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Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk: A poem for reconciliation
September 27, 2024As Canada observes the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, a day dedicated to acknowledging the legacy of residential schools and the ongoing journey toward healing, we invite Canadians to engage with I Lost My Talk, the heartfelt poem of Mi’kmaw elder Rita Joe. In…
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Jeremy Dutcher brings his ancestors’ songs to Southam Hall
September 20, 2024Ahead of his highly anticipated headlining debut with the NAC Orchestra at Southam Hall on September 13, award-winning composer, musician and singer Jeremy Dutcher checked in with NACO Music Director Alexander Shelley for an illuminating one-on-one about music, identity, and culture. Their…
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AIRsessions: Making connections, one song at a time
September 17, 2024Since 2018, Manitoba singer-songwriter Ila Barker has been hosting AIRsessions, a free music workshop series that mentors Indigenous youth ages 13 to 25. Initially offered only in Winnipeg, AIRsession has became pan-Canadian for over then four years now. Earlier this summer, Barker, who…
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Jeremy Dutcher transcends boundaries with “Motewolonuwok”
September 11, 2024Jeremy Dutcher is a Two-Spirit, classically-trained tenor, composer, ethnomusicologist, performer and activist. He is a Wolastoqiyik member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He studied music and anthropology at Dalhousie University and, after…
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Inner Elder: A journey of resilience through laughter
March 28, 2024Gemini Award-winner Michelle Thrush unveils her life with remarkable honesty and humour in her one-woman show, Inner Elder, arriving at the National Arts Centre from April 11-13. A comedy born from real-life challenges Michelle Thrush embraces the inherent vulnerability in presenting her…
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Gnoondoon, Gwaabmin: I hear you, I see you.
September 25, 2023“It’s invisible, eh… this sickness in our hearts. It’s just a thought, really, a thought that makes us sick. It was someone else’s thought that was taught to us. It’s like they were so afraid of us that they had to teach us to be smaller than them…. And we learned it real good. Our kids are…
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David Serkoak: Talking to youth through drumming
July 14, 2023Sharing his passion for drum dancing with younger generations is what has kept David Serkoak busy over the last few decades. The Inuit elder, originally from Nunavut and a teacher (retired since 2012), visits schools and remote communities to lead workshops in drum making and drum…
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The NAC is Alive with the Sound of Students
March 27, 2023You know when it’s student matinee day at the NAC. On those days, a quick trip to Equator coffee shop begs the question: “Do I weave my way through the hundreds of excited kids, or do I wait until later?” The caffeine enthusiasts among us will jump into the crowd and share the thrill, while…
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To The Moon and Back with Sarah Garton Stanley and the National...
March 27, 2023In July 2022, Sarah Garton Stanley (SGS) joined the NAC’s National Creation Fund as its new Artistic Producer. As an award-winning theatre maker, a change maker and a highly sought-after director and dramaturg, SGS seeks to forge connections between the performing arts and the questions of…
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Pangawogo Ninga Akì: The art of walking gently on the land
December 14, 2022In some Indigenous cultures, the days leading up to the December 21 Winter Solstice is a time of storytelling. “It’s a season of change, when the autumn harvest makes way for the period when elders gather the children and share knowledge,” said Emily Akikodjiwan Brascoupé-Hoefler, an…
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The Breathing Hole: Experience a polar bear’s 500-year journey through unforgettable storytelling...
November 30, 2022Centuries of our land’s stories come to life in both English and Nattilingmiutut The Breathing Hole / Aglu ᐊᒡᓗ hits the stage at the NAC from November 30 to December 10, 2022. Written by Colleen Murphy with Siobhan Arnatsiaq-Murphy and directed by Reneltta Arluk, The Breathing Hole follows…
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Eskasoni Theatre Camp: Sparking a passion for theatre
October 14, 2022Helping young people find their passion through theatre is the aim of a partnership between the National Arts Centre Arts Alive learning and engagement platform, NAC Indigenous Theatre, and the Highland Arts Theatre and the community of Eskasoni, both in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Launched…
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Ngii-noondam, Niwaabamaa: I hear you, I see you.
September 25, 2022“It’s invisible, eh… this sickness in our hearts. It’s just a thought, really, a thought that makes us sick. It was someone else’s thought that was taught to us. It’s like they were so afraid of us that they had to teach us to be smaller than them…. And we learned it real good. Our kids are…
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Music as a tool for cultural exchange in schools
August 24, 2022The National Arts Centre and the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra join forces to celebrate Indigenous culture Since 2019, classical percussionist and PEI Symphony Orchestra member Ryan Elliot Drew and Mi’kmaq musician, dancer, and storyteller Richard “Eagle Dancer” Pellissier-Lush…
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A New Dawn at the NAC
July 6, 2022The National Arts Centre has commissioned a large-scale sculpture titled Dawn by the internationally recognized, multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Belmore. Initiated and funded by Canadian art historian Reesa Greenberg, the permanent artwork was unveiled on July 6, 2022, in the NAC’s new…
