One half of Denis Drolet, Vincent Léonard, has just opened a cultural meeting place in Sainte-Thérèse, offering shows as well as workshops, summer camps and improv evenings.
• Also read: Vincent Léonard: His son wants to be an actor
It all started with the reunion of former students of the Ateliers En Jeux, which existed in Sainte-Thérèse for 33 years. “I took part in these workshops with my bearded buddy when we were 15, 16 and 17 years old. We had a great sense of belonging there and incredible friendships were formed there! We discovered talents we didn’t even know each other had! We played in Grease and Les Miserables. “It’s a story of the heart,” notes Vincent. Last year one of the henchmen of that time suddenly died, so we all gathered in this place. I realized how much I loved my experience at this place! I told the owner, Diane Gendron, that I wanted my children to come and grow up there. She replied that unfortunately she wanted to sell.
Not wanting to see this important place die in his eyes, the comedian acquired it with his wife Karine Daoust. They called it L’Urlu. and gave him a second wind. Karine, who runs an event production company on the North Shore, knows how to run a business and is now General Manager of L’Urlu. Vincent is the artistic director and will direct shows, among other things (starting with La cantatrice brûlé by Ionesco). “Karine and I have been a couple since I was 16. We built a life together! And we finally have a project we can get involved in!”
The Leonard company is family-owned. The proud father of Juliette, 16, who sings, plays piano and makes musicals, of Elliot, 14, who is an improviser and actor (we saw him in Leo in particular), and Rémi, 10, who plays electric guitar, he wants her include. “Urlu is a second home for them. They give their time according to their will and schedule.