September 06, 2002 -

OTTAWA -- The National Arts Centre`s innovative Live Rush^TM programme begins its third year with a bang -- expanding to the city of Calgary! Eventual expansion nationwide is planned for the Live Rush^TM programme, which allows students to purchase low-cost last-minute tickets to live performing arts events.

Live Rush^TM is the National Arts Centre`s uniquely affordable programme which enables high school, college, and university students to explore the world of live classical, pop and jazz music, classic and contemporary theatre, and ballet and modern dance - all for the price of a movie. In Ottawa-Gatineau, students have access to hundreds of NAC-produced events for only $9.50. In Calgary, 12 separate performing arts groups have signed up for the programme, allowing students to attend productions by Alberta Ballet, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts, Honens, Lunchbox Theatre, One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Theatre Junction, and vertigo mystery theatre.

During this week's Student Orientation festivities across Ottawa-Gatineau, the NAC's team of enthusiastic staff members and volunteers will spread the word about Live Rush^TM to students at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, la Cité Collégiale, and l'Université de Québec à Hull. All full-time and part-time students will be urged to pick up their 2002-2003 Live Rush^TM membership cards and register (or, if they are returning students, to re-register) for the free programme. Cards are also available at the NAC's Live Rush Centre, the CHUM Building at 87 George Street, and at all OC Transpo Sales and Information Centres.

Live Rush^TM was inaugurated in September 2000 - and since then more that 6,000 students have registered for the programme and over 15,000 Live Rush^TM tickets have been sold. Shows in all artistic disciplines have proved popular, but theatre and classical ballet have consistently outperformed all other events in the last two years. The bilingual website www.liverush.ca allow students in both cities to access information about upcoming performances and to buy tickets online. Hyperlinks are provided to all sponsor sites, and the site encompass an online newsletter as well as innovative multimedia functions.

The National Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our partners in the Live Rush^TM programmme. In Ottawa-Gatineau, the programme's sponsors are The Ottawa Senators, The State University of New York at Potsdam, OC Transpo, STO Société de transport de l'Outaouais, KOOL-FM, and CKTF-FM 104.1 Radio Énergie. In Calgary, the programme's sponsors are Clarica, The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts, Calgary Transit, and CJSW 91 FM.

Live Rush^TM is a top priority for our generous donors and is proudly underwritten by the National Arts Centre Donors' Circle. Donors' Circle supporters have responded enthusiastically to the challenge of meeting the financial demands of this new initiative; Donors' Circle funds will continue to be directed to the Live Rush^TM programme throughout the year and beyond.

For additional information, please visit the Live Rush^TM website at www.liverush.ca

Information:
Gerald Morris
NAC Marketing Department
(613) 947-7000, ext. 249
gmorris@nac-cna.ca