The National Arts Centre (NAC) is delighted to announce that Sarah Garton Stanley, an award-winning Director, Creator and Dramaturg, will be joining the NAC English Theatre as Associate Artistic Director.

Ms Stanley, a Siminovitch Directing Nominee has been noted for her dedication to the development of the Canadian theatrical repertoire. Ms Stanley has been dramaturg on several projects with incoming NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Jillian Keiley, including her recent production of Oil and Water and the Governor General Award-winning Afterimage both from Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland.

“I am excited to be working alongside Jillian as she brings her tremendous vision to English Theatre at the NAC,” Ms. Stanley said.  “Her reach is extraordinary and her capacity to listen to the voices of this country equally so. I look forward to rolling up my sleeves as we build on the long list of past successes at the NAC, and move forward under Jillian’s Artistic Direction. It is an exciting time.”

A champion of new plays and new voices, Ms Stanley has been privileged to work with many of Canada's most vibrant playwrights and is committed to fostering the talents of many of our most promising directors, playwrights and actors.

"I couldn't be happier that Sarah said yes to this engagement,” said Jillian Keiley. “I've depended on Sarah professionally for years for her exacting eye, her huge understanding of theatre in general and her love for theatre in this country in particular. When Sarah recommends a production to me I won't miss it. I trust her implicitly."

Originally from Montreal, Ms Stanley founded her first theatre company, The Baby Grand (Kingston, ON) in 1985. She went on from there to co-create Women Making Scenes (Montreal) followed by Die in Debt (Toronto), a company renowned for groundbreaking, large canvas, site-specific work. Ms Stanley is a founder of The Harold Awards in Toronto and was the first and only female Artistic Director of Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. She was Associate Director at The Factory Theatre, the inaugural Associate Artist at The Magnetic North Theatre Festival and is the Co-Artistic Director of Self-Conscious Theatre with Michael Rubenfeld. Shows directed by Ms Stanley have been nominated or won Dora Mavor Moore and Chalmers Awards (Toronto), Jessie Richardson Awards (Vancouver), MECCA Awards (Montreal), Robert Merritt Awards (Halifax) and Betty Mitchell Awards (Calgary). Ms Stanley has taught at several institutions including Humber College, Vancouver Film School, and McGill and York Universities. Along with her teaching at The National Theatre School, she also co-helmed with Chris Abraham, the directing program there. Ms Stanley is an adjunct professor in the Theatre Department at Concordia University.

The National Arts Centre

The National Arts Centre is Canada’s home of the performing arts and opened its doors in Ottawa in 1969.  A leading showcase for the performing arts, the NAC presents Canada’s and the world’s best in music, English theatre, French theatre, dance, variety, and community programming. Strongly committed to being a leader and innovator in each of the performing arts fields in which it works, the NAC is a national centre for performance, creation and learning that collaborates with countless artists—both emerging and established—and partners with scores of other arts organizations and arts educators across the country.

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