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Barbara Irving - Follow Your Bliss
May 9, 2022Mythologist Joseph Campbell is perhaps best known for his advice to “follow your bliss”. Barb Irving has done just that by making the performing arts—one of her greatest passions—central to her life. Barb was a graphic designer with the NAC for almost three decades before her retirement…
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The NAC Orchestra: Sharing Stories
May 9, 2022When live performing arts was suspended in March 2020, the NAC Orchestra continued to seek new ways to engage with communities from across Canada, collaborate with diverse, Canadian artists, and to tell the breadth of stories of our country and our world. Thanks to your generous support,…
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Dancers in the Sky
February 14, 2022The Kipnes Lantern is often referred to as the NAC’s “Fifth Stage”, and rightly so. The Lantern, named after longtime NAC Foundation donors Dianne and Irv Kipnes, is a signature feature of the NAC’s architectural rejuvenation. Since 2017, the Lantern has served as a beacon for the…
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Earth Medicine: Dancing the Land
February 14, 2022To support performing artists during the pandemic, NAC Indigenous Theatre invited artists from across the country to create brief digital works using the land as their source of inspiration. The result is Dancing the Land—passionate, raw and beautiful explorations of the artists’…
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Giving Back to Health Care Heroes
November 29, 2021“This year has been so stressful but to know that our community is thinking of us and took the time to prepare this generous gift, was worth so much. I laughed and cried at the event.” —Shelley, an HR Coordinator at The Ottawa Hospital Thanks to generous donor support, over 100…
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For Love of Friends and the Performing Arts
November 29, 2021Susan and John Melvin may have stopped calling the Ottawa area home in 1996, but the NAC has a permanent home in their hearts. The couple, who settled in beautiful Niagara wine-country more than a decade ago, have a rich reserve of memories to draw from. They began attending performances…
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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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Impact Report 2020-2021
August 26, 2021A HEARTFELT THANK YOU Looking back on last season we have much to celebrate and it’s thanks to you, our donors that helped make it all possible. You helped create inspiring and innovative programming like: • NAC English Theatre’s Grand Acts of Theatre, which engaged 13 of Canada’s most…
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Arts Alive: Creating Lasting Connections
May 28, 2021Thanks to your generous support, children from across Canada continued to be inspired by the magic of the performing arts during an unpredictable school year. Through the newly-designed Arts Alive website, parents and educators can access a range of inspiring performing arts learning…
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Patron, Advocate and Friend
May 27, 2021Over the years, Dr. Shail Verma has evolved from being an occasional attendee at National Arts Centre performances to a committed patron, generous donor, and a strong advocate for the arts. And the NAC could not be more pleased or grateful! Shail came to Ottawa with his family from…
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A Performance-Filled Celebration of Mois de la Francophonie
April 12, 2021With the support of generous donors like you, Francophone artists were centre stage at the NAC throughout March in celebration of Mois de la Francophonie. A diverse virtual program of music, theatre, dance and more drew thousands of visitors, offering Francophiles and Francophones the…
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Canadian Contemporary Dance in Your Livingroom
April 12, 2021From February 17 to 23, nearly 7000 households across Canada pressed pause on their favourite streaming subscriptions to tune into the Canadian exclusive premiere of Crystal Pite’s Body and Soul, performed by the legendary Paris Opera Ballet. The full-length recording of Body and…
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Gerry and Rebecca Grace – Loyal patrons, loyal donors
December 2, 2020“The shows we’ve seen on the stages of the National Arts Centre are equal to if not better than those we have seen in New York, London, Berlin and other places around the world”. So say Gerry and Rebecca Grace of Ottawa, and they should know, after seeing hundreds of amazing and memorable…
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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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Discovering Common Ground Through Dance
November 4, 2020Over the past many weeks and months, the NAC Dance team has been working hard to offer programs aimed at keeping dance at the forefront of people’s minds and hearts. Now in its third year, the NAC Dance Visiting Dance Artist program is doing just that. The Visiting Dance Artist program is…