Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Champagne, Dominic
Quebec playwright/director, born in 1962. He studied at the National Theatre School of Canada (where he now teaches).
Mr. Champagne is part of a wave of writers who are also actor/producer/directors. With his company, Théâtre Il Va Sans Dire , he has mounted many of his own plays including Lolita, La Répétition and the seminal work he co-wrote, Cabaret Neiges Noires . More recently, the company presented his L'Asile (March, 1999).
His plays have been presented around the world in French and English. La Répétition, his most popular solo effort, has seen production in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Vancouver.
Mr. Champagne has also directed his own works, and Samuel Beckett's En attendant Godot/Waiting for Godot at the Grand Théâtre, Quebec (1984). In 1998 he directed an acclaimed production of Wajdi Mouawad 's adaptation of Don Quixote for Théâtre du Nouveau Monde /TNM; the work went on to win a Masques Awards for best Montreal production. In 2000, he directed his co-adaptation (with Alexis Martin ) of L'Odysée for his company, the TNM and the National Arts Centre . He directed his play, La Caverne, at Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui in April, 2001. In spring, 2002, he directed the Cirque du Soleil production, Varekai.
He was nominated for the Governor General's Award for his plays La Répétition and Cité Interdite, and received the Prix de l'Association québécoise des Critiques de Théâtre for the former. He received the Prix again in 2000 for L'Odysée as well as the Capital Critics Circle Award for the same piece.
His plays are guided by his own gentle cynicism and reflect that kind of humour. He has been labelled a spokesman for Generation X, a brand he despises. But his philosophy of theatre bespeaks the acidity generally attributed to the group: "I can't help but notice," he said in interview, "that the utopia proposed by the [gurus] of the 60s [has become] a monumental flop...[My attitude to theatre is this:] If we feel pleasure among the actors and creators of a play, that pleasure will communicate itself to the audience."
Mr. Champagne has also written and directed for television (notably the Masques Gala). He lives in Montreal with his family.
Last updated 2009-03-17
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