Wajdi Mouawad

Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor and director. He is most known for his work in the Canadian and French theatre. Born in Lebanon, Mouawad's family left when he was eight due to the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War. He moved to Montreal in 1983 after living in France for five years. Mouawad is known for his politically engaged, moralistic theatre, which often revolves around family trauma, war and the betrayal of youth, and for recurring stylistic tropes, such as having his actors shout all their lines. Since April 2016, Wajdi Mouawad is the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline, in Paris.

Biography

He obtained his diploma from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1991.

In 1998, his creation Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes (Willy Protagoras locked up in the toilets) was voted best Montreal-based production by l'Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre.

From 2000 to 2004, he led the Théâtre de Quat'sous in Montreal. He has adapted different works for the theatre, from Don Quixote to Trainspotting.

He was awarded the Governor General's Award in Literature for drama in 2000. In 2002, the French Government bestowed upon him the title of Knight of the Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres for the collection of his works. In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a writer, actor, stage director and playwright known internationally for the quality and scope of his theatrical creations".[1]

He made his first attempt onto the big screen in 2004 by directing and producing the film Littoral, based on the play of the same name.

On September 1, 2007, he became the artistic director of the National Arts Centre's French Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

His play Incendies (Scorched) has been produced all over the world, including the United States, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Spain and Australia, and the 2007 production at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto won several awards. The famed Vienna "Burgtheater", the biggest theatre in Europe, assigned Stefan Bachmann with the stage production. It subsequently received much praise from critics, winning the "Nestroy Award" in 2007.

Incendies, the film version of the play (directed by Denis Villeneuve) is Canada's official selection for the 2011 Academy Awards. Incendies opened in Canada on January 21, 2011.

In early 2011, Mouawad cast French rock musician Bertrand Cantat in Chœurs, his production of a trilogy of Greek plays by Sophocles. This sparked widespread public criticism in Canada, as Cantat had recently been released after serving four years for the murder of his girlfriend, French actress Marie Trintignant. Canadian politicians suggested barring Cantat's entry into the country, as he failed to meet certain legal requirements for the entry of ex convicts. In April 2011 the artistic director of Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Lorraine Pintal, announced that Cantat would not be performing in Chœurs in Canada, though he did tour with the production in France, Belgium and Switzerland.[2] Mouawad responded to the controversy by publishing an open letter to his three-year-old daughter Aimee in the newspaper Le Devoir, arguing for Cantat's right to complete reintegration into society.[3]

Author

Theatre

Published
Not published

Radio works

Novels

Films

Theatre

Directing

(authors in parenthesis, unless authored by Wajdi Moawad)

Adaptations

Interpretations

Others

Awards and distinctions

Sources

References

  1. ↑ "Governor General announces 60 new appointments to the Order of Canada". July 1, 2009.
  2. ↑ Convicted killer Bertrand Cantat will not perform in Canada: theatre Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Aimee, my little darling/ Aimée, ma petite chérie
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