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 artist. She is a director, actor, musician, and puppeteer. Jani Lauzon was born in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia. For many years, she believed her family had Indigenous roots. Her artistic work often explored these themes. In 2024, it was found that she does not have Indigenous ancestry, and she has accepted this.
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Jani Lauzon's Artistic Journey
Jani Lauzon's artistic journey began with music. She was inspired by jazz, soul, and roots music. She also loved musical theatre.
Lauzon studied different performance styles. She learned mime and puppetry at the Celebration Barn Theater in Paris, Maine. She also studied clowning with Richard Pochinko. She trained with many famous teachers. These included Patsy Rodenburg, Yoshi Oida, and Tadashi Suzuki.
Acting Roles and Performances
Jani Lauzon has performed in many plays. She has acted in classic plays by Shakespeare. In 2005, she played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. In 2010, she was Yvette Pottier in Mother Courage.
In 2012, she had two roles in King Lear. This was an all-Indigenous production of Shakespeare's play. She played both Cordelia and the Fool. Other actors in the play included August Schellenberg and Tantoo Cardinal.
Lauzon also performed in the Canadian Opera Company's Louis Riel in 2017. She played the Storyteller. In 2021, she was Pelija Patchnose in The Rez Sisters. This play was at the Stratford Festival.
Jani Lauzon also creates and performs her own shows. A Side of Dreams opened in 2015. It combines music, puppetry, and projections. Her one-woman show, Prophecy Fog, opened in 2023.
Directing and Artistic Leadership
In 1998, Jani Lauzon helped start Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble. This was a theatre group for Native women. She co-founded it with Monique Mojica and Michelle St. John. She was also a Co-Managing Artistic Director until 2007. The group later included Falen Johnson and Cheri Maracle. It stopped working in 2008.
With Monique Mojica and Michelle St. John, she created The Scrubbing Project in 2002. This show toured nationally in 2005-2006. They also created Triple Truth and The Only Good Indian.
In 2013, Lauzon founded Paper Canoe Projects. This company helps create new theatre, film, and music projects. Paper Canoe Projects produces Lauzon's own works. These include Prophecy Fog, I Call Myself Princess, and A Side of Dreams.
I Call Myself Princess was first performed in 2018. In 2021, Lauzon directed An Irresistible Urge to Do Something Inadvisable. Her 2022 play Where the Blood Mixes received great reviews. In 2023, she directed 1939 at the Stratford Festival. She co-wrote this play with Kailtyn Riordan. It is about students at a Residential school.
She has directed many other plays. These include Alien Creature (2017), The Monument (2018), and Almighty Voice and his Wife (2019). In 2023, she directed Yaga.
Puppetry Work
Jani Lauzon has a lot of experience with puppets. She worked on famous shows like Fraggle Rock. She also did puppetry for Follow That Bird. She 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, The Longhouse Tales, and Mr. Dressup. She worked on Wumpa's World and Iris the Happy Professor.
Television and Film Appearances
Lauzon has also acted in TV shows and movies. She appeared in Code Name: Eternity and Conspiracy of Silence. Other roles were in Ruby and the Well and Saving Hope.
She won awards for her role as Doris in the film A Windigo Tale. She received Best Supporting Actress at the American Indian Film Festival. She also won Best Actress for the same role at the Dreamspeakers Film Festival.
Her two short films, eu·tha·na·sia and Just One Word, have been shown at film festivals around the world.
Music and Radio Work
Jani Lauzon has worked as a radio actor for CBC Radio.
She has released several music albums. Her first album, Blue Voice / New Voice, came out in 1994. It included the popular song “99 lbs”. Her album Thirst (1998) featured songs she wrote or co-wrote. These included “Real Rez Blues” and “Lay your Ego Down”. She played the Western flute on some tracks. Her 2007 album, Mixed Blessings, focused on the hand drum and women’s voices.
Other music projects include Hearts of the Nations (1997) and Heartbeat 2: More Voices of First Nations Women (1998).
Teaching and Recognition
In the 1980s, Jani Lauzon taught at the Claude Watson School for the Arts in Toronto. She started teaching at the National Theatre School of Canada in 2020.
In April 2015, Lauzon was a Senior Playwright in Residence. This was at the Banff Playwright Colony.
Awards and Nominations
Jani Lauzon has been nominated for many awards. She has been nominated ten times for Dora Mavor Moore Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre.
She received the John Hirsch Directors award from the Ontario Arts Council. 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 the series Wumpa’s World.
She is a three-time Juno-nominated singer/songwriter. Her first album, New Voice/Blue Voice, was nominated for a Juno in 1994. In 2008, she was nominated for 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 in the arts.
Ancestry and Identity
In November 2024, during a production of her play 1939, questions arose about Jani Lauzon's Indigenous heritage. She had a genetic test done, which showed an Indigenous marker. She is currently working with a genealogist. This expert specializes in Indigenous ancestry research.
