Fw: Press Release - John Pennoyer Exhibit

[denis]

Dear Colleagues,

F.Y.I.

Denis


Subject: Press Release - John Pennoyer Exhibit


>
> NAC English Theatre 2001-2002 Season
> Marti Maraden, Artistic Director
>
>
> November 21, 2001 For immediate release
>
>
>  The NAC English Theatre is delighted to announce
> the opening of a special exhibition
> COSTUME ON PAPER:
> 25 YEARS OF DESIGN FOR THE STAGE
> BY JOHN  PENNOYER
>
>
> Ottawa - The National Arts Centre (NAC) English Theatre is delighted to
> announce the opening of a special costume design exhibit entitled Costume
on
> Paper: 25 years of Design for the Stage by John Pennoyer, celebrating the
> exceptional talent and creativity of Canadian designer John Pennoyer. The
> exhibit, which opens on November 27 at a special invitation-only
vernissage,
> will be on display in the Foyer of the NAC Studio until December 31, 2001.
> Admission is free of charge.
>
> This unique collection is comprised of works from Mr. Pennoyer's own
> collection and the archives of the Stratford Festival and the National
Arts
> Centre. This is the first time Mr. Pennoyer's designs have been brought
> together for public display. Mr. Pennoyer, who designed costumes for last
> season's All's Well That Ends Well and this season's production of An
Enemy
> of the People, is back in Ottawa to design costumes for another upcoming
NAC
> English Theatre production, Twelfth Night, which opens on December 11.
>
> Marti Maraden, Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre English
Theatre
> is pleased to be able to recognize Mr. Pennoyer's exceptional contribution
> to the Canadian stage and particularly to the world of costume design. "A
> great designer contributes enormously to an actor's discovery and
portrayal
> of his/her character. I have known and admired John Pennoyer's stunning
work
> for 25 years. He has been and will continue to be one of my closest and
most
> treasured collaborators."
>
> ...more...
>
>
> Mr. Pennoyer is thrilled to have the opportunity to show his work in this
> unique forum and to celebrate his long-standing relationship with Marti
> Maraden.  "It is a pleasantly undeniable fact that Marti Maraden has
figured
> significantly in my career from the very beginning in 1975. Setting up
this
> exhibit reminds me of the people who wore the costumes and the people who
> made them, all of them generous, generous people, and I am particularly
> pleased to be able to say, at this point in my life, I've never done this
> before."
>
> Mr. Pennoyer was born in 1949 in Montreal and studied at McMaster
University
> before moving to Stratford in 1972 to work in the prop shop, where he was
> strongly influenced by designers Leslie Hurry and Desmond Heeley.  After
> gaining further experience in England and the United States, he returned
to
> Stratford to work with the likes of Daphne Dare, Susan Benson, Robin
Fraser
> Paye, and Michael Annals. In 1977, he received the first Tom Patterson
Award
> for excellence as a designer in training. In his prestigious twenty-five
> year career, Mr. Pennoyer has created sets and costumes for many of this
> country's most celebrated theatres and has worked in all three Tyrone
> Guthrie theatres: Stratford, Minneapolis, and Sheffield. Among his
numerous
> Stratford productions, the most memorable are perhaps Hamlet (1976),
Julius
> Caesar (1982), Love's Labour's Lost (1983, 1984), Alice through the
Looking
> glass (1994), and The Merchant of Venice (1996). Mr. Pennoyer has been
> nominated for six Dora Awards, and a Jessie Award in 2001. Never
> predictable, his influences stem from an eclectic interest in art of any
> period. His costume design is remarkable for his exceptional ability to
> incorporate the vernacular elements of contemporary fashion and culture.
>
> Costume on paper: 25 years of Design for the Stage by John Pennoyer has
been
> organized by Gerry Grace, Archivist of the National Arts Centre.  "John
> Pennoyer is one of Canada's finest designers for the stage and is held in
> the highest regard by his peers in the world of theatre.  Actors,
directors,
> producers, designers, costume makers and set builders - his collaborators
in
> the making of theatre - are quick to praise his work.  With this
exhibition,
> the public will now also have an opportunity to discover one of the
largely
> unseen but perhaps most important steps in the process of theatrical
> creation, and one of which John Pennoyer is a master."
>
> A limited edition collection of prints of his sketches will be available
for
> sale to admirers of his work.
>
> This exhibition has also been made possible thanks to the gracious help of
> Friends of English Theatre and the very generous contribution of Framed!
>
> * 30 -
>
> General Information on the Exhibit:
> Odette  Laurin
> Programming Communications Assistant
> National Arts Centre
> (613) 947-7000, ext. 392
> Olaurin at nac-cna.ca
>
>
>
> Media Inquiries:
> Laura Denker
> Publicity & Media Relations
> NAC English Theatre
> (613) 947-7000, ext. 389
> Ldenker at nac-cna.ca
>
>
>
>
>