While his play “Janette” arouses the interest of the whole province, the author from Notre-Dame-du-Portage Rébecca Deraspe won, on April 28, the Jovette-Marchessault Prize which aims to recognize the influence and the contribution of women artists from the Montreal theatrical environment.
This prize, awarded by the Montreal Arts Council and the Espace Go Theater, is accompanied by a scholarship of $ 20,000. “It is with immense pride that we give the Jovette-Marchessault prize to Rébecca Déraspe, a sensitive, lively and prolific author to the impressive career. Her ardent need to repair the world, palpable in his writing and echo the current political climate, reminds us how much we need the voices of artists like her. The Montreal Council of Arts is proud to celebrate its exceptional pen, which shines Quebec and Montreal abroad, “shared the Director General of the Montreal Arts Council, Nathalie Maillé.
This distinction bears the name JOVETTE MARKESSAULT (1938-2012) in order to pay tribute to this artist and self-taught playwright whose work is resolutely feminist. “This price, which bears the name of a woman who was keen to keep the voices of her very lively predecessors, moves me so hard. I have this dizzying impression that Jovente Marchessault takes my hand to give me the vivid strength to continue to testify to the world. On my shoulders, on my back, in my wandering hours in front of my computer, add the hands of my contemporaries, my contemporaries, who, by giving me this price, give me their magnificent, necessary support, “said Rébecca Déraspe, by press release. She also highlighted the work of all the authors who take the floor by their writing.
The call for candidates 2024-2025 of the Jovette-Marchessault Prize was addressed to the authors in theater, for original creations, rewritings or artistic adaptations only. The two finalists are Annick Lefebvre and Marie-Christine Lê-Huu.
The play “Janette” by Rébecca Déraspe recounts, through the experience of Janette Bertrand, the great upheavals of Quebec society and the progress of women’s rights. The actress Guylaine Tremblay carries this character larger than life.
This work is presented at the Jean-Duceppe theater in Montreal until May 17. She will then be in the Albert-Rousseau room in Quebec from June 26 to 29.
To read also: “Janette”, tell 100 years of history and feminism
