Ownership
The Canadian College of Performing Arts is owned and operated by the Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS). CHAS is registered as a not-for-profit society with the Registrar of Societies of British-Columbia. The Society is also registered with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency as a charity. Mission Statement The Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS). - To provide instruction and training in the performing arts, and to raise the aesthetic taste and artistic appreciation of the public at large through the medium of public performances and exhibitions.
- To preserve and promote heritage arts and culture.
History
The Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS) has continually endeavoured to invest in the future of Canada by enriching the inter-regional and historical awareness, cross-cultural understanding, and national pride of our youth.
The Canadian Heritage Arts Society was incorporated in the province of British Columbia in 1990 for the purpose of promoting the arts through education, training and performance. CHAS became a registered charitable organization in 1991 and commenced a highly acclaimed national touring program in 1992. The tour went from mile zero on the west coast to mile zero on the east coast and back again, then up to the territories, with 125 company members from every region of Canada. Titled Experience Canada, the tour included presentations of the show Spirit of a Nation, created by the artistic directors of the Canadian Heritage Arts Society, which reached over 800,000 people in person at festivals, schools and theatres. It was also nationally televised, featured in the Canada Day stage and television show from Parliament Hill; debuted a David Foster/Roch Voisine song; performed with Céline Dion; and a televised documentary about Experience Canada continued to be aired for the next few years.
This outstandingly successful venture lead to many invitations to return for repeat engagements. In 1993, the Society accepted the invitation of the Confederation Centre of the Arts to present Spirit of a Nation all summer long at its Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island. One of the main reasons Confederation Centre was chosen was the opportunity it offered for Dunning and Lemay to further develop the performing arts training component for the participants in Spirit of a Nation. Popular demand resulted in CHAS and the Confederation Centre continuing a proud relationship for four years.
In the summer of 1997, CHAS brought Spirit of a Nation and its now renowned training program, home to Victoria, British Columbia. The Canadian College of Performing Arts was founded in 1998.
Outstanding Successes
Over the past decade of the training offered by the program's principals, they have seen their graduates garner contracts in world famous productions such as Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Showboat, Sunset Boulevard and Les Misérables in London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver and at the Stratford Festival. In short, protégées of the CHAS programmes have gone on to major roles around the globe. CHAS directors are equally proud of those who have gone on to earn degrees at universities across the nation and abroad.
Through these endeavours the Canadian Heritage Arts Society has successfully managed annual budgets of $300,000.00 to $3,000,000.00.
The Founders
Jacques Lemay & Janis Dunning The Board
Honorary Board Members
George Heller- Senior Director of the Board, Hudson Bay Company.
Roy Surette, Artistic Director, Centaur Theatre, Montreal
Mel Cooper, C.M., O.B.C. - Chairman, Seacoast Communications Group Inc.
Douglas J. Fraser - President of D.J. Fraser Consulting
Laurier LaPierre, O.C. - Senator
Richard O'Brien - Theatre Studies Professor
Jean E. Pigott, O.C. - Past Chair, Ottawa Congress Centre
Colin Jackson - Executive Director and CEO, Epcor Performing Arts Centre, Calgary
Geri Hinton - B.C Office for Seniors Board Members
2009-10 Mr. Tony Belcher - President Ms. Heather Jeliazkov - Vice President Mr. Kent Fullarton - Treasurer Ms. Fay Melling - Secretary Mr Barry Bowman - Director Ms. Lina de Guevara - Director Mr. John Krich- Director Ms. Marcia McNeil - Director Mr. Rod Webb - Director |
