Fall is here, a comet has criss-crossed the sky, elections are looming, and here I am back at my letters to you – and just in time as there’s much to discuss.
First up: Let’s talk about this momentous summer of creation. Seven shows supported by the Fund premiered between June and August, receiving rave reviews. Meanwhile, creations supported by the Fund met audiences in Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, San Francisco, Scotland, the Netherlands, and across Canada, in a record twenty tours.
Vancouver’s Dancers of Damelahamid kicks off fall with the premiere of Raven Mother, a tender gift to Elder Margaret Harris, who offered a profound contribution to the revitalization of Indigenous dance along the Northwest Coast. The culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work, Raven Mother is a reminder of the community-building power of performance. The show is touring coast to coast; please see it if you can.
We’re so looking forward to welcoming Raven Mother at the National Arts Centre (NAC) this month, alongside the record nine Fund-supported shows that will be presented here during the 24/25 season. The list of all the Fund-supported shows on tour is available on our Seasonpage – what’s coming up near where you live?
Secondly: We’re taking action by launching a new initiative. In his final column as Globe and Mail theatre critic, Kelly Nestruck underlined the impact of additional resources on creators:
“I've found time and time again that all Canadian theatre artists need to impress on a grand scale is little extra time and money for making art.”
– Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail
Of course, we completely agree (and not just because he referenced Salesman in China, a Stratford Festival production we were honoured to support and that is coming to the NAC in January). However, incredible performances also require incredible producers – and it’s time to gift meaningful resources to producers too. And so, I’m proud to share that we are launching our very first Creative Producer Fellowship.
We believe that producers are critical catalysts for cultural change and deep community impact. Therefore, we are seeking three ambitious people who share our belief in producing’s changemaking capacities and who are interested in co-creating high impact opportunities to participate in our Creative Producer Fellowship.
What do we mean by producers? People who help artists get their work in front of an audience. Producers are entrepreneurial magicians, wrangling people, resources, and inspiration to manifest ideas into performance. As Kevin Matthew Wong shared with me recently, producers are thinkers, collaborators, and leaders. And our sector desperately needs them. Who better to address the well-documented challenges facing us than people who are unafraid of risk-taking, trained to create possibility, and adept at dismantling barriers while shepherding artistic dreams forward?
Like our investments in creation, our investment in producers is holistic and exuberant. Each fellowship is bespoke and includes mentorship, masterclasses, foundational training, and industry networking. Fellows will also produce their own projects with the guidance and support of our team. We will rely on the potential of collective brainstorming, network-building, and strategic guidance to provide the most meaningful impact possible.
We hope that these fellowships are, to quote David Maggs, “actionable explorations of better worlds to come.” Can you imagine what might be possible when we match well-resourced artistic ambition with well-resourced producorial ambition? Let’s find out!
Huge thanks to my co-conspirators on this program: Lucy Coren, Chris Dearlove, Jean-Paul Courtemanche, Owais Lightwala, and Sarah Garton Stanley. Applications are open now, and the deadline to apply is December 4th, and we hope you’ll share the call with anyone who might be interested.
This fellowship is part of a larger trajectory of change, including a swell of producer training programs like Native Earth’s Indigenous Producer Training Program, Theatre of the Beat's Emerging Producers Festival, and Generator's Producer Development Unit.
More opportunities
And – I’m biased – the NAC Professional Development team continues to develop thoughtful and impactful programing including the Résidence en gestion culturelle, a professional development exchange between the NAC and the members of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française. This program is designed for French-language arts administrators who wish to diversify, deepen or refine their practice and expand their professional network. We are so looking forward to welcoming this wonderful group from across the country to the NAC next week.
And NAC PD has just launched a call for apprenticeship program partners, so please check that out too. Applications are due on December 4. Let’s all keep walking forward together!
Our latest investments will be announced soon – stay tuned!
