Gérard Poirier, an exceptional actor, but also a wonderful teacher, has just left us.
In 1975, at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal, in third year, we were extremely fortunate to have Gérard Poirier as interpretation teacher. I am impressed to see before me the great interpreter of texts by Pinter, Sartre, Beckett, Pirandello, Molière, Shakespeare, Feydeau, Rostand, Musset, and many other great playwrights. I am intimidated by this living monument which commands admiration. The great Gérard Poirier, a man of great class and so cultivated, comes before us saying something like this: “In your work as an actor, you will not always be as well directed as you want. I will show you my own method, which I have used on these occasions to lead myself. “
From that goal, I had arguably one of the greatest play lessons of my entire training. Gérard Poirier was remarkably intelligent. His text analyzes were brilliant. I liked his way of approaching theater texts. He did not take himself for an all-powerful director. Always humble, he was nevertheless incredibly precise in his direction of play and left us very free and creative in the set-ups. This allowed us to always remain natural in our learning. Gérard Poirier, an immense actor, succeeded in brilliantly transmitting an important part of his know-how. I will always be grateful to him. What a beautiful memory!
Hi Gérard!
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