Eric Jean

Eric Jean is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most esteemed and outstanding stage directors of his generation. His appointment in  2004 as general and artistic director of Théâtre de Quat’Sous, and his ensuing success are a reflection of the trust and confidence he has established in the theatre milieu, which quickly saw him as a bold, unique artist who has made a significant artistic contribution to Quebec theatre.

A prolific and inventive director and an occasional actor, he is greatly appreciated for his commitment to up and coming artists, both as a teacher and at the professional level.

Where Jean has truly made his mark and reputation, however, is in his creative approach. Using structured improvisations as his point of departure, he also works in conjunction with playwright and set design, gradually piecing together his stage plays. Striking examples of this, which he calls “writing as action”, are of course his renowned Hippocampe, written in collaboration with Pascal Brullemans, and his 2009 staging of Chambre(s), co-written with Pascal Chevarie. Not only was Hippocampe the recipient of the 2003 Prix de la critique, but the director was also nominated for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in 2004, one of five finalists.

Other notable productions were Corps étrangers/Cuerpos extranos (2005), a piece co-written with Pascal Brullemans and first created in Mexico before being presented in Quebec. Opium_37 (2009-2011) was written in collaboration with Catherine Léger, after which he staged Luc Tartar’s play for adolescents, S’embrasent (2009-2017). This was followed by Le ventriloque (2012) by Larry Tremblay, Survivre (2013) by Olivier Kemeid, Testament by Vickie Gendreau (2014), Variations sur un temps by David Ives (2015) and Le Joker (2016) by Larry Tremblay.

Fall 2016 marked the beginning of a new adventure for Eric Jean as he left the direction of Théâtre de Quat'Sous to focus more on directing, writing for the stage and directing for film.

For his very first foray into the world of dance, Eric Jean joined the artistic team of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal in 2017 as dramaturge and director of the large-scale production Dance Me, with music by Leonard Cohen.

Eric Jean is also associate director of the theatre company Les 2 Mondes.

In 2020, Eric Jean joined the BJM as creative director for a new production based on the music of an internationally renowned artist.