About the NSCC
The National Stage Company of Canada was formed by award-winning Producer, Director and Writer Tony James in January 2020 as a multi-faceted professional arts organization. With over 6 creative divisions including live theatre, dance, concerts and fashion, the company is a robust institution that strives to add to the rich and vibrant artistic and cultural landscape of the Vancouver Island region in a broad capacity.
With a primary goal of creating a central core of artists of varying backgrounds and ages, the company’s strategic goal is to provide its members with consistent opportunities to further develop and enhance their skills, talents, and overall creativity in an all-inclusive environment that fosters, aids, and supports their individual ambitions of making the transition from local community-based performers into recognized professionals on a provincial, national and international level.
The company accomplishes this through the presentation of high-quality productions and specialized events and in the creation of international workshops and masterclasses with renowned instructors. These important efforts provide its company members with the necessary tools and guidance needed to advance their careers in a steady, focused, and balanced way. The National Stage Company of Canada is pleased to be a bridge for these artists as they pursue their goals of becoming working professional actors in the industry.
In February 2020, the company put in place an executive board of directors, applied for its incorporation as a not-for-profit society, and formally engaged 20 Vancouver Island based artists on contract. In early March, the first of several rehearsals for the company’s debut presentation of ‘Broadway Tonight’ began however, no sooner was it abruptly brought to a halt due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although physical rehearsals were disbanded, the company moved forward as best it could virtually. When it became apparent that large groups would no longer be able to gather in live venues for the foreseeable future the company switched its format of the first presentation from a live red-carpet concert event to a televised/online broadcast special.
In April 2020, The National Stage Company of Canada began to plan its formal debut for January 2021 with the development of a ‘phase one’ plan to select an inaugural season that would not only be exciting and versatile, but highlight the talents and skills of its company members while at the same time begin laying the foundation of building an enthusiastic and supportive audience base. With the first of 11 projects underway in development, the company is only just beginning to take shape.