“When the truth cannot be agreed on, war is inevitable” is something all characters act upon and accept as truth in Mahabharata. Mahabharata is an adaptation of the more than 4,000 year foundational Sanskrit epic, showcasing the story behind the war between two big families.
This year’s programming theme from NAC (National Arts Centre) English Theatre was inspired by a single question — “what if?” The 2025-26 was announced late last week, and Aquino is excited to be bringing fantastical, new, and exciting works to Ottawa audiences.
Trident Moon has been playing at the NAC (National Arts Centre) since April 2, with widespread acclaim by both critics and audiences alike. This moving play, set amid the chaos of a newly divided Hindustan, and just a few years after the end of the Second World War, is written by the equally acclaimed playwright Anusree Roy.
“I am not a dime a dozen!” cries Willy Loman, both to his family and to himself, as both the character and the actor portraying him reel with internal turmoil. The NAC’s production of A Salesman in China lands with the gut-wrenching intensity of the play staged within it, drawing audiences into a world of colliding cultures and conflicting responsibilities.
A love story spanning continents, a pandemic, and war, The First Metis Man of Odesa tells the story of Masha and Matt, a Ukrainian actress from Odesa and a Métis playwright from Edmonton, who meet on a theatre research trip in Kyiv.
Hard to believe we’re nearing the end of August, but there is still plenty of fun to be had in Ottawa this weekend!
What would you think of if you had to imagine your neighbourhood 20 years into the future? For the National Arts Centre’s (NAC) English Theatre program Irresistible Neighbourhoods: Ottawa 2044, the intersection between art and environment are realized in a series of interesting radio plays.
Nina Lee Aquino is going big for her sophomore year as the Artistic Director for the National Arts Centre’s (NAC) English Theatre programming. The NAC has released their English Theatre programming for the 2024-25 season, and the stories are nothing short of an odyssey.
Check out our interview with Nina Lee Aquino and Rose Ingrid Benjamin as they discuss the NAC’s first Hip Hop Theatre Festival., which runs from January 31–February 10, 2024.
Opening the National Arts Centre’s 2023-24 English Theatre season, The Queen In Me is a one-person play set in the world of opera. It includes some operatic songs—but it’s not like going to the opera (or what you think that would be).
Barb Popel: “I was eager to see Calpurnia. So too, obviously, was the audience on opening night. It was the first night of the “Rolling Thunder Ottawa” motorcycle convoy and the NAC building was in the middle of the police “Red Zone”. Nevertheless, there were quite a few people in the audience. Most of the audience laughed at the funny bits, especially in the second act, and almost all of the audience gave the actors a standing ovation.”
BFFs: “Based on the book by Michael Ende, fans of the original story or the 1984 film adaption will not be disappointed.”
Jennifer Cavanagh: “Masterfully performed… Ho’s acting finesse and his accomplished skills as a musician weave an emotional backdrop that becomes utterly entrancing.”
This remarkable play tells the true story of the “whale man from Newfoundland”, Memorial University professor Dr. Jon Lien, who dedicated his life to freeing whales caught in fishing nets.
An astonishing true story, The Pigeon King brings to the stage the Canadian Ponzi scheme that bankrupted thousands of farmers in rural Ontario and beyond.
.gif)
