Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a

Lebanese-Canadian Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanon, Lebanese origin. According to the Canada 2016 Census, 2016 Census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese people, Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 Census, making th ...

writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play ''Incendies'' (2003). His works often revolve around family trauma, war, the betrayal of youth. Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.

Early life and education

Born in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

, Mouawad's family left the country when he was eight due to the outbreak of the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

. He moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

in 1983 after living in France for five years. He obtained his diploma in () from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1991.

Career

In 1998, his creation ''Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes'' (''Willy Protagoras locked up in the toilets'') was voted best

-based production by l'Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre. From 2000 to 2004, he led the Théâtre de Quat'sous in Montreal. In 2004 he directed and produced his first film, ''Littoral'', based on the play of the same name. In September 2007, he became the artistic director of the National Arts Centre's French Theatre in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, Ontario, Canada. In early 2011, Mouawad cast French rock musician Bertrand Cantat in Chœurs, his production of a trilogy of Greek plays by

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

. 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 Lorraine Pintal (born September 24, 1951) is a Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright. Biography The daughter of Jean Pintal and Anne-Marie Bélanger, she was born in Plessisville and studied at the and the Conservatoire d'art dramatiq ...

, announced that Cantat would not be performing in Chœurs in Canada, though he did tour with the production in France, Belgium and Switzerland. 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. Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.

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 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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 ''Incendies'' (; "Fires") is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play of the same name, ''Incendies'' stars Lubna Azabal, Méli ...

'', the film version of the play directed by

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, ''Incendies ...

was Canada's official selection for the Academy Awards.

Playwright

;Published *1996: ''Alphonse'' (Leméac) *1999: ''Les mains d'Edwige au moment de la naissance'' (Leméac) *1999, 2009: ''Littoral'' (coedition Leméac/Actes Sud-Papiers) *2000: ''Pacamambo'' (Actes Sud-Papiers Junior) *2002: ''Rêves'' (coedition Leméac/Actes Sud-Papiers) *2003: ''

''; English translation: Scorched (2009) *2004: ''Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes'' (Leméac) *2006: ''Forêts''; English translation: Forests (2010) *2007: ''Assoiffés'' (coédition Leméac/Actes Sud-Papiers) *2008: ''Le soleil ni la mort ne peuvent se regarder en face'' (coedition Leméac/Actes Sud) *2008: ''Seuls – Chemin, texte et peintures'' (Actes Sud – Leméac) *2009: '' Ciels''; English translation: Heavens (2014) *2011: ''Journée de noces chez les Cromagnons'' (coedition Leméac/Actes Sud-Papiers) *2015: ''Sœurs'' *2017: ''Victoires'' *2018: ''L'œil'' *2018: ''Tous des oiseaux''; English translation: Birds of a kind (2019) *2019: ''Alphonse ou Les aventures extraordinaires de Pierre-Paul-René, un enfant doux, monocorde et qui ne s'étonne jamais de rien'' ;Not published *1992: ''Partie de cache-cache entre 2 tchécoslovaques au début du siècle''

Radio works

* ''Loin des chaises'' * ''Wilfrid'' * ''William M.'' * ''Le chevalier'' * ''Dans la cathédrale'' * ''Les trains hurlent quand on tue'' * ''Les étrangers du bord du monde''

Novels

*2002: ''Visage retrouvé'' (coedition Leméac/Actes Sud) *2007: ''Un obus dans le cœur'' (Actes Sud Junior – Léméac) *2012: ''Anima''

Films

*2004: ''Littoral'' directed by Wajdi Mouawad *2010: ''

'' directed by

Theatre Directing

(authors in parenthesis, unless authored by Wajdi Moawad) *1992: ''Al Malja et L'Exil'' (Naji Mouawad) *1992: '' Macbeth'' (

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 ...

) *1994: ''Le tour du monde of Joe Maquillon'' (Gislain Bouchard) *1995: ''Tu ne violeras pas'' (Edna Mazia) *1995: '' Don Quichotte ( Miguel de Cervantes) *1997: ''Littoral'' *1998: ''Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes'' *1998: ''Trainspotting'' ( Irvine Welsh) *1998: ''Œdipe roi'', in English '' Oedipus Rex'' (

) *1999: ''Disco Pigs'' ( Enda Walsh) *1999: ''Les Troyennes'', in English '' The Trojan Women'' (

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

) *1999: ''Littoral'' – Festival d'Avignon *2000: ''Rêves'' *2000: ''Ce n'est pas la manière dont on se l'imagine que Claude et Jacqueline se sont rencontrés'' (Mouawad co-authoring with Estelle Clareton) *2000: ''Lulu le chant souterrain'' (Frank Wedekind) *2000: ''Reading Hebron'' (Jason Sherman) *2001: ''Le mouton et la baleine'' (Ahmed Ghazali) *2001: ''Six personnages en quête d'auteur'' in English ''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist metatheatric play about the relationship among authors, the ...

(

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

) *2001: ''Manuscrit retrouvé à Saragosse'' (opera, Alexis Nouss) *2002: ''Les Trois Sœurs'' in English '' Three Sisters'' ( Anton Chekhov) *2003: ''Incendies'' *2005: ''Ma mère chien'' (Louise Bombardier) *2006: ''Forêts'' *2007: ''Incendies'' in Russian, at Théâtre Et Cetera Moscou) *2008: ''Seuls'' at Festival d'Avignon *2009: ''Littoral'', ''Incendies'', ''Forêts'' (trilogy) at Festival d'Avignon *2009: ''Ciels'' at Festival d'Avignon *2010: ''Ciels'' at Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe Ateliers Berthier *2010: ''Littoral'' / ''Incendies'' / ''Forêts'' (trilogy) at Théâtre national de Chaillot *2010: ''Seuls'' at Festival d'Avignon *2011: ''Seuls'' at Le Quartz *2011: ''Temps'' at Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui *2011: ''Le Cycle des Femmes: trois histoires de Sophocle'' at Festival d'Avignon (music by Bertrand Cantat and Pascal Humbert)

Adaptations

He has adapted different works for the theatre, from '' Don Quixote'' to '' Trainspotting''. *2010: ''Un tramway d'après'' adaptation of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'' of Tennessee Williams (directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, Théâtre de l'Odéon)

Interpretations

*2009: ''Seuls texte'' (directing and interpreting, Festival d'Avignon) *2010: ''Les Justes'' of

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

(directed by

Stanislas Nordey Stanislas Nordey (born 1966) is a French actor and theatre director. He is the son of actress Véronique Nordey and film director Jean-Pierre Mocky. Biography Nordey was born in Paris. After his studies at the Conservatoire national supérie ...

, Théâtre national de Bretagne, Théâtre national de la Colline, Théâtre des Treize Vents,

Théâtre National Populaire The Théâtre national populaire (French for ''People's National Theater'') is a theatre now at Villeurbanne, France. It was founded in 1920 by Firmin Gémier in Paris. Today, the TNP has a company of ten resident actors and the building is cur ...

-Villeurbanne)

Others

*2004: ''Je suis le méchant!'', interviews with

André Brassard André Brassard (28 August 1946 – 11 October 2022) was a Canadian stage director, filmmaker and actor, best known for staging the vast majority of Michel Tremblay's plays. He was the director of the French section of the National Arts Center ...

(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 distinctions

*1998: Prize of best production in Montréal, awarded by "Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre" for ''Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes'' *2000: Literary prize of the

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 ...

in the Theater category for ''Littoral'' *2002: Chevalier (knight) of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

awarded by France for the collection of his works. *2004: Prix Jacqueline-Déry-Mochon *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 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 cen ...

"for his contributions as a writer, actor, stage director and playwright known internationally for the quality and scope of his theatrical creations". *2009: Grand prix du théâtre de l'Académie française *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 The Prix Méditerranée (Mediterranean Prize) is a French literary award. It was created in 1984 in Perpignan by the Mediterranean Centre of Literature (CML) in order to promote cultural interaction among the numerous countries surrounding the Medi ...

for ''Anima'' *2014: Premi Llibreter de Narrativa for ''Anima''

Sources

*Charlotte Farcet, ''Les Tigres de Wajdi Mouawad'' (Joca Seria, 2009)

References

External links

Wajdi Mouawad
A biography
Critical bibliography (Auteurs.contemporain.info)
Vienna Burgtheater Play Info {{DEFAULTSORT:Mouawad, Wajdi 1968 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Writers from Montreal Film directors from Montreal Lebanese emigrants to Canada Governor General's Award-winning dramatists National Theatre School of Canada alumni Male actors from Montreal Officers of the Order of Canada Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers