Gratien Gélinas

Gratien Gélinas December 8 1909 March 16 1999 was a Canadian writer playwright actor director producer and administrator who is considered one of the founders of modern Canadian theatre and film His major works include TitCoq 1948 Bousille et les Justes 1959 and Hier les enfants dansaient 1968 He also wrote a series of satirical revues known as the Fridolinades The Fridolinades revues consisting of comic sketches songs and monologues were named for the oftenfeatured character Fridolin A poor boy from Montreal he wore a tricolour Canadiens hockey jersey knee socks and suspenders While not quite joual the French he spoke was reflective of what a person would hear on the streets of Montreal which made it stand out in sharp contrast to the continental French being spoken in most other theatres Fridolins boundless optimism in the face of constant disappointment came to emblemize the Quebec spirit of survivance and made him one of the first distinctly Canadian heroes of the stage His success was considerable Gélinas was declared by an adoring public to be the first playwright de chez nous from our place Gélinas play Hier les enfants dansaient Yesterday the Children were Dancing takes place entirely in one night Based in 1966 it revolves around the tumultuous politics in Quebec around that time though its characters are entirely fictitious Pierre Gravel is debating whether or not to accept a prominent position within the Liberal party Throughout the course of the play Gravels sons André and Larry admit that they are active members of the separatist party and responsible for the bombs that had been threatening the city and destroying historical landmarks Gélinas also founded the ComédieCanadienne which was active until 1972 In 1967 Gélinas was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1989 In 1985 he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec He received an honorary doctorate from the Royal Military College of Canada in StJean in 1989 He married Huguette Oligny in 1973 and is the grandfather of actor and pop singer Mitsou Gélinas MusiquePlus veejay writer and actor Abeille Gélinas and writer AnneMarie Sicotte who has written the biography Gratien Gélinas  la ferveur et le doute published by the Éditions QuébecAmérique in 1995 et 1996 After his death in 1999 he was entombed at the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal The Library and Archives Canada contains sound recordings and transcriptions of AnneMarie Sicottes interview with Gelinas Source Article Gratien Gélinas from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30