Gascon-Thomas Award 1997

R.H. Thomson, Paul Hébert 1997 winners of
the Gascon-Thomas award

Montreal, May 2, 1997 – Actors R.H. Thomson and Paul Hébert will be awarded Canada's only national theatre prize for their exceptional contributions to Canadian theatre this evening in Montreal. The 1997 Gascon-Thomas Award will be given at the Monument-National theatre, prior to the National Theatre School of Canada’s graduation ceremony.

R.H. Thomson is an outspoken defender of Canadian culture and an extraordinarily gifted actor whose appearances in such films as Glory Enough For All, If You Could See What I Hear, and Hand to Hand have won him Gemini, Genie, and Dora Mavor Moore awards. Known to many Canadians for his appearances on Road to Avonlea, R.H. Thomson was also the host this season of CBC's Man Alive. Based in Toronto, he has acted and directed across the country, notably at the Stratford Festival.

Paul Hébert is a pillar of Quebecois theatre. The Thetford Mines native studied at Laval University before studying acting at London's Old Vic school with the help of a British Arts Council bursary. Since his return to Montreal in 1952, he has acted steadily in theatre, film, and television. He founded a number of theatres and summer festivals in Quebec, including Quebec's first summer festival, the Théâtre d'été Chanteclerc, Quebec City's Théâtre du Trident, and the Théâtre Paul Hébert on the Île d'Orléans. He has served as director of the drama conservatories of both Montreal and Quebec City and as vice-president of the National Arts Centre.