Michael Therriault
Encyclopedia
Michael Therriault is a Canadian
actor. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts
in Toronto, Sheridan College in Oakville, and was a member of the inaugural season of the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training in Stratford, Ontario.
After spending seven seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Mr Therriault left the classical repertoire theatre for musical theatre, starring as Leopold Bloom in the short-lived Toronto production of The Producers
. For the performance Mr Therriault won a Dora Award
for Principal Actor in a Musical.
In 2006, Mr Therriault portrayed Tommy Douglas
in the CBC Television
special Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story. He was subsequently nominated for a Gemini Award
for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. The show received a total of nine nominations, including Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series and Best Dramatic Mini-Series.
While on Broadway
in a revival of Fiddler on the Roof
, Mr Therriault got news that he had secured the role of Gollum
in the Toronto
premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Musical. He received his second Dora for the performance.
When it closed, he returned to Saskatchewan to film the made-for-television adaptation of Guy Vanderhaeghe
's The Englishman's Boy
(it aired in two parts on March 2 and 9, 2008, and is now available on DVD).
In May 2007, the The Lord of the Rings moved to London, with Mr Therriault reprising the role he originated. The production closed on July 19, 2008, after 492 performances.
On Monday, October 20, 2008, Mr Therriault took part in a tribute to the late Richard Monette
, former artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Mr Therriault performed in The Sound of Silence, a tribute to Paul Simon
at the Bathurst Street Theatre
in Toronto on April 20, 2009.
On April 27, 2009, it was announced that Mr Therriault will appear as Irving Berlin
, alongside Michael Boatman
as Scott Joplin
, in The Tin Pan Alley Rag, which centers around the imagined meeting of the two great musicians. The Tin Pan Alley Rag is presented by Roundabout Theatre Company
in New York, June 12 to September 6, 2009.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor. He attended Etobicoke School of the Arts
Etobicoke School of the Arts
The Etobicoke School of the Arts is a specialized public arts-academic high school located in Etobicoke area of Toronto, Canada. Founded on September 8, 1981, the Etobicoke School of the Arts has the distinction of being the oldest, free standing arts focused high school in Canada...
in Toronto, Sheridan College in Oakville, and was a member of the inaugural season of the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training in Stratford, Ontario.
After spending seven seasons at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Mr Therriault left the classical repertoire theatre for musical theatre, starring as Leopold Bloom in the short-lived Toronto production of The Producers
The Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
. For the performance Mr Therriault won a Dora Award
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
for Principal Actor in a Musical.
In 2006, Mr Therriault portrayed Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
in the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
special Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story. He was subsequently nominated for a Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. The show received a total of nine nominations, including Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series and Best Dramatic Mini-Series.
While on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in a revival of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Mr Therriault got news that he had secured the role of Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Musical. He received his second Dora for the performance.
When it closed, he returned to Saskatchewan to film the made-for-television adaptation of Guy Vanderhaeghe
Guy Vanderhaeghe
Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe, OC, SOM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his two Western novels, The Englishman's Boy and The Last Crossing, set in the 19th century American and Canadian West...
's The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
(it aired in two parts on March 2 and 9, 2008, and is now available on DVD).
In May 2007, the The Lord of the Rings moved to London, with Mr Therriault reprising the role he originated. The production closed on July 19, 2008, after 492 performances.
On Monday, October 20, 2008, Mr Therriault took part in a tribute to the late Richard Monette
Richard Monette
Richard Jean Monette OC, DHum, LLD was a Canadian actor and director, best-known for his 14-season tenure as artistic director of the Stratford Festival of Canada from 1994 to 2007.-Early life:...
, former artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Mr Therriault performed in The Sound of Silence, a tribute to Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
at the Bathurst Street Theatre
Bathurst Street Theatre
The Bathurst Street Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at Lennox, one traffic light to the south of Bloor Street, Honest Ed's, the Bathurst Street Subway Station, and across Bathurst from...
in Toronto on April 20, 2009.
On April 27, 2009, it was announced that Mr Therriault will appear as Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, alongside Michael Boatman
Michael Boatman
Michael Patrick Boatman is an Image Award-nominated American actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama series China Beach, as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom Spin City, and as sports agent Stanley Babson in...
as Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, in The Tin Pan Alley Rag, which centers around the imagined meeting of the two great musicians. The Tin Pan Alley Rag is presented by Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
in New York, June 12 to September 6, 2009.
Stratford Shakespeare Festival credits
- Quiet in the Land (2003)—Yock Bauman
- Pericles, Prince of TyrePericles, Prince of TyrePericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
(2003)—Boult - The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which the story is centered.-Background:...
(2003)—Jehan - The Two Noble KinsmenThe Two Noble KinsmenThe Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales....
(2002)—Doctor/Schoolmaster/Speaker - King Henry VI, Reign of TerrorHenry VI, part 1Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare, and possibly Thomas Nashe, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
(2002)—King Henry VI - King Henry VI, Revolt in EnglandHenry VI, part 2Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
(2002)—King Henry VI - King Henry VI, Revenge in FranceHenry VI, part 3Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England...
(2002)—King Henry VI - The SeagullThe SeagullThe Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
(2001)—Konstantin' - Henry VHenry V (play)Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
(2001)—Montjoy - Twelfth Night (2001)—Sir Andrew Aguecheek
- As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
(2000)—Silvius - Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
(2000)—Motel - The AlchemistThe Alchemist (play)The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature...
(1999)—Drugger - The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
(1999)—Ariel - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
(1999)—Francis Flute - The MiserThe MiserL'Avare is a 1668 five-act satirical comedy by French playwright Molière. Its title is usually translated as The Miser when the play is performed in English....
(1998)—Cleante - Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
(1998)—George Seacole - Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (play)The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
(1998)—Lucius - Filumena (1997)—Umbreto
- The Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
(1997)—Pietro - CamelotCamelot (musical)Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
(1997)—Mordred
Other credits
- Tin Pan Alley Rag, Roundabout Theatre Company (2009)—Irving Berlin
- Jitters, Manitoba Theatre CentreManitoba Theatre CentreRoyal Manitoba Theatre Centre is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. Next to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, MTC has a higher annual attendance than any other theatre in the country...
(2009)—George Ellsworth - The Englishman's BoyThe Englishman's BoyThe Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
, CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
(2008)—Harry Vincent - The Lord of the Rings, Theatre Royal, Drury LaneTheatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
, London (2007)—Gollum - The Lord of the Rings, Princess of Wales TheatrePrincess of Wales TheatreThe Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2000-seat theatre located at 300 King Street West in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District in the downtown area...
, Toronto (2006)—Gollum - Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, CBC Television (2006)—Tommy Douglas
- The ProducersThe Producers (musical)The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
, Canon Theatre, Toronto (2003)—Leo Bloom