Laurie Léveillé joins our artistic incubator for creative practice
A new creative voice is taking root in our artistic incubator for theatre practice. Beginning in the 2026–2027 season, author Laurie Léveillé will receive support from Théâtre la Seizième to develop her young audiences play Micah et la maison sous les arbres, with a view to a production in 2027–2028 in collaboration with the Centre de la Francophonie at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Laurie Léveillé’s developing play, Micah et la maison sous les arbres, is a playful ode to children who hear adults shouting far too often. Freely inspired by Gilbert Bécaud’s song La maison sous les arbres (The House Beneath the Trees), this theatrical project for elementary school children is a modern fable about how children experience their parents’ anger.
“I keep meeting artists I admire who have collaborated with Théâtre la Seizième, and they all have such wonderful things to say about it… now it’s my turn!” says Laurie enthusiastically. “I feel incredibly fortunate to know that my words are being welcomed by such an inspiring institution. And on a more personal note… I’m over the moon knowing that my family members in Vancouver will, for the first time, have the opportunity to experience my work.”
Laurie Léveillé is an author, screenwriter, and translator who graduated from the Playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada and the Screenwriting Development program at the École Nationale de l’Humour. In September 2024, she published Coup bas, a short novel for young readers and one of the first three titles in La courte échelle’s new Micro collection. The book garnered multiple honours, including the 2025 Governor General’s Literary Award in the Young People’s Literature – Text category and the Alvine-Bélisle Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2025 Prix des Libraires in the Young Adult Literature category. She is currently adapting Coup bas into a television series. In recent years, she has also established herself as a fiction translator through numerous theatre and literary projects. Most recently, she translated and adapted the musical parody Titanique (Just For Laughs), which was widely acclaimed by critics. Her next book, a graphic novel for teens, is slated for publication in fall 2027.
Photo: Hugo Lafitte
