Jean-Claude Germain

Career Highlights

While attending Université de Montréal (1957-9), Jean-Claude Germain established the Théâtre Antonin-Artaud (1958) and began work on a production of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu roi that had to be cancelled for lack of funds. He was a theatre critic in the 1960s and 1970s for popular periodicals like Le Petit Journal, Dimensions, Digeste éclair and Maclean’s.

In 1969 Germain established the experimental Théâtre du même nom (TMN), where he clearly demonstrated his distance from the theories of the “Cartel” espoused by the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM). He was artistic director of the Centre du Théâtre d’aujourd’hui (CTD’A) from 1972 to 1982. The CTD’A was originally formed from three distinct theater groups: the actors of Germain's own company, known popularly as the Enfants de Chénier (1969-71) and later P'tits Enfants Laliberté (1971-3), director André Brassard's group Mouvement contemporain, and actor Jean-Pierre Saulnier's company Apprentis-Sorciers.

Since 1969 Jean-Claude Germain has produced many collective creations and adaptations, and since 1973 has produced his own texts. He published poetry in L'Action nationale (1966-7), more than a dozen plays, adaptations and canvases for collective creations. He published short essays on theatre in Le Pays théâtral (1977-80) and taught drama writing at the National Theater School of Canada (1972-87).

Germain’s great knowledge of Quebec theatre history inspired some of his best works: L'École des rêves, his adaptation of Félix-Gabriel Marchand’s Les Faux Brillants, Les hauts et les bas d'la vie d'une diva : Sarah Ménard par eux-mêmes, Les nuits de l'indiva, Si Aurore m'était contée deux fois, Les enfants de Chénier dans un autre grand spectacle d'adieu and Un pays dont la devise est : je m'oublie. 

Honours

Jean-Claude Germain was honorary president of the Salon du livre de Montréal from 1990 to 1998 and sat on the Commission de toponymie de Montréal until 2002. He was named Patriot of the Year by Montreal’s Saint-Jean Baptiste Society in 1993. Germain received the Gascon-Thomas prize from the National Theater School of Canada in 1994 and the Fleury-Mesplet prize from the Salon du livre de Montréal in 2001. In 2001 he was made Chevalier of the Order of La Pléiade.