{"id":30102,"date":"2026-08-12T14:30:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/?p=30102"},"modified":"2026-08-12T14:33:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:33:18","slug":"beyond-the-stage-community-initiatives-that-connect-inspire-and-create-lasting-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/beyond-the-stage-community-initiatives-that-connect-inspire-and-create-lasting-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the\u00a0Stage:\u00a0Community Initiatives That\u00a0Connect, Inspire and\u00a0Create\u00a0Lasting Impact\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the National Theatre School of Canada, learning extends far beyond the walls of the\u00a0School. Each year, our students, graduates, faculty\u00a0members\u00a0and partners bring theatre into communities across Canada and beyond \u2014 expanding access to the arts, supporting cultural\u00a0transmission\u00a0and sharing\u00a0expertise\u00a0internationally. These initiatives are driven by a common belief: theatre has the power to connect people, inspire\u00a0learning\u00a0and create meaningful social change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n


NTS\u00a0DramaFest:\u00a0Bringing\u00a0Theatre\u00a0to Young\u00a0Canadians\u00a0Everywhere<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every year, NTS DramaFest \u2014 our national festival dedicated to drama \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project is supported by the Molson Foundation.<\/em> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The\u00a0Shapelitakuan\u00a0Project:\u00a0Creating\u00a0Through\u00a0Culture and Community<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 empowering a new generation to tell its own stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shapelitakuan Project is made possible through the support of the Secr\u00e9tariat aux Relations avec les Premi\u00e8res Nations et les Inuit, the Molson Foundation, Nouveau Monde Graphite and Ms. Alberta G. Cefis.<\/em> \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

NTS’\u00a0Youth\u00a0Tour:\u00a0Bringing\u00a0Theatre\u00a0to the Classroom<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 Th\u00e9\u00e2tre, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NTS’ Youth Tour is made possible through the support of the Molson Foundation.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

R\u00e9sidence de quartier\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>in\u00a0Montr\u00e9al-Nord:\u00a0Theatre\u00a0as a Space for Inclusion<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Through its R\u00e9sidence de quartier in Montr\u00e9al-Nord, NTS works alongside local schools and community organizations to bring theatre directly into the lives of young people, through workshops led by NTS Interpr\u00e9tation instructors and students in Set and Costume Design. More than an arts education initiative, the residency creates opportunities for inclusion, dialogue and self-expression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The R\u00e9sidence de quartier in Montr\u00e9al-Nord is made possible through the support of the Molson Foundation.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Spotlight on Senegal: Sharing Knowledge, Building Capacity<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 Cr\u00e9ation et production graduates to share their expertise at S\u00e9n\u00e9gal Talent Campus (STC), a professional training centre dedicated to careers in the arts and culture. Following Flavie Lem\u00e9e (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. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\u00a0Pessamit\u00a0to Montreal, from Montr\u00e9al-Nord to Dakar, these initiatives share a common purpose: using theatre to strengthen communities,\u00a0transmit\u00a0knowledge, create\u00a0connection\u00a0and open new horizons.\u00a0<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the National Theatre School of Canada, learning extends far beyond the walls of the\u00a0School. Each year, our students, graduates, faculty\u00a0members\u00a0and partners bring theatre into communities across Canada and beyond \u2014 expanding access to the arts, supporting cultural\u00a0transmission\u00a0and sharing\u00a0expertise\u00a0internationally. These initiatives are driven by a common belief: theatre has the power to connect people, inspire\u00a0learning\u00a0and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":30134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138,128,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news","category-non-classifiee"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30102"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30252,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30102\/revisions\/30252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ent-nts.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}