Jani Lauzon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jani Lauzon
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Jani Lauzon at the 2018 CFC Annual BBQ Fundraiser
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| Background information | |
| Born | September 29, 1959 East Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | RA Records |
Jani Lauzon (born September 29, 1959) is a talented Canadian director and performer. She comes from the East Kootenay region in British Columbia. For many years, she believed her family had Métis heritage and often featured Métis themes in her work. However, in 2024, it became clear that she does not have Indigenous ancestry, which she has openly accepted.
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Learning and Inspirations
Jani Lauzon's artistic journey is inspired by many types of music. These include jazz, soul, and roots music. She also loves musical theatre.
Lauzon studied mime and puppetry at the Celebration Barn Theater in Paris, Maine. She learned clowning from Richard Pochinko. She also trained with famous teachers like Patsy Rodenburg and Yoshi Oida.
Acting Roles
Jani Lauzon has acted in many plays, including those by William Shakespeare. In 2005, she played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. She also performed in Mother Courage in 2010.
In 2012, she took on two roles in an all-Indigenous production of Shakespeare's King Lear. She played both Cordelia and the Fool. This play was shown at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In 2019, she acted in The Winter's Tale.
She also performed in the Canadian Opera Company's Louis Riel in 2017. In 2021, she was in The Rez Sisters at the Stratford Festival.
Lauzon also creates and performs her own shows. A Side of Dreams opened in 2015. It mixes music, puppetry, and projections. Her one-woman show, Prophecy Fog, started in 2023.
Directing and Artistic Leadership
In 1998, Jani Lauzon helped start the Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble. This was a theatre group for Native women. She worked as a Co-Managing Artistic Director until 2007. The group created plays like The Scrubbing Project and The Only Good Indian. The collective stopped working together in 2008.
In 2013, she founded Paper Canoe Projects. This company helps create new theatre, film, and music projects. It also produces Lauzon's own works. These include Prophecy Fog and A Side of Dreams.
Lauzon directed I Call myself Princess in 2018. In 2021, she directed An Irresistible Urge to Do Something Inadvisable.
Her 2022 play, Where the Blood Mixes, was highly praised. In 2023, she directed 1939 at the Stratford Festival. She also co-wrote this play. It is about five Residential school students performing a play.
She has directed many other plays too. These include Alien Creature (2017), The Monument (2018), and Almighty Voice and his Wife (2019). She also directed Rope for the Shaw Festival in 2019. In 2023, she directed Yaga.
Puppetry Work
Jani Lauzon has a lot of experience with puppets. She worked on Fraggle Rock and Follow That Bird. She also performed on The Jim Henson Hour. She was a cat in the Sesame Street Canada special "Basil Hears a Noise."
Her other puppet roles include Maggie on Groundling Marsh. She also had regular roles on The Big Comfy Couch and Mr. Dressup. Other shows include The Longhouse Tales and Wumpa's World.
Television and Film Appearances
Lauzon has also appeared in TV shows and movies. Some of these include Code Name: Eternity and Saving Hope. She was in Conspiracy of Silence and Ruby and the Well.
She won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Doris in A Windigo Tale. She also won Best Actress for the same role.
Her two short films, eu·tha·na·sia and Just One Word, have been shown at film festivals worldwide.
Music and Radio
Jani Lauzon has worked as a radio actor for stations like CBC Radio.
Her first album, Blue Voice / New Voice, came out in 1994. It featured the popular song “99 lbs”. Her album Thirst (1998) included songs she wrote. These included “Real Rez Blues” and “Lay your Ego Down.” She played the Western flute on some tracks.
Her album Mixed Blessings (2007) focused on the hand drum and women's voices.
She also contributed to other music projects. These include Hearts of the Nations (1997) and Heartbeat 2: More Voices of First Nations Women (1998).
Teaching and Awards
In the 1980s, Lauzon taught at the Claude Watson School for the Arts in Toronto. She started teaching at the National Theatre School of Canada in 2020.
She was also a Senior Playwright in Residence in 2015.
Awards and Recognition
Jani Lauzon has been nominated for Dora Mavor Moore Awards ten times. She has also been nominated for Juno Awards three times for her music.
She received the John Hirsch Directors award. She also won the Toronto Critics Best Directors Award for her play The Monument. In 2004, she won a Gemini Award for her role as Seeka in Wumpa’s World. She was the first Métis puppeteer to win this award.
Her first album, New Voice/Blue Voice, was nominated for a JUNO in 1994. In 2008, she was nominated as Best Female Traditional Artist for her CD, Mixed Blessings.
In 2021, she received the ACTRA Toronto Award of Excellence. This award recognized her work and her efforts to promote inclusion.
Ancestry Discussion
In November 2024, during a play she was involved with, questions were raised about Jani Lauzon's ancestry. She had believed she had Métis heritage. She has since acknowledged that she does not have Indigenous ancestry.
