Celebrating Performance: Acting Alumni Peter Katz's Induction into The NSA Hall of Fame
The School of Performance at Toronto Metropolitan University is continuously honoured to celebrate the successes of current and former students. This past July, 2004 Performance: Acting grad Peter Katz was inducted into the National Speakers Association (NSA) Hall of Fame (external link) . He is now one of five Canadians that reside in the Hall of Fame.
Surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, Peter was formally inducted at the NSA’s annual conference in Austin, Texas. Starting with a nomination by a fellow colleague, the process of induction involves an intense evaluation of a speaker’s career as a whole and is finalized by granting nominees with the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE). The NSA describes this honour as a “lifetime award for speaking excellence and professionalism.”
In his acceptance speech, Peter spoke generously to the interview process he uses to develop speeches. Having interviewed, as he put it, “thousands of people” throughout his career, Peter expressed a commitment to sharing stories of human goodness. Of course, although he finds ease in seeing the goodness in people, he in no way finds this an easy task. “It’s a labor intensive process. It’s inefficient. Sometimes it’s daunting,” he shared. But it is this process–combined with Peter’s singer-songwriter abilities–that make him the compelling speaker that he is. No doubt his theatre background has also aided in his success.
Peter (pictured second from right) with his fellow nominees
Although most certainly a milestone, Peter’s acceptance of the CPAE stands among a plethora of career highlights, including receiving nominations for both the JUNO Awards and Canadian Screen Awards, serving as a trusted partner to Fortune 500 companies, and working with all levels of government. Given this prosperous career stretches back to the Performance: Acting program here at Toronto Metropolitan University, Peter’s story serves as a symbol for the endless possibilities performance students can look forward to.
“I am beyond surprised to be recognized in this way. As I’ve tried to make sense of it, I believe that, more than anything, this award is actually a recognition and a celebration of that process.”