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Welcome to the NAC’s first radio play series: Irresistible Neighbourhoods
September 9, 2024When NAC English Theatre Associate Producer Judi Pearl approached me about co-producing a series of radio plays, I was thrilled. My love for radio drama dates back to my teenage years, when I first tuned into CHUM Radio to listen to Theatre of the Mind. What makes radio drama so…
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Are you under 30? You are in the right place!
August 29, 2024Young and less young are welcome at French Theatre! Whether you have a few gray hairs or not, we await you with shows for absolutely all tastes. And if you’re under 30, it’s even better: a ticket will only cost you $15 – isn’t that wonderful?! Are you a teen? You’re in the perfect…
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Irresistible Neighbourhoods: Preparing and recording Ottawa 2044
June 16, 2024You are invited to cast your mind 20 years into the future of the place where you live. What would make your neighbourhood… irresistible? In 2023, we asked emerging local playwrights to walk through their neighbourhoods and offer possible futures in the form of a radio play. Welcome to…
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Sustaining artistic risk
March 18, 2024The Creation Fund’s tag line is We fund risk. Artistic creation is inherently risky, conjuring creative and logistical ingredients together in entirely new ways, all driven by the question “What if...?” One of the beautiful/infuriating truths about artistic creation is that there is no…
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Investing in creativity and new beginnings
February 8, 2024Is there such a thing as a true beginning? Whether we’re talking about the start of a year, a new creation, or – in my case – a job, the word beginning can feel not quite right. For example, does creation begin with the spark of an idea, the first time you describe a concept to someone…
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Ottawa’s artistic haven: The Studio experience
February 1, 2024Imagine a space where creativity knows no bounds, where artistic expression flows freely, and innovation thrives. Welcome to the intimate Azrieli Studio at the National Arts Centre, where unforgettable moments in theatre, music, and dance happen, drawing you closer to the action. Step…
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Fur-ocious satire flipping the script of Canadian history
January 23, 2024Frances Končan’s Women of the Fur Trade is a comedic and playful look at Canadian history, re-examining the narratives of Treaty 1 territory, the fur trade era, and the building of a new nation through a vibrant mix of rom-com and satirical gold. Frances is an Anishinaabe and Slovene…
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Producers, the “Alchemists” of the Performing Arts
December 7, 2023For the second consecutive year, the National Arts Centre (NAC) hosted the National Producer Gathering. Held from November 20 to 25, this gathering was an opportunity for the dozen participants to share their knowledge and find solutions to the issues they face. Despite the crucial role…
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Orienting ourselves in the dark
November 30, 2023And suddenly, it is the end of November. For those of us in the Northern hemisphere, this means a time of shorter days and expanding nights. Here in Ottawa, brief sunrises accompany rumours of snow and the kind of cold that clears your mind. As we ease into darkness, I simultaneously…
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ThisGen Fellowship 2024: Call for Applications
November 12, 2023Why Not Theatre, in partnership with the National Arts Centre, is excited to announce the 2024 iteration of ThisGen Fellowship. ThisGen Fellowship is a national initiative that supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) women and non-binary performing arts practitioners get to the…
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Catherine Vidal on the creation of La mouette (The Seagull)
November 6, 2023Dear friends of French Theatre, So many things have been considered, put in place and tried out for the production of La mouette (The Seagull) since I wrote to you last January that this brief letter won’t be enough to cover them all. (By the way, in order to make the best use of the…
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Wild visions for a new season
October 11, 2023New season, new Sarah! In truth, I am not so new… I started as Artistic Associate the day the NCF was born, arriving during a time of big dreams and big questions. The process of bringing the Fund to life was itself pure creation – feeling our way through the unknown, experiencing moments…
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Honouring Walter Borden – A celebration of a Canadian theatre icon
September 26, 2023We are eagerly counting down the days until we can unveil Walter Borden’s masterpiece, The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time, at the NAC this fall. You may recall that the original performance, slated for February 2022, had to be cancelled due to protests in downtown Ottawa. But Walter and the…
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NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival
May 5, 2023NAC Hip Hop Theatre Festival Curated by Rose-Ingrid Benjamin with Nina Lee Aquino and NAC Popular Music and Variety NAC English Theatre January 31 - February 10, 2024 Emerging in the 1970s from disenfranchised Black communities in the Bronx, hip hop has exerted a resounding influence on…
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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…
