At the National Arts Centre gala celebrating this year's Governor-General's Award laureates, the Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox and the zany comedic performer Martin Short will no doubt add red-carpet pizzazz to the June 29 proceedings. But what about the other three esteemed honorees? Here's a snapshot look at Yves Sioui Durand, Brigitte Haentjens and Jean Beaudin.
Yves Sioui Durand
Who he is: Writer, director, filmmaker, actor and a pioneering figure in contemporary Indigenous theatre. Born in 1951, he's a member of the Wendake Huron-Wendat Nation.
What he's done: Co-founder of Ondinnok, Quebec's first French-language Indigenous theatre company. Written close to 20 stage plays and directed 28 productions, including his large-scale outdoor performance, Le porteur des peines du monde (The Sun Raiser). Awards and distinctions include the Festival TransAmériques Américanité Award.
What he's said: "My theatre seeks to provide access to the imaginary land of my people, which was obscured but persists in us. It is for white and for aboriginal audiences, who often have lost touch with their past."
The Cree-Saulteaux interdisciplinary artist Margo Kane on Yves Sioui Durand: "Yves has worked long and hard, with little resources and without much recognition from his own francophone artistic community. He has done pioneering work in developing Indigenous theatrical works and working with allies across many cultural lines.
"He and his wife, Catherine Joncas, travelled to very small, remote communities who have asked for their guidance and help. Their Theatre of Healing project provided a really needed outlet of expression for oppressed people. It mobilized communities. Yves has set the standard for connecting with people in a real way, not just theatre for entertainment, but for community development and laughter and healing.
"Yves and his wife have sacrificed a lot for their art and their community. But a lot of young, Indigenous francophones have been inspired to have their own careers, and their own companies, because of Yves."
Brigitte Haentjens
Who she is: Theatre veteran and, since 2012, the artistic director of the National Arts Centre's French Theatre. Born in Versailles, France, in 1951; studied theatre in Paris with the renowned Jacques Lecoq. Immigrated to Canada in 1977. Particularly interested in issues of identity, sexuality and power, and known for her original, avant-garde productions.
What she's done: Directed some 60 productions and played a pivotal role in the development of franco-Ontarian theatre, particularly as artistic director (1982-1990) of Sudbury's Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario.
Moved to Montreal in 1991, where she founded her own company, Sibyllines, in 1997.
Awards and distinctions include the Siminovitch Prize in Theatre (directing) and three Critics' Choice awards and five Masques from the Association québécoise des critiques de théâtre.
What she's said: "Theatre has the effect on me of a cut, of a burn, of a punch, of a lash. Theatre stimulates me, upsets me, and can even enrage me. Theatre has always given me the desire to live, to create, to stand up and fight.
"In short, theatre inspires every feeling in me except that of comfort."
The playwright Jean-Marc Dalpé on Brigitte Haentjens: "Brigitte has the ability to listen. And she's a true leader, in the sense of being able to bring talent together and make everybody shine.
"She thinks about theatre and what it means to be on the stage, in terms of what we're doing in society. She's never stopped thinking about that. She's far from a tradesperson. She comes at it intellectually and emotionally.
"She's part of a generation of directors and theatre people who have shaken up the way we come to work. With Robert Lepage and others, from the late seventies into the nineties, she decided, 'No, we're not doing the four-week rehearsal thing. No, the project is going to start a year-and-a-half before it's presented to the audience.'
"It's a different idea of what it means to mount a production. It's the belief that theatre deserves more of an investment and more time. Brigitte is an important part of that generation."
Jean Beaudin
Who he is: Prolific Québécois film and TV director and interpreter of Quebec literature, born in Montreal, 1939.
Studied art in Montreal and photography in Switzerland before joining the National Film Board in 1964.
What he's done: His 1975 drama, J.A. Martin photographe, was selected at the Cannes Film Festival.
For television, directed popular series such as Les filles de Caleb (1990-91), one of the most popular series in the history of Quebec television. Awards and distinctions include 19 Prix Gémeaux, five Genies and a People's Choice Award.
What he's said: "The key is to make films with a lot of love, about things you feel strongly about."
The actress Monique Mercure on Jean Beaudin: "He's the best director I've ever worked with, and he's the best person I've ever met. He has a lot of compassion and empathy with actors. He knows what an actor is. He deals with us with so much tenderness and intelligence. And Jean loves women. He's no natural man.
"Jean has fought for so long, and I don't understand why he hasn't been recognized as he should have been. For the film J.A. Martin photographe, I won the best actress prize at Cannes. It's because of him. The script was written by Jean and Marcel Sabourin, my husband in the movie. They had such a script. What could I have done, but to win?
"Jean attended École des beaux-arts de Montréal, before he became a cinematographer. It shows in everything he did. It's about beauty. It shows up."