Olivier Arteau is an artist of white settler descent and a member of the LGBTQIA2E+ community, whose work explores the intersection of autofiction, bouffon, and tragedy.

Trained in theatre at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec and in dance at the Université du Québec à Montréal, he is the creator behind Doggy dans Gravel and Made in Beautiful (La belle province). While in residence at the Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui from 2020 to 2023, he explored themes of embodiment and the weight of gender identity through a performative writing practice (La pudeur des urinoirs and Pisser debout sans lever sa jupe). He has also had the privilege of directing acclaimed works by Anne-Marie Olivier (Maurice), Charles Fournier (Foreman, in collaboration with Marie-Hélène Gendreau), and David Paquet (L’éveil du printemps). As an actor, he was recently seen on stage at Duceppe (Never Wipe Tears Without Gloves) and at La Licorne (Hope Town).

Kindness, vulnerability, and self-mockery are core qualities of his artistic process. In June 2022, he was appointed Artistic Director of Le Trident, where he highlights the artistic plurality of the Capitale-Nationale. In 2024, he received the prestigious John Hirsch Prize awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts.