Topics: national

Kevin Loring announced as the first Artistic Director for Indigenous Theatre

The National Arts Centre’s President and CEO, Peter Herrndorf announced today that Kevin Loring will be the first ever Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre at the NAC, taking up his post on October 16, 2017.   The first season of the Indigenous Theatre Department will coincide with the…

NAC Orchestra in Eskasoni: An unforgettable musical experience

As the NAC Orchestra tour buses travelled along the beautiful tree lined edge of Bras d’Or Lake we knew we had arrived to a very special place. The community of Eskasoni is the ancestral home of Mi’kmaw poet Rita Joe. Her poem I Lost My Talk was the inspiration for NAC Award composer John…

Panel Discussion on Creation and Collaboration through ENCOUNT3RS

In this bilingual panel discussion on Creation and Collaboration that preceded the world premiere of ENCOUNT3RS (April 20-22, 2017), animator Catherine Clark speaks with the six Canadian artists involved in this historic NAC dance-music commission celebrating Canada 150.  Following a…

Unforgettable video: Jessica Linnebach onstage at the NAC as a 7 year old

Just check out the steely focus of Jessica Linnebach in this video of her 7 year-old self! In this archival video, Jessica Linnebach performs onstage at the National Arts Centre and wins the 1990 Canadian Music Competition Grand Prize, at the age of 7. “I remember how excited I was to…

Happy birthday, NAC: Canada’s home for the performing arts turns 45

On June 2, 1969, the National Arts Centre opened its doors for the first time, and history was made. "Not since Expo 67’s shimmering debut has an opening night stirred such an exhilarating sense of grand occasion.” – Time  “After a weekend of splendid weather, the opening night was…

From Bell Centre to the NAC: Ginette Reno set to charm the...

When Ginette Reno sang at the Montreal Forum (now the Bell Centre) for the first time, she was 23 years old and pregnant with her daughter. But she was even more thrilled when she first performed the national anthem before the  first-round Stanley Cup playoff game between the Montreal…

A home for Canada’s artists: NAC Presents enters its fourth year

It’s been nearly three years since the National Arts Centre launched the first season of NAC Presents, in partnership with BMO Financial Group, an all-Canadian series that showcases legendary artists and the icons of tomorrow. For Producer Simone Deneau, it’s been “overwhelmingly amazing”…

huff National Tour: A Creative Exploration of Hope

huff, from award-winning Aboriginal writer, actor and musician Cliff Cardinal, is wrenching yet darkly comic, a journey into a First Nation heart of darkness in a land called Ontario. A charismatic storyteller who combines ancestral history with brutal honesty and biting humour, Cliff…

Beatrice & Virgil: A Collaboration with Factory Theatre

When the 2014-15 English Theatre season was announced last month, Artistic Director Jillian Keiley and Associate Artistic Director Sarah Garton Stanley highlighted the growth of The Collaborations, a unique partnership with theatre companies and artists across Canada. The goal of The…

“Gigs don’t get more prestigious” – Joel Plaskett on performing with the...

Sun goes down upon the bay Looking for somewhere to play I came here to bring the noise To the island girls and the harbour boys – Joel Plaskett, Harbour Boys Joel Plaskett is a clear-voiced singer-songwriter whose music pulses with tight rhythm and guitar. His songs are alternately…

In children’s hands: Music Alive Program meets the music of R. Murray...

Every year Calgary trumpeter Samantha Whelan Kotkas performs for about 1,100 schoolchildren who live mainly in rural Alberta. As a teaching musician for the National Arts Centre’s Music Alive Program, she’s done sessions on making music, and about classical composers like Vivaldi, Mozart…

Why the GG Awards Matter

At the National Arts Centre, Canada is our stage. And every spring we honour and say thank you to some of this country’s greatest artists at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala. The National Arts Centre Foundation raises the funds for the gala, which is presented by…

Music, youth and the North

The National Arts Centre strives to be a catalyst for performance, creation and learning in every part of the country. One of the ways we do that is through our Music Alive Program in Nunavut, which has now reached over 5,000 northern Canadians in Kugluktuk, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet,…

Cultural Collaboration

On September 9th, The Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Minister Shelley Glover, together with NAC CEO Peter Herrndorf and the heads of 5 other cultural institutions, renewed the Collaboration Agreement for the development of arts and culture in the Francophone minority communities…

CEO Peter Herrndorf speaks about the NAC’s role as nation builder through...