NAC English Theatre invites proposals for our next round of Grand Acts of Theatre, entitled Grand Acts of Great Hope. With the original iteration of Grand Acts, commissioned companies were invited to create a short, large-scale public outdoor work that brought artists and audiences together for a brief,impactful moment of theatre, full of beauty and meaning, prompted by the call to create a work that “speaks to our times.” For this new iteration, we invite companies from across the country to propose their own Grand Act; this time with the artistic prompt to create a piece that offers audiences a hope for the future; your own, Canada’s or the world’s. A maximum of four selected companies or collectives will receive funds (up to $60,000) to produce and film the works in their own communities, with the short videos then delivered to the NAC to be promoted nationally and internationally on the NAC’s website and social media channels, and potentially screened at the NAC.
We invite you to submit a proposal for something broad-thinking and exciting, something that places art at the forefront of a hopeful vision for the future. Movement, image, music, design, technology and minimal text are all welcome. Surprise us with your imagination and invention! Make something that your community will talk about for years to come.
Selections will be curated by NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Jillian Keiley and Co-Curator Sherry Yoon.
Submission Guidelines
Local events will be funded up to a maximum $50,000, depending on the budget required. A financial supplement of up to $10,000 will be made available for the creation of the video (filming and postproduction).
The NAC encourages you to consider creating a training opportunity for an emerging artist within your project. Additional funding can be made available for this position, up to $1,500.
The NAC intends to make the videos accessible with tools such as ASL interpretation and captioning. We encourage you to likewise consider accessibility in the execution of your live event. Any spoken text (in
any language) will be captioned in both official languages, as per the NAC’s Official Languages Policy.
Ideally the piece engages with your community and your local environment in a unique way. The event must be free to attend and accommodate a live, physically-distanced audience, in accordance with your local health regulations.
Eligibility Criteria
Any professional Canadian theatre or performance company or collective is eligible to submit a proposal.
Key dates
- Submission Deadline: Monday, April 12, 2021 at 11:59pm Eastern
- Selected companies will be notified by Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 5pm Eastern.
- Local performances must take place no later than Sunday, July 11, 2021.
- Final videos must be delivered to the NAC no later than Tuesday, August 3, 2021.
Please click here for the submission form.
Please direct any questions regarding your submission to judi.pearl@nac-cna.ca
