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A fond farewell to Heather Moore
May 18, 2022Heather Moore has always felt like she had the best job in the world. As Executive Producer of the National Creation Fund, and before that of the NAC’s biennial Scenes festivals, she got to learn about Canada through its artists. “It has been a privilege to work with so many Canadian…
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World Theatre Day: Azal Dosanjh
March 25, 2022I was eight years old when I began a seven-year-long informal training in theatre. My parents had compelled me to join a theatre camp instead of an arts and crafts camp. Perhaps they foresaw something else that I was more capable of (or maybe they just knew I was a horrific painter). Those…
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Celebrating Black voices this February and throughout the year at your NAC
February 1, 2022NAC English Theatre and Black Theatre Workshop set to begin a historic co-curation partnership More music, dance and theatre featuring Black Canadians will hit the NAC stage in February and beyond, including an exciting first – a shared curation model for the national stage. First…
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Grand Acts of Great Hope: An Enormous Creative Gift
October 15, 2021Following the success of Grand Acts of Theatre, this summer NAC English Theatre once again brought together some of Canada’s most inventive artists with Grand Acts of Great Hope. “This open call ignited the imaginations of theatre and dance companies across the country, while also opening…
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Black Theatre Workshop Extended as Co-Curating Company for NAC English Theatre
July 13, 2021This past December, National Arts Centre English Theatre, in partnership with Black Theatre Workshop (BTW), announced an unprecedented, shared curation model for the national stage. NAC English Theatre committed to the annual appointment of a Co-Curating Company in Residence, and as the…
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NAC volunteers remind us of the value of one, the power of many
April 23, 2021April 18 to 24 is National Volunteer Week! It is a time to recognize the many generous acts of kindness from our tireless supporters, who donate their time and energy to help us deliver the exceptional experiences that National Arts Centre patrons have come to know. This year, the theme…
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Finding Our Light - World Theatre Day
March 23, 2021On this World Theatre Day, NAC Indigenous, English and French Theatres join with artists and audiences from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the many exciting ways theatre stories have been shared during the past year of profound change. On stage and off, we are finding our…
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Black Theatre Workshop named inaugural Co-Curating Company for NAC English Theatre
December 9, 2020On Wednesday, December 9, National Arts Centre English Theatre, in partnership with Black Theatre Workshop, announced an unprecedented shared curation model for the national stage. Beginning in the 2021–22 season, NAC English Theatre has committed to the annual appointment of a Co-Curating…
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A Grand Success for Canadian Theatre Companies Across Canada
December 1, 2020This past summer NAC English Theatre created Grand Acts of Theatre to re-ignite creativity, bring hope, and lift the spirits of theatre artists and performing arts lovers from across the country. Co-curated by English Theatre Artistic Director Jillian Keiley and Sherry Yoon, Artistic…
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The show must go on, even for an audience of six
May 13, 2020Jillian Keiley, Artistic Director of NAC English Theatre, and the cast and crew of Copenhagen were in their final days and nights of tech week. It’s an intense period when a production shifts from the rehearsal hall to the theatre. Sixteen hour days are the norm. So is adrenaline,…
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Bringing Light to Darkness: Neverending is a tale for our troubled times
January 29, 2020Dragons, giant turtles and a massive spider — what’s not to like. All that and much more is in the production The Neverending Story, coming to the National Arts Centre at the end of January. Jillian Keiley has read a lot of scripts and seen a lot of plays in her career. The head of the…
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A gathering of Artist Leaders in Deaf and disability arts and inclusion
September 1, 2016For two and a half days, 13 Artist/Leaders and 12 institutional Respondents gathered at the Stratford Festival to immerse themselves in conversations led by artists from the Deaf and disability arts community, about theatrical performance. "We're building what we hope will be a living…
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Jack Charles’ story of resilience and reconnection
January 14, 2016Jack Charles' experience as a stolen child echoes the plight of Canada's own Indigenous people. This was made clear when he and director Rachael Maza were invited to speak at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa. "It's exactly the same story. It actually started so much earlier…
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Q & A: Algonquin Elder Annie Smith St-Georges and Metis André-Robert St-Georges
January 11, 2016Q. You’ve been welcoming NAC English Theatre audiences to traditional Algonquin Nation Territory since last season. How do you go about this? A. On opening nights, before the play begins, we greet people with a message of peace in a way that acknowledges our presence together on Indigenous…
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Alice’s Looking-Glass Adventures Continues Across Canada
June 25, 2015Director Jillian Keiley with actors playing Alice across Canada: Gwendolyn Collins (Winnipeg’s Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Ellie Heath (Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre), Trish Lindström (the Stratford Festival) and, seated, Natasha Greenblatt (NAC and Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of…