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Our Stories are Medicine: Celebrate 5 Years of Indigenous Theatre at the NAC
November 7, 2024In 1969, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe by George Ryga was the first theatre production presented at the newly opened National Arts Centre. This contemporary tragedy powerfully condemns the systemic brutality that confines Indigenous people to lives of social and spiritual poverty, stripping away…
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NAC to bring Canadian performing artists to Expo 2025 Osaka
November 6, 2024Jill Barber, Jeremy Dutcher, Pierre Lapointe, Lisa LeBlanc, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Elisapie, Mary Ancheta Quartet, the NAC Orchestra and others will represent Canada on the world stage The National Arts Centre (NAC) is proud to present a powerful line-up of performing artists at World Expo…
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Full speed ahead on a new season
November 6, 2024Fall is here, a comet has criss-crossed the sky, elections are looming, and here I am back at my letters to you – and just in time as there’s much to discuss. First up: Let’s talk about this momentous summer of creation. Seven shows supported by the Fund premiered between June and August,…
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Who is Catherine Gaudet?
October 28, 2024A Montreal-based choreographer with a strong, singular signature, Catherine Gaudet signed her first choreography 20 years ago, in 2004. She went on to receive the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal in 2022. Over the years, she has collaborated with various artists and companies,…
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Far From The Norm dancers speak about BLKDOG
October 16, 2024Shadows on the wall. Noises down the hall. Life doesn’t frighten me at all. Bad dogs barking loud. Big ghosts in a cloud. Life doesn’t frighten me at all. Dragons breathing flame. On my counterpane. That doesn’t frighten me at all. I go boo. Make them shoo. I make fun. Way they run. I won’t…
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Act of sisterhood and benevolence
October 10, 2024On World Mental Health Day, Safia Nolin and Debbie Lynch-White discuss hatred, pride, and the art of listening In mid-November, Théâtre Prospero’s Surveillée et punie is presented in the Azrieli Studio – a powerful choral work based entirely on the hateful comments that folk singer Safia…
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Jack Everly: 20 years of Pops magic with the NAC Orchestra
October 3, 2024This week, the NAC Orchestra marked 20 years of Jack Everly’s leadership as Principal Pops Conductor, an era defined by passion for bringing Broadway magic and Hollywood blockbusters to life in Southam Hall. Jack began his journey with the NAC Orchestra during its 1999-2000 season, already…
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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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New season, new faces: NACO welcomes four new members
September 24, 2024As the NAC Orchestra (NACO) begins another jam-packed season, we are thrilled to welcome four new musicians to our ranks. Jeffrey Dyrda (violin), Jessy Kim (violin), Sam Loeck (Principal Bass), and Andrew Johnson (percussion) started with the Orchestra at the top of the season, and you may…
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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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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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Navigating Tides: A show that sails between dance and music
September 4, 2024A host of family activities will be offered on September 14 and 15 as part of the SPHERE Festival, including Navigating Tides, an interactive performance that uses music and movement to explore our relationship with water and our connection to the Earth’s ecosystem. This 30-minute “choose…
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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…