Beyond the Stage: Community Initiatives That Connect, Inspire and Create Lasting Impact
At the National Theatre School of Canada, learning extends far beyond the walls of the School. Each year, our students, graduates, faculty members and partners bring theatre into communities across Canada and beyond — expanding access to the arts, supporting cultural transmission and sharing expertise internationally. These initiatives are driven by a common belief: theatre has the power to connect people, inspire learning and create meaningful social change.
NTS DramaFest: Bringing Theatre to Young Canadians Everywhere
Every year, NTS DramaFest — our national festival dedicated to drama — brings together students, teachers, artists and parents from across the country in celebration of young people’s creativity. This year, the festival travelled to 5 provinces and territories, reaching approximately 7542 young participants right in their own communities. With teamwork and collaboration at its heart, DramaFest creates a space of equity and discovery that brings together teachers, artists and young people from all walks of life.
This project is supported by the Molson Foundation.
The Shapelitakuan Project: Creating Through Culture and Community
Since 2019, NTS has partnered with the Pessamit Innu Council on the Shapelitakuan Project, a community-based artistic initiative rooted in Indigenous knowledge and traditions. Each year, NTS instructors and Indigenous artists lead a series of theatre creation workshops with a troupe of high school students from Pessamit, developed in close collaboration with Elders and approved by the Council’s Language and Culture Department. The workshops provide a space where young people can explore their identity, reconnect with their language and celebrate their cultural heritage through performance — empowering a new generation to tell its own stories.
The Shapelitakuan Project is made possible through the support of the Secrétariat aux Relations avec les Premières Nations et les Inuit, the Molson Foundation, Nouveau Monde Graphite and Ms. Alberta G. Cefis.
NTS’ Youth Tour: Bringing Theatre to the Classroom
Every year, NTS tours a production created especially for young audiences to public schools across Montreal, with a particular focus on schools in underserved communities. Bringing together all sectors of the NTS, the Youth Tour is also an invaluable learning experience for graduating artists: through a partnership with Maison Théâtre, students receive training in cultural mediation and accompany each performance with pre-show activities and post-show discussions, helping make live theatre more accessible to children.
The NTS’ Youth Tour is made possible through the support of the Molson Foundation.
Résidence de quartier in Montréal-Nord: Theatre as a Space for Inclusion
Through its Résidence de quartier in Montréal-Nord, NTS works alongside local schools and community organizations to bring theatre directly into the lives of young people, through workshops led by NTS Interprétation instructors and students in Set and Costume Design. More than an arts education initiative, the residency creates opportunities for inclusion, dialogue and self-expression.
The Résidence de quartier in Montréal-Nord is made possible through the support of the Molson Foundation.
Spotlight on Senegal: Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity
NTS’s commitment to community engagement also extends beyond Canada’s borders. For a second consecutive year, this Theatre and Community Engagement (TEC) project allows Création et production graduates to share their expertise at Sénégal Talent Campus (STC), a professional training centre dedicated to careers in the arts and culture. Following Flavie Lemée (2020) and Marguerite Hudon (2021), who launched the partnership, Naomy Mercier (2025) took over this year, developing customized training for about twenty participants and fostering lasting relationships built on collaboration and shared expertise.
