ARLEEN THIBAULT
Biography
Arleen Thibault, a native of Québec City, became aware of traditional arts through La Manikoutaï,afolk dance group of which she was a member for 10 years.
In 2000, while studying theatre at Université Laval, she honed her skills as a storyteller at the Cercle des conteurs de Québec—an organization of which she became president in 2002.
In 2004 and 2005, Arleen received numerous invitations from schools, and she chose to focus on performing for these audiences. Since 2006, Arleen Thibault’s main calling has been storytelling.
She gives about 100 shows for adults and children on average each year and holds storytelling workshops throughout the province.
Artistic Approach
From the start, combining storytelling with music has been one of Arleen’s areas of interest.
Since 2003, she has been under the spell of the absurd humour and the outrageous fantasy of the urban universe. She has written a number of tales—both subversive and philosophical—with her own city as the backdrop and herself as the antihero.
Later, she experimented with the rhythm and musicality of speech by making use of a harmonica, a Jew’s harp, and foot percussion.
In 2006–2007, Arleen worked with video, contemporary and traditional music, choirs, orchestras, and poetry. She has also become familiar with fables from international folklore. Taking part in Ficmoukan, in Côte d’Ivoire, allowed her to broaden her view of storytelling and reflect on the place that women hold in this discipline.
Today, she is inspired by these exchanges that opened her eyes to the importance of the Francophonie as a meeting place of all communities.
Comments of the Canadian Jury
“A very good combination of voice, gestures, and word.”
“A funny and colourful character who keeps her audience listening from beginning to end. Very comfortable and very evocative.”
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