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The artistic team of Dr Clown is led by Francine Côté (Artistic Director).
Our team consists of:
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Francine Côté
Francine has been in show business as an artist and a trainer for over 25 years. She received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and studied in Paris for two years with Philippe Gaulier and Monica Pagneux, with training in clowning, acting, masks, movement, etc. Over the years, she has developed an impressive training program for clowns. She was happy to take on the role as Dr Clown’s Artistic Director because the future of clowns in our society is one of her main areas of interest.
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Olivier-Hugues Terreault (Dr L'Air de Rien)
A professional artist with training in theatre, storytelling, and clowning, Olivier-Hugues has a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Dance from UQÀM (University du Québec à Montréal). He founded La Compagnie du Pont-fleurs, an interdisciplinary performance group, and was its director for seven years. He became a therapeutic clown and an advocate of Dr Clown so that he could combine his art with social work. Since 1999, he has participated in a variety of social clowning workshops with Dr Patch Adams and with various Canadian therapeutic artists. He has received several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. He has been visiting Montreal hospitals since March 2000. His clown character is called Dr L’Air de Rien.
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Melissa Holland (Dr Fifi Se-Pense-Bien)
Melissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in Drama in Education from Concordia University, and a degree in Education from McGill University. She has taught theatre and English to children, teenagers, and adults in Montreal, Madrid, Edinburgh, and Chibougamau. In Scotland, she trained and worked as a clown doctor for the charitable organization Hearts & Minds. She also carried out a two-month pilot project in Windsor, Ontario that led to the establishment of a program called “Fools for Health.” Melissa is also the Program Director of Dr Clown.
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Florence Vinit, PhD (Dr Amandine)
Born in France, Florence performed classical dance for almost 16 years and later developed a passion for other forms of the art including contemporary and modern dance. After a stint in story-telling and theatre in Strasbourg and Quebec city, she discovered the power of clowning while training with Francine Côté. Her experience in working with children, which stems from a BAFA in artistic training and from working in both general and rehabilitation hospitals, coupled with her training in haptonomy (with Brigitte Dohmen) helps her further develop Dr Amandine's skills. Florence is also Dr Clown's Psychosocial Director.
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Nancy McCready (Dr Quenouille)
Nancy is a graduate of the theatre program at the CÉGEP de Saint-Hyacinthe and has also studied singing and music. She is particularly interested in physical theatre, masks, and clowning, and she has held acting roles in Quebec and Belgium. She was involved in founding the interdisciplinary theatre company La Compagnie du Pont-fleurs. She has also trained and worked as a family aide for home care. Dr Clown allows her to do two of her favourite things: bringing people joy and taking care of others. She has a son called Loïc.
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Alexis Roy (Dr Frogge)
Alexis has a degree in Psychology from the University of Sherbrooke. He taught Psychology at the CÉGEP Beauce-Appalaches, and he worked as a counsellor, especially with teenagers and young adults, for more than 15 years. He is also an actor, a storyteller, and a lecturer. He has worked with the Ottawa theatre company La vieille 17 and with Le théâtre de l'Île in Hull, among others. In Montreal, he has acted with the Groupe de la Veillée and Les Créations Diving Horse. His storytelling has taken him around Quebec, and to France and the Canadian West.
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Jocelyn Caron (Dr Super Bill)
Jocelyn has a Bachelor’s degree in Drama from UQÀM. During his studies he discovered mime, commedia dell'arte, and clowning. His theatre career includes work with the Groupe de la Veillée, the Compagnie Pol Pelletier, and especially Les Créations Diving Horse. At the same time, he acquired more than 5 years’ experience giving workshops in daycare centres. The idea of using his art to help people in hospitals came to him after he saw a production of the play Icaro by the Italian playwright Daniel F. Pasca.
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Isabelle Di Palma (Dr Ti-Boutte)
Certified in massage therapy with specialized training in the treatment of grief and illness through massage, Isabelle was first exposed to working in a medical environment in 2000 while participating in a Leucan work-study program. She holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education, a DEC in Music, and worked as an educator for over 9 years at a daycare for children from 0 to 5 years old. Her journey as a clown began in 2004 in workshops with Francine Côté, and she joined the Dr Clown team in September 2005. Mother of two adorable little girls who are a constant source of inspiration, she is delighted to share her joy of children, playing, meeting people, and life with the Dr Clown team.
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Tamar Tembeck (Dr Boom-Boom)
Tamar is a stage player and an art historian. She has dance, theatre, body mime, and voice training. In Montreal, she has worked with La Compagnie du Pont-fleurs and Omnibus. Tamar is currently working on a doctorate degree in Art History at McGill University and hopes one day to be called DR-Dr-Boom-Boom.
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Guillaume Paquet (Dr Spring)
Guillaume's artistic training hails from many sources. He trained as a stage actor at Cégep Lionel-Groulx and in Danielle Fichaud's workshops, as a mime with the Compagnie Omnibus, and as a clown in Francine Côté's workshops. He taught stage acting at Loisir-Soleil, a day camp, and now performs at La Maison hantée, a dinner-theatre establishment. In 2004, along with three other actors, he founded FACTEUR THÉÂTRE, a street theatre company that performs at various festivals (Just for Laugh Festival, Festival de Shawinigan, etc.), which provide appropriate venues for this emerging art. The new-kid-on-the-block has now been with Dr. Clown for a little over a year.
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Marie-France Gravel (Dr Queen)
A circus performer for many years, Marie-France followed various trainings in circus techniques. She performs at various festivals and events as well as in schools throughout Québec. She teaches circus techniques to children and adolescents. She has gained experience with handicapped children through her own daughter who has cerebral palsy. This has led her to develop various means to approach and stimulate children, with an emphasis on clowning. Through Dr. Clown, she can now share the pleasure she takes in clowning by helping hospitalized children and adults.
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Michèle Sirois (Dr Petits-Pas)
First trained as a nurse in Quebec and Switzerland, Michele went on to complete a bachelor’s degree from the Quebec Conservatory of Drama. An actor in film and television, she has also taken clown workshops from Marc Doré and Francine Côté. Since 2001, she has produced for the Montreal Geriatric Institute training videos for health-care professionals and has organized scientific conferences. In joining the Dr Clown team in 2005, Michele, is thrilled to be able to integrate her two passions for healing and the arts.
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executive team < top > business plan
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