A huge success, the National Arts Centre's Atlantic Scene wraps up today
May 04, 2003 -
Ottawa (Ontario) -- Everyone is calling the National Arts
Centre's Atlantic Scene festival a huge success. The two-week
festival - which took place at over 16 venues around the
nation's capital, featured 400 emerging and established artists
as well as 85 events ranging from theatre, visual arts, film, comedy
and literature, to Celtic, Acadian, pop and classical music, and
culinary arts - wraps up today.
"The Atlantic Scene buzz in Ottawa-Gatineau has been fantastic,"
said Kari Cullen, the festival's Producer and Executive
Director. "As a first-time event, we didn't know what to expect.
In the end we were blown away by the positive reaction of audiences,
artists and talent scouts who attended the events."
A large number of Atlantic Scene performances played to capacity
or near-capacity audiences. Sold-out shows included the Comedy from
the Coast, Natalie MacMaster and the Men of the Deeps with the NAC
Orchestra, Theatre Newfoundland's Tempting Providence, Symphony
Nova Scotia (student matinées), Barachois, Anne of Green
Gables - The MusicalTM, Buck 65 and Julie Doiron,
Gordon Sampson and Amelia Curran, the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of
Canada's Figaro, the Matt Minglewood Band, Gwen Noah and El
Viento Flamenco, and an evening featuring Crush, Damhnait Doyle and
Lizband.
As well as being an overwhelming audience success, the Atlantic
Scene was a high-visibility event that provided important,
career-boosting opportunities for participating artists.
Seventy-two talent scouts from across Europe and North America
attended the festival - that's 27 more than had been
expected prior to the festival. Of the 72 talent scouts, 18 came from
the United States, four were from France, three were from Germany and
two were from the United Kingdom.
The talent scouts - key players in festivals, theatres,
record companies, arts publications, showcase organizations and
booking agencies - interacted with the artists and attended
numerous concerts, readings and workshops. In the wake of their
Atlantic Scene performances, several artists are in talks with
presenters to discuss touring or distribution opportunities.
As a result of enthusiastic reviews and Theatre Newfoundland
Labrador and the Atlantic Ballet-Theatre of Canada are considering or
planning tours of other Canadian regions.
"The NAC is pleased to have played the role of catalyst and to
have put into bold relief another face of our country's rich
cultural identity for the benefit of Canadians from coast to coast,"
said Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts
Centre.
Mr. Herrndorf added: "The Atlantic Scene has redefined the model
for partnerships between cultural institutions. The NAC and its
partners have showed how we should be promoting our artists and
showcasing our diverse cultural treasures."
Thanks to the Atlantic Scene's partnership with CBC /
Radio-Canada, Atlantic Canadian artists will benefit from additional
national exposure and visibility for some time to come. At least two
major television specials are in the works: the first one, slated to
air on CBC Television at 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, 2003, will focus
on eight Atlantic Scene artists, including Ashley MacIsaac, Nathan
Wiley, Tiyaila Cain Grant and Measha Brueggergosman. A second
special, to be broadcast next season, will feature highlights of the
sold-out Comedy from the Coast event hosted by Rick Mercer and held
on the festival's opening night in the NAC's Southam
Hall.
The CBC also recorded several shows for broadcast on their
airwaves. These include Nathan Wiley, Buck 65, the Jimmy Swift Band
and the Mir Supershow, featuring East Coast stars such as Mary Jane
Lamond and Bruce Guthro.
Partners in the Atlantic Scene included the Government of Canada
and the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the
Arts, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Department of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Governments of New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and
Labrador, as well at the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership. Media
and corporate sponsors included CBC-Radio Canada, the National
Post, Transcontinental Media, the Ottawa Citizen, Le
Droit, Rogers Television 22, Alexander Keith's, Clearwater
Fine Foods Inc., VIA Rail Canada, Eastlink, Universal Music, The Shaw
Group, Delta Hotels, Ramada Hotel & Suites Ottawa, The Aristocrat
Hotel and EMI Music Canada. Philanthropists Margaret and David
Fountain, The Craig Foundation, The Donald R. Sobey Foundation and
Purdy Crawford also provided important financial support.
The Atlantic Scene was the first in a series of biennial regional
festivals to take place in the nation's capital, which will
showcase the best in Canadian arts and culture from coast to coast.
The next festival, the Alberta Scene, is slated to take place in the
spring of 2005.
For more information about the Atlantic Scene, please visit
www.atlanticscene.ca.
