About the residency
Long-term Design Residencies for artists with several years of experience. Design residents are selected by the Program Director.
This residency is possible thanks to a major gift from the estate of Jenepher Margaret Hooper (Set and Costume Design, 1967).
Made possible thanks to the support of the Jenepher Margaret Hooper Fund, this residency program aims to promote the educational and artistic contribution of a resident designer who acts as a mentor to the students for a full year. NTS's Set and Costume Design program enjoys a high degree of flexibility in the construction and implementation of its educational curriculum. We believe that a strong program is a constantly evolving program, adapted to the reality and the needs of the arts community. In this spirit, we are looking for a person who can stimulate students' learning and bring an outside perspective on the curriculum to the program director. A new person is selected each year to fill this position. The resident receives a salary for the duration of the residency.
Resident Artists
Gillian Gallow
Gillian is a set and costume designer based in Toronto, and in 2021 she received the Siminovitch Prize, an award which celebrates transformative and influential theatre artists.
Gillian has collaborated with theatre companies across the country, most notably with the Canadian Opera Company, designing costumes for the world premieres of Hadrian in 2018 and for Louis Riel in 2017. She has spent many seasons at the Shaw Festival, currently designing set and costumes for The Shadow of a Doubt. Other collaborations include the Stratford Festival, Soulpepper, Canadian Stage, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Citadel, Theatre Calgary, and The National Arts Centre, to name a few. Upcoming she is designing the set and costumes for tremblements at ESPACE GO and the set for Beautiful at the Segal Centre/Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
In 2018, Gillian received the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award for Costume design, she’s received four Dora Mavor Moore awards and her work has been recognized across Canada with nominations for Calgary’s Betty Awards, Edmonton’s Sterling Awards, Winnipeg’s Evie Awards, and Ottawa’s Capital Critics’ Circle.
Gillian is a graduate of York University’s theatre design program.
Pierre-Etienne Locas
Pierre-Étienne Locas graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 2005. He designs stage sets, costumes and accessories. He combines his practical work with teaching as well as leading various design projects, museum set design, illustrations and sculptural installations.
Among his theatre credits are Caligula (TNM), Dance me (BJM), Le meilleur des mondes (Denise-Pelletier), Le chant de Sainte-Carmen de la main (Spectra), Don Giovanni (Opéra de Mtl), La délivrance (d’Aujourd’hui), Courir l’Amérique (PàP), Yellow Moon (Manufacture), Le Joker (Quat’sous), Le fils (Rideau vert), The Madonna Painter (Centaur), Le vrai Monde (Duceppe), Ça (JPR), The Droplet (Riks Teatret - Oslo/Norvège).
Winner of the Masque award for revelation of the year and of the Masque for set design in 2005-2006 for the design of the set of W;t (Théâtre de Quat'sous). Recipient of the 2008 Olivier Reichenbach Prize awarded by the TNM for the design of the set and props for the play Elizabeth, roi d’Angleterre. Winner of the METAs - Outstanding Set Design 2014-15 for the set design of Travesties (Segal Centre) and 2018-19 for the set design of A Doll's House Part 2. Winner of the 2017 Créations-sur-le-champ Land art people's choice award for “Tronqué.” 2021-22 critics' choice award for best designer for the set design of La métamorphose (Denise-Pelletier).
Structure of the residency
The residency is composed of three distinct components: coaching, ongoing exchange and teaching. The resident would work on one or several of these components, depending on their interests and the needs of the program as determined by the program director.
Coaching component
- Encourage 2nd- and/or 3rd-year students in their creative process as they design sets and/or costumes for graduate productions.
- Support 2nd- and/or 3rd-year students in the development of their skills in management, leadership and in understanding of their artistic practice.
- Provide support during production meetings, fittings, meetings with technical and construction teams, heads of shops.
- Collaborate with the program director to promote the pedagogical development of each student.
Educational component
- Encourage students to deepen their practice through various means (meetings, readings, workshops, etc.).
- Supervise students in a set and/or costume project.
- Develop a creative project with the students.
- Participate in certain steps of the new candidate selection process.
Ongoing exchange component
- Create, in collaboration with the program director, an inspiring project that will promote the creation of ressources which facilitate the students’ creative process.
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The National Theatre School: 1 art school, 9 professional training programs