Located on the riverside of Ottawa, the National Arts Centre (NAC) produces and invites artists at home and abroad every year to create new works or replay the classical works in order to enrich the cultural lives of residents in the capital as well as to be open-minded to different communities. When you stepping in the art centre, you will find a centre looks like a giant art and culture salon. Art installations, photography exhibition, jazz music performance could be seen everywhere. On the basement, there are restaurants and coffee houses. Since it was completed in 1969, it has become the delightful cultural landmark of local residents. 

In January, Mr. Shi and His Lover (Mr. Shi for short), directed by me, had the honour to be invited to perform in the small auditorium in NAC for two weeks. Thus, I had an opportunity to observe the details of how different local performing stadiums operate. For example, on the opening night, the staffs sent the brochure to changing room. I carefully read and found that the artistic director Jillian Keiley wittily took a picture, in which she was holding a coffee cup and having afternoon tea with the audiences. In addition, it attached with a letter to the audiences. This letter includes how she was moved by Mr. Shi and why she, as an artistic director, would introduce a non-English play to the local audiences in Canada. 

As a creator, I was actually moved by these details, because a work from local culture is easy to fail when performing abroad. To stand out from hundreds of performances is not easy. It is even more difficult to find the cultural context for overseas audiences to keep an appropriate distance with the work. This experience reminds me of some Taiwan and London art festivals that I have participated. As we have not consulted with the overseas art circle before, we could not be recognisable on the performing stage. Obviously, if a local production needs to perform overseas, cooperating with a producer recognised by people there will be helpful. Recommended by the artistic director in her own hand is especially important. 

It is not common to see such a caring artistic director in the national-level art institution. Even the audiences notice for our performance was recorded by Jillian Keiley (in most of the situation, it will be recorded by a voice sounding like subway station staff). It turns out to be a way to get closer with the audiences. Indeed, in Canada, to manage the relationship between audiences and the theatre is also the duty of artistic director. No matter in Toronto, Vancouver or the capital Ottawa, there will be a group of subscribers being the base of audiences (like the membership in Asia). These people will be the regular when new play performs in each season. In other words, the theatre and the subscribers have intimate understandings and communications, which will directly affect whether the artistic culture will stick to the local humanistic thoughts. After the premiere of Mr. Shi, the artistic director arranged a reception on purpose. The theatre manager introduced creators to the audiences one by one. All these activities were to make the relationship among audiences, stadiums and artists closer. 

Thus, artistic director not only needs outstanding art accomplishments, but also good public relation skills. It is true that the theatre should build an image for brand (This will be discussed in the next several issues). Artistic director also has the core cultural image of the theatre. Therefore, every word and action of him would reflect a spiritual idea. If he happens to be a director, he must, besides express in his own works, could use simple words to clarify the personal and theatre’s unique aesthetic. He will also use his artistic view to guide audiences how to appreciate and experience each unique work.