MORE PROGRAMMING DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE’S 2022-2023 SEASON
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
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 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.
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.
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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