Gascon-Thomas 2002

André Brassard and George F. Walker:
Recipients of the 2002 Gascon-Thomas Award

Montreal, October 10, 2002 – The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) is proud to announce that this year’s Gascon-Thomas Award is distinguished upon two remarkable pillars of Canadian theatre: playwright George F. Walker, and director André Brassard.

The Gascon-Thomas Award recognizes exceptional achievement in theatre. Each year, two artists (one Anglophone and one Francophone) are singled out and honoured for their efforts to shape the world of theatre, and for their status as role models to NTS students. The NTS’s Board of Governors created the award in 1990 in memory of two of the School’s founders, Jean Gascon and Powys Thomas.

André Brassard

André Brassard is best known to English audiences as the man who breathed life into the colourful characters of playwright and author Michel Tremblay’s world. Since 1968 Brassard has directed the premieres of nearly all of Tremblay’s plays, a creative collaboration that has become truly legendary. Brassard is of special inspiration to students at the NTS, as he was Artistic Director of the French Acting and Playwriting programs from 1992 to 2000, inspiring his students to discover, explore and develop their own inner potential. In a career spanning over 30 years, working in French and English in theatre, film and television, his originality, vision, and passion for theatre have profoundly marked the cultural landscape of Quebec and Canada. Recently, Brassard was awarded the 2002 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement.

George F. Walker

The gritty, urban plays of George F. Walker are no stranger to the boards of the NTS. Walker’s work has been part of the School’s repertoire for several years, and students continue to explore the complex characters and desperate situations that make up his universe. Walker was born and raised in Toronto’s East End working class district. He was working as a taxi driver when he heard that Factory Theatre was looking for new authors. The company performed his first play in 1972, The Prince of Naples, and he has been linked with the house ever since. Walker has won the Governor General’s Award twice and has also received a number of Dora and Chalmers awards for his work. One of Canada’s most prolific and widely produced playwrights, Walker is also a director. His plays have been performed around the world in over 100 productions in English, and several in translations.