited real schools to collect gems of language from young people, and to make this rhythmic, sometimes boisterous show shine even brighter.

An invitation to acclaim, all together, the inexhaustible pleasure of a shared language, Les mots secrets [The Secret Words] is a great celebration of poetry!

For audiences 7 and over.

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITY

Young and old alike are invited 45 minutes before the start of each performance to activate their imagination! What’s on? An aerial engineering exercise and spontaneous inventions of wacky words.

ABOUT THE WRITER AND THE DIRECTOR

Writer Louise Dupré taught literary creation for two decades at the Université du Québec à Montréal. A member of the Académie des lettres du Québec, the Royal Society of Canada, and the Order of Canada, she has received several awards for her work, including the Governor General’s Literary Award in poetry.

A unifying force on the Franco-Ontarian cultural scene, André Perrier is accomplished in several theatrical professions. He is an actor and playwright, but above all a director. He currently teaches at the University of Ottawa, and since 1990, has been the director of Théâtre Triangle Vital.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Azrieli Studio
April 22 and 23, 3 pm

Under30 tickets are for anybody under the age of 30. And yeah, that includes teens and kids!

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31320 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS).  To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-prod     uces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie
Communications Strategist, French Theatre
National Arts Centre
613-240-3786
sylvain.lavoie@nac-cna.ca

MATRIARCHS UPRISING ARRIVES AT THE NAC WITH A COLLECTION OF CURATED PERFORMANCES

March 30, 2023

A three-part performance art series by Indigenous women exploring artistic expression through contemporary Indigenous dance and storytelling

March 30, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Alongside NAC Indigenous Theatre, NAC Dance is delighted to present Matriarchs Uprising, an annual performance art series that weaves stories of transformation through Indigenous women's artistry, creating spaces for the past, present, and future in artistic performances.

Curated by Olivia C. Davies, Matriarchs Uprising is a unique festival of exchange and sharing through dance and performances, workshops and conversation. Three mixed programs will be presented April 13-15.

Program A offers two beautiful solos: Sophie Dow in A Hidden Autobiography and Jeannette Kotowich in Kisiskâciwan. A Hidden Autobiography examines how imagination can amplify presence and sensation and expand physical capacity. Kisiskâciwan is a creative return to the fast-flowing landscape of Saskatchewan, the robust and undulating land of Jeanette Kotowich’s ancestors. This new solo is a journey to oneself and references protocol, ritual and our relationship to the natural and Spirit worlds.

Program B presents the work of Samantha Sutherland entitled ȼ̓inaⱡ upxamik and Aria Evans’s Midline. In ȼ̓inaⱡ upxamik, Samantha Sutherland delves into the feelings and emotions that arose as she questions why Indigenous culture is important in her life. It contrasts the fear of embarking on a vulnerable journey and excitement for the lessons that come forth. Midline is a choreographic study created and performed by Aria Evans. It seeks to understand the science behind scar tissue and investigates the scars we choose, the scars that are accidents and the scars that save our lives. Through text and movement, Aria tackles these questions that highlight the endurance of the human body.

Program C features the work of The Cris Derksen Quartet with special guests. A household name to many Contemporary Indigenous choreographers, Derksen’s Orchestral Pow Wow album can often be heard in rehearsal studios across Turtle Island, inspiring movement explorations that dive deep into the depths of the heart and pull forward blood memories living beneath the surface.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/series/matriarchs-uprising

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS).
As we have in past seasons, Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer community engaged activity, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. We are honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community in the upcoming season. It extends to most of the programming from all disciplines at the NAC.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

NAC Dance and the NAC Foundation would like to thank the donors and partners who have made the season possible. Thank you to our Hotel Partner, the Lord Elgin Hotel. The role of Executive Producer, NAC Dance is generously supported by an anonymous donor.

THANK YOU TO OUR INDIGENOUS THEATRE PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre and Programming at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mohammed A. Faris, Kenneth and Margaret Torrance Endowment for Indigenous Theatre and an Anonymous Donor. Thank you to Indigenous Theatre Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group, Official Hotel Partner Embassy Hotel & Suites, and Official Rail Partner VIA Rail. Thank you also to TD Bank Group and the Slaight Family Foundation, Major Sponsors of Indigenous Programming at the National Arts Centre, and Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis Meta. We also express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts for their longstanding support of the NAC and the arts in Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
+1 343-588-0742
Ian.Hobson@NAC-CNA.ca

National Arts Centre Mourns the Loss of Jocelyn Morlock

March 28, 2023

Canada’s National Arts Centre is mourning the loss of Jocelyn Morlock, a remarkably gifted Canadian composer and a bright light for contemporary music in Canada. Her work was celebrated by many, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, who commissioned her JUNO Award-winning work My Name is Amanda Todd as part of the landmark multimedia commission Life Reflected.

My Name is Amanda Todd premiered on May 19, 2016. It was performed at the Luminato Festival Toronto in 2017 and in performance halls across Western Canada during the Orchestra’s Canada 150 Tour. In 2018, it won the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year. The Orchestra also performed it during its 50^th Anniversary European Tour in 2019.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jocelyn Morlock, an extraordinary Canadian composer who left us far too early,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “We will always remember Jocelyn’s incredible contributions to Canadian orchestral music. On behalf of the National Arts Centre, we send our heartfelt condolences to Jocelyn’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

"Far too soon the wonderfully kind, empathetic, beguilingly fun and brilliant artist that was Jocelyn Morlock has left us,” said Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. “I cannot help but smile as I recall her charm, wit and quirky humour, her generosity, her razor-sharp mind and her x-ray like perception as we worked together at the NAC on My Name is Amanda Todd. That beautiful, special work, which has contributed so much to the conversation around cyberbullying and for which she justly won the JUNO Award for best composition, now another layer of tragedy etched into its contours. We will miss you very deeply, Jocelyn, and are endlessly grateful for the friendship, artistry and music that you gave us. For us all, you are gone far too soon.”

“All of the NAC Orchestra musicians and colleagues are mourning the loss of Jocelyn Morlock,” said NAC Orchestra Managing Director Nelson McDougall. “She was a brilliant composer, a generous collaborator, and a wonderful colleague and friend to all of us.”

On October 31, 2020, in the midst of lockdowns due to COVID-19, the NAC Orchestra performed Jocelyn’s work Solace during its first-ever NACO Live concert, part of a series of livestreamed and on-demand performances. Her first commission from the NAC Orchestra was Cobalt, a concerto for two violins and orchestra, in 2009. Her first full-length CD, also titled Cobalt, was released on the Centrediscs label in 2014.

The NAC flags will fly at half-mast in honour of Jocelyn Morlock.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Greggory Clark
Communications Strategist
National Arts Centre Orchestra
343-588-0513
greggory.clark@nac-cna.ca

Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613-301-2764
annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

CANADIAN DANCE ICON LOUISE LECAVALIER PRESENTS HER MOST PERSONAL WORK TO DATE

March 21, 2023

For the first time, the Fou Glorieux founder comes to the NAC with a solo performance of her own choreography

March 21, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – NAC Dance is thrilled to welcome long-time favourite Louise Lecavalier, as she brings Stations to the Babs Asper Theatre for two nights on March 30-31.

In four distinct stations, like cardinal points or body states – fluidity, control, meditation, and obsession – she leads the audience in an exhilarating exploration of dance. Over the course of 60 minutes, every element of the Lecavalier’s performance expresses something beyond words. With Stations, in osmosis with the haunting sound of the music, she reaches the apex of her art.

Since premiering the work in 2020, Stations has been performed to rave reviews across Canada and Europe. Audiences will not want to miss this remarkable NAC co-production.

“With this latest oeuvre, Stations, Louise has reached a pinnacle in her creative explorations: her first choreographed solo. Stations is seen as her most personal work to date, and is an impeccable blend of force and speed, emotion and passion. Not only do we marvel at her spectacular performance but also at her dramatic prowess and musicality. Persistently curious and adventurous, Louise throws herself into each project with vigorous attention and sensitivity.”, says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance

Download video and photos here.

ABOUT LOUISE LECAVALIER

Louise Lecavalier worked with Edouard Lock from 1981 to 1999, a period of exceptional intensity punctuated by works that have since become mythical – Human Sex, New Demons, Infante, and 2 – along with scintillating collaborations (David Bowie, Frank Zappa) …

Her extreme dance, filled with a fiery energy, caught the imagination of a whole generation. Since then, with her company, Fou Glorieux, Louise has continued to explore, in solos and duets, the power and vulnerability of the body and the intensity of the human struggles and aspirations. After fruitful collaborations with artists Tedd Robinson, Benoît Lachambre, Crystal Pite, and Nigel Charnock, she created her first choreographic work, So Blue, in 2012.

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Louise is the first Canadian to have received a Bessie Award (New York) and the first winner of the Prix de la danse de Montréal. She is also a recipient of the Jean A. Chalmers National Dance Award, the Prix du Syndicat français de la critique, the 2013 Léonide Massine Prize for contemporary dancer of the year, and the 2014 Governor General Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Babs Asper Theatre
March 30-31, 7:30 pm

To purchase tickets, visit Louise Lecavaliers - Stations or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

Choreographer Rhodnie Désir presents BOW’T TRAIL Rétrospek for two nights only at the NAC

March 9, 2023

The Prix de la Danse-winning piece (Grand Prix and Envol prizes, 2020) continues its international tour of the Americas and Europe. http://prixdeladanse.com/en/laureat/rhodnie-desir-2/

March 9, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Witness a conversation between the present and the past delivered through choreographer Rhodnie Désir. Her BOW’T TRAIL Rétrospek, the ambassador piece in the BOW’T series, and an NAC co-production, comes to the Azrieli Studio on March 17-18.

In 2013, Rhodnie Désir created the work BOW'T. The 10th anniversary of the project was celebrated on March 5. From this, nine pieces in nine locations and various powerful documentary elements (web documentary, web series, medium-length film) were created, as well as an exhibition. The totality of this journey bears the name BOW'T TRAIL. Today, the sole work that is touring is BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek.

Driven by a desire to transcend her origins, the choreographer carried research in Martinique, Brazil, Haïti, Canada, Mexico and the United States, collecting more than 130 personal stories and immersing herself in the African cultures and rhythms of the people who were deported there. On stage, Rhodnie Désir is accompanied by two master musicians as she is transported by these rhythms.

Since it premiered at Espace Libre in Montreal in 2020, this landmark work and the artist’s pioneering choreographic–documentary approach have been showered with acclaim and honours.

Download video and photos here: https://c.nac.ca/3JrDDjW

ABOUT RHODNIE DÉSIR

Choreographer-documentalist and artistic director of RD Créations, Rhodnie Désir has created about fifteen pieces, like BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek and her pioneering memoir journey BOW'T TRAIL have earned her two awards from the Prix de la danse de Montréal (2020): The Prix Envol and the Grand Prix. In 2021, she was chosen as one of the "25 to watch" by Dance Magazine in New York and nominated for the prestigious career award “The APAP Award of Merit”. In 2022, she received the “Danseuse de l’année” award at the Gala Dynastie and she became the first Associate Artist of the famous Place des Arts institution in Montreal.

Her documentary and Afro-contemporary choreographic signature is rooted in rhythmic languages. A performer and orator of remarkable power, her words and her international civic actions unite beyond dance, and then shine as at UNESCO.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in the Azrieli Studio March 17-18, 8 pm

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31883 or call 1-844-985-2787

(ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season. https://nac-cna.ca/en/dance

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-prod uces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Classic Fall On Your Knees Arrives at the NAC with a Momentous Two-Part Production

March 2, 2023

Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Classic Fall On Your Knees Arrives at the NAC with a Momentous Two-Part Production

Hit Stage Adaptation Lands in Ottawa as Third Stop in Four City Tour

Ottawa – March 6, 2023 – “Fall On Your Knees… will bring you to your feet.” - J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail

Following successful runs in Toronto and Halifax, NAC English Theatre is proud to present the history-making two-part stage adaptation of author Ann-Marie MacDonald’s internationally acclaimed and best-selling novel Fall On Your Knees, from March 10 – 25.

Produced by the National Arts Centre English Theatre, Vita Brevis Arts, Canadian Stage, the Grand Theatre, and Neptune Theatre, the World Premiere of the stage adaptation of Fall On Your Knees is the fruit of an unprecedented partnership between five companies, bringing this momentous production first to the previously mentioned Toronto and Halifax, before arriving in Ottawa, and then finishing in London, ON.

Ann-Marie MacDonald’s first novel, Fall On Your Knees is a sweeping work of historical fiction that chronicles three generations of Cape Breton Island’s Piper family. The story moves from the battlefields of the First World War to the emerging jazz scene in Harlem, NY, and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters.

The stage adaptation is co-created by renowned theatre artists Alisa Palmer –who directs the production– and playwright Hannah Moscovitch, who developed the work over the course of a decade together. Inspired to create a work in which music and narrative would be intimately woven, the pair invited composer Sean Mayes to join their collaboration. Through the NAC's National Creation Fund, they were able to expand the scale of development of the novel from page to stage with artistic workshops. This powerful creative team have then assembled an equally exemplary cast to bring the work to life, including Tim Campbell, Janelle Cooper, Diane Flacks, Eva Foote, Deborah Hay, Samantha Hill, Drew Moore, Tony Ofori, Cara Rebecca, Maryem Tollar, Amaka Umeh, Dakota Jamal Wellman, Jenny L Wright, Antoine Yared.

Released in 1996, MacDonald’s novel won multiple awards, including the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book; the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction; CBA Libris People's Choice Award and the CBA Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. The novel was also a finalist for a number of prestigious literary awards, including the Giller Prize, the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Trillium Book Award, the Orange Prize for Fiction, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and was selected for the hugely popular Oprah’s Book Club.

Joining Palmer, Moscovitch, and Mayes on the creative team of this benchmark production are associate director Cherissa Richards, choreographer Natasha Powell, associate choreographers Hollywood Jade and Tereka Tyler-Davis, set designer Camillia Koo, costume designer Judith Bowden, associate costume designer Joyce Padua, lighting designer Leigh Ann Vardy, sound designer Brian Kenny, associate music supervisor Douglas Price, fight and sexual choreographer Anita Nittoly, and dramaturg Mel Hague.

FALL ON YOUR KNEES – MARCH 10 – 25, BABS ASPER THEATRE

Fall On Your Knees is presented in two parts, allowing audiences to enjoy two extraordinary evenings at the theatre. The production runs from March 10 - 25, 2023

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit:
Part One – Family Tree: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30544
Part Two – The Diary: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30733

A National Arts Centre, Vita Brevis Arts, Canadian Stage, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre production

Adaptation for the stage by Alisa Palmer and Hannah Moscovitch

Co-created and Written by Hannah Moscovitch

Co-created and Directed by Alisa Palmer

Production Dramaturgy by Mel Hague

Based on the Novel by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Music Supervisor and Composer Sean Mayes
Featuring: Tim Campbell, Janelle Cooper, Diane Flacks, Eva Foote, Deborah Hay, Samantha Hill, Drew Moore, Tony Ofori, Cara Rebecca, Maryem Tollar, Amaka Umeh, Dakota Jamal Wellman, Jenny L Wright, Antoine Yared, Musicians Douglas Price (Conductor, piano, accordion), Anna Atkinson (Violin, accordion), Spencer Murray (Flutes, reeds, pipes), Maryem Tollar (Vocals, qanun, oud, percussion).
Associate Director Cherissa Richards, Choreographer Natasha Powell, Associate Choreographer Hollywood Jade, Associate Choreographer Tereka Tyler-Davis, Set Designer Camillia Koo, Costume Designer Judith Bowden, Lighting Designer Leigh Ann Vardy, Sound Designer Brian Kenny, Associate Music Supervisor Douglas Price, Fight & Sexual Choreographer Anita Nittoly, Dramaturg Mel Hague, Dialect Coach Jane Gooderham, Disability Consultant Yousef Kadoura, Stage Manager Michael Hart, Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Miller, Apprentice Stage Manager (Rehearsal and Toronto) Ciaran Brenneman, Apprentice Stage Manager (Halifax, Ottawa, London) Ciaran Brenneman.

LEAD DONORS MARGARET AND DAVID FOUNTAIN

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to extend its heartfelt thanks to two of Canada’s greatest theatre champions: NAC Foundation board member Margaret Fountain, C.M., D.F.A. (hc), D.H.L.(hc) and her husband David Fountain, C.M. of Halifax. Their generous leadership support has helped to bring this acclaimed Canadian story to stages across the country.

NATIONAL CREATION FUND

The National Creation Fund’s investment of $200,000 supported a new approach to translating the novel from page to stage, with significant time dedicated to exploring non-literal, theatrical ways to capture and embody the power of the story. The Fund’s support also made the final two development workshops possible.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank NAC English Theatre Lead Donor, The Slaight Family Foundation, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

ABOUT VITA BREVIS ARTS

Vita Brevis Arts (VBA) was founded by Alisa Palmer to support the development of unusual theatre projects, aimed for larger spaces and audiences. VBA was created to support projects that are ambitious in scope, urgent in content and that have the capacity to speak to diverse audiences in a highly theatrical and sensually rich language. Inclusive and artistically excellent storytelling is at the heart of VBA's mission. In practice, VBA partners with established theatre companies and helps to realize projects that may be outside the box: to curate artist - driven development processes outside traditional development models, and which require sensitivity to culturally specific material. VBA is comprised of producers Alisa Palmer, Paul Beauchamp, and Patricia Cerra.

ABOUT CANADIAN STAGE

Canadian Stage is one of the country’s leading contemporary performing arts organizations. A collision of disciplines and cultures, Canadian Stage reflects the dynamism and complexity of Canada and is a vital artistic force locally, nationally, and internationally. In its over thirty-year history, Canadian Stage has employed thousands of artists and developed and produced hundreds of new productions. Many of the plays developed by Canadian Stage have been awarded and nominated for Canada's most prestigious literary and performing arts honours, including Governor General's, Chalmers, and Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Throughout the theatre season, nearly 100,000 patrons attend performances and workshops in its three Toronto venues.

ABOUT THE GRAND THEATRE

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand Theatre (the Grand) is a leading cultural hub located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The not-for-profit regional theatre offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations. The Grand is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original stories through its COMPASS New Play Development program. Further, it is an ardent supporter of educational programming, as demonstrated through initiatives like the High School Project and Subsidized Student Matinees.

ABOUT NEPTUNE THEATRE

Neptune Theatre is Atlantic Canada’s regional theatre, now in its 59th season. On our stages you’ll experience theatre that is uplifting and thought-provoking. Working with the best local, regional, and Canadian theatre professionals, we seek to present a thought-provoking playbill that amplifies creative voices, inspires future generations of theatre artists, and delights audiences. With a mindful and inclusive approach, we are committed to bringing stories that represent the history and diversity of our region and its people to life on our stages. The work created and presented at Neptune explores our rich history and diversity, builds understanding, and shapes dialogue, helping to create a stronger, connected community.

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BALLET EDMONTON MAKES ITS FIRST VISIT TO THE NAC WITH AN ATHLETIC PROGRAM FILLED WITH HUMANISM

March 2, 2023

Under the artistic direction of Wen Wei Wang, the show features four pieces created by three distinctive choreographic voices

OTTAWA, Canada, March 2, 2023 – On Saturday, March 11, Ballet Edmonton will make its National Arts Centre debut. For one night only, a mixed bill by three distinctive choreographic voices will light up the Southam Hall stage.

Wen Wei Wang, Artistic Director of Ballet Edmonton, will present two of his creations: Persistence of Memory is a look back at the isolation forced by the pandemic and the importance of human contact; and SWAN, is inspired by the iconic characters in Swan Lake — a breathtaking work that highlights the poise and grace of ballet dancers while pushing the body’s athletic range to another level.

In BLACK MOON by Canadian choreographer Dorotea Saykaly, dancers embody the duality of ease and desperation, antigravity and heaviness, broken and fluid. And finally, in Valei-me, a piece by Diego Ramalho, Brazilian music drives the narrative structure of this emotional and energetic creation that explores how music lives in the nervous system and reflects an unconscious sense of identity.

An evening filled with physicality, tenderness, and humanity.

“Ballet Edmonton is emerging as one of Canada’s finest contemporary ballet troupes, and I’m thrilled to be welcoming them to the National Arts Centre for the first time! Since Wen Wei Wang was appointed artistic director in 2018, he has been dedicated to building an original repertoire representing strong choreographic voices from Canada and beyond. The evening’s program highlights Wen Wei’s talent, as well as that of Diego Ramalho and rising Canadian star Dorotea Saykaly.”

—Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall
March 11, 8 pm

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31882 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK INTERVIEWS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Mireille Allaire

Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre

343-998-4244

Là où la poussière se dépose: A soundscape of intimacy and devastating heartbreak

February 27, 2023

Written, directed and performed by Julien Morissette and Karina Pawlikowski, presented at the NAC from March 30 to April 1

February 27, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The theatre is, by definition, “a place of seeing.” Acclaimed darlings of the Ottawa-Gatineau art and media scene Julien Morissette and Karina Pawlikowski offer a somewhat more slanted view, like the first spring rays of sunshine streaming into a light-starved space.

Là où la poussière se dépose, or Where the Dust Settles, will be unfurling its warm soundscape at the NAC Studio; the McGarrigle sisters, accompanied musically by the Wainwrights, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Nick Cave, will also be joining their voices to serve as the soundtrack of an intimate rendezvous with former lovers come to share the beauty of what comes after the relationship.

What does it mean to inhabit a home when the sounds of the household have left with your love? And what becomes of the theatre once it has been (re)discovered and (re)constructed from the outside in? Long-time friend and collaborator of the French Theatre Julien Morissette and his partner in crime, Karina Pawlikowski, take us on a gentle musical stroll that will have you falling back in love with the sounds of day-to-day life, using them as unique fodder for creation from which a podcast will also be produced in mid-April.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Karina Pawlikowski is an artist and author whose work takes shape through writing materials, voice, drawing and daily life, to question the norms that frame emotional life and relationships, intimacy, domestic space and the humans who inhabit it.

Julien Morissette is a producer and musician from Gatineau. His digital arts practice, focused on radio creation and storytelling, has enabled him to produce several radio documentaries et often act as artistic advisor.

ABOUT TRANSISTOR MÉDIA

Founded in 2017 and based in Gatineau, Transistor Média is dedicated to developing fiction and documentary podcasts at a national and international scale. The group’s mission is to create, produce and distribute digital audio works, favoring sound creation, radio art and podcasting as a means of expression to promote this discipline and contribute to the public’s appreciation of art.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in the Azrieli Studio
March 30-31, 8 pm

April 1, 4 pm

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31892 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click:https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC French Theatre season.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, the Slaight Family Foundation, Supporting Partner of French Theatre, Québecor, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-prod uces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Lavoie

Communications Strategist, French Theatre

National Arts Centre

Mireille Allaire

Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre

343-998-4244

annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

CELEBRATING CANADIAN TALENT: 2023 GOVERNOR GENERAL’S PERFORMING ARTS AWARDS LAUREATES ANNOUNCED

February 23, 2023

NEWS RELEASE

OTTAWA, February 23, 2023 – The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts.

The laureates of the 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, which recognize artists who have made an indelible contribution to cultural life in Canada and around the world, are:

Michel Marc Bouchard, O.C. – Playwright, screenwriter, librettist and teacher

Michel Marc Bouchard’s bold poetic vision is universal and timeless in its exploration of human relationships, particularly the notion of the outsider and the queer universe. His plays have been translated into two dozen languages and performed around the world; several have been adapted for film. He has curated major historical and thematic exhibitions, and teaches regularly at the National Theatre School of Canada.

Watch Michel Marc Bouchard’s announcement video.

Molly Johnson, O.C. – Singer–songwriter and humanitarian

Acclaimed as one of the best female jazz vocalists of our time, Molly Johnson has captivated audiences across Canada and Europe with her performances of jazz standards and original pieces. As the founding artistic director of Toronto’s Kensington Market Jazz Festival, she has helped hundreds of performers to flourish, and through her work as co-founder and producer of the Kumbaya Foundation, she has raised awareness of and funds for people living with HIV/AIDS. Always ready to speak out against racism and injustice, she has been actively involved with numerous charitable and service organizations.

Watch Molly Johnson’s announcement video.

James Kudelka, O.C. – Choreographer

James Kudelka is among North America’s most versatile and innovative dance artists. His creative output reflects his eclectic interests, rich movement vocabulary, and theatrical sensitivity. His choreographic works range from recreations of full-length ballet classics (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker) to one-act creations that are rich in psychological implication and human drama. He has explored evolving dance and theatrical styles, and is equally at home working with solo artists, small contemporary troupes and large ballet companies.

Watch James Kudelka’s announcement video.

Rosemarie Landry, C.M. – Soprano and voice teacher

Recognized worldwide as an exceptional interpreter of French vocal works and a leading authority on French-language music, soprano Rosemarie Landry has made a significant contribution to classical music and Canadian culture. She has performed internationally in recital, concert and opera, both live and on radio and television, and appeared with leading orchestras and at chamber music festivals. A respected professor at the Université de Montréal, she also regularly gives masterclasses at renowned schools and universities around the world.

Watch Rosemarie Landry’s announcement video.

k.d. lang, O.C. – Singer–songwriter and activist

Singer–songwriter k.d. lang is known for her wide-ranging musical talent, distinctive and androgynous style, and hauntingly pure mezzo-soprano voice. She has played an important role in the recognition and development of country and popular music in Canada, and her unique creative contribution has added a new dimension to contemporary music. A noted activist, she publicly came out as a lesbian in the early 1990s and is a strong advocate for the gay rights movement, as well as for animal rights and HIV/AIDS care and research.

Watch k.d. lang’s announcement video.

The Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, which recognizes outstanding contribution by an individual or group in voluntary service to the performing arts in Canada:

John Kim Bell, O.C.

John Kim Bell is one of Canada’s most decorated Indigenous leaders. Widely recognized for his work as an activist, entrepreneur and fundraiser, he established the Indspire charitable organization and the Indspire Awards in celebration of Indigenous achievement. His creative vision, cultural leadership, inexhaustible energy and passionate commitment have earned him many awards and honours.

Watch John Kim Bell’s announcement video.

The National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year:

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee – Actor, writer, comedian and geek

A versatile actor, writer, comedian and television host, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is best known for his starring role as family patriarch Mr. Kim (“Appa”) in Korean–Canadian playwright Ins Choi’s hit play Kim’s Convenience (2011) and its hugely popular television adaptation (2016–21). The show brought the Korean–Canadian immigrant experience into the cultural conversation, first in Canada and then around the world, and established Mr. Lee as a model and an inspiration for a generation of Asian actors.

Watch Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s announcement video.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively will be the Honorary Chairs of the 2023 GGPAA Gala National Committee. The National Arts Centre would like to thank Ryan Reynolds, 2021 National Arts Centre Award recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and his wife Blake Lively for agreeing to serve as Honorary Chairs of the GGPAA Gala’s National Committee of Volunteers, led by Jim Treliving, C.M., and Sandi Treliving, which is raising the funds for the GGPAA Gala.

“The arts play a vital role in our lives, which has been made powerfully evident as we faced great challenges during the pandemic,” said Douglas Knight, Chair and CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation (GGPAAF), and Anik Bissonnette, Co-Chair of the Foundation. “While we celebrate and congratulate the exceptional 2023 Awards laureates, we should also pause and be grateful to all Canadian artists, and their supporters, who have been bringing us light and a sense of community in difficult times.”

“The breadth of extraordinary talent and impressive contributions made by the 2023 laureates is unmistakeable,” said Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “In recognizing and celebrating what these artists have given and achieved, we are also applauding the performing arts as a whole; the body of work of these artists has enabled countless connections and is worthy of as many thanks and congratulations.”

“Each year, Canadians artists amaze us with their creativity and vision. The incredibly inspiring stories they share bring us together and celebrate the beauty and diversity of Canada,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “The National Arts Centre, as a founding partner of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, is extremely proud to celebrate some of Canada’s greatest artists and arts volunteers and the crucial role they play in the culture of our nation.”

The 2023 laureates will be honoured at two events in Ottawa, culminating in the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre on Saturday, May 27 at 8:00 p.m. “We are thrilled to have one of the most respected financial institutions in Canada and globally join us in this celebration of our country’s performing arts luminaries,” said Jayne Watson, CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation. “We extend our sincerest thanks to RBC for their generous support as Presenting Sponsor, and look forward to a spectacular 2023 GGPAA Gala. We also thank Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively for joining our efforts to celebrate Canadian artists.”

“Congratulations to our 2023 laureates, who have inspired so many people worldwide throughout their careers,” said Mark Beckles, Vice-President, Social Impact & Innovation at RBC. “RBC understands the important role that the arts, across all genres, play in our communities. Our ongoing partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards is a powerful demonstration of our commitment and recognizes the incredible impact that these artists have in bringing Canadian talent to the world stage. Congratulations, laureates!”

Thank you, Peter Herrndorf (1940-2023)

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards mourns the loss of Peter A. Herrndorf, an extraordinary Canadian cultural leader who died last week. Along with co-founder Brian Robertson, and the late Governor General Ray Hynatshyn and his wife Gerda, Peter founded the GGPAAs in 1992. The GGPAA Foundation will always be grateful to Peter for his vision to create these Awards that have enabled Canada to honour its greatest artists and arts volunteers for more than 30 years.

Thank you to our partners

Thanks also to the many sponsors and donors who make the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala possible, including Lead Donor Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Boston Pizza International Inc., Labatt Breweries of Canada, Manulife, The Keg Spirit Foundation, The Azrieli Foundation, Bonnie & John Buhler, Margaret Fountain, C.M., DFA (hc), DHL (hc), & David Fountain, C.M., the Honourable Bill Morneau & Nancy McCain, Rogers Communications, and Telefilm Canada.

“Through the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, the NFB will once again be celebrating Canadian excellence in its own unique way,” said Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada. “For the 15th year, we’re privileged to be bringing together talented filmmakers, NFB producers and creative teams from across the country, in pursuit of one goal: developing and creating vibrant short films that shine a spotlight on the artists and arts volunteers of Canada’s performing arts. These films are a part of our collective memory in their own right, and they help ensure that the invaluable contributions of those who enrich Canada’s cultural heritage are accessible to the public. Congratulations to all the recipients!”

“Once a year, Canada comes together to honour the performing artists who have made immeasurable contributions to the cultural mosaic of our country. As part of our commitment to supporting Canadian culture, CBC/Radio-Canada is proud to be the Media Partner of the GGPAA and share the celebration of these remarkable laureates from coast to coast to coast,” said Catherine Tait, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada.

Created in 1992 by the late Peter Herrndorf, C.C., and Brian Robertson, under the distinguished patronage of the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then-Governor General of Canada, and his wife Gerda, these prestigious awards are presented annually to Canadians whose accomplishments have inspired and enriched the cultural life of our country. Nominations for these highly acclaimed awards are submitted by members of the public to recognize artists who have made a lifetime commitment and contribution to the performing arts in Canada.

Tickets for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala go on sale to the public on Thursday, February 23 through Ticketmaster, 1‑888‑991‑2787 or nac-cna.ca/ggawards.

Join us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

GGPAA: Instagram: @ggpaa_pggas | Twitter: @GovGPAA | @PrixGGAS | facebook.com/ggawards.prixgg |#GGAwards

ARTS NATION: @ARTS_NATION| @NATIONENART | facebook.com/artsnation.nationenart | #artsnation

Visit our website.

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For more information or to arrange an interview with a 2023 laureate, please contact:

Lucy van Oldenbarneveld
Compass Rose
lvanoldenbarneveld@compassrosegroup.org
613-297-8024

FROM THE APARTHEID MUSEUM TO THE BABS ASPER THEATRE, NAC DANCE PRESENTS BROKEN CHORD

February 23, 2023

News Release

Relive the historical and long-forgotten tour of The African Native Choir through dance, music, and song

February 22, 2023 – OTTAWA, Canada – On March 1-2, Ottawa dance lovers will be in for a treat as the NAC welcomes renowned South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma and composer Thutuka Sibisi. Storytelling is at the core of Broken Chord, a show about the first South African choir that visited Europe, the United States and Canada in the late 1800s.

“Gregory Maqoma wears so many hats: he is a remarkable performer, choreographer, creative director, teacher and producer, and by extension, an inspiration for hundreds of his fellow South African artists. In Broken Chord, created with composer Thuthuka Sibisi, he challenges the relationship between the coloniser and the colonised, and offers a work that is, at its core, about human triumph.” – said Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

Although The African Choir sang for Queen Victoria, no sound recordings of the tour have survived. After 125 years, only a handful of photographs and a Tour program were found at Hulton Archive (a division of Getty images). An exhibition was created to honour this historical event lost in time. The African Choir 1891, Re-Imagined exhibition was presented at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg in 2016. When he visited for the first time, Maqoma was completely transported by the story and the music composed by Thuthuka Sibisi and Philip Miller. He immediately started dancing in the exhibition space. This improv lasted 40 minutes. This transcendent experience morphed into the production Broken Chord.

In this work, Maqoma’s signature style blends traditional Xhosa intertwined with contemporary dance. On stage with a quartet of vocal harmonies, Maqoma retells the beautiful story through movement and song. He will be joined by Ottawa's Capital Chamber Choir, a local a cappella choir chosen for the Ottawa performances.

MEDIA PREVIEW

Members of the Press are invited to attend the Dress Rehearsal on March 1 at 2:00 p.m. in the Babs Asper Theatre. RSVP is recommended. Please contact mireille.allaire@nac-cna.ca.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in the Babs Asper Theatre
March 1-2 at 7:30 PM

To purchase tickets, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31881 or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). To find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities, click: https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit

Visit the NAC website to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-prod uces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager, Communications
National Arts Centre
343-998-4244
mireille.allaire@nac-cna.ca

STATEMENT: National Arts Centre and Luminato Festival Mourn the Loss of Peter Herrndorf (1940-2023)

February 18, 2023

Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) and Luminato Festival Toronto are mourning the loss of Peter A. Herrndorf, C.C., O. Ont., one of Canada’s greatest cultural leaders. He was 82 years-old. Peter Herrndorf was the NAC’s visionary former President and CEO who served from 1999 to 2018, and was a founding Board Director of Luminato Festival Toronto from 2006, and Chair from 2018 to the present.

For nearly 19 years, Peter led the National Arts Centre, Canada’s largest performing arts centre, during a period of extraordinary growth and the expansion of the NAC’s national role. Under his leadership, the NAC created many significant initiatives to help the NAC become a catalyst for performance, creation and learning across Canada. Among the many accomplishments during his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the National Arts Centre Foundation, NAC Indigenous Theatre, leading the architectural and production renewal project that modernized the NAC building, and founding the National Creation Fund, which has enabled dozens of ambitious new Canadian creations to succeed on the national and international stage.

The NAC’s flags will fly at half-mast all of February in honour of Peter Herrndorf.

“It is an understatement to say that Peter Herrndorf’s tenure was transformative,” said Guy Pratte, Chair of the NAC’s Board of Trustees. “He was a visionary who had his feet firmly planted on Canadian soil. And that explains why his dreams of making the NAC a more national and more inclusive centre for the performing arts became a reality: his magical human touch transformed aspiration into realisation.”

“Peter Herrndorf had an enormous impact on the performing arts in Canada,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “He fundamentally believed that the National Arts Centre belongs to all Canadians, and that it must reach out beyond its home on Elgin Street to Canadian artists, arts organizations, and communities in every part of the country. For nearly 19 years, that belief informed his vision. He was also unfailingly kind and interested in each and every person – artists, staff and audience. It was an honour and a privilege to work for him, and his NAC family will miss him profoundly. We send our deepest condolences to Peter’s wife Eva Czigler, his children Katherine and Matthew, and the entire Herrndorf family.”

Peter’s contributions to the National Arts Centre and arts in Canada were both enormous and longstanding. With Brian Robertson, he created the Governor General Performing Arts Awards in 1992. He served as Chair of Canadian Stage and the Stratford Festival.

For more details about Peter Herrndorf’s extraordinary career in journalism and broadcasting, and his extensive voluntary work in arts and culture, click here to read his full biography.

LUMINATO FESTIVAL TORONTO

Peter Herrndorf joined the Board of Luminato Festival Toronto as a founding Director in November 2006, and assumed the role of Chair in September 2018. Peter was an advocate and ardent supporter of the festival, believing strongly in Luminato’s role as a major international arts festival for Toronto, and a convenor and catalyst for big, bold contemporary works of art. As an impassioned Canadian arts leader, Peter was committed to bringing the best of the global stage to Toronto, and to sharing Canadian artistry with the world. During his tenure as Board Director then Chair, the organization grew from strength to strength: hosting 83 world premieres, 47 Canadian premieres, commissioned 117 works of art – 84 of which were Canadian.

Peter’s leadership allowed the organization to reach nearly 11 million audience members across 16 Festivals, and showcased over 17,000 artists. To everyone at Luminato, and so many in Canada’s arts community, Peter was a leader, mentor, advisor, and friend; his counsel cannot be replaced, and he will be dearly missed every day.

“As Chair of Luminato, Peter Herrndorf saw the potential of a truly national and international multi-disciplinary arts festival based in Toronto, but playing on the world stage,” said Celia Smith, CEO, Luminato Festival Toronto. “He was an extraordinarily brilliant, persuasive, generous and relentless champion of artists and arts leaders in this country. I had the great good fortune to work closely with Peter, both early in my career and most recently during our time together at Luminato. He has been instrumental in the careers of so many of us across this country; a great Canadian of his generation. We will honour his legacy as we step forward into this new world without him.”

“I have had the privilege of knowing Peter most of my adult life and he was simply one of the finest Canadians l ever knew,” said Tony Gagliano, Co-Founder of Luminato Festival Toronto. “Peter touched the lives of many through his passion and love for the arts and artists and he will be remembered forever for his unmatched contribution to creativity in this country.”

“We are deeply saddened to mourn the loss of a great Canadian, a champion of the arts and an unparalleled creative force,” said Douglas Knight C.M., Chair & CEO of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards.

PETER HERRNDORF AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

A highly respected and influential executive in journalism and broadcasting, Peter Herrndorf arrived at the NAC in 1999, taking the reins after a prolonged period of turmoil. He quickly established a clear sense of direction for the organization. He led the NAC to re-embrace its national role, made youth and education a key pillar of the organization, put excitement back on its stages by committing to artistic excellence, and dramatically increased its earned revenues. He re-energized the staff, hired superb new leaders to senior management, and recruited exceptional artistic leadership teams that were among the finest in North America, giving them the freedom to produce great work on the NAC’s stage, and on stages across the country. The NAC Orchestra resumed national and international tours, the theatre and dance departments re-engaged with companies across Canada, the NAC supported the creation of new work, and more work by Indigenous artists appeared on the stage.

In 2003, Herrndorf created the national, biennial Scene festivals, which showcased thousands of artists from every region of Canada. They culminated with Canada Scene (2017), which featured more than 1,000 artists from across the country. In 2011, he created NAC Presents, a concert series that showcased hundreds of emerging and established Canadian singer-songwriters.

Herrndorf created the NAC Foundation, which has since raised more than $170 million from the private sector to fund major national and international initiatives for Canadian artists. Under his leadership, the NAC also established the National Creation Fund, which has now invested $11.7 million in 77 ambitious and compelling new works in music, theatre, dance, and interdisciplinary arts. Fuelled entirely by donors, the Fund provides Canadian artists with the additional time, space, and resources they need to create great work.

Herrndorf led Canada’s largest performing arts organization through a architectural and production renewal project that modernized the NAC building, re-orienting the NAC to the city with a magnificent new entrance on Elgin Street, adding accessible new public spaces, and bringing the NAC’s performance halls and production facilities back to international standards. It was unveiled by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on July 1, 2017.

One of Herrndorf’s most significant achievements was the creation of NAC Indigenous Theatre, widely recognized as a watershed moment for Indigenous performing arts and the country and celebrated by Indigenous artists as an important step towards reconciliation.

During his tenure, he recruited exceptional artistic leaders to the NAC, including French Theatre Artistic Directors Denis Marleau, Wajdi Mouawad and Brigitte Haentjens; English Theatre Artistic Directors Peter Hinton and Jillian Keiley; Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Loring; Music Director Alexander Shelley; Executive Dance Producer Cathy Levy; NAC Presents Producer Simone Deneau and Heather Gibson, Executive Producer of Popular Music and Variety; Scene festival Producers Kari Cullen and Heather Moore; and Governor General’s Performing Arts Producers Brian Robertson, Kari Cullen, and Virginia Thompson.

Peter Herrndorf served on more than 60 boards. His many awards and honours include 10 honorary degrees, and a special Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2018). In 2017, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada, in recognition of his extraordinary service to the country.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategy and Communications

National Arts Centre

613-291-8880

carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

Annabelle Cloutier

Executive Director,
Strategy and Communications

National Arts Centre

613-301-2764

For information about Luminato Festival Toronto, please contact:

Deanne Moser

DMPUBLIC

deanne@dmpublic.com

(+1) 637-888-9388

THE NAC ORCHESTRA PRESENTS ATWOOD, HEGGIE, BRAHMS IN OTTAWA, TORONTO, AND KINGSTON

February 2, 2023

Experience the Orchestral world premiere of Jake Heggie, Joshua Hopkins, and Margaret Atwood’s Songs For Murdered Sisters

January 20, 2023 – OTTAWA – From February 9-14, 2023, the NAC Orchestra tours three cities with a deeply emotional program conducted by NACO Music Director Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra will perform in Ottawa’s Southam Hall from February 9-10, in Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on February 11, and in Kingston’s Isabel Bader Centre on February 14.

Co-commissioned by the National Arts Centre and Houston Grand Opera, Songs For Murdered Sisters is dedicated to the memory of victims of gender-based violence, including Joshua Hopkins's sister Nathalie Warmerdam, as well as Anastasia Kuzyk and Carol Culleton.

Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins performs Songs for Murdered Sisters, a personal and powerful new song cycle that conveys the tragedy of lives needlessly lost, composed by Jake Heggie based on original poetry by Margaret Atwood. Bookending the concert are the Faust-Overture by Mayer and Brahms's furiously passionate Symphony No. 4.

“Atwood’s precise, heartfelt language elicited a profoundly empathetic score from Heggie; the music—tender and twinkling, haunted and sad—embodies a sibling’s love being forced to incorporate sorrow.”

- The New Yorker

Donations to the Women's Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County (WSAC) are encouraged on the Ottawa concert event page. WSAC offers support to women who have experienced or are experiencing some form of sexual violence. They also offer support to family members, as they did for Joshua's family when his sister and two other women were murdered in 2015.

ABOUT SONGS FOR MURDERED SISTERS

On the morning of September 22, 2015, in Renfrew County, Ontario, one man went on a killing spree, brutally murdering three ex-partners in their separate homes. They were victims of a crime now recognized as one of the worst domestic violence cases in Canadian history. The murders devastated the rural Ottawa Valley community where baritone Joshua Hopkins grew up – his sister, Nathalie Warmerdam, was one of these women.

Hopkins has since set out on a journey to use his voice to wake people up to the global epidemic of gender-based violence – and their part in it. His call to action was answered by two exceptional creators. Jake Heggie, hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer,” agreed to write the music, and Margaret Atwood, the Booker Prize-winning author of more than 50 books of fiction and poetry, including The Handmaid’s Tale, wrote the searing words.

The result is a set of 8 songs, collectively titled Songs for Murdered Sisters, which have now been released as both a film and a digital album. In partnership with co-commissioner Houston Grand Opera, the chamber version premiered in March 2022 at Rothko Chapel in Houston. The orchestral version receives its live world premiere with co-commissioner the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, in February 2023, with subsequent performances in Toronto and Kingston.

"I have known two women who were murdered, both by jealous former romantic partners, so the killing of Joshua’s sister resonated with me. But I could not promise anything: with songs and poems, they either arrive or they don't. I then wrote the sequence in one session. I made the ‘sisters’ plural because they are indeed – unhappily – very plural. Sisters, daughters, mothers. So many.”

Margaret Atwood

TICKETS

Concert tickets are already available to purchase online in Ottawa, Toronto, and Kingston.

PRE-CONCERT PANEL – FEBRUARY 9, 2023

More information to come

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc). Special thanks to the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

ABOUT JOSHUA HOPKINS

Known as one of the finest singer-actors of his generation, JUNO Award-winning and Grammy-nominated Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins has been hailed by Opera Today as having “a glistening, malleable baritone of exceptional beauty, and the technique to exploit its full range of expressive possibilities from comic bluster to melting beauty.”

Having established himself as a prominent leading artist throughout the United States and Canada, Joshua appears regularly at The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, The Santa Fe Opera and Washington National Opera amongst many others and has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Alan Gilbert, Matthew Halls, James Gaffigan, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Hans Graf.

ABOUT MARGARET ATWOOD

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the Maddaddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. In 2020 she published Dearly, her first collection of poetry in a decade, followed in 2022 with Burning Questions, a selection of essays from 2004 - 2021. Her next collection of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood, will be published in March 2023. Atwood has won numerous awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019 she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She has also worked as a cartoonist, illustrator, librettist, playwright, and puppeteer.

ABOUT JAKE HEGGIE

Jake Heggie is the American composer of nine full-length operas, including Dead Man Walking and Great Scott with librettos by Terrence McNally; Moby-Dick, Three Decembers, It’s a Wonderful Life, If I Were You, and Two Remain with librettos by Gene Scheer; and numerous one-acts. He has also composed nearly 300 art songs, as well as chamber, choral, and orchestral works. Heggie is currently at work with Jawole Zollar and Gene Scheer on Intelligence, a new stage work commissioned by Houston Grand Opera. New York’s Metropolitan Opera has announced new productions of Dead Man Walking and Moby-Dick for upcoming seasons.

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is a world-class ensemble of outstanding classical musicians from across Canada and around the world, under the inspiring leadership of Music Director, Alexander Shelley. Since its debut in 1969, the NAC Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity, as well as reaching national and international audiences through touring and recordings.

The Orchestra has a rich touring history and has toured 95 times since its inauguration in 1969, visiting 120 cities in Canada, as well as 20 countries and 138 cities internationally. In recent years, the Orchestra has travelled across Canada, the United Kingdom and China. In 2019, the Orchestra marked its 50th anniversary by showcasing the work of six Canadian composers in a seven-city European tour that included performances and education events in England, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden; and in April 2022, it made its long-awaited return to Carnegie Hall. The Orchestra breaks boundaries with its regular commissions of new creations, including the critically acclaimed Life Reflected (2016) and UNDISRUPTED (2021). Its commissions and recordings have won JUNO Awards for Best New Classical Composition in 2018 and 2019.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.  

NEW BEGINNINGS: IN 2021-2022 THE NAC REUNITED ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES, AND COLLABORATED WITH PARTNERS TO SUPPORT RENEWAL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR

February 15, 2023

Annual Public Meeting takes place today in the NAC Fourth Stage and online

February 15, 2023 – OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre’s Annual Public Meeting will take place today from 12 to 1 p.m. in the NAC Fourth Stage and online. The meeting will review the results of the NAC’s 2021–2022 season. While it included closures due to public health measures, the season featured the joyful return of in-person audiences to the National Arts Centre and Canadian venues across Canada, and collaborations with Canadian arts organizations to help lead and renew the performing arts sector.

“For the National Arts Centre, the 2021–2022 season was full of new beginnings,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “From the start of Mani Soleymanlou’s tenure as Artistic Director of French Theatre, to world premieres of Indigenous productions in cities across Canada, to the NAC Orchestra’s triumphant return to Carnegie Hall, artists and audiences reconnected with each other and with the powerful experience of the live performing arts. I thank the Government of Canada, our generous donors, and our devoted audiences for their continued support.”

SPEAKERS

The NAC’s Annual Public Meeting takes place today in the NAC Fourth Stage, and online. Speakers will include:

Verna McGregor, Algonquin Elder
Guy Pratte, Chair, NAC Board of Trustees
Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO
Annabelle Cloutier, Executive Director of Strategy and Communications

REGISTRATION

Individuals interested in attending the Annual Public Meeting are invited to register here. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. Please submit any questions to apm@nac-cna.ca. The webcast will be accessible in English and French and will include simultaneous sign-language interpretation in ASL and LSQ.

NEW BEGINNINGS: THE NAC’S 2020–2021 ANNUAL REPORT

The theme of the NAC’s Annual Public Meeting is echoed in the NAC’s 2021-2022 Annual Report, which was tabled in Parliament in December. Entitled New Beginnings, the report documents a year in which the NAC supported diverse Canadian artists and welcomed audiences back to the irreplaceable live and in-person experience of the performing arts. The report, publicly available on the NAC’s website, includes many highlights:

In the fall of 2021, audiences returned to the NAC to see 2042, directed by French Theatre Artistic Director Mani Soleymanlou, and Bingo Cosmique, directed by Associate Artistic Director Mélanie Dumont. Featuring 20 Ottawa-Gatineau artists who were asked to imagine what life might be like in 2042, the productions invited audiences onto the stage and into the action;

The NAC played a vital role supporting Indigenous stories and languages through world premieres in theatres across the country. Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Loring’s Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, co-produced with the Belfry Theatre (Victoria) and Savage Society (Vancouver) in association with NAC Indigenous Theatre, premiered at the Belfry in January 2022. The Herd by Kenneth T. Williams, a Citadel Theatre (Edmonton), Tarragon Theatre (Toronto) and Indigenous Theatre co-production, premiered at the Citadel in April 2022. And the English version of Okinum, co-produced by Onishka and Imago Theatre (Montreal), premiered at the Centaur Theatre (Montreal). The French version was presented by Indigenous Theatre and Zones Théâtrales at the NAC in September 2021;

The English Theatre/ Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre/Black Theatre Workshop co-production of Calpurnia by Audrey Dwyer opened at the NAC’s Babs Asper Theatre following a successful run in Winnipeg. Directed by Sarah Garton Stanley, the play follows its protagonist Julie as she rewrites To Kill a Mockingbird from the perspective of the Finch family’s Black maid. Black Theatre Workshop is the NAC’s Co-Curating Company in Residence;

The NAC Orchestra’s Truth in Our Time tour included the Orchestra’s first appearance at Carnegie Hall in 30 years. The concert included the U.S. premiere of Symphony No. 13 by Philip Glass, a NAC commission composed in tribute to Peter Jennings, the Canadian-American journalist and long-time anchor of ABC News. With dates at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall and at the NAC, repertoire included Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 and Korngold’s Violin Concerto — both defiant statements toward authoritarian regimes — and Canadian composer Nicole Lizée’s Zeiss After Dark. The tour featured superb Canadian guest artists, including Canadian violinists James Ehnes and Blake Pouliot, and Canadian spoken-word poet and songwriter YAO;

The NAC Dance season included 12 Canadian and two international companies. Highlights included In My Body by Gatineau street dance company Bboyizm, a work about the effects of aging on the dancing body, choreographed by Crazy Smooth; and Crypto, a cutting-edge multidisciplinary work by Côté Danse, choreographed and performed by Guillaume Côté and a stellar cast that included Greta Hodgkinson. Both In My Body and Crypto were developed with support from the NAC’s National Creation Fund and NAC Dance;

The National Creation Fund invested $1.9 million of privately raised funds in 14 ambitious new Canadian works in music, theatre, dance, and interdisciplinary performing arts. These game-changing investments provide artists with the additional time and resources required to create exceptional work for the world stage. Nineteen projects supported by the Fund premiered on stages at home and abroad, including the hit musical Tell Tale Harbour, which drew record crowds to the Charlottetown Festival, and Murmurations, the latest show from Montreal movement innovators Le Patin Libre, which was part of Théâtre de la Ville’s season in Paris. Since its inception, the National Creation Fund has invested $11.7 million in 77 ambitious new Canadian works;

The National Arts Centre partnered with Global Affairs Canada to curate the cultural programming for Expo 2020 Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022. From October 2022 to March 2023, more than 110 Canadian artists, including superstar Quebec singer-songwriter Marie-Mai, Pierre Kwenders, winner of the 2022 Polaris Prize, and a strong Indigenous delegation, performed at the world fair’s many stages in front of international audiences;

NAC Popular Music and Variety showcased brilliant and diverse Canadian music artists on the NAC’s stages, including Aysanabee, Belle Grand Fille, Beyries, Charlotte Cardin, Bruce Cockburn, Benjamin Deschamps, Desiire, Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott, Étienne Fletcher, Céleste Lévis, Witch Prophet and many more. The season also included eight performances of Multitudes by the JUNO Award-winning artist Feist. Presented to a limited audience of 300 people per night who sat on the Southam Hall stage, the shows were a theatrical and musical representation of loneliness, isolation and coming together. Multitudes was generously supported by the National Creation Fund;

The 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala returned to Southam Hall. The evening honoured an exception group of Canadian artists and arts volunteers, including Fernand Dansereau, David Foster, Tomson Highway, Crystal Pite, Linda Rabin, Rita Shelton Deverell and Michelle Smith. In addition, a bilingual TV special featuring the 2021 laureates (Tantoo Cardinal, Lynda Hamilton, Alexina Louie, Zab Maboungou, Catherine O’Hara, Ryan Reynolds and Florent Vollant) in beautiful settings across Canada was broadcast on CBC and ICI Télé (and on CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV, generating more than 100 million views on social media;

The NAC unveiled Pangawogo Ninga Akì, meaning Heartbeat of Mother Earth, a visual land acknowledgment displayed permanently in the Canal Foyer, one of the most prominent spaces at the NAC, where hundreds of thousands of visitors come every year. Created by Algonquin artist Emily Brascoupé-Hoefler, the mixed media artwork serves as a welcome from the Algonquin People to visitors of the NAC, and encompasses aspects of Algonquin culture and tradition to welcome and extend teachings about Algonquin People and the geography of this region;

The Centre commissioned Dawn by the internationally recognized, multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Belmore, a member of Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe). The work was inspired by the jingle dress, regalia worn by women and girls at pow wows. Initiated and funded by Canadian art historian Reesa Greenberg, the permanent artwork was unveiled on July 6, 2022 in the NAC’s Gail and David O’Brien Atrium;

For the first time in many years, the NAC offered a Summer Programming series, with more than 200 free and accessibly priced shows in the NAC’s performance halls, public spaces and outdoor areas. The summer series included the Tomson Highway: Kisaageetin (I love you/Je t’aime) celebration; NAC co-commissioned work from Ballets Jazz Montréal; artists like The Lionyls, Djely Tapa, OKAN, Moneka Arabic Jazz, members of the NAC Orchestra playing from a boat as it cruised down the Rideau Canal; evening performances on the NAC’s Wooden Terrace, and accessibly priced plays in the Fourth Stage, including Bois/Wood (Puzzle Théâtre) and Lessons in Temperament by James Smith. In addition, through our partnership with Broadway across Canada, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Anastasia were presented in Southam Hall. Lastly, the beloved Notre Dame de Paris returned to the NAC for a week of sold-out performances;

The NAC partnered with Toronto’s Why Not Theatre on ThisGen Fellowship. Through training, mentorship, hands-on work placements and peer-to-peer connection, the national initiative is supporting 10 IBPoC women and non-binary performing arts practitioners who are moving to the next stage of their careers;

The Centre made meaningful progress in the area of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility with the development of an EDIA strategy, an EDI employee survey, and the participation of 200 employees in anti-racism workshops;

In its efforts to become more environmentally sustainable, the NAC reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 5% from 2020–2021, and by 32% from its 2017–2018 baseline.

THE NAC IN 2022-2023

Now in the thick of its 2022–2023 season, exceptional performances in music, theatre and dance are bringing diverse artists and audiences together in the NAC’s four performance halls. This month alone includes a wide range of special programming for Black History Month; the return of the internationally renowned Wuppertal Tanztheater Pina Bausch with Palermo Palermo; the world premiere of Songs for Murdered Sisters composed by Jake Heggie with poetry by Margaret Atwood (a NAC Orchestra co-commission); the BIG BANG festival for children and families, and so much more. Please visit nac-cna.ca for ticket information, and to learn more about the NAC’s role in leading and supporting the renewal of the Canadian performing arts sector.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation.

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Jayne Watson to Step Down as CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation on May 31, 2023

February 9, 2023

The National Arts Centre (NAC) today announced that Jayne Watson will step down as CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation on May 31, 2023.

Jayne Watson joined the NAC in 2001, serving as Director of Communications and Public Affairs until 2009 before she was appointed CEO of the Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation set new fundraising records – more than $125 million since taking the helm of the Foundation – and brought significant new sources of private philanthropy to the strategic priorities of the NAC, including support for Indigenous Theatre, the creation of new work, tours of the NAC Orchestra and theatre productions, and arts learning and engagement across Canada.

Jayne led the fundraising for the National Creation Fund, raising more than $20 million in investment capital for Canadian music, theatre, and dance creators from across Canada. This project is one of the most important initiatives the NAC has ever undertaken thanks to the generosity of the donors who Jayne engaged in this important effort.

“Serving as CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation has been the privilege of a lifetime,” said Jayne Watson. “I will step down from this role with gratitude for the opportunity to have worked at Canada’s premier performing arts organization. I am honored to have worked alongside of some of the most talented artists, fundraisers, and arts leaders over the many years I worked here. I continue to be inspired by their vision and generosity.”

PRAISE FOR JAYNE WATSON

“Jayne has had a tremendous impact on the performing arts in this country,” said Christopher Deacon, President and CEO of the NAC. “When Jayne first took on the job of CEO of the Foundation, she came to me in my then role as Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra, and she said, ‘What do you want me to do to help the Orchestra?’ My answer was simple: ‘Get us back to international touring.’ Did she ever deliver! Tours to China, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Carnegie Hall were fully donor-funded thanks to Jayne’s powers of persuasion. We also toured across Canada thanks to donor support, again most of it raised by Jayne. We wish Jayne the best as she embarks of the next exciting chapter of her life. We will miss her dearly, but I have no doubt we will see her frequently in the seats of our performance halls.”

“Jayne Watson is the Gold Standard when it comes to arts fundraising,” said Susan Glass, Chair of the NAC Foundation Board. “The NAC always comes first in everything she does. Her skills as a connector of people, passions, principles, and ideas continue to benefit the Centre and Canada’s performing artists in countless ways. She is powerfully persuasive and genuine with boundless energy. She is an absolute pleasure to work with. We will miss her terribly.”

For more information about the process to find the next CEO of the NAC Foundation, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/careers.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613 291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

THE LEGENDARY TANZTHEATER WUPPERTAL PINA BAUSCH RETURNS TO THE NAC WITH PALERMO PALERMO

February 7, 2023

This February, the renowned dance troupe will shake your world through a ton of rubble.

February 7, 2023 – OTTAWA, Canada – From February 16-18, German dance company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch will present the Canadian premiere of their iconic piece Palermo Palermo, created by the late legendary choreographer, Pina Bausch. NAC Dance is proud to continue its long collaboration with the company and bring this exceptional work for three performances to Southam Hall.

“Palermo Palermo is a work I have wanted to bring to our audiences for many years, and I am thrilled to have this masterpiece in our midst. Through its intense blend of humour and drama, where walls tumble, and women demand their place, the piece offers a serene yet complicated insight into the imperfections of our existence.” – says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

With daring scenography and thought-provoking moments sprinkled with touches of absurdity, Palermo Palermo is an epic work of dance theatre that formed part of Bausch’s series of pieces inspired by world cities. Created in 1989 after a residency in Palermo, Sicily, her portrait of the city and its inhabitants is presented as dramatic and dreamlike vignettes into the human experience.

Pina Bausch’s choreography has been meticulously passed on to a new generation of dancers thanks to some members of the original cast who are still performing to this day. Amid both the magic and the havoc generated by Bausch’s themes, dancers must perform amongst a ton of rubble left by the mind-blowing opening scene.

Local talent will also be represented in the three performances. Four pianists, one saxophonist, one young dancer, one stage-trained dog and a few white doves will have their moment on stage with the remarkable ensemble.

MEDIA PREVIEW

Members of the Press are invited to attend the Dress Rehearsal on February 15 at 7:00 p.m. in Southam Hall. RSVP is recommended. Please contact julie.gunville@nac-cna.ca.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall
February 16-18 at 8 PM

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). Please visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.

Click here to learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Award-Winning Is God Is Arrives at the NAC in February with Special Engagement for Black Audiences

January 16, 2023

Award-Winning Is God Is Arrives at the NAC in February with Special Engagement for Black Audiences

Explosive revenge comedy introduces the first of two Black Out Nights at the NAC

January 16, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – NAC English Theatre is excited to begin 2023 with the Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning presentation of Aleshea Harris’ Is God Is, running February 9 - 18. Curated by Black Theatre Workshop, the production from Obsidian Theatre, Necessary Angel, and Canadian Stage arrives at the NAC after a hugely successful run in Toronto in 2022, where it landed a spot on virtually every Top 10 list of the season’s best theatre.

As one of the milestones in a series of offerings over Black History Month, this genre-smashing production will introduce the first of two Black Out Nights that will be at the NAC this year.

Creating evenings dedicated to Black theatregoers will allow for conversation and participation to be felt throughout the theatre and open the doors for Black-identifying audiences to experience the energy of the NAC with a shared sense of belonging and passion.

BLACK OUT NIGHTS

On February 17, the evening’s performance of Is God Is will welcome Black audiences to experience and enjoy a performance in the Babs Asper Theatre. Tickets for this performance are available now.

Inspired by an event created in the fall of 2019 for Jeremy O’Harris’ Slave Play on Broadway, Toronto theatre companies Canadian Stage and Theatre Passe Muraille created similar events for their audiences. Experiencing the power of these evenings, NAC and BTW welcomed the opportunity to schedule Black Out performances for both curated shows this season.

A Black Out is an open invitation to Black Audiences to come and experience performances with their community. The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience. Everyone is welcome at all our shows.

The following Black Out Night will be the second curated play from BTW, Cheryl Foggo’s Heaven on May 5 in the Azrieli Studio. Black Out Nights will be an ongoing engagement initiative, as NAC English Theatre plans to schedule more for the 2023-2024 season.

IS GOD IS – FEBRUARY 9 – 18, 2023, BABS ASPER THEATRE

“Make your daddy dead,” a mother demands of her twin daughters from her deathbed, in the electrifying 2016 Obie and Relentless Award winner from Aleshea Harris.

Twin sisters Anaia and Racine are on a quest for peace. And they are willing to kill for it. The sisters are sent on a quest from the South to a sleepy California desert city to fulfill their mother’s command. And the secrets that set fire to their family ties are revealed, allowing us to understand and experience satisfaction through sacrifice, and relief through revenge.

Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Is God Is is a dark tragicomedy that channels Tarantino as much as Sophocles, driven by our sweet, spiteful heroines who are both victims, and vigilantes.

“Step aside, Quentin Tarantino and Martin McDonagh... A snarly new master of high-octane carnage has risen into view. And she—yes, she—is putting her own audacious stamp on that most venerable of pop genres…Is God Is sees fit to bring down the house.” – New York Times

Is God Is by Aleshea Harris, directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu.
Featuring Tyrone Benskin, Matthew G Brown, JD Leslie, Oyin Oladejo, Savion Roach, Sabryn Rock, Alison Sealy-Smith, Micah Woods; Assistant Director daniel jelani ellis; Movement Director Jaz 'Fairy J' Simone; Sound Designer/Composer Thomas Ryder Payne; Set Designer Ken Mackenzie; Costume Designer Ming Wong; Lighting Designer Raha Javanfar; Video Designer Laura Warren; Fight Director Jennifer Dzialoszynski; Dialect Coach Jennifer Toohey; Stage Manager Emilie Aubin; Assistant Stage Manager Ada Aguilar.

An Obsidian Theatre, Necessary Angel, Canadian Stage Production.
Curated by Black Theatre Workshop.

Is God Is is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30546

To purchase tickets for Is God Is, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS).
For tickets to Black Out Nights, visit https://www.ticketmaster.ca/black-out-night-is-god-is-ottawa-ontario-02-17-2023/event/31005CC1A1DD2ADD?

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Lead Donor, The Slaight Family Foundation, and Official Hotel Partner, Embassy Hotel & Suites. Special thank you to Margaret Fountain, C.M., D.F.A.(hc), D.H.L.(hc) & David Fountain, C.M. and to the Dr. Kanta Marwah Endowment for English Theatre.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

ABOUT BLACK THEATRE WORKSHOP

Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) is Canada’s longest running theatre company dedicated to the works of Black and diasporic communities. BTW’s mission is to promote and produce outstanding theatre that educates, entertains, and inspires. The company strives to create greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo. Expanding the representation of Black Canadian artists, BTW bridges cultural divides – uniting hearts, minds, and communities.

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THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE APPLAUDS THE APPOINTMENT OF GUY PRATTE AS CHAIR OF THE NAC BOARD OF TRUSTEES

January 30, 2023

January 30, 2023, OTTAWA, CANADA – The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased by the appointment of Guy Pratte as Chair of the NAC's Board of Trustees. His appointment for a four-year term was announced today by Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez.

An award-winning and highly sought-after lawyer, Guy Pratte has experience in complex commercial litigation (including class actions), administrative law and constitutional law cases. He is one of the most frequent advocates to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), pleading in French or English, in cases involving either common law or Québec civil law. He also pleads before the Superior and Appeal Courts of Ontario and Québec, the Federal Court (FC) and Federal Court of Appeal (FCA).

“Guy Pratte has been a champion of the arts in Canada for decades,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “We are delighted that he will now play a leadership role as Chair of the National Arts Centre’s Board of Trustees. His brilliant mind and formidable experience will be incredibly strong assets as we continue to lead and support the renewal of the Canadian performing arts sector.”

Guy Pratte was named to the Order of Canada in 2022 in recognition of his contributions as a lawyer, notably to pro bono work, and for his volunteer commitments to the performing arts. He was the first Chair of the National Arts Centre Foundation, and a member of the Stratford Festival Board of Governors for several years. He was also the first president of Pro Bono Québec and subsequently Chair of Pro Bono Ontario.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FORE MORE INFORMATION:

Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
Annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca
613-301-2764

HISTORY. IN THE MAKING: AN ECLECTIC PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH

January 30, 2023

Black art, artists and audiences take centre stage at the NAC this month and year-round

January 30, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The National Arts Centre (NAC) is committed to shape a more diverse and equitable future for the performing arts in Canada, creating a welcoming and respectful space for everyone, and strengthening relationships with historically underserved artists and audiences.

Every February, events are held across the country to celebrate the legacy of Black Canadians with Black History Month. The NAC is proud to mark Black History Month with talented Black artists on all of its stages and in its public spaces.

From the NAC Orchestra to Popular Music and Variety to Dance to English and French Theatre, every discipline has artistic treasures to share. Cabaret noir, Is God Is, Alex Cuba, Reggae Roots, Waahli, and Angelique Francis are only a few of the shows and artists on the NAC playbill in February.

In 2021, NAC English Theatre department began a co-curating relationship with Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) from Montreal so that half of the NAC ET season would be programmed by BTW. This co-curation approach led to various strategies to connect with current and new audiences, and in particular Black communities from the National Capital Region. On February 17, the performance of Is God Is has been designated a Black Out night, an open invitation to Black theatregoers so they can experience the energy of the NAC with a shared sense of belonging and passion. Everyone is welcome at all our shows.

KIPNES LANTERN TO FEATURE COMMISSIONED VISUAL ART BY JIMMY BAPTISTE

To complement the eclectic events at the heart of its programming, the NAC is proud to display the bright colours of the work of Wakefield visual artist Jimmy Baptiste on the Kipnes Lantern throughout the month of February. Onah, his Afrofuturist piece was commissioned by the NAC specifically for Black History Month. Take a moment to admire it as you enter the building to attend one of our many performances.

HIGHLIGHT EVENTS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT THE NAC

Cabaret Noir - Happening and plea for recognition

Solo choreographer Mélanie Demers, accompanied by a team of sublime creator–performers, travelled up the cultural river of what she calls her “negritude” to confront the works, artifacts and stereotypes that have shaped her identity. In Cabaret Noir, the multidisciplinary artist delivers the result of her quest in a great melting pot of ideas that takes the form of a glorious interdisciplinary happening.

February 2-4 | Azrieli Studio – presented by French Theatre

Waahli

Waahli is a Montreal artist of Haitian descent. His music education benefited from a father who was a seasoned guitarist, but also from the strong influences of traditional Haitian musicians like Tabou Combo, Coupé Chloé, Marie, Carole. He taught himself to play the guitar after discovering hip-hop, the kind of music that he felt suited him best.

February 2 | Fourth Stage – presented by Popular Music and Variety

Alex Cuba

Alex Cuba is a Latin Grammy/Juno winner, singer-songwriter who is not tied to tradition; Alex has a vast musical vision. His sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks and powerful guitar riffs, relinquish a conventional stereotype that exemplifies much of the Latin music landscape. His musical evolution for years was all about searching for the simplicity and soul in Cuban music.

February 4 | Théâtre Babs Asper Theatre – presented by Popular Music and Variety

Is God Is

Twin sisters Anaia and Racine are on a quest for peace. And they are willing to kill for it. She is a God to her twins, Anaia and Racine — a god of vengeance. And She will only be satisfied when their daddy is very, very dead. The sisters are sent on a quest from the South to a sleepy California desert city to fulfill their mother’s command. And the secrets that set fire to their family ties are revealed, allowing us to understand and experience satisfaction through sacrifice, and relief through revenge. Is God Is is a dark, award-winning tragicomedy that channels Tarantino as much as Sophocles, driven by our sweet, spiteful heroines who are both victims, and vigilantes.
February 9 – 18 | Babs Asper Theatre – presented by English Theatre & Black Theatre Workshop

Is God Is Black Out Night

On February 17, the evening’s performance of Is God Is is an open invitation to Black audiences to experience and enjoy a performance in the Babs Asper Theatre with their communities.

February 17 | Babs Asper Theatre – presented by English Theatre and Black Theatre Workshop

Carine au Micro

Carine au Micro is an African artist (Benin). Her interest in music started at a very young age under the influence of her parents, and most especially her mother. In 2004, when Carine moved to Quebec for her university studies, she joined the Imani Gospel Singers Choir and was able to truly experience Montreal’s music scene. However, it wasn’t until she met artists like Lorraine Klassen, Noel Mpiaza and David Mobio, among others, that she really found her feet in the music world.

February 10 | Fourth Stage – presented by Popular Music and Variety

James Baley

Toronto’s James Baley is a Juno-winning music creator and multi-disciplinary artist whose radiant energy continues to establish him as a distinctive and magnetizing performer. Sharing compelling stories through his vulnerable lyrics, James combines his R&B, gospel, and electronic influences to create soulful reflections and exuberant dance tracks for the church, club and vogue ballroom. Known in the ballroom community as Songbird Miyake-Mugler, James takes inspiration from his alternative aesthetic and joy of movement.

February 11 | Fourth Stage – presented by Popular Music and Variety

Reggae Roots

Hailed as reggae-roots royalty, Jamaican-born Halifax-based vocalist Jah’Mila finds her groove with conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in a program that reflects on the social, cultural, and spiritual importance of the magical musical genre that has shaped Jamaica and touched the world.

February 23-25 | Southam Hall – presented by NAC Orchestra

Celebrate Africa

Feel the energy when Masabo hits the stage! These hereditary West African master musicians and dancers fill the air with soaring melodies and driving rhythms as the ancient arts of West Africa are brought to life. This performance is a feast of traditional songs, stories, dance and stunning musicianship.

February 12 | Azrieli Studio – presented by NAC Orchestra

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has toured internationally, as well as recorded enumerable celebrated projects over the last 45 years. The current line up, featuring Corey Wilkes/trumpet, Alex Harding/ baritone sax, and the bands founder, Dr. Kahil El’Zabar/multipercussion/ composition, is guaranteed to inspire audiences. The EHE is a must-see ensemble, who’s truly making history with each performance! They are 21st century Griot, making Great Black Music for the Mind, Body, and Spirit!

February 15 | Peter Herrndorf Place – presented by Public Spaces (free)

Angelique Francis

A musical familyThere’s no one like Angelique Francis to warm our hearts in winter. Accompanied by her double bass and her band, this amazingly talented musician lights up the stage with her electrifying New Orleans-style performances.

February 18 | Fourth Stage – presented by Popular Music and Variety

Ages 5 + (bilingual)

The Underground Comedy Railroad

The Underground Comedy Railroad tours across Canada every year to celebrate Black History Month and is known for being the first ever all black comedy tour in the country. The tour travels from Halifax to B.C. bringing diverse perspectives to regions across the country who have never experienced this kind of unique cultural event. The Underground Comedy Railroad Tour was created by Rodney Ramsey and Daniel Woodrow in 2012 to create opportunities and introduce the voices.

February 20 | Fourth Stage – Community programming

BEYOND BLACK HISTORY MONTH

While the NAC’s mission is to showcase talented artists from all backgrounds, here’s a list of some upcoming events featuring Black artists.

The full program is available on our website at https://nac-cna.ca/en/series/bhm

Internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Gregory Maqoma presents Broken Chord on March 1 and 2; Afro house band OK Naledi takes the stage on March 4; on March 16, in a highly anticipated Canadian premiere, Chineke! performs with acclaimed Canadian composer and pianist Stewart Goodyear in Callaloo – A Caribbean Suite for Piano and Orchestra. On March 17 and 18, choreographer and dancer Rodhnie Désir will perform her award-winning documentary choreography BOW’T TRAIL Rétrospeck.

In April, resident chef La-toya Fagon will add her special touch to the menu at 1 Elgin, and in May, choreographer Dada Masilo explores her roots in Le Sacrifice.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Programming at the National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. The NAC Foundation would like to thank Mohammad & Najla Al Zaibak (Bay Tree Foundation), Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D. & Michael Paterson, The Azrieli Foundation, BMO Financial Group, Bonnie & John Buhler, Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, Q.C., Canadian North, The Crabtree Foundation, Margaret Fountain, C.M., DFA (h) & David Fountain, C.M., Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc), Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., Donald K. Johnson O.C., Dr. Dianne Kipnes, C.M. & Mr. Irving Kipnes, C.M., The Leacross Foundation, Mark Motors Group, Meta, The Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, Power Corporation of Canada, the RBC Foundation, RBC Royal Bank, Rogers Communications, Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM, The Slaight Family Foundation, TD Bank Group, The Vered Family, and two Anonymous Donors. Thank you also to our many other supporters across the country.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Anicée Lejeune
Communications Strategist
Programs and Special Projects
National Arts Centre
514-237-9553
anicee.lejeune@nac-cna.ca

Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director
Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613-301-2764
Annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY OF ALL TIME TAKES THE STAGE IN SOUTHAM HALL

January 24, 2023

For three nights only, The National Ballet of Canada brings Romeo and Juliet back to life at the NAC

January 24, 2023 – OTTAWA, Canada – From February 2-4, a romantic breeze will blow on Southam Hall’s stage as NAC Dance welcomes The National Ballet of Canada with its acclaimed production Romeo and Juliet by choreographer Alexei Ratmansky.

Created in 2011 to open the company’s 60th anniversary season, this production is true to the colour and character of 16th-century Verona. Fast footwork, expressive pas de deux, and inspired ensemble sections make Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet a thoughtful and visually striking revival of one of ballet’s great narrative works.

Set to the enduringly popular music of Sergei Prokofiev, and accompanied by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, this guest appearance by the NBoC is not to be missed.

The February 3 performance will be filled with emotion as Guillaume Côté, Principal Dancer with the National Ballet, will dance the role of Romeo at the NAC for the last time. Côté created the role in Ratmansky’s production 11 years ago.

“Gorgeously performed with incredible musicality by The National Ballet of Canada, you are sure to be swept up in the grandeur and drama of this unforgettable love story.” – says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

THE STORY

Verona is the site of a longstanding feud between two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo, a Montague, falls in love with Juliet, a forbidden Capulet, and they secretly marry. When Juliet learns she is pledged to marry someone else, she takes a sleeping potion to convince her family she is dead. She sends news of her plan to Romeo, but he does not receive it. Believing Juliet dead, Romeo takes his own life and she, on waking, takes hers.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall
February 2-4 at 8 PM

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). Please visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.

To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Lead philanthropic support for Romeo and Juliet is provided by Sandra Pitblado, C.M. & Jim Pitblado, C.M., with additional generous support from Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, an anonymous friend of the National Ballet and Walter Carsen, O.C.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

NAC Dance and the NAC Foundation would like to thank the donors and partners who have made the season possible. Thank you to Hotel Partner the Lord Elgin Hotel. The role of Executive Producer, NAC Dance is generously supported by an anonymous donor.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

FAMILY DAY WEEKEND ACTIVITIES: BIG BANG MUSIC FESTIVAL IN THE CAPITAL FEBRUARY 18 AND 19

January 17, 2023

Ottawa, January 17, 2023 – The BIG BANG Festival gets underway from February 18 to February 19, 2023, offering a variety of engaging and vibrant indoor musical activities for the curious kid in everyone.

The family-friendly programming features exciting concerts, surprise performances, interactive sound machines and many wild curiosities to discover across the NAC building. Described by festival programmer Mélanie Dumont as an “explosion for all senses”, this event is a special treat that celebrates the colour and magic of sound and music.

The annual BIG BANG attracts thousands of young visitors and their families to the NAC for an incredible weekend of music and fun activities. As part of the Winterlude festivities, it will include an array of amazing free and affordable on-site performances of all kinds. Don’t forget to check out our website for our full events schedule!

THE ULTIMATE MUSIC ADVENTURE

Get ready and follow along for a musical journey that features mysterious music rooms, funky performances, and dancing puppets! In addition to affordable paid shows, families can anticipate a wide

range of free performances and activities. Book your tickets and plan an unforgettable weekend now: http://www.bigbangfestival.ca. Ticket prices range from $5-$15, including a 25% discount when you buy tickets to two or more BIG BANG performances!

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

FREE ACTIVITIES AND SHOWS

Socalled & Friends

Merry Mix of Music and Marionettes

The undisputed party king has a name: it’s Josh “Socalled” Dolgin! There’s no one like him for getting a crowd up on its feet. Ready for the inventor of klezmer hip hop and his band? Let the fun begin!

February 18-19 | Free | 3 Showtimes 20 minutes ● Bilingual ● For all ages

What (Re)Connects Us

Musical Rubber Bands

Multimedia artist Stéphanie Laforce is a bit of a magician. She imagined a sound installation where all you have to do is manipulate the rubber bands to produce the sound of wind, waves, a foghorn here, the song of mermaids there. It’s the beginning of a fabulous and collective sound journey.

February 18-19 | Free
Continuous ● Without words ● For all ages

Garden for Little Souls

Fun Islands for Toddlers

A garden in winter! It’s a dream come true for little ones, who will happily venture into this beautiful experimentation space. Picture this: walking through a bamboo forest, having fun making a turtle sing or walking on a bridge of bells! Everything is possible in this discovery space.

February 18-19 | Free
Continuous ● Without words ● Ages 2-7

Diogene’s Shed

Mechanical Orchestra

Ingenious and interactive, this installation from the creators of Alice Factory features a strange collection of objects. All carefully arranged on the shelves of crowded cabinets, they come to life without warning, producing an improbable concert of mechanical music.

February 18-19 | Free
Continuous ● Without words ● For all ages

TICKETED EVENTS

Alice Factory

Festive Cinematic Concert

A musical tea party with Alice and her partners in rhyme! A dazzling performance based on the many film adaptations of Alice in Wonderland, experience the delightful music and visuals of this rendition featuring three inventive musicians and a young Alice at the mic.

February 18 & 19 | $15
55 minutes ● In English ● Age 5-12
This show is also offered in French under the title Alice Bricolé.

Angelique Francis

A Musical Family Affair

There’s no one like Angelique Francis to warm our hearts in winter. Accompanied by her double bass and family band, this amazingly talented musician lights up the stage with her electrifying New Orleans-style performances. Mixing together blues, jazz, and gospel, get ready to dance!

February 18 | $15
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5+

Music Rooms

À la Carte Micro-Concerts

About 15 minutes long and performed in unique spaces, experience this year’s collection of Music Rooms. You can enjoy the magnetic rhythm of the koanni with returning artist Bonsa, or step into a universe of sound and movement with urban dancer Tangent, and DJ Rise. Or maybe you want to take a detour into the world of 13th to 18th century melodies with Katelyn Clark and Ben Grossman. No matter what you choose, these micro-concerts are offered at an accessible price and make a truly great experience for young ones.

February 18 & 19 | $5

20 minutes ● Multilingual ● Ages 5+

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Psst! Our full events schedule is now available for viewing! Visit our website at http://www.bigbangfestival.ca to begin planning the musical journey of your dreams.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Pictures of the shows and performers are available here: http://www.Dropbox.com

WHAT MAKES THE BIG BANG UNIQUE?

The BIG BANG loves to travel, and what’s more, it loves to take visitors of all ages on adventures.
It builds on the legacy of the OORSMEER festival, founded by Wouter Van Looy in 1995, to offer children an artistic and musical program designed specifically for them, and which they even help deliver by participating in certain interactive installations.

Over the past 10 years the festival has travelled to several European cities, from Tallinn to Lisbon, from Antwerp to Athens, from Seville to Dublin, from Lille to Enschede, via Ghent, Brussels, Rouen, Reykjavik and Copenhagen. In 2019, the event took a giant leap across the ocean to land in its first North American city: Ottawa! Since then, each edition has been a resounding success, bringing together thousands of curious people attracted by the many guest artists and a host of invigorating performances and micro- concerts. Don’t miss the festival’s return to the NAC this winter!

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BIG BANG FRIENDS

The Ottawa presentation of the BIG BANG is the result of the NAC’s relationship with Belgium’s Zonzo Compagnie, which specializes in musical theatre for young audiences and is directed by
Wouter Van Looy. Over the past few years, the NAC has presented several Zonzo performances, including Listen to the Silence, set to the music of John Cage; Slumberland, an exploration of the world of dreams and the night; Mile(s)tones, a show about legendary jazzman Miles Davis; and HUSH: Henry’s Dream Machine, an off-the-wall concert-performance about Henry Purcell, the Shakespeare of English music!The BIG BANG in Ottawa is presented in partnership with Winterlude and is supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, the NAC’S Arts Alive Learning Hub and the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation. The BIG BANG is an initiative of Zonzo Compagnie.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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Sky Dancers: Honouring Strength and Resilience in the Community of Kahnawake

January 12, 2023

Dora Award-winning Indigenous dance theatre production recaptures impacts of a tragic historical event that made headlines around the world.

January 12, 2023 – OTTAWA (Canada) – NAC Indigenous Theatre is proud to welcome the visually stunning Sky Dancers in the Babs Asper Theatre from January 19 to 21, 2023.

Sky Dancers explores the impacts of the Quebec Bridge disaster of 1907. The bridge that was to span 1,000 metres on the St. Lawrence River collapsed while under construction, killing 75 men including 33 Mohawk ironworkers from the community of Kahnawake. It’s a personal story for choreographer Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo whose great-grandfather lost his life that day, and a universal story that touches on family, community, resilience and building bridges between people and generations.

The production, supported by the NAC’s National Creation Fund, premièred in Montreal, and was presented in Halifax in 2021. It went on to win a prestigious Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Touring Production of the Year in 2022 in conjunction with its presenter in Toronto, the Harbourfront Centre.

Artistic Director and Choreographer of A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, is a multi-award-winning dancer and choreographer who was notably named performer of the year of the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal in 2021.

Using both contemporary and traditional practices, Diabo brings the past to the present in a way that will enthrall and resonate with audiences while deepening understanding of Indigenous people’s history.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Sky Dancers

Choreography and Direction by Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo.

Featuring: Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, Simik Komaksiutiksak, Victoria May, Katie Couchie, Falciony Patino, Sebastian “Bash” Hirtenstein, Emmanuelle Martin, and Oliver Koomsatira.

Music Direction by Michael Tekaronianeken Diabo; Set and Video Design by Andy Moro; Lighting Direction by Aurora Torok; Costume Design by Jeff Chief; Video Direction by Samuel Boucher; Co-produced by Gregg Parks; Production Coordination by Claire Bourdin.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

For more information and showtimes, please visit: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/31522

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS).
As we have in past seasons, Indigenous Theatre will continue to offer community engaged activity, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. We are honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community in the upcoming season. It extends to most of the programming from all disciplines at the NAC.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Indigenous Theatre and Programming at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mohammed A. Faris, Kenneth and Margaret Torrance Endowment for Indigenous Theatre and an Anonymous Donor. Thank you to Indigenous Theatre Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group, Official Hotel Partner Embassy Hotel & Suites, and Official Rail Partner VIA Rail. Thank you also to TD Bank Group and the Slaight Family Foundation, Major Sponsors of Indigenous Programming at the National Arts Centre, and Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis Meta. We also express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts for their longstanding support of the NAC and the arts in Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Ian Hobson
Communications Strategist, Indigenous Theatre
National Arts Centre
343-588-0742
Ian.Hobson@NAC-CNA.ca

BIG BANG IS BACK FEB 18 AND 19: A VIBRANT MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!

December 8, 2022

Ottawa, December 8, 2022 – The BIG BANG Festival is back this winter and full of colorful sound festivities at a joyful decibel. Featured are exciting concerts, surprise performances, sound machines and many more wild curiosities all over the building! Join us for a lively family day weekend with loved ones – your eardrums will thank you.

“In a perfect world, I would want every day to be a BIG BANG! Because to me, this festival full of adventures in sound is the best celebration. It brings us together in the most joyful way with all the colour, magic, and possibilities that music evokes. An explosion for all your senses, the BIG BANG is a visceral and jubilant experience. What more can you ask for?” says Mélanie Dumont, Festival Programmer and Director of Youth Programming, NAC French Theatre.

Since 2019, the annual BIG BANG has attracted thousands of young visitors and their families to the NAC for an incredible weekend of sound. This year’s edition is, yet again, part of the Winterlude festivities and will include an array of amazing on-site performances. Free bilingual activities and sound experiences of all kinds will also be offered in person. Stay tuned: more events will be announced on January 17!

THE ULTIMATE MUSIC ADVENTURE

Get ready and follow along for a musical journey that features mysterious music rooms, funky performances, and a film concert for all to enjoy! Book your tickets and plan an unforgettable weekend now: http://www.bigbangfestival.ca. Families will find accessible prices with performance tickets ranging from $5-$15. Save 25% when you buy tickets to 2 or more BIG BANG performances! *Tickets on sale as of December 8, 10 AM

Off we go!

Alice Factory

"Festive Cinematic Concert"

February 18 & 19 | $15
55 minutes ● In English ● Age 5-12
This show is also offered in French under the title Alice Bricolé.

WolfGANG: The WolfPUP Sessions

"Kid-Friendly Chamber Concert"

Awooooo! The younger sibling of NACO’s popular WolfGANG Sessions, this kid-friendly chamber concert is filled with musical surprises. Families can experience the thrilling possibilities of “indie classical” music in this fun and immersive concert, performed by our stellar NAC Orchestra musicians.

February 18 & 19 | $15
35 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5–12

The PepTides

"Eclectic Fusion Band"

Funky and full of irresistible flair — The PepTides are coming to the Big Bang Festival for the first time ever and are bringing with them a wave of songs that are sure to make the whole family groove! The members of this Ottawa-based musical sensation combine their diverse backgrounds and talents to bring to life a music cocktail inspired by Bowie, Badu, Bach, B-52s and The Partridge Family.

February 19 | $15
45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5+

Music Rooms

"À la Carte Micro-Concerts"

About 15 minutes long and performed in unique spaces, these micro-concerts make a truly great experience for young ones. Enjoy the casual atmosphere, as artists perform for small audience groups, tucked away in intimate and mysterious settings. This annual event is offered at an accessible and is a festival favorite.

February 18 & 19 | $15
20 minutes ● Multilingual ● Age 5+

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Psst! Don’t forget to check out our website. You can book your tickets now and stay tuned for more shows coming soon this January 17: http://www.bigbangfestival.ca

WHAT MAKES THE BIG BANG UNIQUE?

The BIG BANG loves to travel, and what’s more, it loves to take visitors of all ages on adventures.
It builds on the legacy of the OORSMEER festival, founded by Wouter Van Looy in 1995, to offer children an artistic and musical program designed specifically for them, and which they even help deliver by participating in certain interactive installations.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BIG BANG FRIENDS

The BIG BANG in Ottawa is presented in partnership with Winterlude and is supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, the NAC’S Arts Alive Learning Hub and the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation. The BIG BANG is an initiative of Zonzo Compagnie.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS RETURNS TO NAC DANCE TO PRESENT THE NUTCRACKER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 16 YEARS

November 23, 2022

A holiday classic, The Nutcracker is a magical and heartwarming production

November 23, 2022 – OTTAWA, Canada – From December 1-4, NAC Dance is pleased to welcome Les Grands Ballets Canadiens with its famous production The Nutcracker by Fernand Nault.

It’s almost that wonderful time of the year when the young (and not so young!) rediscover this magical ballet inspired by Hoffman’s famous tale. Bringing more than a hundred dancers together, this holiday production has been presented by Les Grands Ballets since 1964. Choreographed by Fernand Nault, the ballet comes alive on the notes of Tchaikovsky’s beloved composition performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra with conductor Airat Ichmouratov.

The story takes place during a grand Christmas Eve party where young Clara receives the gift of a nutcracker. During the night, the nutcracker turns into a valiant soldier who fights the treacherous Rat King. From there, a fairy tale dream unfolds with the Sugar Plum Fairy, angelic figures, and greedy pastry chefs. With grandiose sets and costumes, adventurous spirits, and magnificent dancers, audiences are filled with joy and wonder. Under the direction of André Laprise, Appointed Children’s Rehearsal Master, more than 40 young dancers from the National Capital Region will share the stage with Les Grands Ballets cast, bringing even more enjoyment to the audience.

The colourful adventures of Clara in the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets have enchanted more than 2 million spectators over 5 decades.

“What a joyous moment to welcome back this version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Fernand Nault for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. It has been over a decade since the stars aligned for this presentation to come to the NAC, and we are delighted to share this production. The number of people who are introduced to the art of dance through The Nutcracker continues to grow, and its magical and virtuosic attributes are a favourite for all ages.” – says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

The Nutcracker in a nutshell:

165 characters on stage.
More than 300 people are directly involved in the production.
More than 350 costumes.

MEDIA PREVIEW

Members of the Press are invited to attend the Dress Rehearsal on December 1st at 1 p.m. in Southam Hall. RSVP is recommended. Please contact julie.gunville@nac-cna.ca.

To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall

December 1-4 at 7 PM

December 3-4 at 1:30 PM

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). Please visit the NAC website to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS

Les Grands Ballets are supported by Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Canada Council for the Arts, and Conseil des arts de Montréal.

THANK YOU TO OUR NAC DANCE SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/32312

A SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK FOR THE ANNUAL NAC GALA: $1 MILLION RAISED FOR THE NEW ADRIAN BURNS FUND

November 5, 2022

A SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK FOR THE ANNUAL NAC GALA:

$1 MILLION RAISED FOR THE NEW ADRIAN BURNS FUND

The NAC’s first fundraising evening in three years highlighted the importance of women leaders in the arts, and these donations will support their creativity.

November 5, 2022 – OTTAWA (Canada) — Tonight, at the 2022 edition of its annual Gala, featuring Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden and the NAC Orchestra led by guest conductors Cosette Justo Valdés and Elizabeth Baird, the National Arts Centre (NAC) and its Foundation raised over $1 Million for the new Adrian Burns Fund for Women Leaders in the Performing Arts.

“We are so grateful to our donors and sponsors from across the country for their commitment to women leaders in the performing arts,” said Jayne Watson, CEO of the NAC Foundation, which organizes the Centre’s signature fundraising event. “Their support will allow the NAC to help women from all backgrounds attain their dreams, and ensure that their stories, wisdom and experience will lead to a vibrant and successful arts scene in Canada.”

The theme of this year’s Gala was “Women Leaders in the Performing Arts,” highlighting the importance of all the women whose creativity, passion and achievements make Canada’s culture shine. “From artists and designers to producers, technicians, administrators, volunteers and fundraisers, it’s a long list. These women deserve to be recognized for their remarkable work, and it’s a great pleasure to honour them at the NAC Gala,” said Ms. Watson.

The NAC Gala was also an opportunity to pay tribute to Adrian Burns, Chair of the NAC Board of Trustees, who will complete her term in December 2022 after more than 20 years on the Board.

“For more than two decades, Adrian Burns has made an extraordinary contribution to the National Arts Centre and to the Canadian performing arts,” noted Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO. “On behalf of all of us at the NAC, including trustees on our Board, senior management, staff and artists, we thank Adrian for her exceptional service and steadfast leadership in the arts.”

For this year’s Gala, the NAC was delighted to welcome Sophie Grégoire Trudeau as Honorary Chair once again.

“It has been an honour to support the NAC Gala as its Honorary Chair – especially because this cause is so very close to my heart,” said Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. “Every day across our country, women leaders are breaking down barriers and renewing the performing arts. Despite the obstacles or challenges they face, they are accomplishing their goals. And through their hard work, commitment, and integrity, they are making our communities better.”

The NAC Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Cosette Justo Valdés opened the concert with a stirring performance of John Estacio’s Red Letter Day, followed by a vibrant rendition of “Sous le dôme épais le jasmin” from Delibes’ Lakmé, sung by soprano Jonelle Sills and mezzo-soprano Simona Genga. These two talented artists are on the CBC’s list of Canada’s 30 hottest classical artists under 30.

The first part of the benefit concert continued with a dazzling performance of Evelin Ramón’s Petite Toccata and concluded with Dvořák’s famous Slavonic Dance No. 8 in G minor, Op. 46.

After the intermission, Jann Arden and her musicians, accompanied by the NAC Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Elizabeth Baird, stepped onto the Southam Hall stage to perform a captivating evening of hits. The acclaimed Calgary musician captured the hearts of the audience with her warm voice and legendary sense of humour.

The NAC Gala is a prestigious social event held in support of the National Arts Centre Foundation. Each Gala is an opportunity to encourage philanthropy to benefit the National Arts Centre’s programmes and initiatives.

SUPPORTERS

The NAC Gala is made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and sponsors. We are grateful to Sophie Grégoire Trudeau for serving as Honorary Chair. We thank our Lead Donors, Bonnie & John Buhler; the 2022 Tribute Committee, including Gail Asper Family Foundation & Asper Foundation, Jenny Belzberg, C.M., A.O.E, Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, K.C., Alice & Grant Burton, Christopher Deacon & Gwen Goodier, Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., the Bonnie & Daryl Howard Charitable Foundation, James & Emily Ho, Dr. Dianne Kipnes, C.M. & Mr. Irving Kipnes, C.M., M. Ann McCaig, C.M., A.O.E., LL.D., The Honourable Bill Morneau & Nancy McCain, Janice O’Born, C.M., O.Ont & Earle O’Born, Gail O’Brien, LL.D & David O’Brien, O.C., Alexander Shelley & Zoe Shelley, and Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM. Thank you also to our corporate sponsors, including our Associate Sponsors, Meta and RBC Royal Bank; our Supporting Partners, Arel Capital, Azrieli Foundation, Power Corporation of Canada, and Rogers; our Event Sponsors, Emond Harnden LLP and A&E Television Networks; and our Table Patrons, BMO Bank of Montreal, Mark Motors of Ottawa, Mohammad & Najla Al Zaibak (Bay Tree Foundation) and TC Energy; as well as our Print Sponsor, The Printing House Ltd. and our Net Zero Sponsor, Canada’s Forest Trust. Proceeds from the Gala support NAC programs that champion women leading in the performing arts, on stage and off.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION

The National Arts Centre Foundation raises funds to support the National Arts Centre’s work in performance, creation and learning across Canada. Since its founding in 2000, the National Arts Centre Foundation has raised more than $160 millions to enrich the lives of Canadians through the performing arts and champion our country’s artists, students and educators.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre raised its curtains for the first time in 1969. A bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for Canada’s most creative artists, the NAC strives to be artistically adventurous in each of its programming streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre and NAC Presents. The Centre’s national role is reflected in its motto: “Canada is our Stage.” The NAC collaborates with artists and arts organizations across the country, acts as a catalyst for performance; invests in ambitious new works by artists and arts organizations nation-wide; and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. Situated on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe nation, the NAC is accessible and welcoming to all, and offers a variety of free programming and events.

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NAC FRENCH THEATRE TO WELCOME MICHEL TREMBLAY IN NOVEMBER!

November 3, 2022

The renowned Quebec playwright will present his latest play, Cher Tchekhov,
and meet the public

Ottawa, November 3, 2022 – NAC French Theatre presents Cher Tchekhov, the latest play by Quebec writer Michel Tremblay. Directed by Serge Denoncourt and featuring a top-notch cast, this Théâtre du Nouveau Monde production will run from November 17 to 19, and the acclaimed playwright and writer will be on hand on November 17 to kick things off.

The National Arts Centre invites the public to celebrate the work of Michel Tremblay, whose plays have been performed at the NAC in both French and English since the NAC’s first season in 1969.

“A great man among us. When I learned a few years ago that Michel Tremblay was writing a new play, it seemed obvious, necessary, that he should be part of my first season with NAC French Theatre. I would like to think that if I, Mani Soleymanlou, am doing theatre today, it’s because one day a young Michel Tremblay put society in all its complexity into words and onto the stage. With Tremblay, Otherness found its place, its language, its reality. The stage was transformed. The face of Quebec theatre was transformed. And for all that, thank you, Michel, and welcome to French Theatre.”
—Mani Soleymanlou, Artistic Director, NAC French Theatre

In his latest play, the immortal Michel Tremblay exposes the burning issues of his creative profession. With Cher Tchekhov, he delivers a funny and ferocious text about a family of actors who gather at a country house for a dinner that will go ... superbly well? Around the table, a writer suffering from writer’s block, actors with minor careers, a script that needs reworking, and THE sister with the dazzling career who arrives on the arm of a young critic. The result is a family drama in which people love each other as much as they excoriate each other, performed by a brilliant cast that includes Gilles Renaud, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Isabelle Vincent, Patrick Hivon and Maude Guérin. A tribute to Chekhov written by Michel Tremblay at the top of his game.

Cher Tchekhov will be presented in the Babs Asper Theatre from November 17 to 19, including a school matinee.

Tickets available here: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30555

$15 tickets available for audience members under 30 (Under30 tickets) and for members of Indigenous communities (All my relationstickets).

AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET MICHEL TREMBLAY

Audiences in the Ottawa–Gatineau region are invited to meet Michel Tremblay, who will be at the National Arts Centre on November 17 for a series of free public events.

Exhibition: Michel Tremblay, en sept temps (Michel Tremblay, in Seven Times)

A free exhibition curated by theatre critic and teaching artist Sylvain Lavoie, documenting the relationship between Michel Tremblay and the National Arts Centre French Theatre through seven key moments. In this journey through time, visitors will recognize some of Tremblay’s most popular plays and discover lesser-known but nonetheless significant works.

Vernissage: Thursday, November 17 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Location: Babs Asper Theatre Foyer

The exhibition will be open to the public from November 17 to 27 during the NAC’s opening hours.

Interview with Michel Tremblay

Host Julien Morissette, artistic director of Transistor Média and producer of French Theatre’s “Plus que du théâtre” podcasts, will talk with Michel Tremblay about the themes and characters in his most recent works, including Cher Tchekhov. And perhaps a few memories of the National Arts Centre since its opening in 1969 will emerge!

Interview: Thursday, November 17 from 5 to 6 p.m.

Location: Peter A. Herrndorf Place

The interview will also be livestreamed on the National Arts Centre website and on NAC French Theatre’s Facebook page, it will remain available on the NAC website until November 27.

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/32314

https://www.facebook.com/TheatreFrancaisCNA

Book signing

Meet the playwright and have him sign your copy of Cher Tchekhov (or another of his plays)! The Librairie du Soleil will also be on hand with a selection of Michel Tremblay’s works for sale, including Cher Tchekhov and his new novel La Shéhérazade des pauvres.

Signing: Thursday, November 17 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Location: Peter A. Herrndorf Place

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/32316

THE NAC AND MICHEL TREMBLAY

The NAC has presented many of Michel Tremblay’s plays in both English and French, beginning with his adaptation of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, which was featured at the NAC’s grand opening in 1969. Albertine, en cinq temps was presented in 1984, directed by Tremblay’s longtime associate, the late André Brassard, who would later be appointed artistic director of NAC French Theatre. The play ran for 32 performances.

ABOUT NAC FRENCH THEATRE

NAC French Theatre presents theatre that is in step with the times, theatre that reflects and responds to emerging artistic trends both at home and abroad and actively contributes to advancing contemporary stage writing and directing. This artistic trajectory is expressed through national and international co-productions, new works and touring productions. French Theatre offers audiences shows that stand out for the diversity of the forms they present and the emotions they trigger. Its programming is rich in original writing and vision, in brilliant staging, and in the powerful words of artists who enchant, challenge or unsettle audiences, but never leave them indifferent. French Theatre audiences have come to expect an emotional and intellectual adventure that is profoundly and authentically human. 

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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THIS NOVEMBER, NAC DANCE HONOURS THE INGENUITY AND SIGNATURE STYLES OF THREE CELEBRATED CHOREOGRAPHERS

October 31, 2022

Isolation, hope and playfulness take us on a journey of emotions, reflections and inspiration

October 31, 2022 – OTTAWA, Canada – This November, male choreographers take the stage of the Babs Asper Theatre with two very powerful performances: Momentum of Isolation by the strong and iconic voice from Vancouver’s Shay Kuebler, and Double Murder by celebrated UK-based choreographer Hofesh Shechter.

Momentum of Isolation by Shay Kuebler | Radical System Art

NOV 4-5, 2022

The dynamic Shay Kuebler returns to the NAC with Momentum of Isolation (MOI), a work that dramatically highlights the impact of loneliness and the disempowerment of technology in our lives.

“With its strong and distinctive voice, Shay brings his life-long passion for martial arts, movement, and storytelling to each of his creations, immersing himself in a panoply of ideas and styles he has absorbed through his extensive travels. With Momentum of Isolation, he and his dynamic ensemble of dancers have created a poignant work centred around themes of loneliness and social isolation; pertinent and profound subjects for today’s world.” says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

Playing with illusions, appearances and disappearances, the work conjures moments of fascination. Through complex choreography of groups and duets, Kuebler succeeds in poeticizing and giving meaning to the feeling of isolation that can overwhelm us all.

In today’s world, isolation—a theme that has inspired Kuebler since 2018, when he learned that the UK had appointed a Minister for Loneliness—has taken on a whole new meaning and even greater resonance. Through inventive and powerful choreographic language, Momentum of Isolation beautifully displays Kuebler’s signature style: highly physical dance rooted in his background in martial arts, urban dance, and theatre.

Double Murder by Hofesh Shechter Company

NOV 9-10, 2022

The following week, celebrated UK-based choreographer, Hofesh Shechter will bring Double Murder, a thrilling new double bill presenting two distinctly contrasting pieces of contemporary dance for our times.

While The Clowns is all pretence – a playful, sarcastic comment on our ever-growing indifference to violence, featuring an anarchic group of performers revelling in Hofesh Shechter’s signature urgent movement style and pounding beats – The Fix takes us into a completely different realm. A calming, soothing antidote to the relentless energy of Clowns, it invites the audience into a space of healing, openness, and vulnerability.

The musical score, also composed by Shechter, is a perfect complement to the movement. Atmospheric, almost cinematic, it conveys a strength that transcends the stage. Stunningly beautiful, Double Murder reveals Shechter’s unique mastery in its most complete form.

“Hofesh Shechter is both a choreographic and musical wizard who draws us into worlds rich in meaning and sentiment. Always an NAC audience favourite, we’re thrilled to welcome the company back to our stage.” says Cathy Levy.

Members of the Press are invited to attend a 20-minute Dress Rehearsal of Double Murder on November 9^th from 2:45 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. in the Babs Asper Theatre. RSVP is recommended.

DIGIDANCE - Play

November 7-27, 2022

To complete our November programming, NAC Dance will offer a new video-on-demand called Play. Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman turns the historic Palais Garnier into a vast playground where every object is a plaything. Play combines dance, theatre, music and song into a high-energy spectacle that explores play through the various stages of life. The 36 dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet are encouraged to improvise, to really play with the sets and objects onstage. Available from November 7 to 27, 2022 Play is the first of a series of 2 Digidance offerings this season.

Play is a production OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS, BEL AIR MEDIA, SVT. With the participation of francetélévisions.

To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Babs Asper Theatre

MOMENTUM OF ISOLATION (MOI) by Shay Kuebler | Radical System Art

November 4-5, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Event page: Momentum of Isolation

DOUBLE MURDER by Hofesh Shechter Company

November 9-10, 2022 at 7:30 PM

Event page: Double Murder

Online via the NAC website

PLAY - DIGIDANCE

November 7-27, 2022

Event page: Play

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). Please visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

CANADA’S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET BRINGS THE HANDMAID’S TALE: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY MARGARET ATWOOD TO NAC SOUTHAM HALL

October 20, 2022

An episodic dance-drama on pointe that shines a different light on the current global conversation about women rights.

October 20, 2022 – OTTAWA, Canada – From October 27-29, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) returns to NAC’s Southam Hall for three performances of The Handmaid’s Tale, a contemporary ballet on pointe that boldly retells the story of Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel.

In this ambitious and thought-provoking interpretation of Margaret Atwood’s novel a rich array of characters showcase the energy, athleticism, and theatricality of the RWB company dancers. Set to a pastiche score of renowned composers, including James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt, and Alfred Schnittke among others, this speculative tale brings forth a sobering message, one that is more relevant than ever.

Enslaved to the Commander of Gilead, where human rights – and women’s rights in particular - have been nullified, the concubine Offred must navigate this dystopian society alongside her fearless friend Moira and illicit lover Nick.

Commissioned by RWB Artistic Director, André Lewis, acclaimed New York-based choreographer Lila York took close to a decade to reimagine this daunting world. Along with a talented creative team, York preserved the novel’s prophetic spirit and human story, creating a powerful and poignant interpretation of the gripping tale.

“Creating a ballet based on Margaret Atwood’s prescient novel, The Handmaid’s Tale has been a longstanding and passionate wish for me. In the years since the novel’s debut in 1985, it has only grown in relevance and importance. Once seen as “controversial”, the story, its premise, and its characters are now fully part of our culture and our lexicon. It has been a privilege for me to work with RWB and their brilliant and dedicated dancers on this project. I am deeply indebted to Ms. Atwood for her support and her wisdom.” — Lila York

"Since first premiering this piece in 2013, the impact of the story has taken on even greater relevance as the world wrestles with intense social issues. Audiences have flocked to the television series based on the novel and the continued significance of its themes is debated and discussed. Yet as we delve into the RWB’s production, we experience both the darkness and the light, a complex yet hopeful world that makes for an engaging and powerful dance experience." – says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

RWB’s The Handmaid’s Tale will be accompanied by the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the baton of Julian Pellicano

Members of the Press are invited to attend the Dress Rehearsal on October 27^th at 2:30 p.m. in Southam Hall. RSVP is recommended.

To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall
October 27-29 at 8 PM

Tickets for performances start at $29

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). We encourage visitors to buy their tickets or make a restaurant reservation online prior to their visit. Please visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities. 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, NAC Dance

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736

LINK: Tedd Robinson Obituary

STATEMENT: NAC flags Fly at Half-mast in Honour of Legendary Theatre Director André Brassard

October 12, 2022

It was with great sadness that the National Arts Centre (NAC) learned of the death of theatre legend André Brassard, who served as artistic director of the NAC's French Theatre from 1982 to 1990.

Unparalleled stage director, tireless champion of local and international authors, and dedicated teacher, André Brassard played a central role in Quebec’s theatre community for more than 30 years. Between the premiere of Michel Tremblay’s Les Belles-sœurs in 1968 and the stroke (1999) that eventually sidelined his career, Brassard directed five generations of actors, from emerging talents to seasoned veterans, in some 140 productions, several of which were landmark events.

A TOWERING FIGURE

“André Brassard will be remembered as a towering figure in the world of theatre,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. His originality, his vision and his passion for theatre have had a significant impact on the cultural landscape of Quebec and Canada. We send our condolences to all his loved ones.”

The NAC’s flags will fly at half-mast this week in honour of André Brassard

ANDRÉ BRASSARD AND THE NAC

The NAC paid tribute to the renowned director back 2016 with Échos – André Brassard, a multimedia exhibition presented at the Centre. In attendance for the occasion were the artistic director at the time, Brigitte Haentjens (2012-2021), and two other former artistic directors, Robert Lepage (1990-1993) and Jean-Claude Marcus (1993-2000).

The success of Les Belles-sœurs enabled Brassard to direct a number of productions that cheerfully combined the tragic and the popular, the sacred and the profane. During the period from 1980 to 1990, the playwright subscribed to the dual principle of theatre that did not hesitate to reveal its artifices, and stage design that exerted pressure on the actor. During the decade from 1990 to 2000, Brassard refocused his practice on directing, his original passion.

The last NAC French Theatre work directed by André Brassard was Oh les beaux jours by Samuel Beckett, with the late Andrée Lachapelle. This ESPACE GO production was shown at the NAC Studio in the fall of 2008.

10 THINGS ABOUT ANDRÉ BRASSARD

1946: Born in Montreal
1968: Opening of Michel Tremblay’s Les Belles-sœurs
1975: Opening of Shakespeare’s La Nuit des rois (Twelfth Night)
1982–90: Artistic director, National Arts Centre French Theatre
1984: Opening of Michel Tremblay’s Albertine, en cinq temps (Albertine, in Five Times)
1987: Opening of Jean Genet’s Les Paravents (The Screens)
1987: Opening of Michel Marc Bouchard’s Les Feluettes ou La Répétition d’un drame romantique (Lilies)
1992: Opening of Samuel Beckett’s En attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot)
1992–2000: Director of Acting and Playwriting programs, French section, National Theatre School of Canada
1999: Suffered a stroke

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategy and Communications National Arts Centre
613-291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

MORE PROGRAMMING DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE’S 2022-2023 SEASON

October 4, 2022

NEWS RELEASE

MORE PROGRAMMING DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE’S 2022-2023 SEASON
Extraordinary and diverse offerings in theatre, music and dance is now available for all audiences to enjoy

OCTOBER 4, 2022 – OTTAWA, CANADA – The National Arts Centre today announced additional programming in music, theatre and dance for the 2022-2023 season.

Since the NAC Orchestra launched its season a few weeks ago, audiences have been flocking to performances from Popular Music and Variety and French Theatre. Dance, Indigenous Theatre and English Theatre will begin their seasons soon.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful to welcome audiences back to performances at the National Arts Centre,” said NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon. “Today we’re delighted to announce even more performances, The season features a blend of powerful new works and treasured classics, delivered by a wonderful diversity of artists, voices and companies from across Canada and beyond. I encourage everyone to come and share the joy that can only come from live music, theatre and dance. Everyone is welcome at the NAC.”

THE STAGE IS YOURS – 2022-2023 ADDED PROGRAMMING

Below is the list of newly announced programming for in addition to some previously announced highlights. For additional programming information, visit nac-cna.ca/en/series/fall-season-announcement.

NAC Orchestra
The NAC Orchestra is pleased to present six additional concerts for the 2022-2023 season, including collaborations with renowned guest artists and orchestras, such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as musicians from the NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program.

In addition to the 27 concerts announced in the spring, NACO presents Montero & Chaplin, featuring pianist Gabriela Montero’s improvisational score. The Orchestra looks forward to welcoming the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, Stewart Goodyear and Chineke! Orchestra collaborate on great works by Florence Price, Stewart Goodyear and Samuel Coleridge. Holst’s The Planets and R. Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony explore the relationship that humans and artists have with planet Earth. A new commission by Keiko Devaux makes its world premiere, presented by NACO. Lastly, Alexander Shelley will conduct Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Montero & Chaplin   
Gabriela Montero, Piano   

Prokofiev - Sarcasms: Five Pieces for Piano
Prokofiev - Piano Sonata no 2 in D minor
Rachmaninoff - Tender Piano Sonata no 2
Stravinsky - Piano Sonata in F Sharp minor

Experience Charlie Chaplin’s silent romantic comedy The Immigrant in a whole new way on the big screen of Southam Hall, with pianist Gabriela Montero’s brilliant improvisational score.
January 10, 2023 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Gimeno
Gustavo Gimeno, Conductor   
María Dueñas, Violin 
 
Samy Moussa - Symphony no. 2
Lalo - Symphonie Espagnole
Prokofiev – Music from Romeo and Juliet

Under the direction of Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 100th season in Southam Hall with an evening of romance and passion.

February 11, 2023
 
Stewart Goodyear & Chineke! Orchestra
Andrew Grams, Conductor   
 
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Othello Suite
Stewart Goodyear - Callaloo - A Caribbean Suite for Piano and Orchestra
Florence Price - Symphony no 1

For one night only, brilliant Canadian pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear joins forces with Chineke! Orchestra for his own "Callaloo" concerto, in an unforgettable program including music by Florence Price and Samuel Taylor-Coleridge.
March 16, 2023

An Alpine Symphony 
Alexander Shelley, Conductor  
 
Keiko Devaux – New commission for NAC Orchestra 
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 
R. Strauss – An Alpine Symphony 

 Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony perfectly demonstrates how artists have always listened to the Earth and endeavoured to capture the exquisite beauty of our planet.   
May 10 – 11, 2023 

 
Holst’s The Planets    
Alexander Shelley, Conductor  

Anna Thorvaldsdottir - Catamorphosis    
Holst – The Planets 

Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Catamorphosis is a living, breathing world of musical ideas inspired by “the fragile relationship we have to our planet”—and proof positive that music and art can serve as inspiration for a way forward in the climate crisis. 
May 18 – 19, 2023  

Mozart’s Don Giovanni 
Alexander Shelley, Conductor 
Joel Ivany, Director

Filled to the brim with comedy, tragedy, and the supernatural, this epic opera in concert recounts the adventures of the womanizing Giovanni, offering fair warning to libertines everywhere!
June 15 – 17, 2023 

NAC Dance
NAC Dance is thrilled to announce the addition of seven new shows for its upcoming season, offering a full slate of 15 shows where balance, diversity, and excitement come together.

In addition to the eight performances announced in the spring, including Tanztheater Wuppertal's Pina Bausch Palermo Palermo and The National Ballet of Canada's Romeo and Juliet, dance fans will have the chance to see Ballet Edmonton on stage for the very first time, with a mixed program imagined by its artistic director Wen Wei Wang. The fabulous Louise Lecavalier returns to present her latest acclaimed solo Stations. And Dada Masilo, the South African choreographer who has made a name for herself in the dance world with her reinterpretations of classical masterpieces, will present The Sacrifice, inspired by Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

“The unveiling of the full season represents a return to a broad spectrum of offerings from new and established artists, from Canada and abroad,” said Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance. “I can’t wait to welcome all of you home to NAC Dance.”

Gregory Maqoma | Thuthuka Sibisi   
Broken Chord  

One of South Africa’s leading choreographers, Gregory Maqoma conceives works of breadth and beauty, and keen political awareness. With composer Thuthuka Sibisi, he creates a dramatic retelling of the late 19th century South African choir on tour in North America and England. Traditional Xhosa and contemporary dance intertwine with sound and storytelling, accompanied by a live local choir.  

 March 1 – 2, 2023      

Ballet  Edmonton 

Wen Wei Wan, Diego Ramalho and Dorotea Saykaly 

In its debut NAC engagement, Ballet Edmonton brings us a beautiful mixed contemporary program by three outstanding choreographers: Artistic Director Wen Wei Wang’s Persistence of Memory and Swan; a stunning new creation, Valei-me, by Brazilian-born Diego Ramalho; and a new work by Dorotea Saykaly.   

March 11, 2023   

Rhodnie Désir | RD Créations 
BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek   

Montreal choreographer Rhodnie Désir performs her award-winning multidisciplinary work, supported on stage by the polyrhythmic sounds of two musicians. Inspired by her extensive research of the African diaspora in the Americas, her powerful presence embodies the essence of their testimonials.  

March 17 – 18, 2023      

Louise Lecavalier | Fou Glorieux 
Stations  
 
Few performers epitomize the pure force of dance more than Louise Lecavalier. In her most recent solo creation, she explores the art form in four stations – fluidity, control, meditation and obsession. Don’t miss this vertiginous journey of intense energy.  

 March 30 – 31, 2023     

Matriarchs Uprising   
Olivia C. Davis 

Curated by Olivia C. Davies, Matriarchs Uprising creates a platform for Indigenous women who are nurturing the art of Contemporary Indigenous dance and storytelling, and holds space for past, present and future. Two curated mixed programs will be presented over two nights. These include works imagined by Sophie Dow, Jeannette Kotowich, Samantha Sutherland and Aria Evans.  

 April 13 – 14, 2023       

Social Tango Project  
 
A Canadian Premiere. Direct from Buenos Aires, Social Tango Project interlaces original dance, music, and song, with photography and documentary film to present an immersive experience for the audience. Experience the world of the tango milonga – a space that brings together people of different generations, cultures and backgrounds into an “embrace”. 

 April 22, 2023     

Dada Masilo | The Dance Factory   
The Sacrifice  
 
In this spellbinding work, renowned South African choreographer Dada Masilo explores her Tswana origins through the lens of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Fusing classical and traditional styles, ten performers investigate what must be sacrificed for a better future.  

May 9 – 10, 2023 

NAC English Theatre
English Theatre is proud to present the final additions to Jillian Keiley’s 2022-2023 season, including Heaven, a charming work from Citadel Theatre, curated by Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) and I Forgive You, a powerful new presentation from Artistic Fraud, directed by Jillian Keiley. BTW will also partner once again with English Theatre on the Artist Mentorship Program Industry Showcase, the details of which will be announced in the coming months.

“Despite the difficulties of the last few years, I am truly thrilled to announce the final two offerings of our 2022-2023 season, made up of shows we have longed to bring you,” Jillian said. “Heaven is a gentle tale about new beginnings, curated by our partners at Black Theatre Workshop. It will remind you that love and peace are possible even for those who have long suffered their absence. Finally, for my last season at the NAC, a production that is very special to me: I Forgive You is probably the most important stage work in which I’ve ever engaged and unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. It features such beauty and complexity through the story and presence of Scott Jones,a man made famous by an unexpected act of forgiveness almost 10 years ago.”

I Forgive You 
Written by Scott Jones and Robert Chafe 
Dramaturgy by Sarah Garton Stanley 
Directed by Jillian Keiley 
Music by Sigur Ros 
An Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland Production 
 
In 2013, Nova Scotian choral conductor Scott Jones was left paralyzed after a homophobic attack. Soon after, his story reached international attention for a remarkable reason: he chose to publicly forgive his attacker.

Headlines ran all over the world inspiring thousands moved by Scott’s uncommon act, including Artistic Fraud, who approached him to co-create a piece of theatre based on his experience.

The story of I Forgive You cuts straight to the heart of mercy and is accompanied by a children’s choir singing the music of Sigur Ros, conducted by Scott himself live on stage in this brilliant braiding of rich theatrical invention and searing unavoidable truth.
March 1 – 11, 2023

Heaven 
by Cheryl Foggo  
Directed by Patricia Darbasie 
An NAC English Theatre presentation of the Citadel Theatre Production 
Curated by Black Theatre Workshop 

As Black pioneers fled the southern United States, Canadian settlements weren't just the last stop; they were considered “heaven”. In one of those settlements - Amber Valley, Alberta - sharp-witted schoolteacher Charlotte arrives from Ontario to make a better life for her and her new students. But the memories she's outrunning may threaten what she's found, and her budding friendship with widowed farmer Ezra, forever. 
May 3 – 13, 2023 

NAC French Theatre
French Theatre adds seven shows to its programming to complete Mani Soleymanlou's inaugural season.

The programming includes Cabaret Noir, Choreographer Mélanie Demers, accompanied by a sublime team of creator-performers, takes a personal journey into the concept of “négritude”, to rediscover the works that have shaped her Black identity. The result of her quest is a great melting pot of ideas that takes the form of a glorious interdisciplinary happening.

Brigitte Haentjens returns to the NAC with ROME, an ambitious staging of five Roman plays by Shakespeare, translated by her wonderful collaborator Jean Marc Dalpé. Four hundred years after the fall of the Empire, its resonance with our own times will send shivers down your spine.

The youngest audience members won’t be left out with Les mots secrets, written by the great poet Louise Dupré and directed by Franco-Ontarian André Perrier. It’s a playful and athletic show for children ages 7 to 12, in which words are bounced around like balls through souvenir letters and paper planes exchanged between two friends.

Cabaret Noir
MAYDAY
Choreographer Mélanie Demers travels up the cultural river of what she calls her “negritude” to rediscover the works that have shaped her Black identity. Surrounded by a group of performers, she delivers the result of her quest in an expansive interdisciplinary happening for liberated bodies and words.
February 2 – 4, 2023 

Alice Bricolé / Alice Factory
Théâtre Rude Ingénierie
Ages 5 to 12
A festive cine-concert based on the many filmed versions of Alice in Wonderland. Three inventive musicians and a young Alice at the microphone accompany the projected images of this psychedelic classic. Our imaginations fall down a rabbit hole and suddenly, there we are at the Mad Hatter’s table.

February 18 - 19, 2023 

Là où la poussière se dépose
Transistor Média
Karina Pawlikowski and Julien Morissette invite us into the intimacy of their “home” in this theatrical and sonic auto-fiction that combines sampling, everyday sounds, and moving conversations about intimacy, family and domesticity.
March 30 – April 1, 2023 

Les mots secrets
Théâtre Triangle Vital
Ages 7 to 12
In this playful and athletic show, words are bouncing balls, modelling clay! They’re also super glue for friends who are far apart. They certainly are for She and He, inseparable thanks to souvenir letters and paper airplanes.
April 22 – 23, 2023 

ROME
Sibyllines
It’s a Shakespeare marathon: his five Roman plays under the keen eye of celebrated director Brigitte Haentjens, featuring some 20 actors whose hearts vibrate in tune with the jubilant dialogue translated by the incomparable Jean Marc Dalpé.
May 4 – 6, 2023 

Le partage
La Clairière
Emmanuel Schwartz unashamedly recounts his spectacular freefall: addictions, lies, the rise and inevitable crash. On stage, surrounded by an ingenious 3D projection system, he walks without a net, one step at the time, on the thin line of auto-fiction.
May 18 – 20, 2023 

Au jardin des Potiniers
Création dans la chambre and Ersatz
Ages 6 to 12
You’re invited to be part of the set! Find your spot in the middle of this incredible miniature landscape. There, a resilient imaginary garden will spring up just a few centimetres from your face. When magic and the cycle of life happen at eye level!
June 3 – 4, 2023 

NAC Indigenous Theatre
As Indigenous Theatre prepares to open their 2022-2023 season this month with the matriarchal powerhouse Hot Brown Honey, it continues to offer community engagement, learning opportunities and corollary programming in and around the work presented on stage. More programming, including an exciting presentation with NAC Dance and additional audience activities (both in-person and online), will be announced over the coming months.

“Indigenous Theatre welcomes you back to the NAC with an uplifting and inspiring season,” said Kevin Loring, Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre. “Fill your heart and ignite your spirit with Indigenous art and artists from the four directions, across Turtle Island and around the world. Welcome back to theatre, we’ve missed you.” 

Indigenous Theatre is honoured to be able to continue to offer $15 All My Relations tickets to the Indigenous community in the upcoming season, extending to most of the programming from all disciplines at the NAC. 

Hot Brown Honey
A Quiet Riot Production

Hot Brown Honey’s riotous cabaret is sass made flesh, a no-holds-barred, stereotype-smashing celebration that uses wit, honesty, and feather boas to hammer home important truths. Don’t miss this explosion of colour, culture, and controversy! Who knew fighting the power could taste so sweet?
October 12 – 15, 2022

NAC Popular Music and Variety
“Artists are back on the road, filling concert venues and exciting fans live and in-person, and we are so thrilled to play our part by supporting them every way we can,” said Heather Gibson, Executive Producer for Popular Music and Variety. “We have a wonderful season that exemplifies the breadth and depth of music in Canada today.”

This 2022-2023 season supports so many outstanding Canadian artists: composer and post-classical pianist Jean Michel Blais, beloved folk singer-songwriter Basia Bulat, and renowned Israeli-Canadian cellist Ofra Harnoy to name a few.

Among the list of seasonal holiday favourites, Popular Music and Variety welcomes Molly Johnson back for one night, with a mix of her jazz and blues hits, and some new holiday songs. Other favourites include the ever-popular Christmas show from jazz songstress Kelly Lee Evans, and the annual holiday tradition of the Good Lovelies.

For something new this season, Popular Music and Variety is excited to bring the Classic Albums Live series to Ottawa for the first time. See the sensation that sells out shows across North America with these beloved albums performed note for note: Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II and Classic Albums Live: The Beatles: Abbey Road.

Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II and Classic Albums Live: The Beatles: Abbey Road 

Classic Albums Live takes the greatest albums and recreates them live on stage - note for note, cut for cut, using the best musicians. Forgoing costumes and impersonations, this series has found success in concentrating solely on the music. With 100+ shows a year across North America, Classic Albums Live has seen massive success in performing arts centres and theatres. Fans in Texas, Las Vegas, Florida, New York and central and east coast Canada have all continued to support the series and make it a sustaining, successful show. 
November 12, 2022 - Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II 
January 29, 2023 - Classic Albums Live: The Beatles: Abbey Road 

Ofra Harnoy 

Ofra Harnoy has established herself as one of the greatest cellists on the world’s concert stage. She is one of Canada’s most celebrated personalities and is a Member of the Order of Canada. By joining the international artists roster of RCA Victor Red Seal in 1987, Ms. Harnoy became the first Canadian classical instrumental soloist since Glen Gould to gain an exclusive worldwide contract with a major record label. 
November 19, 2022 

Molly Johnson 
Known as one of Canada's greatest voices, JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter Molly Johnson has captivated audiences all over the globe with her distinct voice and authentic stage presence. She returns with This Holiday Season for one night, with a mix of her jazz and blues hits and some new holidays songs. 
December 17, 2022 

Le Vent du Nord 
Celebrate an important milestone in the remarkable career of folk/trad band Le Vent du Nord: their 20th anniversary! More than 2,000 concerts on 4 continents and an 11th album—those are all good reasons to party! The band’s new release, 20 PRINTEMPS, is about constant renewal and looking forward. This popular group delivers a feel-good show. The five singers and multi-instrumentalists build on a solid foundation of high-quality music, rich vocal harmonies, and infectious fun and energy. In the spirit of friendship and sharing, Le Vent du Nord invites you to discover songs that touch and warm the heart. This show will be a memorable journey into the world of this flagship Quebec traditional music group, which has won numerous awards and is attracting international attention. The stage show is directed by Dominic Champagne. 
February 11, 2023 
 
SUBSCRIPTION AND SEASON TICKETS FOR NEW PROGRAMMING

Renewing season subscribers have the exclusive opportunity to book tickets for these newly announced NAC performances until October 11. New subscriptions and individual show tickets for new programming will go on sale as of 10 a.m. on October 12.

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca/season

You can reach the NAC Box Office by phone at 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS), Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and in person Tuesday to Friday, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

NOTE: Due to current workplace health and safety protocols, patrons will experience longer wait times if renewing in-person.

For more information, visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/visit/boxoffice.

UNDER 30 - $15 TICKETS

The NAC is pleased to offer Under30, a $15 ticket price for patrons 30 and under that is available for all but a few NAC performances. It’s an opportunity for those unfamiliar with NAC programming to experience the performing arts and make some wonderful discoveries for an affordable price.

This initiative, in addition to other affordable options such as All My Relations, Fridays at the Fourth and Video Performances on Demand, are part of an ongoing effort to welcome more and more audiences to the NAC.

PERFORMANCES TO EXPERIENCE IN PERSON AND ONLINE

The NAC continues to feature select livestreamed and video-on-demand performances throughout 2022-2023, allowing audiences across Canada to experience programming on the NAC’s stages.

NATIONAL CREATION FUND  
 
Several projects supported by the NAC’s National Creation Fund are part of the 2022-2023 season, including I Forgive You, a profoundly moving new work by Artistic Fraud, and the award-winning dance-theatre production Sky Dancers. The National Creation Fund provides Canadian artists with the additional time, space and resources they need to create great work. Marking its sixth year in 2022 and fuelled entirely by generous donors from across the country, the Fund invests in the development of compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance, music, and inter-disciplinary performing arts. For more information on the National Creation Fund and the projects it supports, visit nac-cna.ca/en/creationfund.   
 
ENGAGING WITH CANADIANS ONLINE

Over the course of the pandemic, the National Arts Centre launched a number of digital initiatives to support Canadian performing artists and connect with audiences at home. They include #CanadaPerforms, NACO Live, Grand Acts of Theatre, Prologue(s), Indigenous Cities and the learning and engagement platform Arts Alive, among others. The NAC will continue to use these digital platforms to engage with Canadians online. a Details of livestreamed performances and other digital offerings will be listed on the NAC website.

NORDIC BRIDGES

The National Arts Centre is pleased to be a partner with Nordic Bridges in 2022. A year-long initiative led by Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre fostering cultural exchange between the Nordic Region and Canada. Working with partners across Canada, Nordic Bridges will present multidisciplinary contemporary art, culture and ideas throughout 2022. Supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers, visit NordicBridges.ca to learn more.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Programming at the National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. The NAC Foundation would like to thank Mohammad & Najla Al Zaibak (Bay Tree Foundation), Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D. & Michael Paterson, The Azrieli Foundation, BMO Financial Group, Bonnie & John Buhler, Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, Q.C., Canadian North, The Crabtree Foundation, Margaret Fountain, C.M., DFA (h) & David Fountain, C.M., Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc), Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., Donald K. Johnson O.C., Dr. Dianne Kipnes, C.M. & Mr. Irving Kipnes, C.M., The Leacross Foundation, Mark Motors Group, Meta, The Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, Power Corporation of Canada, the RBC Foundation, RBC Royal Bank, Rogers Communications, Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM, The Slaight Family Foundation, TD Bank Group, The Vered Family, and two Anonymous Donors. Thank you also to our many other supporters across the country.

  
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BALLET HISPÁNICO’S DOÑA PERÓN OPENS THE 2022-2023 NAC DANCE SEASON

October 5, 2022

A contemporary ballet about the Argentine icon who had a great impact on her people and the world

October 5, 2022 – OTTAWA, Canada – On October 14 and 15, Ballet Hispánico will make its Southam Hall debut with its contemporary ballet Doña Perón. Choreographed by internationally acclaimed artist Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to mark the company’s 50^th anniversary, the ballet paints an explosive portrait of Eva Perón, popularly known as Evita, from her meteoric rise to her tragic death at only 33.

A historically prominent feminist activist and leader, Evita was both beloved and controversial. Her strong convictions, unifying speeches and contradictory actions profoundly marked the Argentine people.

“She’s not a fairy-tale character, she’s not a literary character. She’s a real woman, and for me it’s interesting to stage her because she’s hard to pin down.” - Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Featuring a cast of 16 dancers, the work will fill the stage with a passionate energy that reflects this emblematic figure, as a series of delicately woven tableaux unfolds to illustrate key moments in Evita’s life.

"Doña Perón explores, through majestic storytelling, the complicated and emotional life of Eva Perón and her controversial rise in Argentinean society. With sweeping choreography that showcases these amazing dancers, captivating music performed live by a fantastic 5-piece ensemble, and dazzling sets and costumes, this luscious contemporary ballet is a feast for the senses." says Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

On October 14 at 7 p.m., the public is invited to a pre-show chat with Cathy Levy and Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispánico, who will discuss the production, the creative process, and the company.

To learn more about the 2022–2023 NAC Dance season, visit the NAC website.

MetLife Foundation is an Official Tour Sponsor of Ballet Hispánico. The 2022-2023 Ballet Hispánico National Tour is made possible by JPMorgan Chase, an Official Tour Sponsor.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

In-person in Southam Hall
October 14-15 at 8 PM

Tickets for performances start at $29

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster online or call 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS). We encourage visitors to buy their tickets or make a restaurant reservation online prior to their visit.  Please visit nac-cna.ca/visit  to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities. 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

ABOUT BALLET HISPÁNICO

For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy, and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.

National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970, at the height of the post-war civil rights movements. Since its inception, the company has focused on providing a haven for Black and Brown Latinx youth and families seeking artistic place and cultural sanctuary.

In 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as its Artistic Director, ushering in a new era by inserting fresh energy to the company’s founding values and leading Ballet Hispánico into an artistically vibrant future. Through its exemplary artistry, distinguished training program, and deep-rooted community engagement efforts Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies underrepresented voices in the field. For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has provided a place of honour for the omitted, overlooked, and oppressed.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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Media contact:
Julie Gunville
Communications Strategist, NAC Dance
National Arts Centre
613 668-2736
julie.gunville@nac-cna.ca

SUSAN GLASS APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION BOARD

September 23, 2022

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022, OTTAWA – The National Arts Centre Foundation is honoured that prominent volunteer and philanthropist Susan Glass of Winnipeg has been appointed as Chair of its Board, effective today.

“We are thrilled to welcome Susan Glass as Chair of the NAC Foundation,” said Adrian Burns, Chair of the NAC Board of Trustees. “With deep experience in fundraising and arts voluntarism, Susan is the ideal candidate to step into the role during a critical time for the performing arts in Canada.”

Ms. Glass and her husband Arni Thorsteinson are among the NAC Foundation’s most generous benefactors, having made leadership gifts to many artistic projects, including the NAC’s National Creation Fund, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala, the Prairie Scene festival, the NAC Orchestra’s recent Truth in Our Time concert at Carnegie Hall, and many more.

"This is a time of daunting challenges but also great opportunity in Canada's performing arts milieu,” Ms. Glass said. “The NAC Foundation plays a crucial role in the facilitation of the NAC's strategic plan, and as such, it is an honour for me to play a leadership role in supporting that direction."

ABOUT SUSAN GLASS

Susan Glass was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada (2009) for her exemplary contribution to the life of the country. She is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) and the co-recipient of the Outstanding Fundraiser of the Year Award (2008), as chosen by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Manitoba. She has worked on behalf of major cultural institutions across the country, including the Banff Centre, the Shaw Festival, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art.

A graduate in Commerce from the University of Manitoba, Ms. Glass had a long and successful career with Air Canada in marketing and sales support with an emphasis on computer programming, systems design and project management. She has served on the Boards of the National Arts Centre, the Banff Centre, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the University of Manitoba, the St. Boniface General Hospital, the Canadian Club of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba Alumni.

Ms. Glass succeeds Janice O’Born, C.M. O.Ont, as the NAC Foundation Chair. During Ms. O’Born’s time as Chair, she and her husband Earle made one of the largest gifts ever to a Canadian performing arts organization, a $10M investment in artistic excellence at the NAC for years to come. Ms. O’Born led the Board during a time of crisis for the performing arts because of the pandemic, and thanks to her leadership and the generous support of thousands of donors from across Canada, the Foundation was able to make significant grants to the NAC to allow it to invest in artistic projects across the country.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION

The NAC Foundation raises funds to support the NAC’s strategic priorities in performance, creation and learning. Since its founding in 2000, donors to the Foundation have given more than $160 million to support artistic projects across Canada. The NAC Foundation Board represents a diverse group of arts volunteers and community leaders from across Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation.

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FORE MORE INFORMATION:

Mary Gordon
Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications
National Arts Centre
mary.gordon@nac-cna.ca
(613) 601-3877

STARWALKER: A CELEBRATION OF THE SONGS, MUSIC AND LIFE OF BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE

September 7, 2022

Tribute performances by Canadian artists in a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience produced and presented by the National Arts Centre, for a later CBC and CBC Gem broadcast special on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

September 6, 2022 – OTTAWA (Canada) – The National Arts Centre (NAC) welcomes pathfinder and creative force, Buffy Sainte-Marie, for a special one-night only celebration on Friday, September 16th, 2022, 8 p.m. at Southam Hall.

“Starwalker: A Celebration of the Songs, Music and Life of Buffy Sainte-Marie" will be a momentous tribute to this Canadian-born influential singer-songwriter, who has been making music since she was three years old. Canadian musicians will take the stage to celebrate the timeless artistry and tremendous impact of Buffy Sainte-Marie. Buffy and special guests will be in attendance to witness these dynamic tribute performances acknowledging her lifelong artistic contribution.

“Buffy has been lifting up generations of artists and we are thrilled to be putting together a stellar group of performers to salute the life and art of one of our most respected icons” said Heather Gibson, Executive Producer of Popular Music and Variety at the NAC, and executive producer of “Starwalker: A Celebration of the Songs, Music and Life of Buffy Sainte-Marie".

SPECIAL TRIBUTES AND PERFORMERS

There is no one like Buffy Sainte-Marie. She is an Oscar-winning composer, musician, visual artist, activist, educator. Her body of work has and will continue to change the hearts and minds of generations. Here are some of the artists who will perform on the NAC’s Southam Hall stage:

SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMERS:

Crystal Shawanda
The Halluci Nation
Jeremy Dutcher

Leela Gilday
Logan Staats

Marie-Mai
William Prince
Zoey Roy

Other special tributes are to be expected.

APPEARANCES BY:

Tom Jackson - actor, musician, and activist

Sarah Midanik - President & CEO at The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
ShoShona Kish - producer, activist, songwriter
Alanis Obomsawin - filmmaker, singer, artist, and activist
Dr. Roberta Bondar - Canadian astronaut and neurologist

More surprise appearances to be expected.

Buffy Sainte-Marie: Pathfinder, a Retrospective Exhibition

Experience Buffy Sainte-Marie’s collection of large-scale digital paintings as well as never-before-seen personal sketches, artifacts and behind-the-scenes photos that speak directly to this respected icon’s unique perspective of her own multi-disciplinary life and culture and the experiences that inspired her to create this impactful body of work. This free exhibition is presented at the NAC from Saturday, August 27 to Sunday, September 18.

CBC and CBC Gem, and APTN Broadcast Special on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

To mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CBC and CBC Gem will present the National Arts Centre tribute concert honouring Buffy Sainte-Marie as a 60-minute special on Friday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. local for audiences across Canada. The program will also be available to stream on-demand after the initial broadcast on CBC Gem.

The show will also be airing on APTN at 8 pm EDT.

NAC Orchestra Music Director Alexander Shelley Contract Extended to 2025-2026 Season

September 8, 2022

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased to announce a three-year contract extension for Alexander Shelley as Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2026.

Since taking on the role of Music Director in 2015, Alexander Shelley has led the NAC Orchestra through transformational initiatives and major tours, highlighting the ensemble’s national role and positioning it as a creative and collaborative space for Canadian composers, conductors, artists and partners.

“I continue to be energized by the individual and collective brilliance of our musicians and inspired by the vision at the heart of Canada’s National Arts Centre,” said Alexander Shelley. “Over the last few tumultuous years, we have engaged in tackling the big issues of our time, pioneered new formats for symphonic music on stage and screen, vigorously championed Canadian creative artists, composers of our time and historically underrepresented voices, toured through Europe and to Carnegie Hall, grown our recording catalogue and inaugurated a flagship mentorship program.

He added: “Our plans for the coming seasons are no less ambitious. It remains a privilege and a joy to lead this wonderful orchestra and to serve our vibrant audiences both here in Canada’s capital, across the country and around the world.”

EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

“Alexander Shelley provides exceptional artistic leadership to Canada’s NAC Orchestra,” said Christopher Deacon, NAC President and CEO. “Season after season, the Orchestra has continued to develop in terms of repertoire, collaborators, and level of excellence. I’m delighted that he has renewed his contract.”

“Since his arrival, Alexander has helped to cement the Orchestra’s reputation as a world-class ensemble. As well, he constantly inspires and pushes us all to rethink and redefine the orchestra’s role in society,” said Nelson McDougall, Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra. “Through his vision and passion, the NAC Orchestra is increasingly acclaimed for its daring programming and powerful storytelling, as exemplified by the recent tour to Carnegie Hall, entitled Truth in Our Time, which featured the premiere of an NAC Orchestra commission from Philip Glass, his Symphony No. 13. We are so fortunate to call him our Music Director and I look forward to our continuing partnership.”

“It is always a pleasure to make music on stage with Alexander when he is conducting,” said Yosuke Kawasaki, NAC Orchestra Concertmaster. “I’m equally impressed by his collaborative leadership in his role as Music Director. Since his arrival he has championed not only this Orchestra, but also Canadian creation and artists. His dedication and commitment to nurture our next generation of artists and audiences is truly inspiring.”

NAC ORCHESTRA MILESTONES UNDER ALEXANDER SHELLEY

Recordings

Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra have recorded and released several albums, some of which were nominated or won Juno Awards. They include standard and infrequently performed classical works, as well as newly commissioned works, from Canadian composers. Albums with Montreal label Analekta include: Life Reflected, ENCOUNT3RS, New Worlds and The Bounds of our Dreams. Also Darlings of the Muses and Lyrical Echoes, two of the first albums in a four album series featuring the work of Clara and Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Albums with Decca records include: The Moon and the Forest featuring classical guitarist Milos.
Since the start of the COVID pandemic, Alexander Shelley has also led the production and performance of the NAC’s first-ever livestream concert series.

Tours

Alexander Shelley has led highly successful NAC Orchestra tours, including the Cross-Canada 150 Tour in 2017 and the 50^th Anniversary European Tour in 2019, which featured dozens of performances and extensive educational outreach to diverse communities.
Earlier this year, Alexander led the Truth in Our Time Tour to Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and, for the first time in 30 years, to New York’s City storied Carnegie Hall. Repertoire featured the world premiere of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 13, an NAC Orchestra commission in tribute to the late Canadian American journalist Peter Jennings.

Diverse Voices

Alexander Shelley has championed new works and showcased diverse voices and stories during his time at the NAC, notably as part of programming for Life Reflected, Encount3rs, Reggae Roots, and the upcoming Songs for Murdered Sisters.
In 2019, as part of Mòshkamo: Indigenous Arts Rising, the NAC Indigenous Theatre’s opening festival, the NAC Orchestra showcased Indigenous composers during six performances in the Southam Hall.
During the 2020-2021 season, Alexander led UNDISRUPTED,, the ground-breaking television series that invited four Canadian visionary women to each curate a 30-minute episode with the NAC Orchestra. (Streaming on CBC Gem).
A recent triumph was this year’s NACO Live: Marsalis & Mahler featuring Alexander and the Orchestra performing the Canadian premiere of a tuba concerto co-commisioned by the NAC Orchestra and composed by Wynton Marsalis featuring NACO principal tuba Chris Lee

Mentoring Young Canadian Artists

Throughout his time at the NAC, Alexander has sought to showcase and mentor young and diverse Canadian classical music artists, such as the soloists from CBC’s “30 under 30”. He also led the development and recent launch ofl the NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program, a unique side by side opportunity for diverse young professional musicians to rehearse and perform alongside the NAC Orchestra, with excellent early results.

$1 MILLION GIFT

As Alexander Shelley’s relationship with the NAC Orchestra is extended for years to come, the NAC is pleased that NAC Foundation has also confirmed that generous and longstanding donor Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L. – a proud Newfoundlander with roots across Canada – has committed another $1 million gift, following one made in 2018, in support of Mr. Shelley’s artistic vision. “I have seen how Alexander inspires, teaches and creates with the NAC Orchestra, audiences, young artists and students and I am honoured to be able to support the work of the NAC, its Orchestra and the engaging Alexander Shelley.”

ABOUT ALEXANDER SHELLEY

Alexander Shelley succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in September 2015. The ensemble has since been praised as “an orchestra transformed … hungry, bold, and unleashed” (Ottawa Citizen) and Alexander’s programming credited for turning the orchestra “almost overnight … into one of the more audacious orchestras in North America.” (Maclean’s magazine).

Alexander first gained widespread attention when he was unanimously awarded first prize at the 2005 Leeds Conductors' Competition, with the press describing him as "the most exciting and gifted young conductor to have taken this highly prestigious award.” In August 2017 Alexander concluded his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker, a position he held since September 2009. The partnership was hailed by press and audience alike as a golden era for the orchestra, where he transformed the ensemble’s playing, education work and international touring activities. In January 2015 he assumed the role of Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Described as “a natural communicator both on and off the podium” (Daily Telegraph) Alexander works regularly with the leading orchestras of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin,, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Gothenburg Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Sao Paulo Symphony and the Melbourne and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras.

The Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc)

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

The Orchestra has a rich touring history and has toured 95 times since its inauguration in 1969, visiting 120 cities in Canada, as well as 20 countries and 138 cities internationally. In recent years, the Orchestra has travelled across Canada, the United Kingdom and China. In 2019, the Orchestra marked its 50^th anniversary by showcasing the work of six Canadian composers in a seven-city European tour that included performances and education events in England, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden; and in April 2022, it made its long-awaited return to Carnegie Hall. The Orchestra breaks boundaries with its regular commissions of new creations, including the critically acclaimed Life Reflected (2016) and UNDISRUPTED (2021). Its commissions and recordings have won JUNO Awards for Best New Classical Composition in 2018 and 2019.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

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Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613 301-2764
annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

Julia Bacic
Communications Strategist
NAC Orchestra
613-299-3679
julia-bacic@nac-cna.ca

STATEMENT: NAC Flags Fly at Half-Mast in Honour of Renowned Choreographer, performer and Mentor Tedd Robinson

August 31, 2022

It was with great sadness that the National Arts Centre (NAC) learned of the death of Tedd Robinson, a beloved figure in Canada's dance community, creative innovator in the performing arts, treasured mentor, and artistic consultant to innumerable dance artists in Canada and abroad.

A MAVERICK

Tedd Robinson’s enduring legacy is the extraordinary body of work he created over his 45-year career. In addition to its strong imagery, his work probed universal themes, and yet displayed a deeply touching intimacy and vulnerability. He was committed to seeing the stage as a platform where the performer could communicate delicately and indirectly, where solemnity was sometimes laced with unexpected flashes of humour. Always spectacle, and, in his words, a "minimal circus," his highly anticipated performances won the hearts of audiences across Canada.

Robinson's work off stage was equally remarkable. Under the guidance of Peter Boneham, he learned to develop his style of artistic consultancy and mentorship. He was as much the student as the teacher, latterly opening himself to receiving new perspectives from younger artists.

"He will be remembered as a caring and inspiring guide whose distinctive humour, openness, curiosity and keen intelligence were always generously shared. His absence will be deeply felt by the dance community," said Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance.

The NAC’s flags will fly at half-mast this week in honour of Tedd Robinson.

TEDD ROBINSON
Tedd Robinson was born in Ottawa and studied at York University, the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and with eminent British visual theatre artist Lindsay Kemp. He first rose to prominence as Artistic Director of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg (1984-1990), where he created highly theatrical ensemble works. After returning to Ottawa in 1990 to pursue a solo career, he became firmly established as a choreographer, educator, and solo artist whose critically acclaimed, award-winning works won him a multitude of commissions, touring, and teaching engagements across Canada and abroad. His collaborations over the past 25 years embraced projects with both emerging and established artists, including Louise Lecavalier, Margie Gillis, Peggy Baker, Ame Henderson, Yvon "Crazy Smooth" Soglo, Mako Kawano, and his long-time creative partner, composer/performer Charles Quevillon. He was most at home performing in intimate theatres and unusual spaces. He presented An Autopsy of an Archive, his final work for the stage, at Ottawa Dance Directive to sold-out audiences in February 2020. His work was influenced by his six years of study as a monk in the Hakukaze soto zen monastery in Ottawa.

Robinson was Artistic Director of 10 Gates Dancing Inc., a non-profit company formed in 1998 to promote the development, appreciation and performance of contemporary dance-theatre creations. Through 10 Gates, he created, performed, consulted, hosted residencies, experimented with new models of collaboration, and nurtured the next generation of dance artists.

Tedd Robinson was an NAC Associate Dance Artist, winner of the 2014 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts, and recipient of the Chalmer's Award for his seminal work Rokudo: six destinies in three steps. His work was regularly co-produced by NAC Dance, and presented on the NAC Dance Season, at the Canada Dance Festival, and in partnership with the Ottawa Dance Directive.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carl Martin
Senior Advisor, Strategy and Communications National Arts Centre
613-291-8880
carl.martin@nac-cna.ca

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ARTS ALIVE: IGNITING CREATIVE SPIRITS ON STAGE, IN SCHOOLS AND ONLINE

August 25, 2022

The NAC offers a wide range of new – many free – virtual arts learning resources on a revamped website, in addition to exciting in-person programming

August 25, 2022 – OTTAWA (Canada) – In 2022-2023, we welcome educators, parents, and kids of all ages to check out our workshops for students, performances for families and schools, professional development events, resources for artists, and more.

Arts Alive – a collaboration between the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Dance, Indigenous Theatre, English Theatre and French Theatre, as well as Popular Music and Variety – offers learning and engagement programming in music, theatre, and dance, both within and outside of the National Capital Region. We also work with partners and communities to produce and support programming across the country.

Navigate the NAC Arts Alive Program’s newly designed website, where theatre, dance and music come alive.

NEW IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR SCHOOLS

Arts Alive programming is available in-person again, and educators in the National Capital Region can invite us to present new workshops and old favourites in their classrooms. Making a theatrical time capsule, learning to write plays, creating characters inspired by nature – these are a few of the new activities available. Keep visiting our website (hyperlink) or subscribe to our newsletter for new offerings throughout the season, including dance and music workshops currently in development.

SCHOOL MATINEES AT THE NAC

Educators can choose from a concert performance, puppet theatre, playful and poetic theatre, Sky Dancers, the latest Michel Tremblay or a special delivery to the classroom. Check out the school matinees available to educators and their students throughout the NAC’s 2022-2023 season.

FREE VIRTUAL ARTS RESOURCES

With our free virtual arts resources, we are bringing toddlers, children, youth and even adults the joy of the performing arts. From video learning series about Indigenous dance, the music of India, or the roots of reggae, to creative workshops, theatre and choir performances, or colouring pages featuring Indigenous words from across Turtle Island, there’s something for everyone. One of the best things about these resources? Not only are they free, but they are also available right where you are – in classrooms or living rooms anywhere in the country and around the world.

THANK YOU TO OUR LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS

Learning and Engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. The Arts Alive Program is made possible thanks to the leadership support of National Partner, The Azrieli Foundation. Thank you also to The Janice and Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, Grant and Alice Burton, Calm Air, Canada Life, Canadian North, A Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Ottawa, Friends of the NAC Orchestra, Donors to the NAC Foundation's Future Fund, the Government of Nunavut, The Craig Foundation, John & Judy Bragg Family Foundation, The Thomas Sill Foundation, The Turnbull Family Community Building Foundation, and the donors and sponsors of the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust, the primary resource for youth and education funding at the National Arts Centre.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Mireille Allaire

Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre

343-998-4244

jenna.spagnoli@nac-cna.ca

PASSING OF DR. DAVID LEIGHTON, FORMER BOARD CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

August 17, 2022

The NAC lowers flag at half-mast to honour his memory and legacy

August 17, 2022 – OTTAWA (Canada) – It is with much sadness that the National
Arts Centre (NAC) learns of the passing of Dr. David S. R. Leighton, O.C., who served
as Chairperson of the NAC’s Board of Trustees for seven years (1999–2006). The NAC
will lower its flag at half-mast this week to honour the memory of Dr. Leighton and his
contribution to the arts sector.

“Dr. David Leighton was a nation builder. He cared deeply about our country and its
institutions, and to that end, he accepted to act as Chair of the National Arts Centre’s
Board of Trustees in a time of great need,” said Adrian Burns, current Board Chair of the
NAC. “His formidable intellect and vast corporate expertise remain an inspiration to all of
us who worked alongside him at the NAC. We truly mourn the loss of this great man.”

“On behalf of the National Arts Centre, let me share my most sincere condolences with
the family of Dr. David Leighton, who must feel his loss keenly,” said Christopher
Deacon, President and CEO of the NAC. “David Leighton and my predecessor, Peter
Herrndorf, made a dream team that turned around the good ship NAC at its most
tumultuous time. He was a figure of sound governance with a genuine passion for the
arts and, most especially, classical music.”

“What an extraordinary loss the passing of David Leighton is for this country as a whole,”
added Peter Herrndorf, former President and CEO of the NAC (1999–2018). “He was a
towering figure in the arts, in business, in the university world and in the world of the
Olympics – a man of vision, integrity, kindness and honour. All of us who were lucky
enough to know him mourn his passing. David was truly a great Canadian, and I can’t
imagine our country without him.”

A LIFE DEDICATED TO LEARNING, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
AND THE ARTS

Dr. David S. R. Leighton was born in Regina,
Saskatchewan, on February 20, 1928, and attended
school in Regina, Calgary and Ottawa. He obtained a BA
from Queen’s University, a MBA with High Distinction and
a DBA from Harvard University, as well as LLD degrees
from Windsor and Queen’s. He became Professor
Emeritus at the Ivey Business School. He has held
teaching appointments at Harvard University, the
University of Western Ontario, Stanford University,
Emmanuel College in Cambridge, England, the University
of Lausanne, the University of Tel Aviv and the University
of London, England.

In 1970, Dr. Leighton became President and CEO of the Banff Centre, where he served
for 13 years. He guided the Centre through a period of unprecedented growth. He later
became Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Arts Centre, from 1999 to 2006,
leading the NAC through a challenging time, working alongside then President and CEO
Peter Herrndorf.

Renowned for his understanding of corporate governance, Dr. Leighton published
books, including Making Boards Work: What Directors Must Do To Make Canadian
Boards Effective (McGraw-Hill Ryerson Trade), and advised governments on board
appointment process. In addition to serving as Board Chair of the NAC, he served as
Chairman of Nabisco Brands Ltd, and as a board member of numerous corporations and
non-profit organizations such as Gulf Canada, Rio Algom, Telemedia, Montreal Trust,
GSW, Scott's Hospitality, GW Utilities, Camco Inc, and Cambridge Shopping Centres.
Upon his appointment as Officer of the Order of Canada in 2003, the Office of the
Secretary to the Governor General issued this citation:

“Dr. David S. R. Leighton was a visionary who was instrumental in the development of
education, business and the arts in Canada. Professor Emeritus at the University of
Western Ontario, he has co-authored many seminal works on business management
and corporate governance that reflect a uniquely Canadian perspective. He has served
on the board of directors for a variety of organizations that have benefited from his
expertise and financial acumen. In addition, he served as president of the Banff Centre
for the Arts, where he transformed a small, seasonal school into an internationally
renowned institute. The first Canadian to be elected president of the American Marketing
Association, he [was] chair of the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees.”

Full Obituary: https://www.bowriverfuneral.com/index.php?f=obit%2C910

ABOUT THE NAC
The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the
performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts
programming in various streams – the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in
collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and
Popular Music and Variety – and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists
from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded
territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Annabelle Cloutier
Executive Director, Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
613 301-2764
annabelle.cloutier@nac-cna.ca

NAC Flags Fly at Half-mast in Honour of Renowned Conductor and Composer Bramwell Tovey

July 13, 2022

It was with great sadness the National Arts Centre (NAC) learned of the death of Bramwell Tovey, a towering figure in Canada’s classical music world and an influential arts leader worldwide.

Maestro Tovey was a conductor and prolific composer with a body of work spanning more than 40 years. The charismatic Tovey was known for his easy connections with audiences and musicians alike. He last appeared in Ottawa in March 2019 with the NAC Orchestra and violinist James Ehnes, a close friend of Tovey, who has performed music Tovey composed personally for him. At the time of his death, Mr. Tovey was in the midst of writing a violin concerto commissioned by the NAC Orchestra for Ehnes.

The NAC’s flags will fly at half-mast this week in honour of Bramwell Tovey.

A KIND AND GENEROUS MAN

“Bramwell Tovey enriched Canada’s cultural life in so many ways,” said Christopher Deacon, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre. “He was a visionary who championed Canadian composers, and strengthened the orchestras he led to become a central part of the identity of the cities they worked in. Our most sincere condolences to his loved ones.”

“Bramwell was a kind and generous man who built a remarkable musical career across continents,” said Alexander Shelley, Musical Director of the NAC Orchestra. “His tireless work nurturing the next generation of Canadian musicians has inspired me and many others. He will be missed.”

Bramwell Tovey was born in the United Kingdom and it was during his mid-1980s tenure with the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet that he made his Canadian debut on a tour at the National Arts Centre.

After emigrating, he became a driving force for music in Canada, as a conductor, orchestra builder, composer, music education advocate and passionate proponent of new music. He made major contributions to orchestras and opera companies across Canada: 18 years as music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of L’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, artistic director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and co-founder of its New Music Festival, among his work with many others.

Nelson McDougall, Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra, remembers that “Bramwell was the epitome of the multifaceted musician. Ballet, opera, orchestra – he conducted it all, accumulating Grammys and Junos along the way, and keeping up composing and playing piano alike. His programming for the Winnipeg New Music festival caught my attention as a young musician. To this day I hold that as a great example of commitment to today’s artists.”

He had regular conducting relationships with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the BBC Concert Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

For more information about Bramwell Tovey’s many contributions, please visit bramwelltove.com.

THE NAC ORCHESTRA PRESENTS SPHERE: LISTENING TO THE EARTH, COMING THIS FALL

July 12, 2022

July 12, 2022 – OTTAWA – From September 22-25, the NAC Orchestra presents
SPHERE: Listening to the Earth. Co-curated by NACO Music Director Alexander Shelley and Canadian-Icelandic interdisciplinary artist Dr. Angela Rawlings, this festival focuses on a positive way forward on an ever-changing planet.

In SPHERE’s concerts, NACO will bring Earth and the climate crisis to centre stage, reflecting on the symphony orchestra as an ecosystem in perpetual flux. Audiences at the National Arts Centre and Club SAW will enjoy works by Canadian, Indigenous, American and Nordic composers and guest artists.

“The orchestra is a human eco-system. In our SPHERE festival, we will explore listening to the Earth through the experience of deep time and a meditation of sound with music by iconic living composers like John Luther Adams, Max Richter, Alexina Louie, Anna Clyne, and Outi Tarkiainen, performed by exciting artists like Indigenous mezzo -soprano Marion Newman, and Norwegian violinist, Mari Samuelsen. I am thrilled to invite you to join us on this journey.”

- Alexander Shelley, Music Director, NAC Orchestra

The four-day festival will present a wide variety of writers, scientists, musicians, performers, visual artists, and activists participating in public conversations around the climate and sustainability as the world adapts to a new environmental reality. NACO is delighted to partner with the Canadian Museum of Nature and feature events in both buildings, including pieces from the Museum’s collections at the NAC. NACO is also thrilled to partner with the Royal Danish Library to present Arctic Imagination, a series of conversations around the transformation of a warming North with prominent scientists and artists.

Soundwalks, visual art exhibitions, and an audio installation will also be presented throughout the festival, including a unique beekeeper procession.

SPHERE is presented in collaboration with Nordic Bridges, a year-long cultural initiative led by Harbourfront Centre in Toronto and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Visit NordicBridges.ca to learn more.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Audiences are invited to consider the crucial skill of listening to the Earth, through the collective experiences of symphonic concerts, conversations, and art installations. The four days are themed around planet Earth’s interconnected spheres: Lithosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere.

The Eternal Earth

In the festival opening concert, Indigenous mezzo-soprano Marion Newman makes her return to Southam Hall to perform selections from Outi Tarkiainen’s The Earth, Spring’s Daughter, a song cycle for mezzo and orchestra based on Sami poetry, and Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen makes her Canadian debut performing Max Richter’s widely popular and hypnotic Four Seasons: Recomposed. Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra will also perform The Eternal Earth, by JUNO Award-winning composer Alexina Louie, which embraces the pure sounds of nature, from the lion’s roar to the seagull’s cry. “Part of the job of the artist,” Louie says, “is to be a dreamer. …My music reflects who I am as a person on this Earth.”

September 22, 2022

Become Ocean

Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra will perform John Luther Adams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning large-scale work Become Ocean, a sonic journey through “roiling waves of sound, curling up and out…not so much ebbing as subsuming everything else” (npr.org). If the ocean of our planet has a song, then Become Ocean is it. Also on the program are Restless Oceans by Anna Clyne, and Songs of the Ice by Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen, evoking the slow and silent breathing of the Earth’s ice as it swells in winter and contracts in summer in an age-old rhythm that is gradually being lost.

September 24, 2022

Tune into Nature!

In this SPHERE family concert, Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the NAC Orchestra, and influential leaders and artists from across Canada will celebrate the art and importance of listening with empathy – to our environment, our elders, and to each other – in a concert featuring music inspired by nature and creative responses to our world, the climate crisis, and the times we live in.

September 25, 2022

Arctic Imagination

Co-presented with the Royal Danish Library, Arctic Imagination will present public conversations with leading Nordic, Indigenous and Canadian writers, artists, and scientists throughout the entirety of the festival. Themes surrounding a warming North, biodiversity, sustainability, and “response-ability” will be explored. From moss and mycelia to humans and whales, a warming climate impacts all species. Learn how you can create impactful change and share your thoughts throughout these crucial conversations.

September 22-25, 2022

Your Temper, My Weather

In this major collective performance, Toronto artist Diane Borsato will lead a slow, silent procession of approximately one-hundred regional beekeepers (and other pollinator-loving allies) in a city walk from the Canadian Museum of Nature to the National Art Centre’s rooftop Rose Garden and apiary. Members of the public are invited to watch and/or join the beekeepers in their silent procession at any point during the 1.5-hour performance.

September 24, 2022

Audio Installation: a shimmering ornament of silt

During this four-day installation, Icelandic composer-performer Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir and Western Canadian composer-performer rebecca bruton explore deep time connection through soil degradation and reclamation. Explore how past, future, and present moments reveal themselves in soil at the NAC in this immersive musical experience.

September 22-25, 2022

TICKETS

Concert tickets are already available to purchase online on Ticketmaster or by phone 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS).

Bookings for the rest of the programming, free or accessible with a CMN ticket, will be available in August.

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

SPHERE at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country and abroad. Thank you to the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Royal Danish Library, Nordic Bridges/Harbourfront Centre, the Ottawa Art Gallery, SAW Gallery, and Queen Margrethe & Vigdís Finnbogadóttir's Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society for their collaboration and support to make SPHERE possible.

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank SPHERE Festival Lead Donor, the Janice & Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, and Canada’s Forest Trust. Thank you also to Mark Motors Group, Official Car of the NAC Orchestra, and Official Rail Partner Via Rail. The NAC Orchestra Music Director role is supported by Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LL.D. (hc).

ABOUT DR. ANGELA RAWLINGS

A Rawlings is a mineral, plant, animal, person, place, or thing. Also known as Dr. Angela Rawlings, they are a Canadian-Icelandic interdisciplinary artist-researcher who works with languages as dominant exploratory material. Their practice seeks and interrogates relationality between bodies—be they human, more-than-human, other-than, non. Meditating on languages as inescapable lenses of human engagement, Rawlings’ methods over the past twenty years have included sensorial poetries, vocal and contact improvisation, theatre of the rural, and conversations with landscapes.

ABOUT NORDIC BRIDGES

Nordic Bridges is a year-long exchange of art, culture, and ideas between the Nordic Region and Canada, led by Harbourfront in Toronto and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. Built on shared values of creativity, innovation, inclusivity, Indigenous perspectives, resilience, and sustainability, Nordic Bridges will inspire Canadian artists and audiences from coast to coast to coast.

Programming across over 18 Canadian partner organizations includes performing arts (dance, theatre, circus and music), visual and digital arts, craft and design, literature, film, and the culinary arts. Nordic artists will collaborate with and perform alongside Canadian artists at both established and new festivals and events across the country.

Explore events happening across Canada, at www.nordicbridges.ca.

ABOUT THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF NATURE

“Saving the world through evidence, knowledge, and inspiration.” The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada's national museum of natural history and natural sciences, with roots dating to the mid 19^th-century. The museum provides evidence-based insights, inspiring experiences and meaningful engagement with nature's past, present and future. It achieves this through scientific research, a 14.6 million specimen collection, education programs, signature and travelling exhibitions.

“We’re delighted to partner with the NAC Orchestra for this unique festival, which will celebrate nature and underscore some critical environmental challenges facing the planet,” says John Swettenham, interim co-CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature. “As Canada’s national museum of natural history, we look forward to sharing our knowledge about nature and to listening and learning from Sphere’s creative programs that blend music with art and science.”

Learn more about the Canadian Museum of Nature at www.nature.ca.

ABOUT THE ROYAL DANISH LIBRARY

The Royal Danish Library is the Danish National Library and University Library. King Frederik the Third founded the Library in 1648. The collection was initially part of the King’s private collection, later, under King Christian the Seventh, the Library was made open to the public. Today the Library has buildings and departments at several other locations in Denmark. Combined, they house a considerable part of Denmark’s national cultural heritage, and a great many historical collections that provide insight into European cultural traditions dating back to early history and prehistory. The Black Diamond is a modern waterfront extension to the Royal Danish Library's old building, which apart from its function as a library, houses a number of other public facilities and activities, including the Queen’s Hall, a 600-seat chamber music hall used for concerts, literary events, theatrical performances and conferences. The Royal Library has turned into Scandinavia’s principal scene for live conversations between leading international intellectuals, top politicians and artists. Known for its famous International Authors' Stage that was founded in 2008 and takes place in The Black Diamond, former guests include amongst other writers and thinkers such as Herta Müller, Dario Fo, Günter Grass, Chimamanda Ngozi Adizhie, Haruki Murakami, Abdualrazak Gurnah, Mario Vargos Llosa, Marina Abramović and Salman Rushdie as well as leading international personalities such as Hillary Clinton, Kofi Annan and Emmanuel Macron.

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe. 

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For more information, please contact:

Julia Bacic
Communications Strategist, NAC Orchestra
613-299-3679
julia-bacic@nac-cna.ca

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager, Communications
National Arts Centre
343-998-4244
mireille.allaire@nac-cna.ca

NAC FALL GALA IS BACK WITH JANN ARDEN AND THE NAC ORCHESTRA

July 13, 2022

First NAC Gala since 2019 will celebrate women leading in the arts

JULY 13, 2022, OTTAWA – Jann Arden, the multi-platinum, award-winning singer, songwriter, actor and author, will headline the NAC Gala on Saturday November 5, 2022, performing with the NAC Orchestra in Southam Hall as part of a spectacular evening in celebration of women who are leading in the arts. After the concert, attendees will be invited to party the night away in style at the social event of the fall season.

CELEBRATING WOMEN LEADING IN THE ARTS

“This year’s NAC Gala theme of celebrating women leaders in the arts is close to my heart,” said Jayne Watson, CEO of the NAC Foundation, which organizes the signature fundraising event. “There are so many extraordinary women in the performing arts who are making things happen right across Canada. They are artists, designers, writers, producers, technicians, administrators, volunteers, fundraisers — the list is endless. They do brilliant work for the arts sector, they deserve recognition, and we are absolutely delighted to be celebrating them at the NAC Gala.”

One of those extraordinary women leaders is Adrian Burns, Chair of the NAC Board of Trustees, who in December 2022 will step down after more than two decades of volunteer leadership. Proceeds raised from the Gala will be directed to the new Adrian Burns Fund for Women Leaders in the Performing Arts, which will help create opportunities across the country for professional skills development in the performing arts for women.

In addition, the NAC is delighted that Sophie Grégoire Trudeau will serve as Honorary Chair of the 2022 NAC Gala.

ABOUT JANN ARDEN

An acclaimed singer, songwriter, actress, broadcaster, podcast host, and author, Jann Arden has taken the world by storm for almost three decades. Born and raised in Alberta, Arden catapulted onto the Canadian music scene in 1993 with her debut album, “Time For Mercy,” featuring the hit single, “I Would Die For You”. A year later, with the follow-up album “Living Under June,” she would have her career breakout hit “Insensitive,” which solidified her position in the music scene across Canada and beyond. To date, Arden has released 17 albums and achieved 19 top 10 singles. Her music is available to stream HERE.

With accolades that include 19 top 10 singles, eight JUNO Awards and 10 SOCAN Awards, Arden is a beloved Canadian musical artist and personality. In 2020, she was announced as an inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of Canadian music icons including Alanis Morisette, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, RUSH, The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain and many more.

A versatile artist, Arden co-created and stars as a fictionalized version of herself in the CTV Original Comedy Series JANN, available on CTV in Canada. The first two seasons are available via HULU in the U.S. Premiering in 2019, and the series was the most-watched new Canadian comedy series of the 2018-19 broadcast season. Season three wraps up with the last episode on November 15. The show features Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, Elisha Cuthbert, Keshia Chanté and more. Arden has been involved in Workin’ Moms, Wynonna Earp, Private Eyes and The Detour, she has previously appeared in sitcoms Ellen and Corner Gas. Arden has made guest appearances on CBC’s Rick Mercer Report, as well as regularly appearing as a guest host on The Social. Arden also hosts an iHeartRadio original podcast called The Jann Arden Podcast, discussing everyday life challenges, triumphs, and tribulations. The Jann Arden Podcast is a fun-filled, relatable experience exploring what makes all humans authentically themselves with various special guests, including musicians, actors, politicians, writers and athletes. Listen HERE.

In addition to being a singer/songwriter, Arden is, of course, an author of note, peppering her words of wisdom with her signature humour. Arden has written five books, the most recent being her new memoir “IF I KNEW THEN: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging,” released in October 2020 via Random House Canada. IF I KNEW THEN follows Arden’s 2017 Canadian bestseller, “FEEDING MY MOTHER: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom Lives with Memory Loss,” which spent a combined 44 weeks on The Globe and Mail bestseller lists.

Follow Jann Arden: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.

SHOWTIMES AND TICKETS

The NAC Gala will take place in the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Saturday, November 5, 2022. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a concert start time of 6.30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale on August 26 at 10 a.m. and will be available through the NAC website, and in person at the NAC Box Office.

SUPPORTERS

The NAC Gala is made possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and sponsors. We are grateful to Sophie Grégoire Trudeau for serving as Honorary Chair. We thank the 2022 Tribute Committee, including Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, Q.C., Christopher Deacon & Gwen Goodier, Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., Dr. Dianne Kipnes, C.M. & Mr. Irving Kipnes, C.M., M. Ann McCaig, C.M., A.O.E., LL.D., Nancy McCain & the Honourable Bill Morneau, Janice O’Born, C.M., O.Ont & Earle O’Born, Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM, Alexander Shelley & Zoe Shelley, and the Bonnie & Daryl Howard Charitable Foundation. Thank you also to our corporate sponsors, including Arel Capital, Emond Harnden LLP, RBC, Powercorp, and BMO Financial Group. Their investment, as well as individual and corporate donors from across the country, help the NAC nurture and develop the creativity of women in all regions across Canada.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION

The National Arts Centre Foundation raises funds to support the National Arts Centre’s work in performance, creation and learning across Canada. Since its founding in 2000, the National Arts Centre Foundation has raised more than $160 million to enrich the lives of Canadians through the performing arts and champion our country’s artists, students and educators.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. 

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FORE MORE INFORMATION:

Mary Gordon
Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications
National Arts Centre
mary.gordon@nac-cna.ca
(613) 601-3877

SPEND YOUR CANADA DAY WITH US: FREE ACTIVITIES ARE BACK IN-PERSON AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022 – OTTAWA (Canada) – Ottawa residents and visitors are invited to mark Canada Day at the NAC on Friday July 1^st, with a vast range of free activities including music, dance, and a sound and kinetic textile installation.

You can start your day at the Glass Thorsteinson Staircase with a Movement in Meditation class at 10 am and keep moving throughout the day at Peter A. Herrndorf Place with Powwow workouts, some fierce Waacking steps with Moov Ottawa Dance co-founder Alea “Didi” De Castro, Bollywood dance basics with Arohafest, and a Capital Sessions: Community house dance practice. Gospel Music is also on the menu, with Academy Choir joining us on the Canal Lobby Stage.

Later in the afternoon, the NAC Orchestra presents a free Canada Day concert hosted by YAO at 3 pm in Southam Hall, featuring soprano Jonelle Sills and trombonist Hillary Simms. At 4 pm, music lovers are invited to the Glass Thorsteinson Staircase as Unisong Choral Festival brings choirs from across Canada to sing Canadian music as one massed ensemble.

From July 1^st to August 31^st, the Canal Foyer will feature Heather Nicol’s sound and kinetic textile installation titled Mary, Anne, Joan, an homage to the artist’s elderly mother and her two younger sisters.

Full Canada Day programming details: Canada Day | Special Event series | National Arts Centre (nac-cna.ca)

The NAC’s free online activities are also a great way to get ready for Canada Day. Visit our website to learn how to make paper birch bark basket with Algonquin artist Simon Brascoupé, print out Indigenous language colouring sheets, or create your own Canada Day dance.

Our 1 Elgin restaurant proudly showcases the fresh flavours and ingredients of Canada, focusing on local seasonal ingredients. Join us in our dining room or on our patio from 11:30 am to 9 pm.

MAKE YOUR CANADA DAY WEEKEND COMPLETE WITH THE BIG BANG FESTIVAL!

The colourful and vibrant BIG BANG Festival! returns to the NAC. Expect concerts of all kinds, mysterious sound machines and musical surprises for the whole family: BIG BANG Festival | National Arts Centre (nac-cna.ca).

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS

Programming at the National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. The NAC Foundation would like to thank Mohammad & Najla Al Zaibak (Bay Tree Foundation), The Azrieli Foundation, BMO Financial Group, John & Bonnie Buhler, Adrian Burns, LL.D. & Gregory Kane, Q.C., Meta, Mohammed A. Faris, Margaret Fountain, C.M., DFA (h) & David Fountain, C.M., Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, C.M., O.N.L., LLD (hc), Susan Glass, C.M. & Arni Thorsteinson, O.M., The Jennings Family, The Leacross Foundation, Mark Motors Group, Janice & Earle O'Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, The RBC Foundation, Rogers Communications, Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM, The Slaight Family Foundation, TD Bank Group, Robert Tennant, The Vered Family, VIA Rail, and The Hon. Hilary M. Weston & the late Mr. W. Galen Weston. Thank you also to our many other supporters across the country.

ABOUT THE NAC

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams — the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre in collaboration with Black Theatre Workshop, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety — and nurtures the next generation of audiences and artists from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville
Communications Strategist
NAC Dance & BIG BANG Festival
National Arts Centre
julie.gunville@nac-cna.ca
613-668-2736

Mireille Allaire
Senior Manager
Strategy and Communications
National Arts Centre
mireille.allaire@nac-cna.ca
343-998-4244

INDIGENOUS THEATRE CELEBRATES AND HONOURS NATIONAL INDIGENOUS HISTORY MONTH AND BEYOND

May 30, 2022

Indigenous Theatre offers a mix of virtual and in-person programming starting June 1st

May 30th, 2022– OTTAWA (Canada) – NAC Indigenous Theatre is presenting a full month of programming this June for National Indigenous History Month (NIHM). Here are some program highlights:
For the first time since 2019, the Indigenous Art Market will be in-person, Sunday June 12th from 10am to 5pm! Over 35 Indigenous artists and artisans will be selling handmade goods in Gail & David O’Brien Atrium. Entry is free and open to everyone.

Also in-person, Indigenous Theatre offers artists intermediate to advanced levels, in two life-drawing classes, the chance to capture Powwow dancing in a two hour life drawing class. Art facilitators will be on hand with guidance and tips. This workshop is also free, and offered Thursday June 2nd and 16th, 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

Additionally, a wide range of virtual offerings will be available, including digital artist studio tours, printable coloring pages featuring multiple Indigenous languages, the latest Dancing the Land video series and more! During this month, Our Stories: Indigenous Book Club features Kevin Loring’s Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, a play that will be a highlight in the 2022-2023 season.

Indigenous programming continues all summer long! Just around the corner is the rescheduled celebration Tomson Highway: KISAAGEETIN* *(I love you/Je t’aime), happening Saturday July 23rd. The unique audio storytelling experience Indigenous Cities is set to make it’s return later this summer, and Indigenous artists and musicians will be on stage as part of the NAC’s new summer programming.

“National Indigenous History Month is a time to reflect on and celebrate Indigenous peoples their cultures and languages. It is also a time to educate ourselves about our shared history, and to find our role in making the future better for all of us. We at Indigenous Theatre and our colleagues at the NAC have some wonderful offerings that will fill your hearts and minds with the power and beauty of Indigenous Artists.”

Kevin Loring, Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre

"We are in a time of reckoning and realization, where validation of our stories and our experiences are international headlines. For our communities, we have always known the truth: the truth has lived in and been passed down through generations. The artists have in many cases held the responsibility of holding and sharing this knowledge. We are honoured to be working with all of our colleagues here at the NAC to hold up these artists and shine a light on their beautiful, powerful, transformational offerings.”

Lori Marchand, Managing Director of Indigenous Theatre

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster to purchase tickets online or call 1-888-991-2787 (ARTS). In-person purchases at the NAC Box Office are suspended until further notice.

As health and safety regulations continue to evolve, we want you to feel as comfortable as possible before you return to the NAC. Please visit nac-cna.ca/visit to find out what you need to know before accessing the building and facilities.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Indigenous Theatre and Programming at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the generous support of individuals and corporations from across the country. The National Arts Centre Foundation wishes to acknowledge the leadership support of Mohammed A. Faris, Kenneth & Margaret Torrance Endowment for Indigenous Theatre and an Anonymous Donor. Thank you to Indigenous Theatre Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group, Official Hotel Partner Embassy Hotel & Suites, and Official Rail Partner VIA Rail. Thank you also to Meta, Presenting Partner of #ReconcileThis, TD Bank Group and the Slaight Family Foundation, Major Sponsors of Indigenous Programming at the National Arts Centre. We also express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts for their longstanding support of the NAC and the arts in Canada.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jenna Spagnoli
Marketing and Communications Associate Strategist
NAC Indigenous Theatre
613 402-9000

Mirelle Allaire
Senior Manager, Communications

National Arts Centre
343-998-4244

THE NAC WILL KICK OFF SUMMER WITH A BIG BANG: A CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL TO DELIGHT YOUNG AND OLD

May 24, 2022

News Release

Summer edition to be presented over the Canada Day long weekend

Ottawa, May 24, 2022 – On July 2 and 3, the sound of children’s laughter will echo through the National Arts Centre (NAC) during the BIG BANG Festival, an all-music event dedicated to youth. Forced to go digital last February, the popular sound adventure is back for 2022 (take 2) in a live edition to bring joy and wonder to young and old alike!

“Nothing compares to the joy of starting the summer with a BIG BANG. After two long winters of hoping for the return of this great sonic celebration at the NAC, it’s about to unfold in the most dazzling way to shake up our legs and delight our eardrums,” says Mélanie Dumont, Festival Programmer and Director of Youth Programming, NAC French Theatre.

Since 2019, the annual BIG BANG has attracted thousands of young visitors and their families to the NAC for an incredible weekend of sound. This summer’s edition, a first for the NAC, returns to a more familiar format with an array of amazing on-site events and performances. Free activities, sound experiences and interactive works of art of all kinds will be offered throughout the weekend.

In addition to the very affordable paid shows, a wide range of performances and activities will be presented free of charge to allow families to enjoy their festival to the max!

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

The BIG BANG shows will blow your mind ... and your ears. This new edition includes a concert in a greenhouse, a hip hop parade, musical plants, secret performances, and much more!

The Greenhouse

Three musicians in a greenhouse are rockin’ some garden songs! Rave party for kids, 360° show—The Greenhouse is all that and more! A concert–performance like a burst of spring freshness in the heart of winter. Who says vegetables are boring?

July 2-3 | $15

35 minutes ● In English ● Ages 2–7

*A French version of the show, Le Potager, will also be presented.

Sarah Thawer

A drumming superstar, Sarah Thawer rocks out in live performances and in her YouTube videos! A born percussionist, she has mastered all styles to perfection, from jazz and funk to R&B and hip-hop. Warning: you may be completely blown away by the energy of this beat pro!

July 3 | $15

45 minutes ● Bilingual ● Age 5+

Music Rooms

Are you a fan of the unexpected? Don’t miss these short, intimate performances! These micro-concerts in a welcoming and casual setting are a festival favourite. Let us guide you to a mysterious and unusual destination inside the NAC, where you’ll meet passionate artists. The series is offered in a “pick-your-own” format: choose just one micro-concert or attend them all!

July 2 & 3 | $5

20 minutes ● Multilingual ● Ages 5+

OVERVIEW OF FREE ACTIVITIES AND SHOWS

Urban Science Brass Band

There’s nothing like a brass band—especially this one! – to turn a place into an improvised dance floor. With its lineup of brass instruments, percussion and MCs, the Urban Science Brass Band cranks up the energy to blast out some hip-hop classics and get everybody up and dancing!

July 2-3 – 3 shows per day | Free

Bilingual ● All ages

Lulling Time

A dozen or so rocking chairs are waiting for you in NAC’s public space. They’re there for young and old alike. Equipped with built-in speakers, each chair wraps itself around you to whisper a few beautiful sung treasures from here and elsewhere. Complete your experience by visiting the LULLING VAN, an authentic Westfalia converted into a recording studio and share your own childhood lullabies.

July 2 & 3 | Free

Multilingual ● All ages

Solarium

Once upon a time, in the heart of the NAC, there was a magical greenhouse where singing plants grew…Visit Solarium and instantly become a sound gardener. Did you really think that all plants grew silently?! An interactive experience for all.

July 2 & 3 | Free

Without words ● For all ages

Piano for All

When a musician and two dancers come across a piano sleeping in the middle of nowhere, anything can happen. A few notes played and the melodies start to flow, the bodies come to life and a thrilling pas de deux begins—dance and music! The talented trio loves a challenge, and constantly pushes itself to take its creativity to the next level. A real joy to watch!

July 2 & 3 | Free

Bilingual ● All ages

Cabin

An impressive mountain of rocking chairs, with a soft carpet in the middle; they stack and nestle together like all the generations that have rocked in them. Come and listen to what the rocking chairs’ memory whispers in your ear. Like a bonfire, it crackles with recollections and possibilities!

July 2 & 3 | Free

Without words ● All ages

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Explore the full lineup and book your spot right here: www.bigbangfestival.ca

WHAT MAKES THE BIG BANG UNIQUE?

Over the past 10 years the festival has travelled to several European cities, from Tallinn to Lisbon, from Antwerp to Athens, from Seville to Dublin, from Lille to Enschede, via Ghent, Brussels, Rouen, Reykjavik and Copenhagen. In 2019, the event took a giant leap across the ocean to land in its first North American city: Ottawa! Since then, each edition has been a resounding success, bringing together thousands of curious people attracted by the many guest artists and some 30 invigorating performances and micro-concerts.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR BIG BANG FRIENDS

The BIG BANG in Ottawa is supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme, Winterlude, the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation, and Sun Life. The BIG BANG is an initiative of Zonzo Compagnie.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s bilingual, multi-disciplinary home for the performing arts. The NAC presents, creates, produces, and co-produces performing arts programming in various streams—the NAC Orchestra, Dance, English Theatre, French Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Popular Music and Variety—and nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences from across Canada. The NAC is located in the National Capital Region on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Julie Gunville

Communications Strategist, BIG BANG Festival

National Arts Centre

613 668-2736