Artist Development
General Auditions
The Great Canadian Theatre Company is currently booking appointments for its 2010 General Auditions. Priority will be given to Ottawa-based actors and members of CAEA who haven't previously auditioned for the company. General auditions will be held on June 14 and 17 at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, located at 1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland Avenue).
Director’s Unit
In partnership with the National Arts Centre, The Director’s Unit is an exciting new initiative for our 2009-2010 season, in which a small group of local theatre directors will be given an opportunity to engage in focused, critical discourse on their craft, participate in masterclasses with guest directors, and test their own dramatic theories and questions in a variety of practical theatrical settings.
The participants of the 2009/2010 Director's Unit are Christopher Bedford, Todd Duckworth, Patrick Gauthier, Emily Pearlman, Natalie Joy Quesnel and James Richardson. The unit will be meeting under the mentorship of GCTC Artistic Director, Lise Ann Johnson and NAC English Theatre Artistic Director, Peter Hinton.
Master Classes
GCTC occasionally offers masterclasses that provide Ottawa artists with practical, hands-on tutorials in a wide variety of theatrical techniques and creative approaches.
More information coming soon.
Interns and Assistant Directors
Over the years the Great Canadian Theatre Company has hosted several interns and assistant directors at various stages in their professional development (in the case of interns, in areas ranging from artistic direction to dramaturgy). The theatre does not provide a salary for these positions and interested artists are encouraged to seek external funding if necessary.
If you wish to intern or assistant direct at the theatre, please send a cover letter to Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson outlining your skills/past experience, a proposal for your intended artistic involvement, and an outline of what funding you have or plan to procure. Please send to:
Lise Ann Johnson
Great Canadian Theatre Company
300-1227 Wellington Street West
Ottawa Ontario K1Y 0G7
Re: Theatre Creators’ Reserve Fund
The Playmaker’s Society
Thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Ottawa, GCTC hosted The Playmaker’s Society during the course of our 2008-2009 season. The unit offered playwrights based in the National Capital Region an opportunity to develop a new play under the guidance of playwright and dramaturg Arthur Milner. Excerpts of the plays were read on the 11th and 12th of June, 2009 as part of the Launch Pad Series in conjunction with the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.
The Playmaker’s Society of 2008-2009 was: Kelley Tish Baker, Linda Carson, Laurie Fyffe, Patrick Gauthier, Elisabeth Harvor, David Hersh and Margo MacDonald.
The Playmaker’s Society will be on hiatus for the 2009-2010 season.
Influx
In our 2008-09 season, GCTC offered a playwrights unit for emerging writers between the ages of 18-25. InFlux playwrights were: Karen Balcome, Stephanie Demas, Martin Glassford, Amy J. Lester, and Ed Staples. Pat Gauthier was the dramaturg.
Influx will be on hiatus for the 2009-2010 season.
Production Mentorship Program
The Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Production Mentorship Program, generously supported by the Trillium Foundation, ran between 2007 and 2009. It was designed to offer affordable access to a production facility (GCTC’s Studio Theatre) as well as provide professional mentorship to emerging, independent Ottawa theatre companies in two areas of their choice. Areas of mentorship included: technical production, production management, dramaturgy, publicity, grant-writing, and direction. 2007-2008 Production Mentorship Companies and their productions:
Theatrophy – Moribund by the company(www.theatrophy.com)
Suburban Beast – The Fugitive Sea by Jordan Tannahill(www.suburbanbeast.ca)
2008-2009 Production Mentorship Companies and their productions:
Evolution Theatre – pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill(www.evolutiontheatre.ca)
Gruppo Rubato – Airport Security by Patrick Gauthier(www.rubato.ca)
We are currently reviewing our Production Mentorship program and hope to offer a version of this program in the near future. Stay tuned for updated information.



