Red Sky Performance’s Sandra Laronde, actor Graham Greene among Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards

Jeremy Dutcher also receives the National Arts Centre Award as part of the announcement

Sandra Laronde with Red Sky Performance.

THE GOVERNOR GENERAL’S Performing Arts Awards Foundation has just announced the laureates of the 2025 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement—the country’s highest accolade in the performing arts. And several names will be familiar to Vancouver audiences.

They include Sandra Laronde, director, producer, choreographer, author, and executive and artistic director of the dance troupe Red Sky Performance; composer Denis Gougeon; actor Graham Greene; and comedian, film and television actor, host, screenwriter, and producer Patrick Huard. The honour comes with a $25,000 cash prize, contributed by the Canada Council for the Arts, and a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.

In addition, the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts, which recognizes outstanding contribution to the performing arts in Canada, has gone to April Hubbard, a Halifax-based performance artist, arts administrator, and Mad Disability advocate.

Meanwhile, composer, musician, language carrier, ethnomusicologist, and activist Jeremy Dutcher has received the National Arts Centre Award as part of the announcement. The prize recognizes work of an extraordinary nature by an individual artist or company in the past performance year.

And under the national Mentorship Program also unveiled today, filmmaker Atom Egoyan will offer guidance over the next year to Joshua Odjick, a rising star of Algonquin-Anishinabe/Cree heritage from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.

The awards ceremony takes place June 14 in Ottawa.

Articles

Red Sky Performance’s Sandra Laronde, actor Graham Greene among Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards

Jeremy Dutcher also receives the National Arts Centre Award as part of the announcement

Open letter to provincial government calls for renewal of BC Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund

Local arts and culture organizations say “the clock is ticking” as they await answers from Premier David Eby and Spencer Chandra Herbert

Arts groups push for the reinstatement of the BC Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund

The Province, which has provided nearly $80 million since 2021, is reviewing the program, while fests warn of challenges and cutbacks if it’s lost

More cuts at SFU Woodward's Goldcorp Centre for the Arts as SFU shuts down Vancity Office of Community Engagement

The closure removes another of the building’s original founding partners after the axing of SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs last year

BC Coalition of Arts, Culture, and Heritage highlights key priorities for the new year

Steering-committee member Rainbow Robert says the coalition is working toward funding increases for the sector, plus the implementation of a strategic action plan

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 arts and culture stories to watch for in 2025

New developments for the year ahead span a Vancouver Art Gallery redesign and the opening of SFU’s Burnaby Mountain art museum

Spencer Chandra Herbert sounds off on priorities as Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

“I know how important provincial support for the arts and culture world is,” the politician tells Stir

Vancouver's Joe Average remembered for his wildly coloured art as much as devoted advocacy

The creator of murals, coins, stamps, and much more gave a human face to HIV, tirelessly raised money for charity, and brought vivid imagery to the city

Theatre director Bobby Garcia remembered for the mark he made on stage in Vancouver, the Philippines, and across Asia

The UBC Masters alumnus and Philippines stage leader helmed the Arts Club’s Million Dollar Quartet, Beneath Springhill, and Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol

Vancouver Art Gallery abandons design for new building, severing relationship with Swiss architectural firm

Amid surging construction costs, CEO and executive director Anthony Kiendl has announced the VAG is now exploring new options

Theatre community mourns former Studio 58 and Caravan Farm Theatre artistic director Courtenay Dobbie

Director, playwright, choreographer, actor, and teacher worked on stages from Green Thumb to the Arts Club and beyond

Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries

They’ll be competing in juried Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature at event December 4 to 8

B.C. election 2024: Local arts groups seek greater support from the next provincial government

Advocates say a unified strategy is needed for the arts, culture, and heritage sector

Vancouver celebrates centenary of the birth of renowned late architect Arthur Erickson with a year of programming

The Erickson family and the Arthur Erickson Foundation announce AE100, 12 months of films, exhibits, lectures, and more, launching July 7

UBC Theatre and Film announces 2024-25 season

Three of the city’s most respected directors to helm The Very Book Indeed, The Arsonists, and The Last of the Pelican Daughters

Vancouver mourns the death of dan bau virtuoso Bic Hoang, a "standout musician with a standout instrument and a big smile"

The local artist was the first woman to play the koni, a traditional Vietnamese instrument typically reserved for men

The Dance Centre announces Company 605 co-artistic directors and Margaret Grenier as 2024 winners of Lola Award and Isadora Award

Lisa Mariko Gelley and Josh Martin receive $10,000 biennial prize, while Dancers of Damelahamid artistic director wins $5,000 annual award

Gateway Theatre unveils 40th-anniversary season, spanning a Halloween murder mystery, family-friendly puppetry, and more

Four mainstage theatre shows hit 2024-25 roster, along with celebrations for Richmond Pride Week, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Lunar New Year

Firehall Arts Centre loses bid for $7 million accessibility upgrades in City's Mid-term Capital Plan

In a move opposition councillors called “embarrassing”, Vancouver City Council majority voted to put off exploring future upgrades to the aging facility by two years

Firehall Arts Centre pushes City for $7 million accessibility upgrade

Right now, wheelchair users face stairs and other barriers to attending and working on shows at the historic theatre

Vancouver New Music launches On Curation Mentorship Project, featuring four emerging Canadian curators

Mentors include Raven Chacon, who recently became the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, and Western Front curator-at-large Aki Onda

Major new sculpture by Indigenous artist James Harry installed in Squamish

Welcome Gate is made of fibreglass, stainless steel, copper guilding, and LED lighting

Chutzpah! Festival set to run a scaled-down event this year to cope with financial pressures

Festival changes to an approximately weeklong event, as organizers cut back by two-thirds in the wake of public grant losses

Studio 58 announces 2024-25 season, its 59th year of indie and mainstage theatre

Four mainstage shows and one indie production featuring Vancouver’s up-and-coming talent fill the calendar

Kay Meek Arts Centre unveils 20th season spanning Ukrainian-folk quartet Yagódy, Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, and more

A first round of shows has been announced in the Amplify, Resonate, Play, and Cabaret series, ranging from classical music to Vancouver theatre favourites

Vancouver sees renewed push for three-theatre cultural precinct complex amid venue crunch

Vancouver Symphony Society secures city grant, as dance and music presenters voice needs and say securing local venues is harder than ever

UBC Museum of Anthropology reopens after completion of challenging $30.5-million seismic upgrades

Years in the making, project led by Nick Milkovich Architects Inc. includes full rebuild of the glass-panelled Great Hall, plus the new permanent Pacific Northwest Galleries

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music director Otto Tausk extends contract into 2029-30 season

The maestro is also artistic advisor of the VSO School of Music

B.C. poet George McWhirter wins international $130,000 Griffin Poetry Prize with Mexican poet Homero Aridjis

Translator of Spanish-language poetry collection Self-Portrait in the Zone of Silence shares award with original author

Cartoonist Miriam Libicki receives formal apology from Vancouver Comic Arts Festival after protests led to ban

The Vancouver artist, who was banned after protesters disrupted the festival, is now using her art to raise funds for Palestinian and Israeli women peace activists