Biography
The first woman to serve as Artistic Director of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM), Lorraine Pintal has been an emblematic figure in the performing arts. From 1992 to 2024, she demonstrated a unique artistic vision, revitalizing the institution through bold programming while also leading two major phases of renewal of its creative and performance spaces.
An actress, stage director, author, producer, literary host, and arts promoter through theatre, television, radio, and film, she has left a profound mark on Québec’s theatrical and cultural landscape. Over her career, she has signed nearly 150 productions, presented both in Québec and abroad. She has championed the emergence of artists from diverse backgrounds, supported women creators, and consistently affirmed her commitment to marginalized communities.
Deeply involved in Montréal’s major cultural projects, she co-founded the Quartier des spectacles Partnership and chaired the board of directors of La Vitrine culturelle de Montréal for ten years. She is also the author of the novel Pourquoi les larmes ont-elles le goût salé de la mère (Québec Amérique, Collection III), an essay on theatre De corps, de chair et de cœur (Presses de l’Université du Québec), and the theatrical adaptation of Réjean Ducharme’s novel L’hiver de force (Gallimard).
Throughout her career, Lorraine Pintal has been widely recognized for her contributions. She is a Member of the Order of Canada, the Ordre national du Québec, a Compagne des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, and a Chevalière of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. She is also a recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and the Prix Femmes d’affaires du Québec. In 2020, she was named an Officer of the Ordre de Montréal. In 2021, the Government of Québec awarded her the very first Denise-Filiatrault Prize, and in 2022, she received the Marie-Victoire-Félix Dumouchel Prize from the Rassemblement pour un pays souverain.
