How the NAC's smallest stage puts a spotlight on Ottawa musicians (2025)

For Ottawa-area musicians like singer-songwriter Mia Kelly or jazz group Primary Colours, playing a show at the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage marks a significant moment in their careers.

Although the Fourth Stage is the smallest of the four performance rooms in the building, it is, nonetheless, programmed and run with the same attention to detail given to the other spaces.

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While symphonies, Broadway shows and A-list headliners regularly take over the 2,000-capacity Southam Hall, emerging artists from Canada and beyond find a cozy and welcoming space at the Fourth, and can often envision themselves graduating to one of the bigger stages.

“To have your poster on the wall and to be in that space is really exciting because so many people that I look up to have been there,” said Kelly, the 22-year-old Gatineau chanteuse who has toured venues of varying sizes across the country, tallying close to 100 shows in 2024. “It also just feels like a gateway to the bigger spaces in the NAC, which I hope to play later on in my career.”

The 150-cap room is long and narrow, equipped with comfy armchairs, state-of-the-art production equipment, a bar and gender-neutral washrooms. It’s framed by a window on Elgin Street, which gives passers by a view of the entire space complete with wood-topped tables, fuchsia chairs, and twinkly lights behind the stage.

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There isn’t a bad seat in the room, and you can usually hear a pin drop – unless the bartender happens to be dispensing ice during a lull in the music.

“It’s such a good space,” said Kelly. “The sound quality is fantastic. The team is amazing. You’re so well taken care of and everyone has a good time.”

It also just feels like a gateway to the bigger spaces in the NAC, which I hope to play later on in my career

Mia Kelly

The members of Primary Colours agreed with her assessment. “Playing the NAC is always a big deal for us,” said José Hernández García, the Ottawa-raised drummer of the trio, which also includes Deniz Lim-Sersan on keys and Chris Pond on bass.

Because they usually play bars late at night, any gig at the Fourth Stage, an all-ages venue, is a chance to reach a wider demographic of fans.

Their most recent Fourth show, for example, was a high-spirited demonstration of their ability to make jazz accessible in front of an audience that doesn’t usually frequent late-night jazz bars. Attendees ranged from the musicians’ parents, children and other family members, to co-workers, friends and fellow musicians, with at least one former music teacher in the room. It was a great night of music.

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When the NAC first opened in 1969, the space that’s now the Fourth Stage was a bookstore specializing in French and English art books. It was relaunched as the Fourth Stage in 2001, and underwent an extensive revamp during the NAC’s 2015-17 architectural rejuvenation. That renovation not only flipped the floor plan so that the stage now faces Elgin Street, but also raised the ceiling, and added the bar, green room, accessibility ramp and non-gendered washrooms.

Former NAC producer Simone Deneau, now retired, was the first producer of NAC Presents, the series that brought Canadian pop and rock shows to the institution, and focused on the Fourth as a key part of her programming. The series was officially launched in 2011. It has since been renamed Popular Music and Variety, and is under the leadership of executive producer Heather Gibson, although Fourth Stage shows are booked by staffers Marilena Gaudio and Xavier Forget.

Ticket prices at the Fourth generally range from about $15 to $30. Shows by popular local artists such as Mia Kelly and Primary Colours tend to sell out, but it’s also considered a “discovery” room for new artists, including a growing number of hip hop acts for which last-minute tickets are often available.

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Upcoming shows include Boogát, a Canadian-Mexican musician from Quebec City who blends hip hop with Latin music styles, on April 11; Afro-Caribbean artist Jessie Simmons on April 12; francophone blues with The Two on April 23; Gatineau singer-songwriter Orchidae on April 25; and experimental folkie Jennifer Castle on June 7. You can find complete listings and ticketing links at nac-cna.ca/en/discover?venue=Fourth+stage.

NAC associate producer Gaudio curates the anglophone artist bookings for the room, while her colleague Forget is responsible for the francophone program.

“I like to keep up with who’s up and coming,” Gaudio said. “That’s definitely my thing. I love to hear all the emerging artists, nationally and locally. And for sure we want to make sure the Ottawa-Gatineau community feels like they have a space here at the NAC, and I think the Fourth Stage is the best entrance for them.”

There are two ways for local acts to secure a gig at the Fourth. One is to be booked by Gaudio or Forget as part of the pop music and variety season; the other is to book it independently as a community rental. About 40 spots per season are available under the community rental program.

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“What that essentially means is a subsidized rental,” said Gaudio. “We charge a rate that is basically at cost or below cost, and they make the full profit on the ticket sales. They’re getting amazing sound, amazing lights and the whole shebang so that’s really cool.”

Primary Colours’ concert was a community rental, while Kelly was booked by Gaudio as part of the season, which meant that she earned a fee but the institution got the ticket revenue.

The youthful singer-songwriter launched her latest album, To Be Clear, with a sold-out show at the Fourth last fall.

In an industry where plenty can go wrong, from technical glitches to personality conflicts, Kelly knew it would be a smooth run at 1 Elgin, and the audience would be rewarded with the type of intimate listening experience that suits her soulful songs.

“Sometimes you’re on tour and you show up to the gig and sound technicians are grumpy and the chair is broken, and it’s none of that. Everything is the highest quality,” Kelly said of her experience at the Fourth Stage.

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The red-carpet treatment started when she arrived. “Someone came and helped me park when I got there,” Kelly said, “and they brought me through the building because it’s a bit convoluted to get from the parking (garage) to the Fourth Stage. Then someone else came out and helped me unload all my stuff. It was very cushy.”

She had the use of a “lovely” green room, stocked with snacks, drinks and a gift bag containing NAC swag, including a notebook with a message from executive producer Gibson.

Kelly also appreciated that the crew took good care of her backdrop, a whimsical celestial scene constructed by Kelly’s sister, a set designer.

“They took a lot of time to make sure that it looked good and that it wasn’t wrinkly and the lighting was properly set up around it. Every detail was taken care of in a way that was super respectful, and they asked me what I wanted every step of the way,” she recalled.

“It was how you wish all the gigs went.”

lsaxberg@postmedia.com

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