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Orchestra shell assembly and installation timelapse
January 17, 2019This time-lapse highlights the complex assembly and installation of the Southam Hall orchestra shell. It is, without a doubt, the shining star of the National Arts Centre’s Production Renewal Project. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, Fisher Dachs Associates, Threshhold Acoustics and…
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Renewing the NAC’s Performance Halls and Production Facilities
July 3, 2018A few hours after the artists performing at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award left the Southam Hall stage, construction workers began work on a project that will dramatically improve the NAC’s performance halls and production facilities. Much of the NAC’s production equipment is…
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Celebrating International Dance Day
April 29, 2018In late April, the Thorsteinson Glass Staircase transformed into an impromptu stage to the delight of the people gathered there for lunch. The beautiful wooden staircase provided excellent sound for Canadian tap virtuoso Danny Nielsen’s snazzy white tap shoes while contemporary dancer Shay…
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New and improved Hexagon Studio makes connections possible across Canada and all...
April 26, 2018The next time you’re at the NAC, take a few minutes to peek inside the window of the Hexagon Studio off of the Southam Hall lobby. “Studio activity is seasonal, but it’s safe to say there is usually one, if not two, very cool things happening in or around the studio every day,” says…
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NAC Art Collection Returns
April 4, 2018When the National Arts Centre first opened in 1969, it was celebrated as an innovative multi-disciplinary performing arts centre. But it was also lauded for its impressive art collection. “The NAC was one of the first public buildings with a budget devoted to the visual arts,” said Robert…
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Reopening the GGPAA Hall of Honour
March 8, 2018In late February the National Arts Centre officially opened the new Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Hall of Honour. The corridor features photos of laureates from the past 25 years. Created in 1992 under the distinguished patronage of the late Right Honourable Ramon John…
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Come and enjoy free programs in the NAC’s new public spaces
January 17, 2018It’s early Monday morning — rush hour. But the people gathered on the new Glass Thorsteinson Staircase at the NAC are feeling anything but rushed. They’re here for the free Movement in Meditation class led by NAC Dance Education and Teaching Artist Siôned Watkins. Movement in Meditation…
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The Kipnes Lantern: Beacon for the Arts
January 17, 2018The National Arts Centre’s Kipnes Lantern has come alive. The three-storey signature element of the NAC’s $110.5 million architectural rejuvenation illuminates the heart of our Nation’s Capital with flourishes of beautiful digital images. In one tableau, swirling blue, red and purple…
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The Canada Room
January 17, 2018A 1969 Prélude Magazine ad described the NAC’s first fine-dining restaurant, L’Opéra, as “Clearly the best in town, yet not that expensive”. Despite that glowing praise, the restaurant closed and was replaced by the popular Panorama Room, which hosted countless meetings and wedding…
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NAC Opening Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting on Canada Day
July 5, 2017His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales today cut a ribbon to officially open the spectacular new glass atrium at the National Arts Centre in the presence of His Excellency David Johnston, dignitaries, artists, architects, construction workers, NAC staff, patrons and members of the…
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Architect Jennifer Mallard discusses the inspiration behind the NAC’s architectural rejuvenation
August 30, 2016When the National Arts Centre was designed in the 1960s it was described as a 'fortress for the arts.' Attending a concert was a formal occasion; a departure from one's everyday activities. "Fred Lebensold, the original architect, envisioned the building as an outcropping of granite in the…
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Our new Elgin St. entrance takes shape
August 23, 2016The framework for the National Arts Centre's new Elgin St. entrance is almost complete. This drone footage provides a top down view of the new digital lantern that will function as a beacon for Canada's national stage. The new NAC will include improved performance spaces, public areas for…
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Watch the NAC lantern take shape
July 29, 2016If you haven’t been near the NAC lately, you may have missed one of the most exciting and dramatic features of our renovation project so far. PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and their team from Delsan-AIM are approaching completion of the demolition phase of the project. Steel supplier Benson…
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Soar above the NAC Construction site
July 20, 2016If only the sound of construction work was as cinematic as Brahms' Symphony No. 4. A great deal of progress has been made on the NAC renovation project. Vast sections of the precast concrete exterior have been removed and the Fourth Stage and Panorama terrace have been demolished to make…
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Southam Hall seats donated to three theatres
June 29, 2016The construction noise emanating from Southam Hall is very familiar to NAC employees now that we have entered the fourth month of the NAC renovations. Crews wasted no time in dismantling our historic venue. The first thing to go was the plush red seats. The NAC will donate more than 1,300…
