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| Hello, You are receiving this e-bulletin because you are a preferred contact of the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). |
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NEW WORDS: ARCTIC OCEAN BY JILL CONNELL
The NTS’s next public performance is Arctic Ocean, written by 2011 graduating playwright Jill Connell. It will be performed at the Hydro-Québec Studio of the Monument-National from April 26 to 30, 2011. The play is directed by Denise Clarke, associate artist with One Yellow Rabbit. When asked about the impetus behind Arctic Ocean, Jill had this to say: “Maybe the death of Michael Jackson?… It’s about being inhabited by faraway things… the earthquake in Haiti, the oil spill in the Gulf, the moons of Jupiter, the |
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| Arctic Ocean… Basically, feeling alien in a world where we are so deeply connected.” The play, which deals with belief and relevance, poses a particular challenge to the 2011 graduating actors and to the graduating students working behind the scenes: “They must stay true to a strange world and turn the magical into something very real,” explains Jill. | |
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APRIL 15: DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING CALP PROJECTS
The Cultural and Artistic Leadership Program (CALP) continues in 2011 thanks to the support of generous donors and the renewed efforts of the School to maintain what has become, over the past six years of CALP’s existence, a major source of funding for projects submitted by the School’s students and recent graduates. It supports original and innovative projects that combine a quest for artistic excellence and a will to reinforce the social impact of theatre. Through this program, the School aims to encourage the emergence, renewal and recognition of artistic and cultural leadership, which will have an effect in the short, medium and long term – not only on the performing arts, but also on the entire Canadian cultural scene. This Spring, the CALP is open to all of the School’s students as well as its 2008, 2009 and 2010 graduates. The deadline is April 15, 2011. (+) More |
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SCÈNE FINANCIÈRE SUN LIFE OF THE MONUMENT-NATIONAL INAUGURATION The School and Financière Sun Life have formed a partnership, under a three-year sponsorship agreement, to equip and manage a new performance space at the Monument-National, called La Scène Financière Sun Life. The agreement provides operating funds for this new venue as well as programming support in order to present shows by artists from Montreal and all regions of Quebec. Located on the ground floor of the Monument-National, this venue promises to be an intimate and friendly space. (+) More |
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REVEALING TALENT TOUR
Sherry Bie, Artistic Director of the English Section, said it best when interviewed by the National Post prior to leaving for the cross Canada tour on March 2: “As an actor in English Canada, our workplace goes coast to coast; it’s a small community spread out over a large area. This tour will give our students an opportunity (not only) to go home but also to see their workplace.” Theatre audiences were given a glimpse of the rich and versatile talent of the next generation of actors as our 2011 graduating Acting class performed with flair and large doses of inventiveness in the cities of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Kudos go to actors Ishan Davé, Brett Donahue, Matthew James Donovan, Katy Grabstas, Curtis Henschel, Sophie Holdstock, Adrian Morningstar, Philip Nozuka, Alexandra Ordolis, Hugh Portman, Jackie Rowland, and Samantha Wan; Sarah Yaffe (Production, 2006), tour director; coaches and directors Jonathan Goad and Brendan Healy (Directing, 2005); Sherry Bie, Simon Brault, CEO, Catherine Rideout, Development Director, and to all the governors who, in one way or another, welcomed and hosted the students in each destination on this 5-city tour. (+) Read all the news coverage (+) Consult the actors' CVs |
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ALUMNI CELEBRATE ACROSS THE COUNTRY REVEALING TALENT TOUR As the Revealing Talent Tour travelled across the country delighting pre-performance audiences and passers-by alike, the students and accompanying NTS staff were also welcomed by various chapters of the Alumni Association, which organized events in conjunction with the tour. In Toronto, a party was held at Buddies in Bad Times. Chris Banks (Production, 1965), one of the evening’s organizers, reported that over 100 former students, including three members of the School’s inaugural class, attended and a great time was had by all. Calgary was the tour’s next stop, where the event was coordinated by Ellen Close (Acting, 2006). The students performed at the Opera Room and then carried on with a second performance in the lobby of Theatre Calgary. Alumni were in attendance at both performances and the sizable audience of Theatre Calgary’s Drowsy Chaperone (directed by Steven Schipper; Production, 1978) were pleasantly surprised by this ‘random act of culture.’ Vancouver is home to a smaller contingent of alumni; the get-together at the Vancouver Arts Club was nonetheless a memorable evening, which Bill Millerd (Production, 1968) and Pippa Mackie (Acting, 2009) helped orchestrate. Finally, the Economy Shoe Shop bar in Halifax was the venue for a reception organized by Hugh Jones (Production, 1966). Attendance was very good and spirits were high, says Hugh, enabling alumni to reconnect and get to know this year’s graduating class. The students capped off the evening with a heartfelt rendition of their group song… and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Congratulations to all Alumni Association members involved in making these events such a great success and we look forward to seeing as many as possible at the Homecoming weekend in Montreal (October 28 to 30, 2011). |
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SIMON BRAULT: CULTURAL EXPERT
On March 30, 2011 at 6 p.m., NTS CEO Simon Brault will participate in a debate on city building and the future of culture in Montreal. Witold Rybczynski, author of Makeshift Metropolis, University of Pennsylvania professor and Slate architecture critic, and La Presse columnist and Radio-Canada broadcaster Nathalie Petrowski are the two other guests of this event titled “The Walrus McGill Debate at the Segal Centre – If You Build It, Will They Come?”. Simon will also be one of the guest speakers at the “Evolve or Die” conference, organized by the Canadian Museums Association, in London, Ontario, from April 11 to 15, 2011. |
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DENISE GUILBAULT DIRECTS MANHATTAN MEDEA
Denise Guilbault, Artistic Director of the School’s French section, directs Manhattan Medea, by Dea Loher (translated into French by Olivier Balagna and Laurent Muhleisen), at Espace Go, from March 29 to April 23. The production features sets by Max-Otto Fauteux (Set and Costume Design, 2010) and costumes by Mérédith Caron (Set and Costume Design, 1977). (+) More |
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GIVING NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD
The GIVING section on our website has been re-written and refreshed. We have made GIVING simple to understand, good to look at and easy to give. Texts have been revised and photos have been changed and added to show the impact donations have on NTS productions, classes and school exercises as well as the day-to-day concerns of our students. (+) Have a look |
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PHOTO EXHIBITION: CREATING THEATRE FOR 50 YEARS
As part of the celebrations marking its 50th anniversary, the NTS is featuring a never-seen-before exhibition in the main hall of the Michel and Suria Saint-Denis Pavilion, located at 5030 St. Denis Street. Featuring over 1,500 photos taken during public performances and workshops from 1964 to 2010, this continuous slide show provides an impressive look at the diversity of productions created by the School’s English and French sections. All of the photos come from the School’s archives and were taken by several photographers to whom the School wishes to pay homage with this exhibition. It is open to all until the end of October 2011. |
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WOMAN IN WAITING
Paris is celebrating World Theatre Day 2011 in style and Africulture has programmed works by several African writers. One of the works being presented is a 15-minute excerpt of Woman In Waiting, a one-woman play by Yael Farber and Thembi Mtshali-Jones – based on Mtshali-Jones’s life story – and directed by Yael Farber (Director of the NTS Directing program). Woman in Waiting became the first one-woman show from South Africa to ever make the stage at London’s West End. The BBC Radio 4 version of the play won the Gold award for the best Radio Drama produced in Britain at the Sony Academy awards in 2002. Though her work will be presented, Yael Farber is unfortunately unable to attend the Paris event. Yael recently directed the NTS 2011 Graduating Students in her own adaptation of the Theban Plays by Sophocles, called KadMos. (+) More |
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ALUMNI NEWS
Rick Roberts (Acting, 1991) directed Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, running until March 30, at Soulpepper Theatre. The production features John Jarvis (Acting, 1977), Trish Lindström (Acting, 2002 – our photo) and Greg Prest (Acting, 2004). Robert Seale (Acting, 1974) is an Associate Professor in the Theatre Department of Acadia University (Wolfville, NS). Over the course of his career, he has performed over 150 leading roles in the major theatres across Canada and in the U.S. He also does professional consultation, choreography and stunt work for stage and film through his company, Fights Unlimited, for such groups as the National Ballet, Shaw Festival and National Arts Centre. Valerie Planche (Acting, 1987) and Kevin Corey (Acting, 2000) perform in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Dennis Garnhum, at Theatre Calgary, from March 22 to April 10, 2011. |
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Next e-bulletin :: end of April 2011
PHOTO CREDITS Maxime Côté (Yael Farber; Denise Guilbault; Revealing Talent Tour at the Centaur Theatre – front of photo: Hugh Portman; The Importance of Being Earnest – front of photo: Julia Course) Sylvain Légaré – © Culture Montréal (Simon Brault) P.D. (Monument-National) Jackie Rowland (Jill Connell) Cylla von Tiedemann (Trish Lindström; Soulpepper Theatre) © NTS Archive Photo: Would You Buy a Used Planet From this Man?, a collective work directed by Wolfgang Kolneder (September, 1984; André-Pagé Studio). From left to right: Lorne Pardy, Shelley Adamson and Michael Keating (Acting, 1985). Revealing Talent Tour (Alumni Celebrate Across the Country): Brenda Kinsella, NTS Governor, with the 3rd-year actors in Vancouver |
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