Matthew Jocelyn

Matthew Jocelyn (born 1958) is the artistic and general director of Canadian Stage, the largest not-for-profit theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to his appointment at Canadian Stage, Jocelyn was the artistic and general director of the Atelier du Rhin in Alsace, France for 10 years. Under his leadership, the organization became a major centre for multidisciplinary arts in France. He was named Chevalier des Art et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), by the French Ministry of Culture in July 2008.

Career

Jocelyn has worked as a theatre and opera director, an arts administrator, producer and advocate, and an opera librettist and translator.

Born in Canada, he did his university studies at Mount Allison University, l'Univesrité d'Aix-Marseille, McGill University and Oxford University. He moved to France in 1982, where he held the position of lecteur d'angais at the École Normale Supérieure, rue d'Ulm. After spending periods of time at Jerzy Grotowski's Teatr Laboratorium in Wroclaw, Poland, and Tanaka Min's Body Weather Laboratory in Hachioji, Japan, he created and performed dance-theatre productions in France, Germany and Spain, co-founding the Théâtre de l'Autre Rive in Paris in 1983, and the Théâtre Des-Hérités in 1992. In 1995 he joined the Centre de Formation Lyrique of the Paris National Opera, in charge of stage work, where he established a program of semi-staged operas in the amphitheatre of the Opéra Bastille, many of which toured France. In 1998 he was named Artistic and General Director of the Atelier du Rhin, Centre Dramatique, in Colmar, France, where he was also responsible for creating the Jeunes Voix du Rhin, the opera studio of the Opéra national du Rhin.

Sara Angel in MacLean's Magazine called Jocelyn "one of this country's most brilliant creative forces - and one of its most controversial."

Productions include

Theatre

• Isaac, the Laughter of the Aged : collective creation, Toronto, Canada
• The Atheist’s Tragedy by Cyril Tourneur : Printemps des Comédiens, Montpellier, France
• On l’appelle Cendrillon by Jean Cuenot : Théâtre de l’Ecrou, Fribourg, Suisse
• Three Sister by Anton Tchékhov : national tour, France
• Dancing at Lughnassa by Brian Friel : Théâtre de l’Ecrou, Fribourg, Suisse and tour
• The Love of the Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar
• l’Annonce faite à Marie by Paul Claudel : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar and national tour (Prix du souffleur, best production in Paris 2002)
• fils nat. by Graham Smith : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar
• Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar
• The Liar by Pierre Corneille : Stratford Festival, Canada
• The Architect by David Greig : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar
• Il ne reste que 50 minutes avant la fin du spectacle, based on the writings of Steven Pinker : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare : Atelier du Rhin, Colmar and national tour
• Fernando Krapp Wrote me this Letter by Tankre Dorst : Canadian Stage, Toronto
• The Game of Love and Chance by Marivaux : Canadian Stage, Toronto
• This by Melissa James Gibson : Canadian Stage, Toronto
• Harper Regan by Simon Stephens : Canadian Stage, Toronto

Opera

• La voix humaine by Francis Poulenc : Centre de formation lyrique, Opéra Bastille
• Carmen by Georges Bizet  : Centre de formation lyrique, Opéra Bastille
• Larmes de Couteau and Alexandre bis by Bohuslav Martinu : Opéra national du Rhin, Théâtre de l’Athénee, Paris
• La Cecchina by Nicola Piccini : Opéra national du Rhin
• La clemenza di Tito by Gluck : Opéra national du Rhin
• Le roi Arthus by Ernest Chausson : Opéra royal de la Monnaie, Brussels
• Reigen by Philippe Boesmans : Opéra national du Rhin, Théâtre de l’Athénee, Paris
• La Carmençita based on George Bizet : Opéra national du Rhin, Théâtre de l’Athénee, Paris
• L’Étoile by Emannuel Chabrier : Opéra national du Rhin
• Die Frau Ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss : Opéra Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels
• Lucia di Lamermoor by Gaetano Donizetti : Oper Frankfurt
• Julie by Philippe Boesmans : Théâtre d’Orléans, Théâtre de l’Athénee, Paris
• Die Trilogie der Frauen (Erwartung by Arnold Schönberg, Le bal by Oscar Strasnoy, Das Gehege by Wolfgang Rihm) : Hamburgische Staatsoper
• Requiem by Oscar Strasnoy : Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires (ACMA award for best production in Argentina, 2014)

Opera libretti

• Le bal by Oscar Strasnoy : editions Billaudot (première, Hamburgische Staatsoper, 2010)
• Requiem by Oscar Strasnoy : editions Billaudot (première, Teatro Colon, Argentina, 2014)
• Hamlet by Brett Dean : Boosey and Hawkes (première, Glyndebourne Festival, 2017)

Translations

• La tragédie de l’Athée by Cyril Tourneur (co-translated by Charles Ginvert) : editions Avant-Scène Théâtre, Paris
• Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker : editions Harmattan, Paris
• L’Architecte by David Greig : éditions Avant-Scène Théâtre, Paris
• Fernando Krapp Wrote me this Letter by Tankred Dorst

Teaching positions

• École Normale Supérieure, rue d’Ulm (lecteur d’anglais : 1982-83)
• Université de Toulouse - le Mirail (summer courses in English : 1983, 1984)
• University of Toronto - University College (guest professor, theatre : 1990)
• American University of Paris (guest professor, rhetoric : 1994)

Awards and recognition

• Rhodes Scholarship, Oxford University, 1980–82
• Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, French Ministry of Culture, 2009
• Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), Mount Allison University, 2015