Review: Three Sisters

(from NTS website - Shannon Currie and Stephane Garneau-Monten)

Moscow or Bust
by Caitlin Murphy

Anton Chekhov, that titan of dramatic literature, once ventured that “Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out.”  A master at highlighting the irksome paradoxes of human existence, Chekhov wrote about themes that aren’t only universal but boast a damn decent shelf-life.  Though the National Theatre School’s graduating class’ production of Three Sisters often gets weighed down in the playwright’s less contemporary appeal, the company still rallies to find the play’s resonance.

Directed by Vikki Anderson, and presented at the beautiful Monument National, Three Sisters is about Olga, Masha and Irina, who, in the opening scene, are lamenting the first anniversary of their father’s death.  Quickly we are introduced to the women’s all-consuming desire to return to Moscow – the home of their youth, and the mecca of meaningful, sophisticated and satisfying life.  In the meantime, they toil away in their dull little town, living on promise, and diverting themselves with jovial visits from locally stationed soldiers.

News: Harper/Moore announce commitment to the arts/NTS

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT TAKES CENTRE STAGE

joel fishbane

The Canadian government will invest $9.2 million dollars in the National Theatre School over the next two years, Heritage Minister James Moore announced today. 

“To invest in culture is to invest in Canada,” said Moore, speaking at a packed press conference in the lobby of the National Theatre School in Montreal. Quoting politician and gay activist Harvey Milk, Moore said “I am here to recruit you!” – though in his case, Moore was referring to encouraging the private sector to make a firmer financial commitment in arts and culture.

Theatre for Thought, March 29, 2011

A Musi-Call to Arms

Canadian artists have a burning desire to be a part of musical theatre history...so why aren't we?

joel fishbane

The musical is a much maligned art and nowhere has it been more maligned than Montreal, a city which supports the creation of new musicals but has little desire to train its artists in how one actually works. Students who come to one of our many theatrical training programs are not trained in either performing or creating musicals; and if we have been blessed with one or two unique musical events (will Schwartz’s: The Musical be another?) then we have only fortune to thank. Because the schools have certainty not been doing their job. 

Simply put, it is deplorable that that none of Montreal’s many theatre schools offer specialized musical theatre training. Nowhere is this more the case then NTS, which claims to be a national theatre school but remains uninterested in teaching its actors, playwrights and directors about an artform that remains a part of our national theatrical identity.

First Person: A day in the life of designer David Perreault Ninacs

(ED: David Perreault Ninacs is one of our finest lighting designers—his most recent work was Medea for Scapegoat Carnivale—and teaches design at the National Theatre School. CharPo is enormously pleased to be sharing his essay on one day in his life.)

Monument National; 4:30pm; National Theater School of Canada (N.T.S.);

 2^nd year students’ Central project, day number eight.

“Central’’

“Central’’, as it is commonly called, is the major project that fills the second year’s student syllabus for the production program at N.T.S. It consists of every student in the class having to be director, designer (sound, lights, costume, set and props), production manager, technical director, stage manager, sound and lighting board operator. Everyone changes their role every day for number of days that there are students in the class. ‘’MADNESS ! ‘’ you might say and correct you would be. The project is designed to help the student understand every part of the creation process and its production as well as to help her or him learn about the pressures that accumulate on everybody’s shoulders during the course of the aforementioned processes.

News: NTS students in Ottawa top ten

Ottawa Start blog has named the NTS's Romeo and Juliet in a top ten.

"9) The National Arts Centre’s English Theatre Company collaborated with the National Theatre School’s graduating class in the production of Romeo and Juliet. Twelve students from Montreal worked with the professional actors of the NAC’s English Theatre Company and Artistic Director Peter Hinton to produce a gorgeous rendition of Shakespeare’s classic."

Read the entire list here.