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| École nationale de l'humour | |
|---|---|
| Name | École nationale de l'humour |
| Established | 1988 |
| Type | Private/Professional school |
| City | Montreal |
| Province | Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
École nationale de l'humour is a Montreal-based professional comedy school founded in 1988 that trains comedians, writers, and performers. It operates within Quebec's francophone cultural milieu and interacts with institutions across Canada, France, and international comedy circuits.
Founded in 1988 during a period of cultural expansion in Quebec, the school emerged amid networks that included Gilles Vigneault, Michel Tremblay, René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau, Jean Drapeau and organizations such as Société Radio-Canada, Banque Nationale, Télé-Québec, Cirque du Soleil and Just for Laughs. Early years overlapped with festivals and venues like Festival d'été de Québec, Les Francos de Montréal, Place des Arts, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, La Licorne, Casino de Montréal and collaborations with companies such as Editions Dudob, Mercier, Les Productions J, Radio-Canada International and Télé-Métropole. Leadership and advisory contacts connected to figures from Quebecor, Bell Media, CBC Television, France Télévisions, Société des arts technologiques and international partners including BBC, Comedy Central, HBO, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video shaped program development and exchange initiatives.
The curriculum offers practical training integrating techniques from stand-up, sketch, improvisation and writing, drawing on traditions present in institutions like Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec, National Theatre School of Canada, Université de Montréal, Université Laval, McGill University, Université du Québec à Montréal and international models such as The Second City, Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Course modules reference methods associated with practitioners such as Jacques Lecoq, Keith Johnstone, Del Close, Viola Spolin, Konstantin Stanislavski, Jerzy Grotowski, Antonin Artaud and Suzanne Lebeau. Workshops, residencies and masterclasses have featured visiting artists from companies and festivals including Just for Laughs, Montreal Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, South by Southwest, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Chicago Improv Festival and institutions like PEN International.
Faculty have included established performers, writers and directors connected with Norm Macdonald, Gad Elmaleh, Yvon Deschamps, Daniel Lemire, Réjean Ducharme, Laurence Boisclair, Guillaume Wagner, Mike Ward, Sugar Sammy, Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, Louis-José Houde, Martin Matte, Rachid Badouri, Sophie Cadieux, Maripier Morin and theatre directors tied to Denis Bouchard, Eugène Ionesco, Robert Lepage, Wajdi Mouawad and Molière. Alumni networks span performers and writers who have worked with outlets and shows such as Tout le monde en parle, La Presse, Le Devoir, Ici Radio-Canada Télé, La Semaine des 4 Julie, L'heure du monde, En direct de l'univers and touring circuits linked to Cirque Éloize.
Located in Montreal, the school uses rehearsal studios, black box theatres and classrooms comparable to spaces at Place des Arts, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Monument-National, Centaur Theatre, Usine C and Maison de la Culture. Technical facilities support sound and lighting comparable to equipment used by Cirque du Soleil, Just for Laughs, ONF and production houses associated with Télé-Québec and Radio-Canada. Partnerships with venues and festivals like La Vitrine Culturelle, Club Soda, Le National, Bar Le Ritz PDB and Super Plomberie provide performance pipelines and incubation for student productions.
The school has influenced francophone and anglophone comedy scenes, contributing talent to media outlets such as Radio-Canada, CBC Television, Télé-Québec, TVA, France Télévisions, Comedy Central, HBO, Netflix and festivals including Just for Laughs, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Montreal Jazz Festival, Festival d'été de Québec and Les FrancoFolies de Montréal. Its graduates participate in cross-disciplinary collaborations with entities like Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, National Film Board of Canada, Téléfilm Canada, SODEC, Canada Council for the Arts and international circuits such as Montreux Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, influencing programming at venues like Place des Arts and cultural policy discussions involving figures linked to Péladeau family, Parti Québécois, Coalition Avenir Québec and municipal arts bodies.
Students and alumni have received prizes and nominations from awarding bodies and festivals including Just for Laughs Awards, Gémeaux Awards, Prix Gémeaux, Canadian Screen Awards, Genie Awards, Jutra Awards, Prix Rideau, Les Olivier Awards, Governor General's Awards, Order of Canada nominations and distinctions connected to organizations like Canada Council for the Arts, SODEC, Radiotelevision Gala and festival juries at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Montreal Comedy Festival.
Category:Schools in Montreal Category:Comedy schools