Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a

Lebanese-Canadian Lebanese Canadians are Canadians of Lebanese origin. According to the 2016 Census there were 219,555 Canadians who claimed Lebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the 2006 Census, making them by far the largest group of people with ...

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 The Théâtre national de la Colline is a theatre at 15, rue Malte-Brun in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. The closest métro station is Gambetta (Paris Métro), Gambetta. It is one of the five national theatres dedicated to drama which are enti ...

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 li ...

, 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 List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in 1983 after living in France for five years. He obtained his diploma in () from the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants aw ...

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 The Théâtre de Quat'Sous is a Canadian theatre on Pine Avenue in the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal in the city of Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1955, it is the third-oldest theatre company in Montreal after Théâtre du Rideau Vert and Th� ...

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

'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 core ...

, Ontario, Canada. In early 2011, Mouawad cast French rock musician

Bertrand Cantat Bertrand Cantat (born 5 March 1964) is a French songwriter, singer, and musician known for being the former frontman of the rock band Noir Désir. In 2003, he was proven guilty without a doubt and convicted of the murder ("murder with indirect in ...

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 co ...

. 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 Marie Trintignant (; 21 January 1962 – 1 August 2003) was a French film and stage actress. She appeared in over 30 movies during the span of her 36-year career. Her family was deeply involved in France's film industry, as her father was an acto ...

. 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 The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) is a theatre company and venue located on rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in , it launched with the classic play ''L'Avare'' by Molière. Initially located at the Gesù (1951–1958), it su ...

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 ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...

'', arguing for Cantat's right to complete reintegration into society. Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the

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 The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.

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 ancho ...

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, Mélis ...

'', 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 ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' (

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 ''Don Quichotte'' (''Don Quixote'') is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn. It was first performed on 19 February 1910 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Massenet's ''comédie-héroïque'', like many dramatize ...

(

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

) *1997: ''Littoral'' *1998: ''Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes'' *1998: ''Trainspotting'' (

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short fil ...

) *1998: ''Œdipe roi'', in English ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'' (

) *1999: ''Disco Pigs'' (

Enda Walsh Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. Biography Enda Walsh was born in Kilbarrack, North Dublin on February 7, 1967. His father ran a furniture shop and his mother had been an actress. He is the second youngest of six children. Wal ...

) *1999: ''Les Troyennes'', in English ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during ...

'' (

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

) *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 fiction, absurdist metatheatrical, metatheatric play about th ...

(

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 Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

) *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

and

Pascal Humbert Pascal Humbert is a French bass player who is currently in Lilium and Détroit. He was previously in Tanit (1981–1985), Passion Fodder (1985–1991), 16 Horsepower (1992–1993, 1996–2005) and Wovenhand (2008–2010). Career Tanit Humbert' ...

)

Adaptations

He has adapted different works for the theatre, from ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'' to ''

Trainspotting Trainspotting may refer to: * Trainspotting (hobby), an amateur interest in railways/railroads * ''Trainspotting'' (novel), a 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh ** ''Trainspotting'' (film), a 1996 film based on the novel *** ''Trainspotting'' (soundtr ...

''. *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 person ...

'' of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

(directed by

Krzysztof Warlikowski Krzysztof Warlikowski (Polish pronunciation: ; born 26 May 1962) is a Polish theatre director. He is the creator and artistic director of Nowy Teatr (New Theatre) in Warsaw. Biography He studied history, philosophy and Romance languages at t ...

, Théâtre de l'Odéon)

Interpretations

*2009: ''Seuls texte'' (directing and interpreting,

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

) *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,

Théâtre national de Bretagne The Théâtre national de Bretagne (TNB, National Theater of Brittany) is a cultural institution established in Rennes in 1990 by combining the Centre dramatique de l'Ouest and the Maison de la Culture of Rennes. For some time it was called the "G ...

, 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 TVA Films is a privately held Canadian film and television distribution company with offices in Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario. TVA Films is owned by Groupe TVA Groupe TVA Inc. is a Canadian communications company with operations in broad ...

*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, t ...

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 ...

"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 Samir Kassir ( ar, سمير قصير, 5 May 1960 – 2 June 2005) was a Lebanese-Palestinian journalist of ''An-Nahar'' and professor of history at Saint-Joseph University, who was an advocate of democracy and prominent opponent of the Syri ...

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