Wajdi Mouawad

Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director.

He moved to Montreal in 1983 after living in France for five years.

He obtained his diploma in interprétation (acting) from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1991.

In 1998, his creation Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes (Willy Protagoras locked up in the toilets) was voted best Montreal-based production by l'Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre.

From 2000 to 2004, he led the Théâtre de Quat'sous in Montreal.

He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play Incendies (2003).

His works often revolve around family trauma, war, the betrayal of youth.

In 2004 he directed and produced his first film, Littoral, based on the play of the same name.

In September 2007, he became the artistic director of the National Arts Centre's French Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

His play Incendies (Scorched) has been produced all over the world, including the United States, Brazil, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Spain and Australia, and the 2007 production at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto won several awards.

The Vienna Burgtheater assigned Stefan Bachmann with the stage production.

It subsequently received much praise from critics, winning the "Nestroy Award" in 2007.

In early 2011, Mouawad cast French rock musician Bertrand Cantat in Chœurs, his production of a trilogy of Greek plays by Sophocles.

This sparked widespread public criticism in Canada, as Cantat had recently been released after serving four years for the murder of his girlfriend, French actress Marie Trintignant.

Canadian politicians suggested barring Cantat's entry into the country, as he failed to meet legal requirements for the entry of ex convicts.

In April 2011 the artistic director of Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Lorraine Pintal, announced that Cantat would not be performing in Chœurs in Canada, though he did tour with the production in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Mouawad responded to the controversy by publishing an open letter to his three-year-old daughter Aimee in the newspaper Le Devoir, arguing for Cantat's right to complete reintegration into society.

In 2011 Incendies, the film version of the play directed by Denis Villeneuve was Canada's official selection for the Academy Awards.

(authors in parentheses, unless authored by Wajdi Moawad)

He has adapted different works for the theatre, from Don Quixote to Trainspotting.

Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.

Born in Lebanon, Mouawad's family left the country when he was eight due to the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War.

Since April 2016, Mouawad has been the director of the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris.