Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia
Sabourin, Jean-Guy
Director and educator, born in L'Orignal, Ontario in 1934. Jean-Guy Sabourin studied history and theatre at the Université de Montréal and University of Ottawa before teaching dramatic literature at the Collège Sainte-Marie from 1955-1966.
In 1956, he founded the Apprentis-Sorciers, serving as Artistic Director until 1967. With the Company he directed over twenty plays, including La Cantatrice chauve/The Bald Soprano, Les Chaises/The Chairs, Homme pour homme/Man is Man, Les Bas-Fonds/The Lower Depths.
In 1966, Sabourin was named head of theatre for the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Quebec for a year, then named director to the Théâtre du Capricorne at the National Arts Centre in 1968, where he directed, among others, En attendant Godot/Waiting for Godot. He also helmed the Théâtre Populaire du Québec (1972-76), privileging the production of Quebec plays such as Jean Barbeau's Le Chant du sink and Roch Carrier's Ce Soir on improvise. He founded the Théâtre de la Grande-Réplique in 1976, where his production of Brecht's La Vie de Galilée (Galileo) in 1980 "confirmed his reputation as an inventive and energetic director" (Greffard, 482). Sabourin also taught at the Collège Sainte-Croix (1957-1968) and Université du Québec à Montréal.
Source: Madeleine Greffard. The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre, eds. Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1989.
Profile by Gaetan Charlebois
Last updated 2022-05-09
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