The Quebec Association of Theater Critics (AQCT) revealed the winners of its prizes for season 22-23 on Monday.

In the “Best Show” category, the Critics’ Prize is awarded to Unbearable Long Embraces, by Ivan Viripaev, directed by Philippe Cyr, and a production by the Théâtre Prospero. For her part, Alexia Bürger won the directing prize for Les Filles du Saint-Laurent, by Rébecca Déraspe, in collaboration with Annick Lefebvre, a production of the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, in co-production with La Colline in Paris.

In the “Best Female Performance” category, the young actress Madeleine Sarr stood out for her role in Rome, by Jean Marc Dalpé based on Shakespeare, in a production by Brigitte Haentjens. “Her interpretation of Cleopatra was able to breathe a unique, astonishing and striking vision into a very well-known historical figure,” says the critic. As for the actors, the prize went to Sébastien Ricard, for his interpretation of Coriolanus in the same production: “With this vibrant and impactful interpretation, he knew how to invigorate the Shakespearean story with a passion that is as visceral as it is gripping,” wrote the jury.

In the “Best show for young audiences” category, the winner is Alice on the Other Side, a play by and directed by Hugo Bélanger, a production by Théâtre Tout à Trac. A special prize was also awarded to the show Manikanetish, by Naomi Fontaine and Julie-Anne Ranger-Beauregard, based on the novel by Naomi Fontaine, directed by Jean-Simon Traversy at Duceppe.