May all your Wiches Come True!

Bring out the fanfare! Put on your fanciest get-up! Let the festivities begin! The Journal team has put together the best wishes* of some of our friends, allies and guardian angels sent in on the occasion of the School’s 40^th anniversary. Happy Birthday NTS… and many more!

* The best wishes are published in the language in which they were originally written.

Layne Colman
Artistic Director, Théâtre Passe-Muraille, Toronto

I saw one of the School’s works, You are Here, in Toronto recently. The show was a production by Daniel MacIvor. (...) I thought it was magnificent, just an extraordinary production. What a company! (...) I think the NTS deserves appreciation and lots of money, so for its birthday, I’d love to give it a big hug and a million dollars. I think it is wonderful.

Sheila Copps
Minister of Canadian Heritage

(...) Thanks to the National Theatre School of Canada and to its teachers, (...) Canadian theatre stands out for its vitality, originality and innovation. As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I congratulate all the theatre enthusiasts who, for 40 years, have trained our future artists and ensured the success of this institution which is one of the greatest theatre schools of the world. Long live the National Theatre School of Canada!

Richard Monette, C.M
Artistic Director, Stratford Festival of Canada

(...) The National Theatre School has never faltered in the quality of its teaching: it remains the benchmark for all programs of theatrical training. And it has amply fulfilled its promise as a national institution: not only does it seek out and develop outstanding talent from coast to coast, it is, to the best of my knowledge, unique in addressing both the English and the French traditions of our art. (...)

Robert Labelle
Acting General Manager, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(Sponsor of the graduating students’ season at the Monument-National)

The National Theatre School of Canada has truly established itself as a pillar of the arts in our country. The School laid the foundations for many great artists who embarked on a journey towards success and forever changed our cultural landscape. These exceptional performers have played a part in shaping our identity and will forever remain etched in our collective memory. (...)

Marti Maraden
Artistic Director, English Theatre, National Arts Centre, Ottawa

(...) What do I wish for the NTS on the occasion of its fortieth anniversary? My wish is that it continue to seek out the most gifted young theatre artists and technicians the country has to offer. That it continue to train and nurture its students to maintain the high standard it has become known for. That it inspire in its young artists a belief in the extraordinary value of their craft and the importance of excellence in the arts. It is their commitment to excellence that will enrich all our lives in the years to come. (...)

Maurice Forget
President, Montreal Urban Community Arts Council

(...) An institution of international stature, the National Theatre School pursues its distinguished evolution thanks to the constantly renewed, dynamic ties it maintains with professional theatre, to its extensive and accessible library, unique in the field of performing arts, and to the recent public opening of the Monument-National.

Congratulations to all those who have lead this endeavor, and may the School flourish for a long time to come!

Tibor Feheregyhazi
Artistic Director, Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon

The School was located in Montreal for a sacred purpose: because the city is the vibrant center of the two founding cultures. (...) For me it was always very important that these two traditions were living side by side and learning from each other. (...)

Another thing that remains terribly important, (...) is that the School maintain its emphasis on talent. (...) These two things, a healthy relationship between the national cultures and the continued emphasis on talent, are what I wish for the School’s future.

Helen Johns
Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, Government of Ontario

(...) This is a great milestone. Since 1960, when the School first opened, you have given Canadian youth a chance to succeed in all areas of the theatre.

I would like to recognize the hard work and dedication of all staff and students, as well as the volunteer Board of Governors from across the country. You are making an impressive contribution to the vibrant cultural life of Ontario. On behalf of the Government of Ontario, I wish you all the best. Keep reaching for the stars.

Robert Day
Vice President Communications, Government Relations, Community, TransCanada PipeLines Limited

TransCanada PipeLines Limited is proud to be the first official sponsor of the National Theatre School of Canada Audition Tour. (...) We are pleased to play an active role in discovering new talents and in investing in one of Canada’s most precious resources — youth. TransCanada wishes the National Theatre School of Canada another 40 successful years in nurturing their students for unlimited success.

Chris Newton
Artistic Director, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

I would like to see the National Theatre School attract great teachers and great students — that’s really what any school needs. But in a school like the NTS, you are not doing research; instead, you are passing on experience and knowledge, distributing the wisdom of the ages about the theatre. And what one hopes is that the accumulated wisdom is the kind of thing needed to create great acting at a particular time.

The performance environment shifts all the time, and you must be aware about what’s going on in the world. It’s difficult to see sometimes, because we’re so close to it and the environment changes so slowly, but the kind of acting that seemed to make contact when I was a boy is quite different from what is thought of as fine acting now. So what I would wish for the School, then, is great teachers and great students in an environment that is aware of the present day.

Richard Brownsey
Executive Director, British Columbia Arts Council

(...) The School has established the standard for professional theatre training over the past four decades and its graduates have transformed Canadian Theatre. Over these years, BC students have benefited immensely from the professional training offered and from the perspectives brought to the School by students from across the country.

The British Columbia Arts Council is pleased to support the National Theatre School and to recognize its contribution over the past 40 years. May the next 40 years be successful. (...)

Neil Blanche
President du Maurier Arts

(...) Through our long association with arts organizations, we are well aware that many components are required to achieve success in the artistic field. One needs to be visionary, inventive, resourceful, vibrant, dedicated, daring and deeply committed to the task at hand. The National School has certainly demonstrated, over the last four decades, that it is endowed with these attributes. (...)

Bob Sirman
Administrative Director, National Ballet School, Toronto

The National Theatre School functions as one of the most powerful generators of culture in Canada. Undaunted by challenges of language, background and geography, the School champions an innovative approach to professional theatre training that feeds a global appetite for new ideas, energy and talent. My strongest wish for the School’s fortieth anniversary is that it keep alive the spiritual fires that transform all who work and study there, and gain a broader acceptance that generators, too, need to be fuelled. Artistic endeavours must be sustained, which also involves sustaining the School. The National Ballet School, just completing its fortieth anniversary, is a sister organization with the NTS in the sense that we each have in our own fields of endeavour, national training status, and national institutional status. We have to stick together!

John Clark, AM
Director, National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Kensington, Australia

Our schools were established only a year apart. We are inspired by similar goals and despite the distance that separates us physically, we share a common philosophy. We have fought to create a theatre culture that reflects our own concerns and aspirations. Our graduates have transformed the entertainment industries in our two countries and we will carry the fight into what will surely be a great future.

Happy Birthday!

Linda Moore
Artistic Director, Neptune Theatre, Halifax

The National Theatre School of Canada’s forty years represent a substantial part of the history of Canadian theatre as we know it. The Theatre School has been a major contributor to the theatre talent resource of this country and every theatre counts NTS grads among its casts, designers, and stage management/teams every season. I wish NTS continued success with its quality training, and as it is a unique institution in this country, I wish it continued bilingual life in its Montreal home.

Gerry Eldred
Donor, Peter Eldred Bursary Fund

In 1963 NTS/ENT stated that "to achieve a national expression through theatre, it is essential that comprehensive training of the highest standard and in the two cultural traditions of our country be given." The School achieved that aim over its forty years. It provided us with a rare and talented group of teachers; an opportunity to learn alongside individuals that have become the leading actors, designers and technicians in Canada and a career that has given me challenge, joy and a great sense of accomplishment. It has been a wonderful life. Let’s celebrate.

Clay Serby
Minister of Municipal Affairs, Culture and Housing, Government of Saskatchewan

Congratulations to the National Theatre School of Canada on its fortieth anniversary! The government of Saskatchewan salutes the founding group of producers, directors, actors, broadcasters and drama critics who worked to create this national institution, and congratulates all those who have developed the institution over the past forty years. (...) We are proud to have contributed to this institution over the years.

Best wishes in the future.

Douglas Riske
Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Council

The Manitoba Arts Council extends its heartiest congratulations on achieving this milestone. As a funding agency involved with many Manitoba arts organizations and artists, it has been a distinct pleasure to be associated with the National Theatre School over the years. The longevity of the School is testimony to the success of your endeavours, and the impact of your initiatives can be felt in Manitoba, thousands of kilometres away. Best wishes for another successful forty years.

John C. Osler
Chairman, The Alberta Foundation for the Arts

(...) I would like to congratulate the National Theatre School on the occasion of its 40^th anniversary. Over the years the School has become one of Canada’s most important cultural institutions.

(...) I am honoured to have this opportunity to join with others in recognizing the important contribution made by the National Theatre School. The School has enriched our collective cultural heritage and I am pleased to know that a strong tradition of helping young theatre artists reach their goals will continue in the decades to come.

Charles J. Furey
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

(...) It is my pleasure to extend greetings to the National Theatre School of Canada as it celebrates its fortieth anniversary. (...) The National Theatre School of Canada not only educates aspiring artists, it also helps shape theatre in our province and across the country.

Thank you for helping to preserve and strengthen the artistic spirit in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada. Congratulations on your success over the past forty years and best wishes for the future.

Yvette Nolan
President, Playwrights Union of Canada

(...) There is no one in Canadian theatre who has not been touched by forty years of NTS. Those of us who did not attend are transformed by those who did. (...)

But it’s more than that. It is "vital connection with a living theatre" that makes NTS so precious, so integral, to Canadian theatre and — whether they acknowledge it or not — to all Canadians. NTS partnered with many organizations over the years — Stratford and MTC among them — and the flow of professional artists in and out of the School has been steady and vital. (...) They are my peers and colleagues, my heroes and allies. Here’s to another forty years.

Gail A. Shea
Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Government of Prince Edward Island

As Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs for the Province of Prince Edward Island I extend my best wishes and congratulations to the National Theatre School on its 40^th anniversary. As befits a national institution, the graduates of the School have had a major impact on the face of theatre across Canada. Here in Prince Edward Island this contribution has taken the form of example and inspiration for those involved in theatre and leadership within the province’s own theatrical community. May the next 40 years be as productive and rewarding as the past.

Elvy Robichaud
Minister responsible for Culture and Sport Secretariat, Government of New Brunswick

On the fortieth anniversary of its founding, I would like to congratulate the National Theatre School on its success.

(...) New Brunswick continues to support young people who wish to take theatre arts training at the National Theatre School. We are proud of the twenty-odd graduates who appear on (...) New Brunswick stages today, giving us the benefit of the expertise they acquired at the National Theatre School. (...)

Jean-Louis Roux, C.C.
Chairman, The Canada Council for the Arts

(…) it gives me great pleasure to extend my congratulations on the occasion of the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the National Theatre School of Canada, one of the most prestigious training institutions in our country.

You know, of course, how well placed I am to judge of the extraordinary evolution of the School from the time of its founding, and of its crucial contribution to the growth and flourishing of Canadian theatre during the second half of the 20^th century. For decades, its former students have been featured on the playbills in every aspect of the performing arts, literally from coast to coast.

(…) An institution with such a dynamic past has every guarantee of a brilliant future. (…)

Rodney MacDonald
Minister, Tourism and Culture, Nova Scotia

(…) National Theatre School has much to be proud of, having gained an international reputation for its high standards of training actors, scenographers and stage managers. Theatre producers across Canada recognize graduates as well-prepared theatre artists ready to work on the professional stage. This certainly has been the experience of the Nova Scotians who have studied at National Theatre School. We are fortunate that, in recent years especially, many of the students from our province have returned home where they have quickly caught the attention of our professional theatre community.

As the National Theatre School embarks on a new millennium, I wish your board, staff, and students all the best, and success for now and many years to come.

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