The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is a 297-seat theatre in Yellowknife, NT. It was built in 1984 with the help of the Globe and Mail newspaper publisher. It is the only fully equipped live performance theatre in the Northwest Territories.
NACC is a non-profit charitable organization, incorporated in 1981. It operates under the guidance of a volunteer Board of Directors, 5 in-house staff members, and countless volunteers and community supporters.
For 40 years, NACC has proudly been a venue and supporting agency for Northern, national, and international artists. Though based in Yellowknife, it operates a variety of programming across the NWT on an ongoing basis. From educational workshops to performing artist mentorships, to touring performances, the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is a vital part of the Northern community.
In 1980, Yellowknife Mayor Mike Ballantyne met with Roy Megarry (publisher of the Globe and Mail) and Richard Doyle (Editor in Chief of the Globe and Mail) for lunch at the Wildcat Café. Mayor Ballantyne shared his dream for Yellowknife’s future. He dreamed that Yellowknifers could have a place to connect, to communicate, to share in culture and art; he dreamed of a theatre. He never expected that lunch would lead to a phone call a few days later from the Globe and Mail stating that they wanted to help make that dream a reality. Months of planning and discussions led to the Globe and Mail donating $10,000 in seed money towards this major project, and a promise that they would help Yellowknifers in their fundraising. The territorial government soon got on board and agreed to donate the old gymnasium of Sir John Franklin High School for the theatre’s location. Now all that Yellowknifers needed was 1.3 million dollars to make this dream a reality… A daunting task, but residents came together to start working on fundraising. Local performers fundraised through performances (Raven Theatre’s Waltz of the Toeadors in 1981, Yellowknife Choral Society’s H.M.S. Pinafore in 1983), The Canadian Opera Company in Toronto hosted a benefit performance for the centre, and both the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony ventured North to assist in raising money. It was clear early on that the NACC would be home to special performances from across Canada and the world.
With the initial seed money from the Globe and Mail, Ottawa architect William Fancott was hired to prepare the renovation designs. In July 1983, once designs were finalized, Roy Megarry of the Globe and Mail returned to Yellowknife to celebrate the official start of construction with a bottle of champagne. Continued support through fundraising initiatives from the Globe and Mail kept residents excited throughout the construction process.
By May 1984, the doors were ready to open and Yellowknife launched into a two-week opening celebration. This celebration was made possible by producer, Alex Czarnecki, NACC President, Mardy Bodie-Atkin, stage manager, John Dalton, technical director, Ed Oberst, front of house, Erica Tesar, and so many more dedicated community members.
Today, the space remains an elegant theatre, providing professional programming on par with performing art venues across the country and acting as a gathering space for community performances. The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre has expanded its mandate since its opening and now provides programming for communities across five of the six regions of the NWT. Each year, it welcomes diverse programming from across the country and the world to residents and continues to be home to local productions.
It is our honour to present artistic programming on the traditional territory of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across the six regions of the NWT, and treaties 8 and 11.
The founding members of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (1980) are as follows:
- Albert Eggenberger
- Doug Earl
- Mayor Michael Ballantyne
- Bob MacQuarrie, M.L.A.
- Dave Marriott
