The National School of Humor will be moving to rue Saint-Denis, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, starting in the fall of 2026. The announcement was made Friday in the presence of the School’s Director General and Founder, Louise Richer, and the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe, who announced financial assistance of $13.5 million.
The move of the École nationale de l’humour (ENH), which has been located since 2004 in the Lafontaine building, on the seventh floor of 2120, rue Sherbrooke (corner of De Lorimier), was justified by the fact that the current spaces had become “too cramped”, according to the general director Louise Richer, who began discussions with the Quebec government in 2022.
The ENH relocation project, led by architect Éric Gauthier of the FABG firm (Théâtre St-Denis, Quat’Sous, Musée d’art de Joliette, etc.), includes the renovation of the buildings at 1635-1643, rue Saint-Denis, where two small restaurants are currently located, across from rue Émery. The architectural firm will also be tasked with highlighting the building’s heritage features.
The school, which will reopen in its new premises for the 2026 school year, will also help “revitalize this sector,” according to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present but whose administration did not offer any specific financial assistance for this project, estimated at $18.75 million. “The city is contributing in its own way,” she said, “particularly by redoing the streets, green spaces and entertainment,” she explained.
A private fundraising campaign will be launched in the coming weeks to obtain the full amount, Louise Richer said.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The general director and founder of the ENH, Louise Richer
“What a joy in this speech to not be on the defensive!” exclaimed with great emotion the general director and founder of the ENH. “Because, unfortunately, I had to be for decades to justify and explain the relevance of the School. A school that serves the creativity of its students and also plays a social role,” she insisted.
Mme Richer indicated that the move of the School will allow the institution to be more accessible, but also to have adequate, modern equipment and to diversify its training programs. “We also want to develop a service offer for the entire community of creators in humor, therefore professionals, whether they have attended the School or not.”
The ENH will be located very close to the future Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec – in the former Saint-Sulpice library – and the UQAM Central Library, currently under renovation.
Minister Lacombe spoke of the importance of the institution, which he called a “jewel,” in Quebec’s cultural landscape. He also emphasized the role that comedy plays in integrating newcomers and the economic benefits of this sector – $53 million in ticket revenue in a single year.
Comedian Philippe-Audrey Larrue Saint-Jacques, a 2014 ENH graduate, hosted the announcement of the School’s move. True to his habit of revisiting history, he spoke in particular about cartographer Louis Jolliet and his encounter, in the Far North, with the Innu people, who welcomed him “with laughter” and whom he named “the laughing people.”
Philippe-Audrey Larrue Saint-Jacques spoke about the uniqueness of comedy training in Quebec. “Laughter is proof of intelligence and I think it’s great that we live in a society that values this subject so much. Ionesco [Eugène, le dramaturge roumain] said: Where there is no laughter, there is no humanity. And it is true. Laughter calls for compassion, reflection and all of that is communicated.
Founded in 1988 by actress Louise Richer, the ENH has trained more than 500 creators, authors, screenwriters and comedians to date.