Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Côté, Jean-Claude
Quebec-based director, founder of Théâtre de la Récidive.
After studying dance and theatre in Paris in 1982, Jean-Claude Côoté received his B.A. in dramatic art from the Université de Québec à Montréal in 1990. In the final year of his courses, he got together with other students to form the theatre company. They presented a mesmerizing production of Odon Von Horvath's Don Juan revient de guerre/Don Juan Comes Back from the War, eventually performing it at the Nouvelle Compagnie Théâtrale / Théâtre Denise-Pelletier. Critic Gaëtan Charlebois hailed it as one of the best productions of the season.
Côté followed this production with two plays by Vàclav Havel presented at the minute Théâtre Biscuit (starring Julien Poulin) which also received favourable notices. A year later he mounted a gypsy-version of Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat/A Soldier's Story, again presented at the Nouvelle Compagnie Théâtrale. In 1997 he mounted the oddball farce, Gustave n'est pas moderne. In 1999, his production of Olivier Choinière's Le Soldat de bois, appeared at the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques (now Festival TransAmériques).
His productions are marked by stylistic imagination yet lucidity and keen understanding of period and text.
Jean-Claude Côté has also directed with Les Têtes Heureuses in Chicoutimi.
He was an instructor at College Shawinigan, and a Director at Cégep Montmorency until 2003. Since 2004, he has been an instructor in theatre for young adults at Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe.
Profile by Gaetan Charlebois
Last updated 2020-11-16
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The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
