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SPECIAL EDITION A REVIEW OF THE NOVEMBER 2 LAUNCH |
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NTS ALUMNI REVEALED ONLINE... Jake Epstein, Nancy Palk and Michael Riley For 50 years now, the NTS has been providing an environment for students to reveal themselves. As artists, of course, but also as people. Jake, Nancy and Michael will describe the National Theatre School in their own words. www.revealingtalent.com This campaign was conceived by François Forget, Mario Mercier and orangetango. |
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THE SCHOOL SHOWS OFF ITS BRAND NEW BANNERS Sandra Oh, Roy Dupuis and Sylvie Drapeau A 50th anniversary for any Canadian cultural institution is an achievement. It takes will, determination and talent to keep in sync with the times, the trends and the politics. For its 50th, the NTS is showing off its colours and branding its distinctiveness through standards, banners and outsize posters on and in its buildings, as well as on major streets and thoroughfares of Montreal. (+) Read more |
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SEVERAL POLITICIANS PRESENT AT THE LAUNCH
On November 2, many politicians were present at the launch of our 50th anniversary celebrations. The presence of Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, Christine St-Pierre, Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, Raymond Bachand, Minister of Finance, Minister of Revenue and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, and Gérald Tremblay, Mayor of Montreal, confirmed the importance of the School for Montreal and Quebec. We thank them for their kind birthday wishes. The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, could not be present. He did however recognise the contribution of the School to the vitality of the cultural scene in Canada in a written message, which was included in the press kit for the event. |
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THE FIRST YEARS OF THE NTS
Beginnings are always exhilarating times – a kind of magical leap into the unknown. Today, as we celebrate our 50th year in relative comfort, fine surroundings and a theatre of our own, we can only imagine what it must have been like for the 26 English-and French-speaking students entering the Canadian Legion Building on Montreal's Mountain Street (now O'Sullivan College) for the very first time in 1960. Happily, Paul Hecht (our photo) of the 1st graduating Acting class (1963) was handy with a 16mm camera. He filmed rehearsals, classes, encounters in the "green room" as well as a couple of outings. And luckily, all this material was saved by Paul and transferred and edited by 1964 Acting alumnus Gary Files. We are proud to show you glimpses of those first years; you will surely recognize the faces of some of Canada's theatre greats in this stroll down memory lane. (+) View here |
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JUDITH THOMPSON 2010 Gascon-Thomas Speech On November 2, the Gascon-Thomas Award was presented to two of its distinguished alumni: playwright, director, screenwriter, actor, and professor of theatre Judith Thompson (Acting, 1979) and playwright, director, actor, and artistic director of the French Theatre of the National Arts Centre Wajdi Mouawad (Interprétation, 1991). Each recipient was introduced in eloquent terms by NTS students – Krystina Bojanowski (2nd-year Acting) and Isabelle Caron (2nd-year Interprétation). Both addressed the audience attending NTS's launch, composed this year of dignitaries, donors, former NTS directors, and NTS governors, students, teachers, coaches, and staff. Judith Thompson spoke of some of her more vivid memories of the School, of finding her voice as a playwright and of her resolve to broach social issues in her works. (+) Listen to her speech |
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PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE GASCON-THOMAS AWARD RETURN TO THE MONUMENT-NATIONAL STAGE
Since it was created in 1990, the Gascon-Thomas Award has been presented to 40 artists from the country's francophone and anglophone communities who have had an important impact on the theatre scene from coast to coast. As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations launched on November 2 at the Monument-National, the NTS paid homage to past recipients of the award, inviting them to Montreal to attend the festivities and take part in the ceremony honouring the 2010 recipients. Twelve highly respected individuals were able to join us on that day, including the very first recipient of a Gascon-Thomas Award, Joy Coghill (our photo). Ms. Coghill, who lives in Vancouver, was the Artistic Director of the English Acting Program from 1971 to 1973. That same day, in Toronto, she was also being honoured with the Gemini Humanitarian Award but, as she chose to be at the NTS's 50th anniversary celebrations her son was to accept the award on her behalf. Other former recipients introduced to the audience by Andrée McNamara Tait, Coordinator of the Alumni Office, included actor/directors Martha Henry and Diana Leblanc, who were classmates in the NTS's inaugural acting class, arts administrator Mallory Gilbert, actor and NTS alumnus Kenneth Welsh and the artistic director of the Shaw Festival, Jackie Maxwell. Joining them onstage were theatre luminaries Marcel Sabourin, Jean-Claude Germain, Louisette Dussault, Marie-Hélène Falcon, Janine Sutto and Monique Mercure. (+) Read more |
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READ OUR MEDIA COVERAGE
(+) Click here for articles and features |
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PHOTO CREDITS Christian Blais (50th Launch and 2010 Gascon-Thomas Awards) – Photo Credit for "Several Politicians Present at the Launch" : Louis Vachon (President and CEO of the National Bank), Raymond Bachand, Simon Brault, Jodi White, Jean Charest, Christine St-Pierre, Gérald Tremblay, Helen Fotopulos (member of the Executive committee of the City of Montreal). DR (Paul Hecht) |
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