Theatre builder Pierre MacDuff, pillar of Quebec arts, dies at 74

Pierre MacDuff, a foundational figure in Quebec theatre who spent five decades building the institutions that stage the province's stories, died Tuesday evening at age 74. He had chosen medical aid in dying after being diagnosed with cancer.

MacDuff announced his own death on Facebook an hour before he died, closing with a final thought that reflected his life's work: an image of crossing from darkness into "a universe of colours, crossed by living forces where each brightness will be in the image of the persons and the artworks that made me who I have been."

Theatre critic Louise Vigeant wrote that MacDuff was one of those people "whose name you don't see on the marquees, but without whom the shows would never find their audience." He was the kind of builder who stayed behind the scenes while shaping everything that came forward.

MacDuff began as an actor in the 1970s during the era of collective creation. He went on to lead the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD), the Quebec theatre council (CQT), the Carrefour theatre company in Quebec City, and the Fred-Barry theatre. He spent 25 years as general director of Les 2 Mondes, an internationally recognized company, and oversaw the construction of Aux Écuries, a production and performance centre on rue Chabot in Villeray that became the company's home.

His most recent project was rappels.ca, a digital archive dedicated to preserving the memory of Quebec theatre — a resource he took pride in building.

Les 2 Mondes responded with a statement calling MacDuff an "artist, builder, connector, and great uniter" who had devoted much of his life to growing theatre, making it resonate across the province, and preserving its legacy. "His imprint remains deeply anchored in our walls," the company said.

Actress Louise Latraverse wrote simply: "Safe travels, dear Pierre. May your light continue to guide us." Actress France Mercille, co-founder of the Théâtre de la Marmaille (now Les 2 Mondes), paid tribute to his being "luminous and good." Dancer Louise Lecavalier wrote "Gratitude in new colours and more." Francine Bernier, director of Agora de la danse, wrote: "I learned so much listening to you defend art and theatre. Thank you."

In a 1997 interview with the magazine Jeu, MacDuff spoke with characteristic humility about his own place in theatre. He noted what he called the "Quebec syndrome" of self-doubt—a tendency he'd noticed in younger artists to question whether they deserved to lead. "Travelling around the world, I understood the Quebec syndrome of feeling you're not the right person for the job," he said. "Meanwhile, a Frenchman still in his twenties would never tell himself he doesn't deserve to run a national theatre."

Yet everyone who worked with him and the institutions he built knew differently. His legacy lives in the theatres, the archives, and the artists he made space for.