Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed[1] play Incendies (2003). His works often revolve around family trauma, war, and the betrayal of youth.[citation needed] Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.[2]
Actor, playwright, writer, director, screenwriter, guitarist, drummer, director
Nationality
Lebanese
Notable awards
Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Officer of the Order of Canada
Governor General's Literary Award (2000)
Grand Prize for Theater (French Academy) (2009)
Knight of the National Order of Quebec (2010)
Website
www.wajdimouawad.fr
Early life and educationedit
Born in Lebanon, Mouawad's family left the country when he was eight due to the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War.[citation needed]
He moved to Montreal in 1983 after living in France for five years.[citation needed]
He obtained his diploma in interprétation (acting) from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1991.[3]
Careeredit
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.[citation needed]
In 2004 he directed and produced his first film, Littoral, based on the play of the same name.[5]
In September 2007, he became the artistic director of the National Arts Centre's French Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[6][7]
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 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.[8] 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.[9]
His play Incendies (Scorched) has been produced all over the world, including the United States, Brazil, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Spain and Australia, and the 2007 production at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto won several awards. The Vienna Burgtheater assigned Stefan Bachmann with the stage production. It subsequently received much praise from critics, winning the "Nestroy Award" in 2007. In 2011 Incendies, the film version of the play directed by Denis Villeneuve was Canada's official selection for the Academy Awards.
Playwrightedit
Published
1996: Alphonse (Leméac)
1999: Les mains d'Edwige au moment de la naissance (Leméac)
2004: Je suis le méchant!, interviews with André Brassard (Leméac)
2004: Littoral, cinematic projection of the theater work of the same name TVA Films
2005: Architecture d'un marcheur, interviews given to Jean-François Côté (Leméac)
2009: Le Sang des Promesses: Puzzle, racines, et rhizomes, travel notes, directing, regarding the process of writing and directing of the de la tetralogy (Léméac/Actes Sud)
2011: Traduire Sophocle (Actes Sud)
Awards and distinctionsedit
1998: Prize of best production in Montréal, awarded by "Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre" for Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes
2004: Prize "SACD de la francophonie" for totality of his works
2005: Molière of best francophone author (he refused to receive the Molières 2005 prize)
2009: Officer 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".[10]
2013: Phoenix Award for his novel Anima (as part of the Beirut Spring Festival organized by the Samir Kassir Foundation)
2013: Grand Prix Thyde Monnier for Anima
2013: Deuxième Roman de Laval prize for Anima
2013: Prix Méditerranée for Anima
2014: Premi Llibreter de Narrativa for Anima
Sourcesedit
Charlotte Farcet, Les Tigres de Wajdi Mouawad (Joca Seria, 2009)
Referencesedit
^Nasrallah, Dimitri (2019-08-27). "A Controversial Playwright Takes on the Arab-Israeli Conflict". The Walrus. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
^ ab"Wajdi Mouawad's career". La Colline Théâtre National. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^"Graduates and recent cohorts". National Theatre School of Canada. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
^"À propos du théâtre | Découvrez le Quat'Sous". www.quatsous.com. Théâtre de Quat'Sous. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^Dumais, Manon. "Littoral : Au nom du père". Voir.ca (in Canadian French). Voir. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^"Wajdi Mouawad to guide French theatre at Ottawa's NAC | CBC News". CBC. CBC Arts. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^"WAJDI MOUAWAD UNVEILS FINAL SEASON AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FRENCH THEATREWE ARE NOT DANGEROUS". nac-cna.ca. National Arts Center. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^Convicted killer Bertrand Cantat will not perform in Canada: theatre Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^Aimee, my little darling/ Aimée, ma petite chérie
^"Governor General announces 60 new appointments to the Order of Canada". July 1, 2009.