Description of the attraction
The National Center for the Arts in Ottawa is one of Canada's largest performing arts centers. The center is located between Engin Street and Rideau Canal.
In 1928, the city authorities decided to demolish Ottawa's main cultural institution, the Russell Theater, in order to build a Confederation Park, and since then, music and theater groups visiting the city have performed on the stage of the Capitol movie theater. In 1963, Hamilton Southam and Levi Pettler founded the Capital's National Arts Alliance and initiated the construction of a new art center in Ottawa. After lengthy negotiations, the idea was approved by the local authorities and the government of Canada. The National Arts Center has become one of the projects, the implementation of which was timed to coincide with the "Centenary of the Confederation of Canada". The inauguration of the National Arts Center took place in June 1969.
A huge reinforced concrete structure with an area of more than 100,000 square meters in the so-called "brutalism" style was built by Fred Lebensold and cost $ 46 million. In 2000, the National Arts Center was listed by the Royal Institute of Architecture in the top 500 structures built in Canada during the last millennium, and in 2006 it received the status of a National Historic Landmark of Canada.
Today, the National Arts Center is about classical music, ballet, theater and dance performances and much more. The center collaborates with various cultural organizations, actively supports emerging artists and pays special attention to educational programs, and is also home to the National Arts Center Orchestra (one of the best symphony orchestras in the world), and one of the organizers of the Canadian Dance Festival and the Magnetic North Festival.
There are four stages at the National Arts Center. The main stage - "Southam Hall" with 2,323 seats is used for opera and ballet performances, as well as for large-scale shows and events. The Theater with 897 seats and the small Studio with 300 seats are used for theater and dance performances, while the compact The Fourth Stage with 150 seats is intended for various social events.
