Normand Chaurette (July 9, 1954 – August 31, 2022) was a Canadian playwright, best known as one of the first prominent writers of

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

-themed plays in Quebec and Canada.

Life and career

Chaurette's career began in 1976 with ''Rêve d'une nuit d'hôpital'', a radio play broadcast by

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and inspired by the life of

Émile Nelligan Émile Nelligan (December 24, 1879 – November 18, 1941) was a Canadian Symbolist poet from Montreal who wrote in French. Even though he stopped writing poetry after being institutionalized at the age of 19, Nelligan remains an iconic figur ...

. The play won the international Prix Paul-Gilson for francophone radio drama, and was later presented in a stage format in 1980. His second play, ''Provincetown Playhouse, juillet 1919, j'avais 19 ans'', was staged in 1981.Normand Chaurette
at

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. His 1991 play ''Les reines'' became the first theatre piece by a Quebec writer to be staged at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. He was a three-time winner of the

Governor General's Award for French-language drama This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for French-language drama. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for French language poetry or drama was divided. Because the award is presented for plays publi ...

, for ''Le Passage de l'Indiana'' in 1996, ''Le Petit Köchel'' in 2001 and ''Ce qui meurt en dernier'' in 2011, and was nominated for ''Fragments d'une lettre d'adieu lus par des géologues'' in 1986. He also published a novel, ''Scènes d'enfants'', which was nominated for the

Governor General's Award for French-language fiction The Governor General's Award for French-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in French. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, seven each ...

in 1988, and a non-fiction book, ''Comment tuer Shakespeare'', which won the

Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction The Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in French. It is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit, sev ...

in 2012. He won a

Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area. The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...

in 1993 for ''Les reines''. He also translated a number of plays into French, including

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

's '' Mary Stuart'',

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been can ...

'' and works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. As well, his translation of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' was directed by Yves Desgagné as the 2006 film ''Roméo et Juliette'', He was named an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 2004.Order of Canada citation for Normand Chaurette

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

, April 30, 2009.

Works

Plays

* ''Rêve d'une nuit d'hôpital'' (1976) * ''Provincetown Playhouse, juillet 1919, j'avais 19 ans'' (1981) * ''Les Trois Grâces'' (1982) * ''La Société de Métis'' (1983) * ''Fragments d'une lettre d'adieu lus par les géologues'' (1986) * ''Les Reines'' (1991) * ''Le Passage de l'Indiana'' (1996) * ''Je vous écris du Caire'' (1996) * ''Brève d'ailleurs'' (1997) * ''Stabat Mater I'' (1997) * ''Le Pont du Gard vu de nuit'' (1998) * ''Stabat Mater II'' (1999) * ''Petit navire'' (1999) * ''Le Petit Köchel'' (2000) * ''Ce qui meurt en dernier'' (2011)

Novel

* ''Scènes d'enfants'' (1988)

Non-fiction

* ''Comment tuer Shakespeare'' (2011)

References

External links

* * Archives of Normand Chaurett
(Fonds Normand Chaurette, R13018)
is held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaurette, Normand 1954 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian male novelists Canadian non-fiction writers in French Canadian screenwriters in French 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Writers from Montreal French Quebecers Canadian LGBT dramatists and playwrights Canadian LGBT screenwriters Officers of the Order of Canada Université de Montréal alumni Canadian gay writers Canadian LGBT novelists Governor General's Award-winning dramatists Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers Canadian novelists in French Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French 20th-century Canadian translators 21st-century Canadian translators Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian male non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers Gay screenwriters Gay dramatists and playwrights Gay novelists