Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Théâtre de la Récidive
Experimental theatre company, based in Montreal Quebec, founded in 1991 by a group of students graduating from the drama department of the Université de Québec à Montréal. The artistic director is Jean-Claude Coté.
Its first play was Odon von Horvath's Don Juan revient de guerre, a superb production mounted on a shoestring, yet still a stylistic wonder. The company then produced two short works by Vaclav Havel very well mounted at the tiny Théâtre Biscuit; and a vivid Gypsy-styled production of Stravinsky's L'histoire d'un soldat. In 1998, the company mounted the oddball French farce, Gustave n'est pas moderne, which was also well received. In 1999, its production of Olivier Choinière's Le Soldat de bois, appeared at the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques (now Festival TransAmériques).
The company's mandate requires a full integration of all the theatrical arts (dance, mime, opera, puppetry) with other forms (painting, cinema, music, video). The name of the company was chosen to highlight the founders' belief that theatre is a malady that afflicts and unsettles, and that should be spread across the entire society and continuously recur (récidiver).
Profile by Gaetan Charlesbois
Last updated 2017-09-29
Since October 2002, Athabasca University has hosted the web site, with an editorial board of theatre scholars from across Canada.
To submit an entry, please consult the guidelines for submissions.
Email your submission to: Anne Nothof, Professor Emerita, Athabasca University.
The Encyclopedia collects and disseminates information on plays, playwrights and theatre practitioners. It does not respond to requests for information, auditions, bookings, or tickets.
The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia web site was originally conceived and developed in 1996 by Gaetan Charlebois—theatre critic, playwright, and actor.
