Guest Column
Peter A. Herrndorf


Renewing the NAC



On Canada Day 2017, the National Arts Centre will re-open after a $110.5 million architectural rejuvenation that began in December 2015. With a magnificent new entrance on Elgin Street that re-orients the NAC to the city, and transparent new public spaces for all Canadians to enjoy, it is our hope that the “new” NAC will fundamentally change our relationship with our patrons. But as we approach our 50th anniversary year, our rejuvenated building is just one part of our renewal. To understand this, it helps to look to our past.

The NAC was conceived as a Centennial project. Built to support the growing cultural life of the country in both official languages and designed with state-of-the-art production facilities, the mandate was to present and produce the finest music, dance and theatre from the world, and to cultivate the performing arts in Canada.

When it opened on June 2, 1969, the Centre was lauded nationally and internationally for its unique architecture, particularly as an example of the modern Brutalist style, for its reflection of the landscape that evoked a rocky outcropping of the Canadian Shield, and for its distinctive use of the hexagon — a shape that recurs in virtually every corner of the NAC’s vast structure.

While recognizing the architectural merits of its time, critics and patrons throughout the NAC’s life noted some significant deficiencies. From inside, the building’s low ceilings and lack of windows contributed to a dark, bunker-like atmosphere. And from outside, Canadians could not see the activity taking place within, nor could the NAC reflect the country’s artistic life to them.

Most problematic of all was that the NAC faced the Rideau Canal, rather than Elgin Street, cutting off the NAC from the capital and its people. Visitors struggled not only to find the main entrance, but also to understand the identity of this national institution, what goes on inside it, and how they could be part of it. Interestingly, the NAC is one of several Brutalist cultural complexes around the world that are now undergoing a significant renewal to address issues resulting from their original design, primarily the perception of being at odds with — and disconnected from — their urban contexts.

The flaws of the NAC building became even more pronounced in relation to a number of other factors — the evolution in performing arts centre design, the explosion of the performing arts in Canada, and the NAC’s ever-expanding national role across the country.

The architecture of performing arts centres has changed a great deal since the NAC opened. Instead of being placed on a podium (Place des Arts, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center for the Arts), or built as a fortress (NAC, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts), a contemporary performing arts centre is designed to welcome people from all walks of life, and to contribute to its urban context. In this way, a performing arts centre becomes more physically accessible, lessening the intimidation factor of entering what can be perceived as a temple of high art. Lincoln Center, which has undergone major renovations in keeping with these goals, is a perfect example of this. Others include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the Maison symphonique in Montreal, Koerner Hall in Toronto, and the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. All have attracted more excitement, attachment and attendance, and considerably enlivened their respective cities.

We have also seen the exponential growth of the Canadian arts scene in the 50 years since Canada’s Centennial. I am reminded of this whenever I go abroad. When I introduce myself as a Canadian, people inevitably want to talk about Margaret Atwood, the latest film by Denis Villeneuve, a play they saw by Robert Lepage, or the skyrocketing career of Drake.

As Canadian artists have continued to make their mark, the NAC’s national role has greatly expanded over the past 15 years. Whereas in 1969 the centre largely focused on showcasing the best artists on its stages in Ottawa, the NAC today is increasingly a presence in communities across Canada. Our activity in 2017, both across Canada and at the NAC, illustrates this perfectly.

First, the NAC will tour three significant artistic initiatives across the country. The NAC Orchestra’s Canada 150 Tour, which completed its first leg in Atlantic Canada in April and May, will include concerts and hundreds of education events in every province and territory. The tour also included the Atlantic Canadian launch of the NAC’s Music Alive Program, which currently sends teaching artists to rural and remote communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut.

We are touring English and French Theatre as well. NAC English Theatre’s adaptation of Tartuffe by Newfoundland comedy genius Andy Jones will tour Newfoundland in the fall of 2017. In addition, the ambitious Gabriel Dumont’s Wild West Show is being created at the NAC this year by some of Canada’s finest French, English, First Nations and Métis theatre artists, including head writers Jean Marc Dalpé, Alexis Martin and Yvette Nolan. Presented mostly in French and English as well as in Cree, Mitchif and Lakota, the work will be performed in Montreal in the fall of 2017, followed by runs in Winnipeg and Saskatoon in the winter of 2018.

At the same time, in 2017 Canadian artists from across the country are being showcased on the NAC’s national stage. In April, our Dance department commissioned Encount3rs — an unprecedented and critically acclaimed evening that premiered three works, each created by pairing a Canadian composer with a Canadian choreographer — by Ballet BC, Alberta Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada. From June 23 to July 15, our Canada Scene festival will showcase 1,000 artists across many disciplines from all across Canada. And the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards on June 29 will celebrate the lifetime achievement of some of our greatest artists with a special 25th anniversary gala.

Over the past decade, the National Arts Centre has built relationships with indigenous artists and arts organizations country-wide through a number of initiatives, including productions by indigenous artists on our stages, major gatherings of indigenous artists facilitated by English Theatre, our Music Alive Program, and our national Scene festivals, which have showcased hundreds of indigenous artists. On June 15, we announced the appointment of the highly esteemed theatre artist Kevin Loring as our first-ever Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre. In the fall of 2019, he will launch the NAC’s new Indigenous Theatre Department, which will tell a fuller story of Canada to Canadians. He joins the NAC’s artistic team, which is arguably the strongest in North America –Alexander Shelley (Music), Cathy Levy (Dance), Jillian Keiley (English Theatre), Brigitte Haentjens (French Theatre), Heather Gibson (NAC Presents) and Heather Moore (Canada Scene).

The NAC has also become far more entrepreneurial. In 2000, we created the National Arts Centre Foundation in order to dramatically increase our earned revenues. At the time, it raised a few eyebrows: it was practically unheard of for an Ottawa-based organization to fundraise across the country. Thankfully, it was a highly successful move for the NAC, and the Foundation has since raised more than $110 million from donors across the country.

In September 2016, the foundation announced the Creation Campaign, a $25 million campaign to make substantial investments in the creation of ambitious new Canadian work. Donors across the country responded, exceeding the goal and making the most generous gifts the foundation has ever received. The campaign will fuel the National Creation Fund, which, beginning in November 2017, will invest $3 million a year in 15 to 20 compelling new Canadian works by artists and arts organizations across the country– works that are likely to have national and international impact. By investing in them at the development stage, we hope to pave the way for a new model of creation in this country, so that new works by Canadian performing artists can achieve their potential, resonate with audiences, and be presented widely beyond their premiere.

All of these initiatives point to a dramatic shift in the NAC from its earlier decades. But while the NAC had succeeded in building excitement on its stages and increasing its national role, our building remained an obstacle. Audiences told us they found it forbidding, cut off from the city, and that it didn’t represent the excitement of the activity taking place within.

In November 2011, Diamond Schmitt Architects won a national competition to develop a design plan for the NAC’s architectural rejuvenation. Led by principal architect Donald Schmitt, the firm designed a glowing, brilliantly renewed National Arts Centre with large, light-filled and accessible public spaces that would offer breathtaking views of the city, and a striking new entrance on Elgin Street. It was clear to us that with Donald Schmitt’s design, the NAC would finally embrace the Nation’s Capital, welcome patrons, and stand as a living symbol of Canada’s thriving artistic life.

In December 2014, the Government of Canada announced $110.5 million in funding for the architectural rejuvenation project. One year later, construction work began. In the summer of 2016, and after careful consideration, we simultaneously began work on another major project — the $114.9 million renewal of our production equipment and performance halls. Also funded by the Government of Canada, we began with the renovation of Southam Hall, which was completed in September 2016. The production renewal project will conclude in 2018.

The NAC will re-open in three stages. It begins on Canada Day, with the opening of the new Elgin Street entrance, lower atrium, box office and washrooms. That will be followed in the fall by the atrium’s second floor, which includes several new performance and event spaces, as well as the renovated Fourth Stage. The final phase includes the re-opening of the Panorama Room in February 2018.

As we approach our grand re-opening, and as we look toward our 50th anniversary in 2019 and beyond, we have high hopes for the new National Arts Centre. We believe our rejuvenated building will transform our relationship with the public, inviting our patrons to enjoy its attractive public spaces, and allowing us to engage with them in a much more meaningful and contemporary way. But this organization will never just be about the building, no matter how beautiful it may be. At the NAC, we like to say that Canada is our stage. And every day we will continue to work toward being a true catalyst for performance, creation and learning in communities right across the country.

Peter A. Herrndorf is President and CEO of the National Arts Centre.