May 12, 2005 -

“The importance of [Douglas Campbell and Jean-Louis Roux] to modern Canadian theatre cannot be overstated”
The Montreal Gazette

Ottawa -- Imagine being able to say “I was there,” when two of the greatest icons of the Canadian stage, Governor General Performing Arts Award Winners Douglas Campbell and Jean-Louis Roux take the stage at the National Arts Centre Theatre on Saturday, May 14 at 19:30.  This very special evening of reminiscences of a life in the theatre, and performances of favorite pieces from Shakespeare and Molière is a unique opportunity to see and meet with two actors whose influential careers span the most important developmental decades in the history of Canadian theatre.   Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada is Patron of this evening.  The event will be co-hosted by Marti Maraden, Artistic Director of the NAC English Theatre, and Paul Lefebvre, Associate Artistic Director, NAC French Theatre.  The evening will be performed in English, with some French excerpts.  There will be a question and answer session following the performance, led by Ms. Maraden and Mr. Lefebvre and the audience is invited to attend an informal post-performance reception in the NAC’s Panorama Room.  The reception is made possible with the generous assistance of the Friends of English Theatre.  Tickets for this exceptional evening are on sale now at the NAC Box Office in person, or through Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111.

Douglas Campbell, C.M. was last seen on stage at the NAC in Marti Maraden’s Hamlet, and in The Vaudevilles of Chekhov (NAC English Theatre).  He was the 2003 Winner of the Governor General’s Award for lifetime achievement in the performing arts and a founding member of the Stratford Festival of Canada.  Since he first set foot on the stage at the age of five, in Glasgow, Douglas Campbell has proved to be an artist of outstanding power, dedication and integrity. Throughout his long career, Mr. Campbell has never stopped working to make the theatre better. He arrived in Canada around 50 years ago to take a lead role in our country’s most significant theatrical experiment, the inaugural season at Stratford Ontario. His career there is notable for more that 50 roles, including the celebrated 1954 production of Oedipus Rex and his later definitive impersonations of Falstaff and Lear.

Theatre in Canada owes much to Douglas Campbell. His voice and larger-than-life personality have reached to the back row - and beyond - of most of the major theatres across Canada.

Jean-Louis Roux, C.C., last seen at the NAC in French Theatre production of  Le Procès was winner of the 2004 Governor General’s Award for lifetime achievement in the performing arts, and a founding member of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.   Mr. Roux is a well-known actor, stage director, writer and arts executive who has been a respected member of the Canadian theatre community for more that 50 years. He has directed more that 50 plays and has translated or adapted several works for the stage. In addition to more that 100 stage roles in Canada and abroad, he has performed in over 50 television dramas, including the hit Quebecois series La Famille Plouffe, as well as several films. Jean-Louis Roux served as Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts for five and a half years (31 May to 31 October 2003). He was Secretary General (1953 – 1963) and Artistic Director (1966 - 1982) of the illustrious Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montréal. From 1982 to 1987 he was Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada. His impact and influence on  Canadian Theatre has been profound.

Places Gentlemen, Please is an evening of wonderful anecdotes and beloved pieces from the great classics that have marked the careers of the two performers.  Cas Anvar, Artistic Director of Repercussion Theatre, says of Mr. Campbell and Mr. Roux in this production, “the anecdotes they relate from the last 70 years are hilarious, and many are specifically about the founding of the Stratford Festival and TNM and the collaborations between the two companies.” 

Recently performed in Montreal, this special evening of theatre will also be staged for three performances at the Stratford Festival on August 4, 5 and 7.

Truly a theatre-lovers dream come true, tickets for Places Gentlemen, Please are $45 - $55 on sale now at the NAC Box Office in person or through Ticketmaster at (613) 755-1111, or online through the Ticketmaster link at www.nac-cna.ca (a surcharge applies to all tickets purchased through Ticketmaster). 

Messrs. Campbell and Roux are available for interviews, as is Director, Cas Anvar.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Denker
Publicity and Media Relations Coordinator
NAC English Theatre
(613) 947-7000 ext. 389;
ldenker@nac-cna-ca