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National Arts Centre From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search For other uses, see National Arts Center (disambiguation). National Arts Centre Centre national des Arts National Arts Centre Logo.svg National Arts Centre 2010.JPG Address	1 Elgin Street Location	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Coordinates	45°25′23″N 075°41′38″WCoordinates: 45°25′23″N 075°41′38″W Public transit	Ottawa - Line 1 Confederation Line.svg Rideau (opens 2018) Owner	Government of Canada Type	Arts centre Construction Broke ground	1965 Opened	May 31, 1969 Construction cost	$46 million Architect	Fred Lebensold National Historic Site of Canada Official name: National Arts Centre National Historic Site of Canada Designated	2006 Reference no.	9091 The National Arts Centre (NAC) (French: Centre national des Arts) is a Canadian centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal. The NAC has been in operation since May, 31st 1969 and will celebrate its fiftieth birthday in 2019. The National Arts Centre was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2006.[1][2]

Contents 1	History 2	Architecture 3	Departments 4      Artistic aims and performances 5	Performance facilities 6	See also 7	References 8	Further reading 9	External links History Ottawa did not have a major performing arts venue after 1928 when the National Capital Commission expropriated and demolished the Russell Theatre to make way for Confederation Square. Performers and orchestras visiting the capital were required to use the stage of the Capitol Cinema, which had been designed for vaudeville and films. In 1963, G. Hamilton Southam and Levi Pettler founded the National Capital Arts Alliance with the goal of creating suitable venue. They successfully convinced the city and government to build the new centre.

The NAC was one of a number of projects launched by the government of Lester B. Pearson to commemorate Canada's 1967 centenary. It opened its doors to the public for the first time on 31 May 1969, at a cost of C$46 million.[3] The site at one time was home to Ottawa City Hall, and the city donated the land to the federal government. Conductor Jean-Marie Beaudet served as the NAC's first music director (1969-1971). In June 2010, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a life-size bronze statue of the Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson outside the NAC by during her royal tour of Canada.[4]

In February 2014, the centre unveiled a new logo and slogan, Canada is our stage, in preparation for its fiftieth anniversary in 2019. The former logo had been designed by Ernst Roch and was in use since the centre's opening.[5]

Architecture

Statue of Brigadier Andrew Gault in front of National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Interior view of National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario showing suspended glass sculpture Crystal DNA The building, designed by Fred Lebensold, is in the Brutalist style and is based on the shape of a triangle and hexagon. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete. The exterior and many interior walls are faced with precast concrete panels containing exposed aggregate of crushed brown Laurentian granite.[2] The centre rises from a base that sits on a 950-space underground parking garage. The base houses offices, lobbies, dressing rooms, workshops and a restaurant. The site slopes from Elgin Street to the Rideau Canal allowing for a second underground level overlooking the canal. The roof of the base forms a multi-level terrace containing gardens that are open to the public and connects to the Mackenzie King Bridge. The three main performance spaces rise from the base as a series of hexagonal structures also faced with brown precast panels in a variety of textures. Windows are tall, narrow slits framed by vertical ribs. The hexagonal theme flows through the interior and appears in ceilings, light fixtures and flooring. Lobbies and stairwells house several major pieces of visual art.

Plans for the centre included an organ in Southam Hall; however, funding did not permit this. On 17 March 1970, the 25th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, a Dutch-Canadian Committee presented two organs purchased as the result of its Operation Thankyou Canada. The 21-stop concert organ and positiv organ were both constructed by the Flentrop Orgelbouw of Zaandam and given in gratitude for the role played by Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands. The concert organ premiered in a recital 7 October 1973 by Albert de Klerk.[6]

In 2000, the NAC was named by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada as one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last millennium.[7]

In 2014, Heritage Minister Shelly Glover and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced a $110 million facelift of the NAC. At construction, the centre was oriented toward a planned lagoon on the east, which was never constructed. The work would expand meeting and event facilities, install entrances and windows to reorient the focus toward Parliament Hill, and upgrade washroom facilities.[8] The renovated centre opened 1 July 2017 for Canada's 150th Anniversary.[9]

Departments Ever since the centre’s initial construction in 1969, there was both an English Theatre Department and a French Theatre Department: one for each of Canada’s official languages. Not until 2019 did the centre reimagine itself in order to reflect a fuller, more diverse story of Canada to Canadians.

Over the past decade, the NAC has built strong relationships with Indigenous artists and communities through their hosting of the Canada Scene festival, which ever since 2003, showcase hundreds of First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists from across the country each year, bi-annually; the NAC Music Alive Programs in western and northern Canada, which send local teaching musicians into rural and remote schools; and gatherings like The Summit, The Study and The Repast, which bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists from across Canada together to talk about centering Indigenous Theatre and Indigenous voices in their artistry.

Former NAC English Theatre Artistic Director, Peter Hinton, between 2005-2012, took it upon himself to personally ensure Indigenous presence in each of his six seasons as Director with works such as Copper Thunderbird by Marie Clements, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe by George Ryga, Night by Human Cargo (the English Theatre’s first-ever co-production in Pond Inlet, Nunavut), Agokwe by Waawaate Fobister, Where the Blood Mixes by Kevin Loring, and the all-Indigenous production of King Lear, which he also directed.

In 2014, Heritage Minister Shelly Glover and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced a $110 million government-funded architectural rejuvenation of the NAC, which was to be designed by internationally renowned firm Diamond Schmitt architects, and in-operation by 1 July 2017 for the celebration of Canada's 150th Anniversary.[5]

The new and improved NAC building includes more meeting and event facilities; improved washroom facilities, sound and accessibility; entrances and windows that reorient the focus towards Parliament Hill; and efforts towards more diverse programming, through the following targeted initiatives that are to occur between 2015-2020: the implementation of a NAC Creation Fund to financially support future Canadian artists and art; the creation of an NAC Indigenous Theatre department with an Indigenous Director and Indigenous programming; and the renewal of the centre’s national commitment to French Canada and French Canadian artists.

Artistic aims and performances One of the largest performing arts facilities in Canada, at 1,158,000 sq ft (107,600 m2), the NAC works with thousands of artists, both emerging and established, from across Canada and around the world, and collaborates with dozens of other arts organizations across the country. The NAC operates in the performing arts fields of classical music, English theatre, French theatre, Indigenous theatre, dance, variety, and community programming. The NAC supports programs for young and emerging artists and programs for young audiences, and producing resources and study materials for teachers. The NAC is the only multidisciplinary, multilingual, performing arts centre in North America, and one of the largest in the world.

The National Arts Centre is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, considered one of the world's leading classical-size orchestras. Alexander Shelley, a conductor, pianist, cellist and teacher, has been the orchestra's music director since 2015. The artistic director of English Theatre is Jillian Keiley; the artistic director of French Theatre is Brigitte Haentjens; Cathy Levy is the executive producer of dance; Heather Moore is producer and executive director of the Scene Festivals; Heather Gibson is producer of NAC Presents. The National Arts Centre produces a French language podcast presented by Cathy Levy which interviews dancers and people involved in dance performances at the venue. The NAC has since created an Indigenous Theatre discipline. On June 15, 2017, Kevin Loring was announced as the first Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre.

Kurt Waldele was executive chef for two decades, up to his death in 2009. His successor Michael Blackie, was responsible for creating "Celebrity Chefs of Canada" which ran for the both 2011 and 2012. In late 2012 Michael left the NAC to develop his own business in Ottawa located in the west end called NeXT. In 2013, John Morris was promoted to the position executive chef. John Morris worked under chefs David Garcelon, Michael Blackie and Steven Gugelmeier.[citation needed] Kenton Leier was appointed as Executive Chef, effective July 26, 2017.

The National Arts Centre is co-producer of the Canada Dance Festival and co-founder of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, which it operates in partnership with the Canadian Theatre Festival Society. The Magnetic North Theatre Festival is an annual event first held in Ottawa in 2003, where it is held every second year, being held in other Canadian cities in the alternating years. The festival offers not only productions and performances for the theatre-going public, but offers workshops and seminars aimed at theatre students and professionals

Performance facilities The NAC has four stages:

Southam Hall[10], with 2,065 seats, is the largest stage and is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra as well as ballet and other major visiting shows and productions. Babs Asper Theatre[11], with 897 seats, is mostly used for theatre and dance events, plus some concerts. It is home to the English-language and French-language theatre companies. Azrieli Studio[12], with 250-300 seats, is a theatre venue and musical concert space suited for performances requiring a more intimate space. Fourth Stage[13], with 150 seats, opened in 2001 and was completely rebuilt in 2016-17, reopening in October, 2017. It is home to most NAC Presents concerts and a wide variety of community programming.[14][15][16] See also List of concert halls References National Arts Centre, Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada "National Arts Centre National Historic Site of Canada". Canada's Historic Places. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 2012-01-03. Barrie, Judy. "40,000 agog but centre's debut shaky", Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 1969, p. 13 Knelman, Martin (29 June 2010). "Knelman: Oscar Peterson's piano lives on in Ottawa". Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 August 2015. Adams, Jane (February 26, 2014). "National Arts Centre unveils first new logo in 45 years". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2015-06-23. "Two Flentrop Organs are gifts of the Dutch-Canadian Community to Canada". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 2012-01-03. Cook, Marcia (11 May 2000). "Cultural consequence". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 2009-10-11. Chase, Steven (25 March 2017). "Feds unveil $110-million reno job for National Arts Centre". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Robb, Peter (9 February 2016). "NAC renovation will finish with a flourish; massive arts festival planned for summer 2017". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 4 April 2018. "Southam Hall". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 2018-10-14. "Babs Asper Theatre". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 2018-10-14. "Azrieli Studio". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 2018-10-14. "Fourth Stage". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 2018-10-14. "NAC Box Office". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 4 April 2018. "Performance Hall Rentals". National Arts Centre. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Robb, Peter (14 October 2015). "Cash crisis causes Opera Lyra to cease operations". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Further reading Jennings, Sarah (2009). Art and politics: the history of the National Arts Centre. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-55002-886-7. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Arts Centre. Official website Ottawa Chamber Music Society Construction of the NAC (YouTube) vte Landmarks in Ottawa vte National Historic Sites of Canada by location vte Department of Canadian Heritage Canada Categories: Performing arts centres in CanadaConcert halls in CanadaMusic venues in OttawaCanadian federal departments and agenciesDepartment of Canadian HeritageTheatres in OttawaModernist architecture in CanadaBrutalist architecture in CanadaEvent venues established in 1969Arcop buildingsTheatres on the National Historic Sites of Canada registerCanadian CentennialNational Historic Sites in Ontario1969 establishments in Ontario