Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The National Theatre School of Canada is launching an ambitious four year growth plan that will radically broaden the School’s impact on Canadian theatre and society. By launching a wide range of new programs NTS is giving more Canadians access to its expertise and facilities, connecting it more deeply with the national community it serves.
“Our game-changing strategy will build a larger and more diverse community around the School, which will serve to strengthen our renowned programs and help nurture the bold and inventive young artists we train,” notes 38-year old NTS CEO Gideon Arthurs. “On a more fundamental level these new programs will introduce more Canadians to the power of theatre to act as a catalyst for debate, empathy and social change. In doing so, I’m confident NTS will be helping to shape a healthier, more compassionate and resilient society.”
Inspired by the excellence of its core training programs, NTS will:
•Initiate Canada’s first Artistic Leadership Development Program to train the next generation of homegrown Artistic Directors, in partnership with the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity Cultural Leadership Program;
•Welcome Indigenous Artists in Residence to begin building a meaningful, evolving and durable relationship with First Nations communities
•Launch a series of design residencies for scenographers to encourage ongoing skills development in that field
•Offer ongoing training and professional development for the theatre industry, including masterclasses and continuing-education opportunities
•Develop programs for young people, introducing them to the power of theatre as a tool for social change
•Create ancillary programming offered to private organizations and the wider public that builds a community of engaged theatre supporters across the country
New programming and pilot initiatives are set to begin rolling out initially in Summer 2017 and be fully operational by NTS’s 60th anniversary year.
“Today, cultural institutions across all disciplines must take a hard look at how to build diverse and inclusive communities around their missions. Operating for nearly 60 years, NTS is taking the lead, reimagining the way we work to continue to offer world-class training and instill change at the root of a theatre industry trying to reinvent itself,” adds Arthurs.
NTS has defined Canadian theatre since its inception in 1960. It has fostered some of Canada’s greatest artistic talents, including Chris Abraham (Directing, 1996), Raoul Bhaneja (Acting, 1996), Morwyn Brebner (Playwriting, 1996), Cliff Cardinal (Playwriting, 2015), Brendan Healy (Directing, 2005), Ann‑Marie MacDonald (Acting, 1980), Hannah Moscovitch (Acting, 2001), Sandra Oh (Acting, 1993) and Penny Ritco (Production, 1971).
About the National Theatre School of Canada
Founded in 1960, in Montreal, the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) offers incomparable training for theatre artists of all kinds, actors, directors, designers, writers, production specialists, to create work that matters. A co-lingual school, NTS includes both an English section and a French section. The School has graduated some 2000 artists who have made incalculable contributions to our collective identity. Some of this country’s most important theatre, performance, film, and television artists are among their ranks, and the School’s influence is felt from coast to coast to coast and across the globe.
2017-03-21
Montreal: The National Theatre School of Canada announces an ambitious four-year growth plan