PAUL GROSS ANNOUNCED AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT CCA 65 TH ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER

Ottawa, ON (Sep­tem­ber 8, 2010) – The Cana­dian Con­fer­ence of the Arts (CCA) is pleased to announce that acclaimed Cana­dian actor and direc­tor Paul Gross will be the keynote speaker at its 65  anniver­sary gala din­ner. The gala will take place on Novem­ber 1, 2010 at the National Arts Cen­tre (NAC) in Ottawa and will cel­e­brate the CCA’s accom­plish­ments and legacy in Canada’s arts, cul­ture and her­itage sec­tor since its incep­tion in 1945.

“We are hon­oured to have Paul Gross deliver the keynote address at the gala,” says Alain Pineau, National Direc­tor, CCA. “The event will bring together mem­bers and stake­hold­ers from the cul­tural com­mu­nity to cel­e­brate the CCA’s his­tory and the impor­tance of arts in Cana­dian soci­ety. An accom­plished artist him­self and a stim­u­lat­ing speaker, Paul’s pres­ence will greatly enhance the celebration.”

Over the past few years, Gross has been involved with a num­ber of film and tele­vi­sion projects includ­ing Men with Brooms, H2O, The Tro­jan Horse, Cra$h & Burn and Gun­less. He also wrote, directed, co-produced and starred in Pass­chen­daele, a sweep­ing First World War epic that was the high­est gross­ing Cana­dian film of 2008. In 2009, Gross received the National Arts Cen­tre Award and the Pierre Berton Award in recog­ni­tion of Pass­chen­daele.
Gross is best known for his role as Con­sta­ble Ben­ton Fraser on the tele­vi­sion series Due South, which he also co-wrote and pro­duced. He won three Gem­ini Awards for his work on the series and later received two Gem­ini Awards for his per­for­mance on the series Slings & Arrows.

Dur­ing the gala, the CCA will present its annual awards, rec­og­niz­ing indi­vid­u­als who have made a sus­tained con­tri­bu­tion to the devel­op­ment of arts and cul­ture in Canada. The gala will also serve as a kick off for the CCA’s National Pol­icy Con­fer­ence Artists: Pow­er­ing the Cre­ative Econ­omy?, tak­ing place Novem­ber 2 and 3 at the NAC. Gross’ address at the gala will also focus on the theme of the cre­ative
economy.

The gala will take place from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. Tick­ets can be pur­chased indi­vid­u­ally or for a table of eight. For rates and reg­is­tra­tions forms, visit www.ccarts.ca/en/events/.

The Cana­dian Con­fer­ence of the Arts is a national forum for the arts, her­itage and cul­tural com­mu­nity in Canada. It pro­vides research, analy­sis and con­sul­ta­tions on pub­lic poli­cies affect­ing the arts and Cana­dian cul­tural insti­tu­tions and indus­tries. The CCA fos­ters informed pub­lic debate and seeks to advance the cul­tural life of Cana­di­ans.
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