OTTAWA –The National Arts Centre is proud to announce that Canadian comedy legend Eugene Levy has chosen to mentor writer and filmmaker Daniel Perlmutter through the 2012 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program, which is made possible with support from The Keg Spirit Foundation.

The Program allows past recipients of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, which are Canada’s highest honours in the performing arts, to give back to the next generation.  Award-winning writer, performer, director, and alumnus of the acclaimed Second City Theatre comedy troupe, Eugene Levy received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2008.

Mr. Levy’s unforgettable film roles have cemented his reputation as a quintessential comedic actor. Among his most memorable roles are dimwitted newscaster Earl Camembert, serious comic Bobby Bittman, ebullient polkameister Stan Shmenge, and inept dance show host Rockin’ Mel Slirrup. Awards and honours include five Canadian Comedy Awards (two for Best Writing and three for Best Male Performer); New York Film Critics Circle Award (Best Supporting Actor) for “A Mighty Wind;” two Emmy Awards; a Grammy Award; and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2006). Mr. Levy is also Chair of the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab, a CFC Film program presented in collaboration with Just For Laughs.  Despite his international success, Mr. Levy has chosen to remain in Canada, where he acts as a role model to young people aspiring to a career in broadcasting.

Daniel Perlmutter is a Toronto based writer and filmmaker. Among many other projects, he is the co-writer and co-producer of “Peepers,” a dark comedy being distributed by E1 Entertainment that was nominated for five Canadian Comedy Awards, including best script. In 1998, he co-founded Automatic Vaudeville Studios, a “micro-movie studio” that pushed the envelope in underground cinema and live amusement, creating a diverse array of dozens of short films. His latest project, the feature comedy “Fit To Print,” is now in development with Markham Street Films. 

(Full biographies for Mr. Levy and Mr. Perlmutter can be found at the bottom of this release.)

"I'm incredibly excited about the opportunity to work with a comic legend like Eugene Levy. He's been a huge influence on me personally and to have him sit down with me and give his feedback on a script that I wrote will be a real thrill. Working in the arts in this country can be a struggle but to have mentor opportunity like this is immeasurably helpful, and I thank the National Arts Centre for making it happen."

A unique partnership inaugurated in 2008 between the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation and the National Arts Centre, the GGPAA Mentorship Program serves as a creative catalyst and an investment in future Canadian artistic achievement.

Unlike the numerous mentorship programs that support emerging artists, the GGPAA Mentorship Program is designed to offer creative guidance to talented artists in mid-career. 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 is showcased throughout the GGPAA celebrations in Ottawa from May 3 to 5, culminating with the star-studded GGPAA Gala on May 5 at the NAC.

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Program has traditionally been a partnership between the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation and the NAC, designed to offer creative guidance to talented mid-career artists.

This year, the NAC and the GGPAA Foundation are delighted to announce a new partnership with the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), Canada's leading institution for advanced training in film, television, digital media and screen acting Both the CFC and Mr. Levy selected Mr. Perlmutter for the Mentorship Program.  In addition, Mr. Levy will lead a workshop with CFC residents in the fall.

“It gives us great pleasure to be participating in this year’s Mentorship Program as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and we are very grateful to Mr. Levy for sharing his great gifts so generously with Daniel Perlmutter, and with our residents,” said Slawko Klymkiw, Executive Director of the Canadian Film Centre.

It is hoped that in future years, the Mentorship Program will also be able to work in partnership with other Canadian arts education organizations that, like the Canadian Film Centre, specialize in talent development.  

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards and the National Arts Centre Foundation are deeply grateful to The Keg Spirit Foundation, which is generously supporting this year’s Mentorship Program for the fourth year in a row. The Keg Spirit Foundation supports organizations that mirror the mentorship that The Keg Steakhouse & Bar has provided to tens of thousands of young staff for over 40 years. Since 2001, over $5.5 million has been raised for over 300 charities across North America.

“In keeping with our Foundation’s mandate to support quality mentorship programs, we are honoured to help foster a rising Canadian artist like Daniel Perlmutter,” said David Aisenstat, President and CEO of The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, and Chairman of The Keg Spirit Foundation. “I believe passionately in the value of mentoring, and know that with the injection of Eugene Levy’s experience and guidance through the coming year, Daniel himself will be seen as a role model for aspiring filmmakers in the years to come.”

Created in 1992, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards are Canada’s highest honour for the performing arts. This year’s 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 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.

-30-

 For more information, please contact:

 

Rosemary Thompson Director, Communications and Public Affairs National Arts Centre (613) 947-7000, ext. 260 (613) 762-4118 rthompson@nac-cna.ca

Mary Gordon Communications Advisor National Arts Centre (613) 947-7000, ext. 849 mary.gordon@nac-cna.ca

BIOGRAPHIES

Eugene Levy

Award-winning writer, performer, director, and alumnus of the acclaimed Second City Theatre comedy troupe, Eugene Levy is one of Canada’s brightest comedic lights. He is a brilliant practitioner of the kind of topical sketch comedy that has become a trademark of Canadian television, and his film roles have cemented his reputation as a quintessential comedic actor. Born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1946, Eugene Levy studied theatre at McMaster University and joined Second City in 1973. He wrote and performed for the company’s television offshoot, the popular late-night series SCTV, often portraying offbeat characters with a nerdish streak, among them dimwitted newscaster Earl Camembert, serious comic Bobby Bittman, ebullient polkameister Stan Shmenge, and inept dance show host Rockin’ Mel Slirrup. Mr. Levy has appeared in over 50 films, including National Lampoon’s Vacation, Splash, Father of the Bride, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, and the hockey comedy Goon, and achieved cult hero status for his role as the clueless but loving father in American Pie (1999) and its six sequels. He co-wrote (with Christopher Guest) and starred in the satirical “mockumentaries” For Your Consideration (2006), A Mighty Wind (2003), Best in Show (2000), and Waiting for Guffman (1996).  Awards and honours include Member of the Order of Canada (2011); a 2008 GGPAA for Lifetime Artistic Achievement; five Canadian Comedy Awards (two for Best Writing and three for Best Male Performer); New York Film Critics Circle Award (Best Supporting Actor) for A Mighty Wind; two Emmy Awards; a GRAMMY Award; and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2006).

 Daniel Perlmutter

Daniel Perlmutter is a Toronto-based writer and filmmaker. He is the co-writer and co-producer of Peepers, a dark comedy distributed by E1 Entertainment and nominated for five Canadian Comedy Awards, including best script. His other writing credits include working on the animated series Odd Job Jack and Weird Years, and running the writers’ room for the YTV series Seriously Weird. In 1998, he co-founded Automatic Vaudeville Studios (AVS), a “micro-movie studio” that pushed the envelope in underground cinema and live amusement, creating a diverse array of dozens of short films. Relying on a talented repertory company of amateurs and professionals alike, the studio created an inspired catalogue of lunacy and artistic experimentation ranging from monster movies to musicals and from avant-garde events like the acclaimed Schandcycle to fascinating fictional documentaries like Spanked: The Ron Friendly Story, as well as radio projects and more. Through AVS, Daniel has produced, written and directed many short films, including the parody Dancing With Myself, the BravoFACT What They Ate, the experimental Beware of Dog (which played at the Atlantic Film Festival), and the hour-long film The Recommendations (which played at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and the World of Comedy Festival). His latest project, the feature comedy Fit to Print, is now in development with Markham Street Films.