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Interview: Patrick Leroux |
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Playwriting's the thing for Concordia professor
by Laura Roberts
At age 19, Patrick Leroux decided that he wouldn't accept any job not directly linked to writing and the theatre - and he never has. The playwright-in-residence at Sudbury's Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario and founder of the Théâtre la Catapulte in Ottawa, has lived the life of a writer, a businessman and an academic. He teaches creative writing and études françaises at Concordia University, where he schools students in the basics of writing for the stage.
Montréal Magazine: Who inspired you to write?
Patrick Leroux: I was really inspired by Balzac, who wrote approximately 90 novels throughout the course of his lifetime. I like the idea of writing because you have to? the "necessity as the mother of invention" school of writing.
MM: How did you become interested in playwriting, specifically?
PL: It all began when I was in high school. I had just re-entered the public school system, after years at an all-boys boarding school. When my locker neighbour, this effervescent girl, asked if I was thinking about joining the theatre troupe because they desperately needed boys, of course I said yes!
MM: How did you decide to start your own theatre company?
PL: I studied French literature and theatre in university, but by my second year I felt constrained. I directed a play which was a minor departmental hit, and on opening night I quit school, feeling that I'd learned all I could at the time. That was on a Friday night; by Monday, I had my first contract as a writer/director for hire. I was really ballsy and arrogant, but also extremely lucky. From February of 1992 to late 1998 I worked nonstop on contracts, was a writer in residence and founded my own theatre company.
MM: Were there any great successes?
PL: In the summer of 1993, I decided it was time to make it or break it, and wrote a huge show that featured 77 characters
and had a running time of four hours. Ultimately, I cut the play down to 55 characters and two hours-just two weeks before opening night-and Le Beau Prince d'Orange became a critical success. It took me three years to pay everyone back, but it was worth it.
"In the summer of 1993, I wrote a huge show that featured 77 characters
and had a running time of four hours."
MM: Why did you decide to sell the company?
PL: By the time I left the company, I unfortunately found that I was doing much more business work than writing, and I wanted to get back to my first love. I decided that I could work more and better if I could find a job as a professor, so I sold the company and went back to school.
MM: What advice do you have for students who want to become playwrights?
PL: I think students who want to write plays should befriend actors and directors, make themselves necessary and promote their work - but most importantly: WORK! Universities also provide a perfect built-in network for anyone who wants to get started, so you should get involved with theatre as much as possible while you're there.
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Laura Roberts is the Editor-in-Chief of Black Heart Magazine and a recent graduate of Concordia University's creative writing program.
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