Vincent de Tourdonnet is a Canadian

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

writer. He is known for writing large-scale historical musicals, as well as intimate, cabaret-style musicals. He also serves as stage director.

Biography

De Tourdonnet’s epic musical ''Pélagie'', co-written with Allen Cole, premiered at

CanStage Canadian Stage is a Canadian Nonprofit organization, non-profit contemporary theatre company, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History The company was founded in 1988 with the merger of Centre Stage and Toronto Free Theatre. Canadian Stage ...

in Toronto and The

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

in Ottawa, and wa
broadcast on CBC radio
De Tourdonnet directed an Eastern Canada touring production of ''Pélagie'', produced by Two Planks and a Passion with a bilingual cast alternating performances in French and English. Starring Québec chanteuse

Marie Denise Pelletier Marie Denise Pelletier (born 3 April 1960) is a francophone Canadian singer. She served as President of Artisti, a copyright collective for music artists operated by Quebec's l'Union des artistes (UDA). Biography While studying literature and c ...

, and Canadian actor Rejean Cournoyer, it was translated by

Antonine Maillet Antonine Maillet (10 May 1929 – 17 February 2025) was an Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar. Early life and education Maillet was born on 10 May 1929 in Bouctouche, New Brunswick"Antonine Maillet." ''Paroles d'Acadie : Anthologie de ...

, author of the

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

-winning novel Pélagie-la-charrette, on which the musical is based. His first production of ''Snappy Tales, Short Satirical Musicals'', (book, lyrics & direction) at the

Factory Theatre Factory Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz, and it was run for almost 20 years by Dian English. Factory theatre was the first to anno ...

in Toronto, was nominated for 7

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

s. De Tourdonnet’s largest musical to date was the Joan of Arc musical, ''Jeanne.'' Initially, he and composer Peter Sipos developed the work at the

BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is a two-year educational program for people who wish to develop a musical and has been called "the premier incubator for Broadway". At the end of the second year, a small number of selected participants ...

in New York. It premiered to strong critical acclaim in 1995 in Montreal at the Saidye Bronfman Theatre, (co-directed by de Tourdonnet) and then went on to large-scale, $4.5 million production at the

Place des Arts frame, View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the right. Place des Arts () is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Q ...

and La Capitole in Quebec City in 1997, and was seen by over 100,000 people. It was directed by

Martin Charnin Martin Charnin (November 24, 1934 – July 6, 2019) was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical '' Annie.'' Life and career Charnin was born in New Yor ...

, and the French translation was created by

. Book & lyrics for other shows go back to 1985, including ''Strange Medicine'' and ''The Good Person'' for the Caravan Farm Theatre in B.C., and adaptations of ''The Threepenny Opera'' with APA in Montreal and for

Touchstone Theatre Touchstone Theatre is a professional theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1976 by a group of University of British Columbia theatre graduates. Touchstone's focus is on the development and production of work by Canad ...

in Vancouver. De Tourdonnet's current historical project is ''The Musical McCoy'', adapted from Andrew Moodie's award-winning hit play ''The Real McCoy'', based on the life of

Elijah McCoy Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1844 – October 10, 1929) was a Canadian-American engineer of African Americans, African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents ...

, the 19th-century Canadian-born black inventor who helped revolutionize the steam engine. While living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, de Tourdonnet taught musical theatre writing at

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

. He is now based in

Prince Edward County, Ontario Prince Edward County (PEC) is a single-tier municipality in southern Ontario, Canada. Its coastline on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore is known for Sandbanks Provincial Park, sand beaches, and limestone cliffs. The Regent Theatre, a restor ...

with his wife, Beth Easton. De Tourdonnet has long advocated for cycling and other forms of active transportation, and has worked to help create bike paths, recently in Prince Edward County and previously in Toronto with

Cycle Toronto Cycle Toronto is a Canadian cycling advocacy and charity organization based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2008 as the Toronto Cyclists Union, the group adopted its current name in 2012 and became a registered charity in 2021. Cycle Toronto host ...

. He has contributed articles to Momentum Magazine and wrote a chapter on the

recumbent bicycle A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position, and often called a Human-powered_land_vehicle, human-powered vehicle or HPV, especially if it has an aerodynamic fairing. Recumbents are available in a w ...

for the book On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life, He served for years of the board of Transportation Options. At the beginning of 2024, Vincent took on a role as Transit Coordinator with the municipality of Prince Edward County.

References

External links

The Vincent de Tourdonnet Website

The Pélagie Study Guide- National Arts Centre of Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourdonnet, Vincent de 1959 births Living people Canadian musical theatre lyricists Canadian musical theatre librettists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Writers from Toronto Canadian dramatists and playwrights in French Canadian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers