MAEL
ABOUT MAEL:
Is a queer, experimental theatre creator, director, performer, coach and facilitator based in Tio`tia:ke / Mooniyang / Montreal. His work focuses on care, liberation, queer futurism and the complexities of relationships.
Trained at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama, Mael holds degrees in Theatre Interpretation (Dawson) and Film Studies (Université de Montréal), and constantly pursues education in acting, dance and various new pedagogical practices.
His artistic practice of over 20 years is rooted in social justice, and he creates multidisciplinary works on stage that challenge stereotypes, highlight marginalized voices and encourage dialogue on important issues. Mael is highly involved in his community, participating in several panels, committees and boards. He has also been coaching and facilitating theatre workshops for nearly ten years, in both community-based and professional contexts.
His latest creation, heartbeast, won the prestigious Audience Award at the 2023 Montreal Fringe Festival, as well as being nominated for the Creativity and Innovation Award.
These days, he’s in the final stages of rewriting his piece heartbeast, with the support of Jesse Stong at Playwrights Workshop Montreal. He’s also working on several interdisciplinary projects, and is increasingly incorporating the language of contemporary dance into his approach.
THE PROJECT:
HeartBeast is a vibrant coming-of-age trans fable about identity, self-discovery, kindness, and community, rooted in drag and queer aesthetics. Based on Mael’s original play, this new 5-minute VR experience distills that world into an immersive encounter centered on transformation, self-expression, and the search for one’s truest form.
The piece follows a young person moving through a playful, poetic, and visually bold universe where gender exploration becomes a journey of shapeshifting, imagination, and inner courage. Drawing on the original work’s spirit of flamboyance, tenderness, and queer theatricality, HeartBeast invites audiences into a world where difference is celebrated, inner “beasts” are faced with compassion, and becoming oneself feels both magical and hard-won.