1969 Fredericton Encaenia
Gelinas, Gratien
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
Orator: MacNutt, W. Stewart
Image
Image Caption
L to R: Gratien Gelinas, Sir Max Aitken
Second Image Caption
Source: UA PC-4a no.2(8); Photo by Joe Stone
Citation:
ENCAENIA, MAY, 1969
GRATIEN GELINAS
to be Doctor of Letters
We honour today a Canadian whose sparkling contribution to our theatre ensures him a place of honour in the cultural history of our country.
Born in St-Tite de Champlain and nurtured in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Montreal, Gratien Gelinas early won the affection and admiration of Quebec audiences with the character of Fridolin and, in 1948, captured English-speaking Canada with his first play, Tit-Coq, in which he performed the leading role. Tit-Coq blends wit, pathos, irony and compassion into a form uniquely poignant; its success in both French and English has done much to draw the two major language groups of Canada together.
His triumph as an author has continued unabated. In 1959, he wrote Bousille et les Justes which, with a bilingual cast, was performed at the Vancouver International Festival, at the Seattle World's Fair and in cities across this continent, always with great éclat. 1964 saw the presentation of his review Le Diable à quartre, and in 1966 his play Hier les Enfants dansaient received critical and artistic acclaim.
His theatrical enterprise has not been confined to his own plays. He made many appearances on the stage in Canada, the United States and Great Britain; and in 1957, Mr. Gelinas turned his talent to production when he founded "la Comedie-Canadienne" which has played such an important role in the artistic life of Canada.
In Gratien Gelinas, author, actor and producer extraordinary, the little man with great talent, the University of New Brunswick happily salutes a distinguished Canadian and proudly claims him as its own.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 1
GRATIEN GELINAS
to be Doctor of Letters
We honour today a Canadian whose sparkling contribution to our theatre ensures him a place of honour in the cultural history of our country.
Born in St-Tite de Champlain and nurtured in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Montreal, Gratien Gelinas early won the affection and admiration of Quebec audiences with the character of Fridolin and, in 1948, captured English-speaking Canada with his first play, Tit-Coq, in which he performed the leading role. Tit-Coq blends wit, pathos, irony and compassion into a form uniquely poignant; its success in both French and English has done much to draw the two major language groups of Canada together.
His triumph as an author has continued unabated. In 1959, he wrote Bousille et les Justes which, with a bilingual cast, was performed at the Vancouver International Festival, at the Seattle World's Fair and in cities across this continent, always with great éclat. 1964 saw the presentation of his review Le Diable à quartre, and in 1966 his play Hier les Enfants dansaient received critical and artistic acclaim.
His theatrical enterprise has not been confined to his own plays. He made many appearances on the stage in Canada, the United States and Great Britain; and in 1957, Mr. Gelinas turned his talent to production when he founded "la Comedie-Canadienne" which has played such an important role in the artistic life of Canada.
In Gratien Gelinas, author, actor and producer extraordinary, the little man with great talent, the University of New Brunswick happily salutes a distinguished Canadian and proudly claims him as its own.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 1
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