Nicolas Billon
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Billon is a Canadian
playwright
. He is best known for his plays The Elephant Song and Greenland.
but grew up mainly in Montréal
.
The Elephant Song, his first play, premiered at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2004. His second play, The Measure of Love, was produced there in 2005.
A member of the inaugural Soulpepper Academy, Nicolas's version of Anton Chekhov
's Three Sisters
was produced at Soulpepper in 2007, directed by László Marton
. He also co-created BLiNK with the other members of the Academy for the Luminato Festival.
In 2009, Nicolas joined the Tarragon
Playwrights Unit. That June, Nicolas's adaptation of Molière
's The Sicilian was one of the hits of the Toronto Fringe Festival
.
A few months later, his play Greenland opened at the 2009 SummerWorks Theatre Festival. It was a critical and audience success, and won both the Now Magazine
Audience Choice Award and the SummerWorks Outstanding Production Award. Later that year, Nicolas was voted one of the Top 10 Theatre Artists of 2009 by Toronto's Now Magazine.
Nicolas Billon is the son of writer Pierre Billon
.
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...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. He is best known for his plays The Elephant Song and Greenland.
Biography
Nicolas Billon was born in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
but grew up mainly in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
The Elephant Song, his first play, premiered at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2004. His second play, The Measure of Love, was produced there in 2005.
A member of the inaugural Soulpepper Academy, Nicolas's version of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
was produced at Soulpepper in 2007, directed by László Marton
László Marton
László Marton is a contemporary theatre director. Marton is the artistic director of the Vígszínház and professor of the University of Theatre, Film and Television in Budapest...
. He also co-created BLiNK with the other members of the Academy for the Luminato Festival.
In 2009, Nicolas joined the Tarragon
Tarragon Theatre
The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country. Located near Casa Loma, the theatre was founded by Bill and Jane Glassco in 1970. Bill was the Artistic Director from 1971 to 1982. In 1982, Urjo Kareda took over as...
Playwrights Unit. That June, Nicolas's adaptation of Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's The Sicilian was one of the hits of the Toronto Fringe Festival
Toronto Fringe Festival
The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring uncensored plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been remounted for larger audiences, including the Tony Award-winning...
.
A few months later, his play Greenland opened at the 2009 SummerWorks Theatre Festival. It was a critical and audience success, and won both the Now Magazine
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
Audience Choice Award and the SummerWorks Outstanding Production Award. Later that year, Nicolas was voted one of the Top 10 Theatre Artists of 2009 by Toronto's Now Magazine.
Nicolas Billon is the son of writer Pierre Billon
Pierre Billon
Pierre Billon, born in Geneva in 1937, is a québécois writer.-Novels:* L'ogre de Barbarie * La Chausse-Trappe * L'enfant du Cinquième Nord * Le Livre de Seul * L'ultime Alliance...
.
Adaptations
- EuripidesEuripidesEuripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
's Iphigenia at Aulis (2010) - MolièreMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's The Sicilian (2009) - ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Three Sisters (2007)