Wajdi Mouawad

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Wajdi Mouawad
Portrait de Wajdi Mouawad.jpg
Wajdi Mouawad, drawing
Born (1968-10-16) 16 October 1968 (age 55)
Deir al-Qamar, Lebanon
OccupationActor, playwright, writer, director, screenwriter, guitarist, drummer, director
NationalityLebanese
Notable awardsKnight 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)

Contents

Website
www.wajdimouawad.fr

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]

Early life and education

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]

Career

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 ]

From 2000 to 2004, he led the Théâtre de Quat'sous in Montreal. [4]

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]

Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris. [2]

Work

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.

Playwright

Published
Not published

Radio works

Novels

Films

Theatre Directing

(authors in parentheses, unless authored by Wajdi Moawad)

Adaptations

He has adapted different works for the theatre, from Don Quixote to Trainspotting .

Interpretations

Others

Awards and distinctions

Sources

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Nasrallah, Dimitri (2019-08-27). "A Controversial Playwright Takes on the Arab-Israeli Conflict". The Walrus. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  2. 1 2 "Wajdi Mouawad's career". La Colline Théâtre National. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  3. "Graduates and recent cohorts". National Theatre School of Canada. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. "À propos du théâtre | Découvrez le Quat'Sous". www.quatsous.com. Théâtre de Quat'Sous. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. Dumais, Manon. "Littoral : Au nom du père". Voir.ca (in Canadian French). Voir. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. "Wajdi Mouawad to guide French theatre at Ottawa's NAC | CBC News". CBC. CBC Arts. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  7. "WAJDI MOUAWAD UNVEILS FINAL SEASON AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE FRENCH THEATREWE ARE NOT DANGEROUS". nac-cna.ca. National Arts Center. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  8. Convicted killer Bertrand Cantat will not perform in Canada: theatre Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Aimee, my little darling/ Aimée, ma petite chérie [ permanent dead link ]
  10. "Governor General announces 60 new appointments to the Order of Canada". July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.