Les Compagnons de Saint-Laurent was a Quebec theatre company that was founded in 1937 and dissolved in 1951. According to

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

, it was the "most influential theatrical company in the history of Québec".

History

The company was founded in August 1937 at Collège de Saint-Laurent in

Saint-Laurent, Quebec Saint-Laurent () is a Montreal borough, borough of the city of Montreal, Canada, located in the northern part of the Island of Montreal, island. Although it is no longer an independent city, it is still commonly known as Ville Saint-Laurent (''C ...

, by , , and Léonide Lavinge. Productions were initially religious in nature. The troupe also produced a magazine entitled Les Cahiers des Compagnons. In 1947, Les Compagnons de Saint-Laurent were awarded the Trophée Bessborough at a festival in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

Notable actors

* *

Jean-Louis Roux Jean-Louis Roux (May 18, 1923 – November 28, 2013) was a Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the List of lieutenant governors of Quebec#Lieutenant Governors of Quebec, 1867–present, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Queb ...

Jean Gascon Jean Gascon (December 21, 1920 – April 13, 1988) was a Canadian opera director, actor, and administrator. Career Originally bent on a career in medicine, Gascon abandoned it for the stage after considerable work with amateur groups in Mont ...

Georges Groulx Georges Groulx (June 26, 1922 – February 9, 1997) was a Canadian actor. Biography Groulx was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Guy Provost Guy Provost, (May 19, 1925 – February 10, 2004) was a French Canadian actor. In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for being a "giant of the performing arts, admired and respected for his sensitivity and discipline, eis also ...

* Denise Pelletier * Gilles Pelletier *

Hélène Loiselle Hélène Loiselle (March 17, 1928 – August 7, 2013) was a Canadian actress living and working in Quebec. Life She was born in Montreal and studied acting with Charlotte Boisjoli, François Rozet, and during the 1940s. Loiselle joined ...

* Jean Coutu *

Guy Mauffette Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincor ...

Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was posthumously inducted into ...

* Lucille Cousineau * Denise Vachon *

Thérèse Cadorette Thérèse Cadorette (1925 – 2007) was a Québécois writer and actress. A square in Montreal, Quebec, was renamed to honour her in 2016, as part of the Toponym'elles initiative. Thérèse Cadorette began her career in theatre with the Compag ...

Jean Duceppe Jean Hotte-Duceppe (25 October 1923 – 7 December 1990) was a Canadian stage and television actor from Montreal, Quebec. Early life and education Born on 25 October 1923 to a family of local shopkeepers in working-class Montreal, Jean Duceppe ...

* * * Gabriel Gascon *

Charlotte Boisjoli Charlotte Boisjoli (June 12, 1923 – January 30, 2001) was an actress, director, writer and educator in Quebec, Canada. She was born in Quebec City and first performed with the theatre group Compagnons de Saint-Laurent. She earned a master's ...

* Jean-Pierre Masson

Legacy

In 1996, a park was named after the theatre company. A former boarding school was demolished when the park was being established. It is located on 4375 Cartier Street. In 1997,

Jean-Claude Labrecque Jean-Claude Labrecque, (June 19, 1938 – May 31, 2019) was a Film director, director and cinematographer who learned the basics of filmmaking at the National Film Board of Canada. Career Jean-Claude Labrecque was born in Quebec City, Quebec, a ...

directed the film ''L'Adventure des Compagnons de Saint-Laurent'', a documentary about the history and impact of the company and the work of Émile Legault. The film was produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

and Verseau International.

References

Sources

* {{authority control Theatre companies in Canada Companies based in Montreal

History

Notable actors

Legacy

See also

References

Sources