There are objects that simply find their place in a space. And then there are those that, in settling in, tell a story.

A very special bench has just made its way into the students’ inner courtyard at the National Theatre School of Canada. Behind its design lies a story of family, of legacy, and of generosity: the bench was given to the School by Dominique Roberge, niece of Jean Besré, to honour the memory of the actor and teacher, who died tragically in 2001.

A passionate man of the theatre, Jean Besré took part in some sixty stage productions and roughly forty television programs over the course of his career. But for the School, his legacy is also that of an educator. His time here as a teacher left a lasting mark and inspired generations of artists through his sensitivity, his rigour, and his love of the art form.

Twenty-five years after his passing, his memory now returns to inhabit the School in a way that is at once simple and deeply meaningful.

A Story of Legacy

The bench given by Dominique Roberge carries a family story of its own: it was designed and crafted by her son, Shan Luu Gantcheff, a Montreal-based industrial designer.

Through his company, Créations Oasis, Shan Luu develops products that blend creativity with functionality, with particular attention to inclusion, comfort, and well-being.

That a member of a new generation of the family should have envisioned and created the object now paying tribute to Jean Besré gives this gesture a particular resonance.

For this bench is far more than a commemorative object. It is meant to be used, to be lived in, and to become part of the fabric of School life — a place to sit between classes, to read over a text before a rehearsal, to talk through a project taking shape, to wait for a show to begin, or simply to catch one’s breath during a busy day. Over time, it will bear quiet witness to the theatrical life that keeps renewing itself within the School’s walls.

And there is something very fitting in that idea.

Jean Besré devoted part of his life to passing on his craft and his love of theatre to those who would carry it forward. Today, a gesture made by his niece, Dominique Roberge, and shaped by the creativity of a new generation of his family, allows his memory to remain present among the students and artists who walk the School’s halls today.

A fitting way to come full circle — and, above all, to carry the legacy forward.

The School extends its warm thanks to Dominique Roberge for this act of great generosity, as well as to Shan Luu Gantcheff and Créations Oasis for imagining and giving form to this tribute.