Ottawa (Canada) — Booker Prize-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie is taking part in tributes to some of Canada’s finest performing artists on May 5 at the National Arts Centre as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards 20^th anniversary Gala.

The author of 11 novels as well as several works of non-fiction, Sir Salman’s novel Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize in 1981, and was named the Best of the Booker—the best winner in the award’s 40-year history—by a public vote. His latest work, Joseph Anton - A Memoir, is based on the time he spent hiding while under a fatwa that sentenced him to death in 1989, after having written the novel The Satanic Verses. The recipient of many awards and honours, he received a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in June 2007.

Sir Salman is one of several special guests who will be taking part in the Gala. They include South Park co-creator Matt Stone, actor Nikki James, opera singer Russell Braun, actor, writer and comedian Andy Jones, dancer and choreographer Peggy Baker, arts journalist Shelagh Rogers O.C., and Marie-Hélène Falcon, founder and artistic director of Festival TransAmériques.

Each of the presenters has a personal connection to this year’s laureates of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and will pay tribute to them during a live performance in Southam Hall hosted by Colm Feore. The laureates for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are Janina Fialkowska, Paul-André Fortier, Denis Marleau, Deepa Mehta, Rush and Mary Walsh. Two other distinguished national awards are also conferred each year as complements to the GGPAA for lifetime artistic achievement. This year Earlaine Collins will receive the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, while Des McAnuff is the recipient of the National Arts Centre Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement over the past performance year.

The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards also feature a unique Mentorship Program, which unites past Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award recipients and talented mid-career artists. An announcement on this important program is coming soon.

The 2012 laureates will be honoured at various events in Ottawa from May 3 to 5. On May 3, the recipients will be introduced in the House of Commons and will then attend a Parliamentary reception. On May 4, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present the Awards at a special ceremony and reception at Rideau Hall. On May 5, the National Arts Centre will host a sparkling Gala to celebrate the 2012 recipients, a star-studded celebration featuring superb performances, evocative film portraits and personal tributes by guest stars.

The National Arts Centre is proud to produce the 2012 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala in partnership with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation and the National Film Board of Canada. The Awards are presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts.

The GGPAAF gratefully acknowledges Enbridge as Presenting Sponsor of the GGPAA Gala. The GGPAA Gala is made possible in part by its many sponsors. In particular, the National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank Associate Sponsors McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd. for their support of the Inspiration Seats youth section and Manulife Financial for its support as our Dinner Sponsor. This year’s Mentorship Program is supported by The Keg Spirit Foundation. National Partners are Desjardins Group, Onex Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Weber Shandwick Worldwide, and The Printing House is our official Print Sponsor. The GGPAAF also acknowledges the significant contributions of Regional Partners Cenovus Energy Inc., Cineplex Media, Cisco Systems Canada Inc., DREAM, Holt Renfrew, Invesco, The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, Kinnear Financial, Mastercard Canada Inc., MTS Allstream, Penn West Exploration, Rogers Communications Inc., The Alvin Segal Family Foundation, Shangri La Hotels, and VIA Rail Canada. Impresario Partners include Accenture Canada, Acciona, Aecon Group Inc., Aimia, The Banff Centre, Cement Association of Canada, KPMG LLP, Ledcor, Mark Motors of Ottawa Ltd., McMillan LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Trinity Development Group Inc. Additional in-kind support for the Awards is received from Ecentricarts, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, technology partner IBM, Llama Communications, MacLaren McCann,The Royal Canadian Mint, and media partners National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, Le Droit, Clear Channel and the Hill Times and Embassy Magazine. Grateful thanks also go to the GGPAA Gala’s National Committee of volunteers, led by Honorary Chair The Hon. Hilary M. Weston, CM, O.Ont. of Toronto; Co-Chairs Susan Glass and Arni Thorsteinson of Winnipeg; Past Chairs M. Ann McCaig, CM, AOE, LLD, and James S. Kinnear of Calgary; and all the individuals and families whose philanthropic support helps make these awards possible.

Tickets for the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala on Saturday, May 5, 2012 are available at the NAC Box Office and through Ticketmaster, 1-888-991-2787 or at www.ticketmaster.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Rosemary Thompson
Director of Communications
National Arts Centre
(613) 947-7000 ext 260                                                         
rosemary.thompson@nac-cna.ca