Celebrity Speaker Series

Celebrity speakers:
Paul Gross, Ann Marie MacDonald and Michael Ondaatje
Host: Laurie Brown, acclaimed arts broadcaster

Wednesday November 15 at 20:00
in the Studio
Actor, Writer, Producer Paul Gross

Monday January 29 at 20:00
in the Studio
Novelist, Playwright and Actor Ann-Marie MacDonald

Monday May 14 at 20:00
in the Studio from the set of 7 Important Things
Novelist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Poet, Michael Ondaatje

Subscription available $45
Single tickets $20, on sale September 5, 2006

Peter Hinton on the Celebrity Speakers Series

I remember Laurie Brown as an actress, from the great days of theatre productions with the Graduate Centre for the study of Drama in Hart House at the University of Toronto. That was over twenty-five years ago. This past fall I was reunited with Laurie when she interviewed me as part of the annual CAPACOA Conference here in Ottawa. Coincidentally, the subject was The Artist in Society. During the interview I was reminded how articulate, informed and genuinely passionate Laurie is about this topic. As our planning for the season progressed, Laurie expressed an interest in continuing the dialogue we had begun. We thought it would be great to set up a series of intimate and personal interviews with Canadians who not only have a lot to say about the Artist in Society, but who would also add to the discussion of the season from yet another point of view.

So we made up of list of people for the series, and decided to conduct three 90-minute interviews throughout the year.

In addition to the interview, Laurie will also field questions from the audience, so here's your chance to be part of the dialogue as well.

Laurie Brown, Host
Laurie Brown is a passionate advocate for the arts and artists in Canada. She has built a reputation as an accomplished interviewer and seasoned broadcaster by bringing out the best in Canadian artists. Since leaving the CBC, she created, wrote, co-directed and hosted the 90-minute live homage to Peter Gabriel for Harbourfront's Creative World Leaders Festival.

At CBC, Laurie delivered critical reviews, interviews, documentaries and essays with attitude for four seasons on CBC Newsworld's lively arts and entertainment series ON THE ARTS WITH LAURIE BROWN. Also being Senior Arts Correspondent for CBC News, Laurie has covered music, theatre, arts, dance, film and books for CBC since 1990 when she joined THE JOURNAL. Previously, she was co-host and associate producer of CityTV's THE NEW MUSIC. In 1987 she combined those duties while Vjing for MUCHMUSIC.

Author of SUCCESS WITHOUT COLLEGE - Days and Nights in Rock 'n Roll Television, published by Penguin Books, Laurie is now directing TV projects, hosting a biography series for Rogers Television and is finishing her second book, a novel.

Paul Gross
Known foremost as an actor, Canadian Paul Gross is also a writer, producer and director. His portrayal of Constable Benton Fraser on Due South, a drama series he co-wrote and executive produced, won international acclaim. His directorial debut, Men with Brooms, broke Canadian box office records. Paul was the recipient of a Golden Nymph Award for Best Lead Actor at the Monte Carlo Television Festival for his role in H2O, a Whizbang mini-series that he also co-wrote and executive produced. For his portrayal of Geoffrey Tenant in the critically acclaimed series Slings & Arrows, Paul recently picked up his fourth Gemini Award. He portrayed Romeo and garnered a Dora Award, and a career highlight was playing Hamlet to record-breaking audiences at the Stratford Festival in 2000. Paul served as Playwright-in-residence at Stratford and the National Arts Centre and has won numerous playwriting and screenwriting awards. Currently Paul Gross is producing the sequel to H2O, Trojan Horse which he also co-wrote and will star in. He is also preparing to direct Passchendaele, a feature film script which he penned to pay tribute to the sacrifice made by Canadian Soldiers in the World War I

Ann-Marie MacDonald
Ann-Marie's first novel, Fall On Your Knees, became a Canadian and international publishing sensation with upwards of one million copies sold. Along with critical acclaim, the book won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, became an Oprah Book Club selection, and has been sold in over 20 countries. Her second novel, The Way the Crow Flies, was another instant bestseller that has received international acclaim. Her works for the theatre include the play Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), which has enjoyed more than a hundred productions worldwide. Ann Marie has also acted extensively on stage and screen, where her work has garnered many awards, including the Gemini. Most recently, her play Belle Moral: A Natural History ran this past summer at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Never one to mince her words, Ann-Marie is sure to provide a provocative glimpse into the Artist in Society. We're honoured that she will be joining us.

Michael Ondaatje
Although he is best known as a novelist for his extraordinary, multiple award-winning The English Patient and its quasi-prequel In the Skin of a Lion, to name only two, Michael Ondaatje's prolific work also encompasses memoir, poetry, and film. He won the Governor General's Award for two books of poetry: The Collected Works of Billy the Kid and There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning To Do: Poems 1973Ð1978, and his three films include a documentary on fellow poet bp nichol, entitled The Sons of Captain Poetry. Michael Ondaatje has been the recipient of the Booker Prize, the Canada Australia Prize, four Governor General's Awards, the Giller Prize and the Prix Médicis. In 1988 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is considered by many to be something of a national treasure, and we're delighted that he'll be sharing his thoughtful, often provocative and always fascinating insights with us as part of this series.

Laurie Brown
Photo: Laird Mackintosh