Julio Rod Marín is awarded the Arcand-Bournival prize 23-24
Actor Julio Rod Marín was awarded the Arcand-Bournival Prize for his role in the young audience production La Befana, concluding a colorful 23-24 season. This award is given annually by Théâtre la Seizième to an artist who stands out for their talent and exceptional artistic contribution to the company’s productions. The winner also receives a $500 grant.
“I would like to say thank you to Théâtre la Seizième for giving me the opportunity to be one of your actors, and for the tremendous amount of work that every one of you puts into each production,” Julio Rod Marín reacted to the announcement of his award. “A heartfelt thank you to Emilie Leclerc for making me such a funny squirrel in La Befana, and to Mia Wistaff and Thérèse Champagne, my acting partners, for their talent and constant hard work throughout the school tour.”
The jury, made up of board member Perry Schneiderman and season subscribers Marie Arcand and Stéphane Gasc, appreciated Julio’s versatility as he juggled two different roles in La Befana. Switching deftly from the character of Tom the squirrel to Sofia’s father, the young heroine, Julio instilled finesse, dynamism, originality and humor in each of his roles. According to Stéphane Gasc, “Awarding this prize to Julio also means encouraging a multilingual Francophile on the Vancouver scene. In doing so, we are renewing the diversity that revolves around French-language theatre in Vancouver.”
La Befana marks Julio’s first collaboration with Théâtre la Seizième. The play, written by Anaïs Pellin and directed by Emilie Leclerc, emerged from the artistic incubator for theatrical pratice. It was presented in elementary schools in British Columbia and Alberta this spring, reaching a tally of over 50 performances.
The Arcand-Bournival Prize was created in 2014 to pay tribute to Danielle Arcand and Louis-Marie Bournival, two directors whose exceptional commitment had a major impact on the development of Théâtre la Seizième. It promotes and encourages francophone artistic excellence in Vancouver.
