Paywright

Marcel Dubé

Since his debut as a young playwright in the 1950's, Marcel Dubé has been a tremendously important figure in Canadian theatre history. He has written a staggering number of dramatic scripts for the stage, television, and radio and has widely contributed, as a journalist, to numerous francophone periodicals. His brilliant career has inspired many.
He was born in Montréal’s East End [...]. Dubé began writing and producing plays that enjoyed remarkable popularity while still a post-secondary student at the Université de Montréal. In 1951 he founded a theatrical troupe with friends called La Jeune Scène. He also received a grant to study theatre in France.
His early plays including De l’autre côté du mur (premiered 1952), Zone (premiered 1953) Un Simple soldat (premiered 1958) characterize working-class Québécois life. The plays were innovative and very well received by an enthusiastic populace. Dubé has been credited with laying the groundwork for a regional Québécois theatre. [...]
Marcel Dubé is an ardent supporter and activist for the preservation of the French language in Canada and abroad. In 1979 he co-founded the Secrétariat des peuples francophones. He also served on the board of the Conseil de la langue française and was president of the Rencontres francophones du Québec.
His many awards include le Prix Athanase-Davide (1973), la Médaille de l’Académie des lettres du Québec (1986) and multiple Governor General’s Awards (1962 and 2005).

Director

Jean Stéphane Roy

Since finishing the theatre program at Collège Lionel Groulx in 1988, Jean Stéphane has acted in more than sixty productions, including as Cuirette in the Michel Tremblay play Hosanna, with Pleiades Theatre in Toronto. In addition to acting, he writes and has over a hundred productions to his credit. He has received several awards including the Masque for outstanding Franco-Canadian production for L’Avare by Molière, staged at Théâtre français de Toronto. In 2007/08, he directed Molière’s Le Misanthrope, also at TfT. His versatility has led him to explore all aspects of his craft: lighting, costumes, set design, writing, and soundscape. Since 2008, he has also taught acting and directing at the University of Ottawa. Most of his work today centres around directing.

Tarzan

Nicolas Desfossés

Originally from Hearst in Northern Ontario, Nicolas grew up in Gatineau. He received his theatrical training at the University of Ottawa. Over the years, he has appeared in various productions around the National Capital Region. Last winter, he was a part of the Zurbain acting/reading team, during the Théâtre Le Clou portion at the National Arts Centre. As an actor, he has trod the boards of Théâtre de l’Île on a few occasions, notably in Oscar Wilde’s L’Importance d’être Constant and last summer, in the Michel Marc Bouchard comedy Les Papillons de nuit. He has been seen in Gatineau by night by Luc Moquin, a Théâtre Dérives Urbaines workshop, which received a full production in the fall. He was also in Théâtre Belvédère debut production, Autopsie de biscuits chinois, a co-production with Théâtre du Trillium from Ottawa. He is delighted to play Tarzan this year in Marcel Dubé’s Zone, a Théâtre La Catapulte/Théâtre français de Toronto co-production. Their performance at Contact ontarois earned them the 2011 Coup de foudre award.

Moineau

Dave Jeniss

Born to a Métis father, Dave Jenniss’s artistic path is tinged with Native culture. Since 2004, he has been seen onstage in such productions as Théâtre Ondinnok’s Hamlet le Malécite by Yves Sioui-Durand and Jean-Frédéric Messier (directed by Jean-Frédéric Messier) and, at Théâtre Prospero, in Wulustek (directed by Peter Batakliev), a play that he wrote in 2008 and which was remounted at the same theatre in the spring of 2011. In 2010, he finished writing his first feature film, Chaman (produced by Alouki Films Projeks); at the same time he began writing his second theatrical play, Takuatshin, under the supervison of Théâtre de la Catapulte.

Moreover, he was part of the cast of Contes urbains 2009 by Yvan Bienvenue at Théâtre de la Licorne. His comic side was on display this summer at Théâtre l’Île de Gatineau in the production Les Papillons de nuit (directed by Mathieu Charrette). On television, he has most notably appeared in La Grande bataille 2 (directed by Alain Chicoine, produced by Zingaro Film) and as Mouki, in the series of the same name, directed by Sonia Boileau on APTN, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Passe-Partout

Maxime Lavoie

Maxime Lavoie is a student at the University of Ottawa and will complete his bachelor’s degree in theatre in two years. Over the course of his studies, Maxime has had the opportunity to take part in several productions such as Turcaret by Alain-René Lesage (La Comédie des Deux Rives, 2008), Lavalléville by André Paiement, and Rappel by Patrick Leroux (Théâtre Tremplin, 2008 and 2010, respectively). In 2011, Maxime, taking his first professional steps in his career, appeared onstage in March for the company Dérives Urbaines in the Luc Moquin play Gatineau by Night, and in June with Théâtre de Dehors in Retour à Pripyat by Philippe Landry as part of the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Last September, he also acted with the group 6_TEM in an adaptation of Woyzcek in the festival FOÉ.

le Policier

Richard J. Léger

Actor and playwright, Richard has appeared onstage in Michel Marc Bouchard’s Le Désir at Théâtre de l’Île, Luc Moquin’s Et si on tuait l’ennui ? with Dérives urbaines à Gatineau (a part for which he received a nomination for actor of the year — male from the Prix Rideau 2009), Iphigénie en trichromie by Michel Ouellette, a co-production of Théâtre la Catapulte and Théâtre du Nouvel Ontario, and in Plaisirs de l’intelligence : Montaigne at the National Arts Centre. He has also been artistic director of Dramamuse, resident theatre company of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. On television, he has acted in Légendes urbaines à Canal D, Histoire Max I and II, and Sciences point com on TfO, where he can be seen in the new series for 9-to-12-year-olds, Motel Monstre beginning January 2012. Richard was a 2001 Trillium Awards finalist for his play Faust : chroniques de la démesure. He premiered his humourous tale L’Alphabet du parfait mari in February 2010 for the Contes nomades series at the NAC Fourth Stage and later in 2010 toured Eastern Ontario. He is currently collaborating on Pop Fiction, a new play for Théâtre Groupe des deux.

Ciboulette

Frédérique Thérien

Soon to graduate from the University of Ottawa with a specialization in theatre, this up-and-coming young actor began her professional career in full force in a Théâtre La Catapulte production, L’Illusion comique by Pierre Corneille in the fall of 2009. She continued her studies while working as a rehearsal manager for some companies in the Ottawa-Gatineau region before landing a major role at Théâtre de l’île in La Cousine Germaine in the summer of 2010, a production for which she received a Prix Rideau Award nomination in the emerging artist, acting, category, in the spring of 2011. She was seen this past summer in a Théâtre Belvédère comedy, Adieu Beauté, by François Archambault. Working in theatre for more than ten years, Frédérique is a versatile young actor who has followed a long course of training and workshops touching on several artistic spheres (singing, dancing, playwriting, stage acting). She is proud to be a part of the superb Zone team.

Tit-Noir

Jean-Simon Traversy

Jean-Simon Traversy graduated from the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal in 2007. Since then, he has acted in Les Fourberies de Scapin by Molière (Repercussion Theatre), Tendres Totems et Croquis Cruels by Francis Monty (Théâtre Juré Craché), De l’amour et des restes humains by Brad Fraser (Théâtre à 4 pattes), Pour faire une histoire courte by Frédéric Blanchette (La Parade sans orignaux), Macbett by Eugène Ionesco (Absolu Théâtre), Cap sur Feydeau (La Parade sans orignaux) et Le Père Noel est une ordure (La Parade sans orignaux). In 2008, he formed the company La Parade sans orignaux with Stéphanie Labbé and Anne Trudel. With his company, he staged the play Super Poulet by Stéphanie Labbé and Farragut North by Beau Willimon. Zone is his third collaboration with the TfT after Fragments de mensonges inutiles by Michel Tremblay and L’École des femmes by Molière, both directed by Diana Leblanc.

Lighting

Guillaume Houët

Involved in dance and theatre for over a dozen years, Guillaume has appeared onstage, worked in stage management, technical direction, and production management, both in house and on tour, but is first and foremost a lighting designer.

In fact, he frequently designs for many Ottawa-area companies such as Théâtre la Catapulte, Cie Vox Théâtre, Théâtre du Trillium, Théâtre de la Vieille 17, GCTC, Théâtre Dérives Urbaines, Théâtre Français at the NAC, and lately Third Wall Theatre and Mi Casa Theatre. He also travelled to Rwanda in October 2009 as stage manager for Goodness by the Toronto company Volcano Theatre.

Recipient of an award of excellence in 2007 from the Fondation pour l’avancement du théâtre francophone au Canada, Guillaume has received two consecutive awards from the Prix Rideau for lighting design of the year in 2010 and 2011.

Stage Management

Alain Lauzon

Originally from Moonbeam in Northeastern Ontario, Alain Lauzon graduated from Laurentian University with a degree in arts expression. Most recently, Alain served as operations coordinator for the Greater Sudbury 2011Canadian Francophone Games. As a stage manager, he has participated in the tours for Médecins de Molière (Théâtre français de Toronto and Théâtre la Catapulte) and Rage (Théâtre la Catapulte).

As an actor, Alain has taken part in the children’s show Flagabou l’enfantôme et la bombe à bonbons by Normand Renaud and the public reading of Sylvie Maria Filion’s script Mary Jane la tueuse. Alain was also in the cast of Bouillon de clowns (2008), directed by John Turner, and has acted in the travelling show Le Parcours littéraire directed by Miriam Cusson (2006/2007).

Dramaturge

Antoine Côté Legault

Originally from Gatineau, Antoine Côté Legault is a true lover of theatre and writing. He received his BA in theatre from the University of Ottawa in 2009 and is currently completing his masters in theatre theory and dramaturgy there. At the same time, he enjoys playwriting, slam poetry, and sometimes likes to think he is an actor. He is co-author of Autopsie de biscuits chinois (2011, Théâtre Belvédère and Théâtre du Trillium) and has made his mark on Outaouais slam poetry scene in recent years. He advanced to the regional finals in 2008/09 and 2009/10, where he ranked third; thereby representing Outaouais in the 2010 Grand Slam. He is also included in the book Slam poésie du Québec (2010, Vent d’Ouest). In the summer of 2010, he took part in the creation of Spa Normand (co-op production), presented onstage at the Hearst Festival and appeared in L’@mour2.com (Montréal Fringe). Antoine will be dramaturge for Zone (2011/12, Théâtre la Catapulte), which will allow him to have a hand in both of his two passions in theatre, research and practice.

Set and Props

Dominic Manca

Titulaire d’un Baccalauréat en beaux arts et technique théâtrale de l’Université d’Alberta, Dominic a d’abord travaillé à titre de directeur technique et régisseur en résidence pour L’UniThéâtre à Edmonton. Il a entre autres participé à la production Cow-boy poétré de Ken Brownet et a conçu la scénographie de Encore de Marc Prescott en 2006. Il déménage ensuite à Toronto, où il a travaillé avec le Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) comme régisseur sur les productions Bonbons assortis, Apocalypse à Kamloops, Le Misanthrope, et Des Fraises en janvier et comme scénographe pour les spectacles Et si on chantait, Le Dîner de cons et L’École des femmes. En 2009, il a réalisé la scénographie et les éclairages des Médecins de Molière (une coproduction du TfT et du Théâtre la Catapulte) qui lui a value une nomination aux Prix Rideau.

Costumes

Nina Okens

Nina has made costumes for The Merchant of Venice, Titus Andronicus, and Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare in the Rough. Her costume credits also include The Awakening, Orchidelierium, and Medici Slot Machine for Pea Green/Theatre Voce.

Living in Toronto since 1996, Nina has also made costumes at Theatre Sheridan, and has been TfT’s regular wardrobe designer for several years. At TfT, she has worked on, among other productions, Le Collier d’Hélène; Jeux d’amour et de folie; Le Visiteur; Un Air de famille; La, la la, mine de rien; Grimm Grimm; La Critique de L’École des femmes; and Le Mariage forcé. Nina’s most recent projects at TfT are Le Dîner de cons; Les Médecins de Molière, Fragments de mensonges inutiles, Les Fridolinades and À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou.

Soundscape

Jean-Michel Ouimet

A graduate from the prestigious École nationale de la chanson in Granby (Qc), and from the University of Ottawa (B.A. in Media Communication), Jean-Michel Ouimet is production director and owner of Klash média, a media production studio. He is a producer, composer, audio designer, multi-instrumentalist, skilled guitarist, sound engineer, video editor and communication adviser. His works can be seen and heard at the theatre, on radio and television, on music albums and at museum exhibits. His hybrid training and experiences, his unique skills and creative approach makes him a leader in the field of audio, media, and music production. He is respected for his versatility and avant-garde artistic flair. Jean-Michel Ouimet is an active member of the arts and culture community. He was president of APCM (Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique) from 2006 to 2010. In 2011, he was made a member of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés francophones. Jean-Michel is a native of Ottawa.