Montreal, Quebec's National Theatre School offers Free 10 Online Program Classes Beginning May 1st
Information compiled by Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic
Montreal’s National Theatre School announces its next phase of ART APART initiative which sounds intriguing not only to professional actors, but also to all non-professional actors who wish to deepen their commitment to the craft.
NTS will offer free ten (10) online training programs covering all theatre disciplines in keeping with its mission to provide incomparable theatre training from artist to artist during this time of self-isolation. This is another opportunity for all artists to share dialogue and knowledge across the country.
Professional actors, directors, designers, composers and theatre makers, artists who are part of the teaching team at NTS, will offer free 10 online classes available to all artists, to support the deepening of their craft during this time of isolation.
“We have a responsibility to constantly interrogate ourselves on how best to meet the needs of our community,” says Alisa Palmer, Artistic Director of the English section. “In the current context, it’s more important than ever to foster a sense of community and to provide creative work opportunities for artists.”
Head to TheatreTraining.ca to learn more about the online classes that will be offered free for registrants in the coming weeks.
Online classes for theatre artists, an exhibition of set and costume design artworks will be presented online for the first time, as well as two performances by graduating students, beginning May 1, 2020 (THAT’S TOMORROW).
OTHER THEATRE NEWS:
This coming Friday and Saturday (May 1 and 2) and next Monday - Wednesday (May 4-6), The New Worlds Festival is the culminating project of the graduation class of the English section of NTS. The Directing, Acting and Play writing students have boldly explored what it means to stage these plays in a virtual setting, adapting quickly and creatively to a challenging situation. In only a few short weeks, the Directing, Acting and Play writing students have boldly explored what it means to stage these plays in a virtual setting, adapting quickly and creatively to a challenging situation
The Game, May 1st and 2nd, on Zoom, live with audience interaction
by Gillian Clark (Play writing 3, Halifax, NS), directed by Angelica Schwartz (Directing 2, Winnipeg, MB), performed by graduating students from the Acting program
i am entitled to rest, May 4 to 6, on YouTube
by Kalale Dalton-Lutale (Playwriting 3, Toronto, ON) and directed by Murdoch Schon (Directing 2, Montreal, QC), performed by graduating students from the Acting program
The general public is invited to watch free of charge these two productions.
Once again, head to Theatre Training.ca for more information and how to register.
DIGITAL EXHIBITION
Each year, 2nd-year students in Set and Costume Design present works created in the first two years of their training: costume sketches, set models, life drawings, paintings, etchings, and more! This virtual event is part of their exhibition design class. In the current situation, the exhibition has been transformed into a website, which is an equally relevant learning experience in their training.
Don’t miss expo-pigments.ca starting May 1.
ABOUT ART APART
Art Apart is an initiative by the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) that provides support to emerging theatre artists, professional artists, and the community during the coronavirus crisis. It’s a way to help minimize the impact of this crisis in the arts community, to provide much-needed assistance to artists by rapidly injecting funds into the arts sector, and to continue sharing knowledge and having a dialogue among artists across Canada.
100 emerging artists received $750 grants to present a piece of art online. This sum comes from an existing fund dedicated to community initiatives. The 100 Art Apart artists are students currently enrolled in and artists graduated within the past five years from a theatre training program anywhere in Canada. They have been selected from 575 applications and reflect the diversity of languages, cultural backgrounds, provinces, regions and fields of theatre studies in Canada.
ABOUT MONTREAL, QUEBEC’S NATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL
The National Theatre School (NTS) is a global leader in theatre training. Since 1960, it has trained artists, in English and French, in all of theatre’s trades and professions. Many of its 2100 alumni are among the most active and recognized actors, directors, designers, writers, and production professionals in Canada and around the world.
NTS also delivers a broad range of community programs that make theatre more accessible to all Canadians, as a tool for building empathy and personal development. Among other programs, NTS presents the NTS Drama Fest, an annual festival for high school students across the country, allowing them to showcase their unique work.
To access: TheatreTraining.ca. Make sure you are on the home page for NTS. At the top of the page, you will see “Art Apart”. Click ART APART. In the drop down menu, click THE PROJECT. If by chance, you don’t see ART APART at the top of the screen, it may be on the right side. Click there, ART APART and then click THE PROJECT.