NATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL
Since 1960 the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) has been known as a veritable centre of excellence in the domain of theatrical training both in Canada and around the world. Located in Montreal, Quebec, NTS is fortunate to be at the heart of a rich cultural life; one in constant evolution. One of the great strengths of NTS resides in the fact that all of the theatre disciplines are represented: acting, playwriting, directing, productionand design. All of these programs exist in the two official languages of Canada (English and French) with the exception of the Set and Costume design program where training is in a bilingual format.
The design program at NTS consists of three years of training which permits the students to acquire the tools needed for the practice of the profession. It culminates in the third year with designs for a range of school performances in collaboration with students of other programs giving them the opportunity to try their skillsin various houses (studio, main stage, site specific, etc.) It’s a program which aims to train designers with the ability to create and dream, all while giving them the tools to concretize their ideas. It’s through a synergy between the insightful, creative and technical aspects of the practice of design that this is made possible. The uniqueness of the program, particularly due to its bilingual character and its cultural and social diversity, is what gives it an incomparable richness. This requirement for openness to the other is at the core of the pedagogy of NTS: to be confronted by different visions, theatres and approaches to nourish one’s artistic identity and to find one’s personal path.
Our presence this year at the Prague Quadriennale constitutes a privileged moment in the academic trajectory of our students.In effect, experimentation is at the heart of our training; the possibility to be incontact with creators of the four corners of the globe will nourish their creative processes and permit the mto better understand the innovations and the design questions of the moment, and even to contribute to them.
In the frame of the school exhibit our students chose to create a project that focussed on one of their current preoccupations: eco-responsibility. Therefore the students chose to conceive their project giving themselves the challenge of illustrating their concept using only recycled materials. This clearly reflects that the starting points of a project can be many and varied, and that the parameters of our profession can be motors for creation rather than obstacles.
Le programme de Scénographie de l’ÉNT est une formation de trois ans qui permet aux étudiantes et étudiants d’acquérir les outils nécessaires à la pratique du métier. Elle culmine en troisième année par la conception des différents spectacles de l’école en collaboration avec les étudiantes et étudiants des autres programmes, ce qui leur donne la chance d’expérimenter dans différents types de salles (studio, grand plateau, in situ, etc.). C’est un programme qui vise à former des concepteurs pouvant créer et rêver, tout en leur donnant les outils pour concrétiser leurs idées. C’est par une synergie entre les aspects réflexifs, créatif set techniques de la pratique scénographique que cela devient possible. La singularité du programme, notamment en raison de son caractère bilingue et de sa mixité culturelle et sociale, lui apporte une richesse incomparable. Cette exigence d’ouverture à l’autre est d’ailleurs au centre de l’enseignement de l’ÉNT: être confronté à différentes visions, théâtres et approches pour nourrir son identité d’artiste et trouver sa propre voie.
Notre présence cette année à la Quadriennale de Prague constitue un moment privilégié dans le parcours académique de nos étudiantes et étudiants. En effet, l’expérimentation étant au cœur de notre enseignement, la possibilité d’être en contact avec des créatrices et des créateurs des quatre coins du monde viendra nourrir leur processus créatif et leur permettra de mieux connaître les innovations et les questionnements scénographiques de l’heure, et même d’y contribuer.