Denis Marleau (born October 14, 1954) is a Canadian director living in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. He was born in

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Regional County Municipality of Beauharnois-Salaberry. The population as of 2019 was 42,410. Situated on Grande-Île, an island in the Saint Lawrence River, it is borde ...

and trained as an actor at the

Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal The Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal is a Canadian government-funded dramatic school founded in 1954. The first director was Jan Doat. He was succeeded by Jean Valcourt in 1955 on the condition that a branch also be opened in Quebec Ci ...

. He then spent two years in Europe, interning in corporal mime and working at the Mandragore Theatre. Marleau returned to Quebec and founded the Théâtre de la Nouvelle Lune with several other actors. In 1981, he presented ''Coeur à gaz et autres textes Dada'' at the

Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) is a contemporary art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Place des festivals in the Quartier des spectacles and is part of the Place des Arts complex. Founded in 1964, it is ...

. In 1982, he founded Le Théâtre Ubu with Anne-Marie Rocher and Denis Leclerc; Marleau was the company's artistic director and resident stage director. During the 1980s, he presented several collage works based on European

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

texts, including ''Merz Opéra'' and ''Oulipo Show''. During the 1990s, he produced several plays based on literary works not familiar to people in Quebec as well as plays by

Normand Chaurette Normand Chaurette (July 9, 1954 – August 31, 2022) was a Canadian playwright, best known as one of the first prominent writers of LGBT-themed plays in Quebec and Canada. Life and career Chaurette's career began in 1976 with ''Rêve d'une nuit ...

and

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

. Maeterlinck's '' Les aveugles'' was particularly successful. He also served as French theatre artistic director for the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

in Ottawa. He founded the Laboratoires du Théâtre français, associated with the National Arts Centre, which provides education in theatre. He has also organized theatre workshops in Canada, Europe and Mexico. He has published articles in various periodicals dedicated to theatre. Marleau received

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

in 1998 (National Arts Centre Award) and 2012 (Lifetime Achievement). He was named an Officer in 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 cen ...

, a Chevalier in the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

and a Chevalier in the French

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 ...

. He has received several awards from the Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre. Marleau was awarded the

Prix Denise-Pelletier The Prix Denise-Pelletier is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec The Prix du Québec are awards given by the Government of Quebec to individuals for cultural and scientific achievements. Founded in 1977, the go ...

in 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marleau, Denis 1954 births Living people Canadian theatre directors Officers of the Order of Canada Knights of the National Order of Quebec Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners Prix Denise-Pelletier winners