The Siminovitch Prize Announces Winner For 2022, Marie Brassard

Montreal-based director, artist and author Marie Brassard is this year's winner of Canada's most generous theatre award. For over two decades, the Siminovitch Prize has celebrated groundbreaking theatre artists whose work has strengthened the Canadian theatre landscape and advanced the art form. Marie Brassard, the 23rd Siminovitch Prize Laureate, has chosen Philippe Boutin as Siminovitch Prize Protégé.

"I receive this most generous award as a profound gesture of confidence from my peers. It reinforces my conviction that faith in one's own artistic instincts is essential, and it encourages me to continue to invent worlds alongside artists who share this ideal with me." - Marie Brassard, winner of the 2022 Siminovitch Prize

One of the most exciting and fearless theatre directors in Canada right now, Marie Brassard has a powerful artistic voice and works at the highest level of technical accomplishment. In 2016, she was decorated with the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec, an honorary distinction highlighting her exceptional contribution to the Quebec artistic community. She is the artistic director of the Infrarouge production company. Marie's shows have been presented and enthusiastically received in many countries in the Americas, Europe, Japan and Australia.

Directorial credits include: Jimmy, créature de rêve (2001), La noirceur (2003), Peepshow (2005, 2015), The Glass Eye (2007), L'invisible (2008), Moi qui me parle à moi-même dans le futur (2010), Trieste (2013), La fureur de ce que je pense (2013, 2022), La vie utile (2018), Eclipse (2018), Introduction à la violence (2019), and Violence (2022).

"The jury remarked on the theatrical poetry of Marie Brassard's work, on its richness and multi-dimensionality," says 2022 Siminovitch Prize Jury Chair Guillermo Verdecchia. "Marie's work is simultaneously dream-like, ethereal and immediate, visceral and compelling. She is renowned for her long and patient development of work, for deep listening and for bringing out the best from her collaborators."

The Siminovitch Prize is a celebration of Canadian theatre and represents the highest level of peer recognition in the profession. Awarded annually to one mid-career director, playwright, or designer with an outstanding body of work, the Siminovitch Prize propels artists' careers through financial support and recognition. It helps artists deepen their practice and facilitates ongoing contributions; it represents an investment in the future.

The awards were announced earlier this evening following a documentary screening showcasing the artistry of the 2022 Siminovitch Prize finalists: Marie Brassard, Ravi Jain, Ann-Marie Kerr and Sherry J. Yoon. This year's digital broadcast presented theatre audiences and artists with the opportunity to learn and be inspired by some of the most exceptional theatre artists of our time. A total of $115,000 was awarded: $75,000 to the Siminovitch Prize Laureate, $25,000 to the Siminovitch Protégé, and $5,000 to each of the shortlisted artists.