Michelle Giroux | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Michelle Giroux | |
| Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Education | The Bishop Strachan School, The National Theatre School of Canada, The Birmingham Conservatory and The Canadian Film Centre |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | Graham Abbey |
Michelle Giroux (born 1976) is a Canadian stage, television and film actress whose credits include numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival over fourteen seasons.
Upon graduating from high school in Toronto, Giroux was accepted as an acting student at The National Theatre School of Canada. In her third year she was featured among other artists as one of the "ones to watch" in the Montreal Gazette selected by theatre critic Pat Donnelly. Shortly after graduating she joined the Stratford Festival acting Company in 1997. Later she would be called "one of the best young talents at Stratford," in Martin Hunter's book about the Festival. [1]
In Romancing the Bard: Stratford at Fifty, Martin Hunter writes:
Michelle Giroux has shown a particular aptitude for willful, witty, and elegant young women in her portrayals of Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal, Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest , and Olivia in Twelfth Night . [2]
Her featured roles include the 1998 production of The Miser opposite William Hutt which also played at the New York City Center, [3] Lady Teazle in a 2001 production of The School for Scandal opposite Brian Bedford which went on to play at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, [4] a 2003 production of Noël Coward's Present Laughter , [5] a 2005 production of The Brothers Karamazov , [6] as well as Julia in a 2007 production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance . [7] Other Stratford credits include Nina in The Seagull, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, Jean-Louise in To Kill a Mockingbird, Isabella in Edward II, Mary Robinson in The Swanne III, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Rosaline in Love's Labours Lost, Joan La Pucelle in Henry VI, Lydia in '"Pride and Prejudice and Althia McLaren in Front Page.
Her non-Stratford stage credits include starring in Claudia Dey's Trout Stanley at the Factory Theatre, Karoline Leach's Tryst and Same Time Next Year opposite R.H Thomson at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal, [8] an adaptation of The Misanthrope and The Oxford Room Climbers' Rebellion at the Tarragon Theatre and The Winter's Tale, Measure for Measure and Portia (Dora nomination) in Julius Caesar with Groundling Theatre Company.
In 2009, Giroux studied in the inaugural acting class at the Canadian Film Center. Among her teachers were Norman Jewison, Sarah Polley, Kiefer Sutherland and Patricia Rozema. In 2013, Giroux starred in her first feature film, Blood Pressure , directed by Sean Garrity. [9] [10] She was nominated in 2014 for best actress by the Vancouver Film Critics for her performance.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | She Said Lenny | Ellen | Short film |
| 2010 | Impossible | Narrator (voice) | Short film |
| 2011 | Murdoch Mysteries | Sarah Conolly Forbes | Episode: "Tattered and Torn" |
| 2011 | John A.: Birth of a Country | Isabella | TV film |
| 2011 | Flashpoint | Miranda Collins | Episode: "Day Game" |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Samantha | Episode: "Down in L.A." |
| 2012 | King | Wendy Stetler | Episode: "Wendy Stetler" |
| 2013 | Blood Pressure | Nicole | Feature film |
| 2017 | Black Mirror | English Teacher | Episode: "Arkangel" |
| 2020 | Life in a Year | Amanda | Feature film |
| 2022 | Delia's Gone | Helena | Feature film |
| 2023 | BlackBerry | Dara Frankel | Feature film |
| 2023 | The Burning Season | Feature film |
A resident of Toronto, she married Stratford colleague Graham Abbey in August 2008. [9] [11]
The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the Shakespeare Festival and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The festival was one of the first arts festivals in Canada and continues to be one of its most prominent. It is recognized worldwide for its productions of Shakespearean plays.
Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
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Michelle Giroux.