Alisa Palmer named new Artistic Director of the National Theatre School of Canada's English section

MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) is pleased to announce that multiple award winner and renowned Canadian director Alisa Palmer will be the next Artistic Director of its English section. She will succeed outgoing Artistic Director Sherry Bie as of January 2013.

After an extensive national search, Ms Palmer was the unanimous choice of an independent Selection Committee composed of Anthony Black (Directing, 2003), Artistic Co-Director of 2b Theatre Company (Halifax, NS), Simon Brault, CEO of the NTS, David Latham, Stratford Shakespeare Festival theatre director and pedagogue, Andrea Lundy, NTS Production program director, Jackie Maxwell, Artistic Director of Shaw Festival, and NTS board member Caroline Mulroney Lapham.

"Alisa Palmer is a daring and astounding theatre artist who has a clear take on Canada's theatrical needs and issues," said NTS's CEO Simon Brault. "She has directed works, conducted workshops and mentored emerging artists across the country; she is one of its top directors and we are thrilled that she has chosen the NTS as her next step in her quest for excellence".

ALISA PALMER
Alisa Palmer is an internationally trained award-winning theatre director, playwright, dramaturge and theatre producer. Ms. Palmer's work is characterized by vivid performances, a bold use of music, powerful visuals and a passionate commitment to build an authentic Canadian theatrical voice. She is the recipient of numerous awards and has premiered and toured original and provocative theatre creations for over twenty years.

Ms Palmer has taught in conservatories and universities across Canada. She was Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre and was Resident Director for the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings. She has just completed her eighth season at the Shaw Festival and has projects in development with the National Arts Centre, and with both the Shaw and Stratford Shakespeare festivals. She is the founder of Vita Brevis, a company overseeing new creation and training projects, and recently, while in residence with Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, she initiated a new training opportunity for young theatre professionals called "Life is Too Short".

Stressing the importance and high expectations of the School's training programs, Alisa Palmer stated that she wishes "to provide Leadership that will create a vessel steady enough to hold the vagaries of personal and artistic growth, with teachers and guides who put the goals of the students first. The School needs to be a place where each artist is, above all, a person, unlimited by gender, race or class."

NTS MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the National Theatre School of Canada is to contribute to the appreciation, reach and advancement of theatre and its related arts in Canadian society by training artists and artisans in all the theatrical disciplines at an arts-oriented school that is national in scope and at the same time open to the world.

SOURCE: NATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL OF CANADA

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