The IATSE and the National Theatre School of Canada join to help secure the presentation of the 2018 edition of the Ontario, Atlantic and British Columbia Drama Festivals
The IATSE, the union representing theatre technicians, and the National Theatre School of Canada(NTS) have joined together to help secure the presentation of the 2018 edition of the Ontario Drama Festival, and its offshoots, the Atlantic and British Columbia Drama Festivals, following the withdrawal of Sears Canada as the organizations’ common main sponsor.
Drama Festival alumni and the Canadian theatre community were stunned after learning of the initial loss of the funding. Many expressed their dismay, fearing the end of these beloved local Drama Festivals, which provide opportunities for thousands of high school drama students to convene every year to share ideas, attend training workshops and, most of all, create new friendships and artistic bonds.
The IATSE will act as a sponsor for the 2018 edition and is providing assistance to find additional funders. NTS is also providing immediate financial as well as administrative support, as needed, to Wayne Fairhead, Executive Director of the Drama Festivals. This will be done in close collaboration with festival volunteers, the drama teachers involved, and local communities.
The Drama Festivals showcase secondary school theatre productions in their respective provinces and convene thousands of drama students to perform and compete in a friendly atmosphere. The Ontario Drama Festival, founded in 1946, is Canada’s oldest theatre festival. It helped launch the careers of numerous actors, directors and production professionals, including actors Margot Kidder, Rachel McAdams, Yanna McIntosh and R.H. Thomson, as well as movie director David Cronenberg.
About the IATSE
Founded in 1893, the IATSE is an international union representing members employed in the stagecraft, motion picture and television production, and tradeshow industries throughout the United States, its Territories, and Canada.
About the National Theatre School of Canada
Founded in 1960, in Montreal, the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) offers incomparable training for theatre artists of all kinds, actors, directors, designers, writers, production specialists, to create work that matters. A co-lingual school, NTS includes both an English section and a French section. The School has graduated some 2000 artists who have made incalculable contributions to our collective identity. Some of this country’s most important theatre, performance, film, and television artists are among their ranks, and the School’s influence is felt from coast to coast to coast and across the globe.
