A Vomitorium

The Theatre is another one of the performance spaces in the National Arts Centre. With a seating capacity for nearly nine hundred people, it is mostly used for theatre and dance performances, both put on by the NAC and as co-productions with other arts companies. On this day it was filled with kids being led in some very active dancing by a member of the staff.

You might be wondering what a vomitorium is. I saw the word on a doorway out in the corridor near the Theatre- it's defined as a passage beneath an ampitheatre allowing for audience exits, but also allowing for actors to move back and forth. Such is the case here- this passageway is beneath the curve of the seats within the Theatre. Definitely one of those things we don't usually see.

The third of the halls here is called The Studio. It's a versatile space, seating from 250-305 people, and can be easily adapted- this hexagonal space has no permanent stage or seating- the seats are on removable scaffolding that can be shifted to another section of the room, depending on the needs of performance. On this day, children were being entertained by a marionette specialist in the stage area.

The Corridors

Many of you know Birdman, who's posted his photoblog from Portland, Maine. I saw in another post today the very sad news that he passed away. RIP, Birdman.

There is a warren of passages within the National Arts Centre. For the open house, these corridors, dressing rooms, and various spaces were open to the public. Costumes for Opera Lyra's production were on display.

This map doesn't even include Southam Hall, but gives you a sense of the layout of this area.

It includes this space for makeup and hair. Mirrors are all over. Disreputable rogues can be found here and there.

Photos on the walls include previous theatrical productions and artistic images of future work that is going to transform the exterior of the NAC.

I conclude with this space,which is a wardrobe room, filled with both machines and supplies for sewing.

Election Day

I'm taking a one day break from my current series. It is election day here in Canada. Hopefully this is the last day that infernal Dark Lord of the Sith is in a position of power. A few days back at my writer's blog I did a meme post on my least favourite Prime Minister. He would not approve. To my fellow Canadians, get out there and give this guy the swift electoral kick in the hindquarters that he more than deserves.

In the Parliamentary system, we vote for members of parliament by our ridings as opposed to a party leader. Here in the riding of Ottawa Centre, the signs for the four main party candidates were all together in Dundonald Park: Liberal, Conservative, Green, and New Democrats. The Bloc Quebecois runs candidates through Quebec as a fifth party, we have the odd independent Members of Parliament, and there are a number of fringe parties across the country. Candidates from the Rhinoceros (yes, that's real), Communists, Marxist-Leninists, Libertarians, Progressive Canadians, Marijuana, and Pirate parties and various others are running here and there in select ridings, but fringe parties never garner more than a handful of votes.

Awhile back I showed you an altered pic of myself courtesy of Norma and Collin. I decided to adapt Bane's dialogue from The Dark Knight Rises, and add some memes to it for the electoral occasion.

The Workshop

I have two other shots here from the backstage area at Southam Hall, for the Opera Lyra production of The Barber Of Seville.

Beyond the immediate backstage at Southam Hall is this scenic workshop area, expanding the backstage area even more. It's used for the making of setpieces for theatrical productions, and is filled with tools and machine equipment (and a portrait of Cary Grant, strangely enough). Passing through here, I wondered what my dad, who could have gone into carpentry had he wanted, would have made of all this equipment. There are also workshops in the NAC for props and wardrobes.

The Backstage

Behind the stage at Southam Hall is a great deal of space, used for storage of lighting, equipment, instruments, and other items. 

This included a back of the set view in regards to Opera Lyra's production, as well as spare costumes on racks.

In Southam Hall

Southam Hall is the largest of the four performance spaces within the National Arts Centre, capable of seating over 2300 people. The NAC Orchestra often performs here- the orchestra has a new principal conductor this year, Alexander Shelley, after over fifteen successful years under the violinist/ conductor Pinchas Zukerman. At the end of September, Opera Lyra had the stage for a 1940s era production of The Barber Of Seville, so the set was in place, as were a couple of costumes and props.

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: the theme day for November is Ephemeral, or short lived.

NAC Open House

The National Arts Centre (NAC) had an open house on the last Sunday in September. Today I'm starting a  series on the event, with an interruption or two for other posts. The Centre is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lyra, companies for English and French theatre, and hosts regular concerts and visiting shows.

A Steinway piano belonging to the late Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould sits on the mezzanine level. It is still used on occasion when a solo pianist comes to perform here.

This sculpture hangs down among one of the staircases from the top floor all the way down. 

A view from the top level takes in lower floors. Gould's piano can be seen on the second floor.

This massive door has the look of something out of a science fiction movie, and I wanted to photograph a section of it. There's a room beyond it- I've been inside on occasion to give blood when there's a clinic at the NAC.

This bust is of the founding conductor and music director of the NAC Orchestra, the late Mario Bernardi. It was sculpted by the artist Ruth Abernethy.

Along one of the corridors are portraits of winners of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, given out each year to Canadians in the arts. Some of these faces will only be known to Canadians, and others much more widely. There are, by now, a lot of these portraits- here are two years worth. 

Art In The Rectory

Finishing off my series from Nuit Blanche 2015 today, this is the Rectory Art House, located next to St. Brigid's. Both buildings were involved in Nuit Blanche- the former church was closed down by the archdiocese and took on new life as St. Brigid's Centre For The Arts. This view is in daylight.

The rectory is now studio space for several artists, who were participating.

I photographed three of the installations here, and popped into the kitchen at the back of the rectory.

This first studio had an installation entitled Nocturne, by the artist Sharon Lafferty.

Lori Victor did this next work, entitled Object of Speculation. She mentioned that the idea grew out of last spring's run by the Ottawa Senators, and this explores hype through hockey culture.

This last room was put together by Karen Bailey, and is called When Guide Dogs Dance. I got there late in the evening- I'd heard the dog in question, a Lab named Stanley, had been present earlier in the evening, and I'd missed him by about twenty minutes. Karen filled this room with paintings of seeing eye dogs at work and at play, as well as a video screen with these dogs engaged in play. We're so used to guide dogs of whatever kind being stoic and professional that we don't see them just being dogs and having a ball.