From left to right: Léa Drolet (Interprétation, 2025), Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025), Fanny Pagé (CEO of NTS), ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement) and Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
The Gascon-Thomas Awards
Created in 1990 by the NTS’s Board of Governors, the awards is named in honour of two of the School’s founders: Jean Gascon and Powys Thomas, who are equally among the School’s first great teachers to have made a lasting impression. In the spirit of the School’s co-lingual nature, the awards are bestowed each year to one Anglophone and one Francophone artist in two categories: Innovation and Lifetime Achievement. Those who receive this award have made their mark on today’s theatre or who have helped to change tomorrow’s theatre.
The two Gascon-Thomas Awards: Innovation and Lifetime Achievement
1. The Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement
The Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement is presented to a Canadian theatre artist who, throughout their career, has helped the theatre community evolve artistically. The selected nominee is an established artist who has earned national and international recognition and has contributed to Canadian theatre through their vast and important body of work.
2. The Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation
The Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation is presented to a Canadian theatre artist who has brought about a wave of change within their field. The nominee is selected for their ability to generate new ideas and for their efforts to improve upon current practices and/or approaches to making theatre. Innovation also refers to the attitude and social commitment underlying the artistic process. An artist who has had an impact on their social environment and makes theatre more accessible also demonstrates innovation by contributing to the growth and democratization of theatre.
Nina Lee Aquino and René Richard Cyr : recipients of the 2026 Gascon-Thomas Awards
Montreal, October 21, 2026 – The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) is proud to announce the recipients of the 33rd edition of the Gascon-Thomas Awards. This prestigious event recognizes outstanding artists who have made a lasting impact on the performing arts landscape in Canada and beyond. This year, NTS is celebrating two major figures in theatre and multidisciplinary arts: Nina Lee Aquino and René Richard Cyr.
Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation
Nina Lee Aquino
Nina Lee Aquino, a Filipino Canadian, is a renowned director, dramaturge, and artistic leader. Her journey began as the inaugural Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian Canadian theatre company (2002–2009), where she organized the first Asian Canadian theatre conference and edited a seminal anthology of Asian Canadian plays, alongside co-editing an award-winning book on the subject. She became Artistic Director at Cahoots Theatre Company (2009–2012) and Factory Theatre (2012–2022), leading to her current role as Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre.
Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement
René Richard Cyr
An actor, director, playwright, filmmaker and host, René Richard Cyr is a Companion of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec and an Officer of the Ordre de Montréal. He served as Artistic Director and Co-Executive Director of Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui from 1998 to 2004, and as Co-Executive Director and Artistic Director of Théâtre PÀP (Petit à Petit) from 1991 to 1998.
Over the course of his career, he has directed nearly 100 theatrical productions, bringing to the stage works by Molière, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Camus, Brecht, Williams, Genet and Ionesco, as well as original works by Michel Tremblay, Serge Boucher, Michel Marc Bouchard, René-Daniel Dubois and Annick Lefebvre.
Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement
ahdri zina mandiela
ahdri zhina mandiela, a pivotal figure in Canada’s artistic landscape, is the recipient of the 2025 Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement. Poet, theatre producer, and artistic director, she has played a key role in the rise of Afro-Canadian theatre while mentoring and shaping generations of emerging artists across the globe.
Read the speech delivered during the ceremonyInterview with ahdri zina mandiela
Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation
Brigitte Poupart
Brigitte Poupart, a multidisciplinary artist, director, actress, and filmmaker, is the recipient of the 2025 Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation. This award acknowledges her bold and groundbreaking approach that transcends artistic boundaries. Her work, merging theatre, dance, film, and performance, demonstrates profound artistic sensitivity and a steadfast commitment to innovation and diverse forms of expression.
Read the speech delivered during the ceremonyInterview with Brigitte Poupart
Gascon-Thomas 2025
Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025) and ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
Léa Drolet (Interprétation, 2025) and Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
From left to right: Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025), ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement), Léa Drolet (Interprétation, 2025), Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025) and Fanny Pagé (CEO of NTS) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
From left to right:Léa Drolet (Interprétation, 2025) and Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025)
Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025)
From left to right: Zoe Daca (Production Design and Technical Arts, 2025), Léa Drolet (Interprétation, 2025), Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025), ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement) and Fanny Pagé (CEO of NTS) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National.
From left to right: ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement) and Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025) on the stage of the Ludger-Duvernay venue at Monument-National. The two artists received artworks created by Mégan Vallée (Set and Costume Design 2) and Tiphaine Bézie (Set and Costume Design 2).
Students are listening with attention to the speech of the Gascon-Thomas Awards recipients.
ahdri zina mandiela (Gascon-Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement) with friends.
Brigitte Poupart (Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation 2025) with family members.
Gascon-Thomas Awards 2025 Cocktail.
Photo Credit: Vincent Morreale
Recipients of the Gascon-Thomas Through the Years
2023
Heather Redfern: Recipient of the 2023 Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation
Guy Simard: Recipient of the 2023 Gascon-Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award
2021
Yvette Nolan: Recipient of the 2021 Gascon-Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award
Mellissa Larivière: Recipient of the 2021 Gascon-Thomas Award for Innovation
2019
Weyni Mengesha – Innovation Award
Gilles Renaud (Interprétation, 1967) – Lifetime Achievement Award
2018
Martin Faucher and David Fox
2016
Djanet Sears and Monique Miller
2015
Hannah Moscovitch and Olivier Choinière
2014
David Latham and Michel Marc Bouchard
2013
Suzanne Lebeau and Colm Feore
2012
Dominic Champagne and Peter Hinton
2011
Allan Hawco and Claude Poissant
2010
Wajdi Mouawad and Judith Thompson
2009
Sandra Oh and Paul Buissonneau
2008
Sharon Pollock and Monique Mercure
2007
August Schellenberg and Brigitte Haentjens
2006
Herménégilde Chiasson and Gordon Pinsent
2005
Jackie Maxwell and Janine Sutto
2004
Jean-Louis Roux and Christopher Plummer
2003
Tomson Highway and Robert Lepage
2002
George F. Walker and André Brassard
2001
Lorraine Pintal and Ann-Marie Macdonald
2000
Kenneth Welsh and Jean-Pierre Ronfard
1999
Christopher Newton and Michel Tremblay
1998
John Murrell and Hélène Falcon
1997
Paul Hébert and R.H Thomson
1996
Diana Leblanc and Jean-Louis Millette
1995
Mavor Moore and Louisette Dussault
1994
Mallory Gilbert and Jean-Claude Germain
1993
Neil Munro and Marcel Sabourin
1992
Martha Henry and Michelle Rossignol
1991
Herbert Whittaker and Mercedes Palomino
1990
Joy Coghill and Gratien Gélinas
