Vaïs, Michel

Michel Vaïs was born on January 20, 1946, in Tunisia.

He is a Quebecois theatre critic, former avant-garde actor, naturist, journalist, editor, translator, and author. In 1958, at the age of twelve, he immigrated to Canada with his family. He studied at the University of Paris and earned a Ph.D. in theatre studies in 1974. His thesis, published under the title "L’Écrivain scénique aux PUQ," earned him the Prix Révélation de l’Académie Nicola Sabbattini at the Nice Book Festival in 1978. He served as a broadcaster for Chaîne culturelle de Radio-Canada for 22 years and taught for 12 years at the Université de Montréal, McGill University, and Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM) from 1980 to 2001. In 1977, he founded the Fédération québécoise de naturisme (Quebec Naturist Federation). He was a leader-writer, critic, and interviewer in cultural affairs at Radio-Canada. Vaïs served as the Secretary General of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and the President of the Quebec Association of Theatre Critics. He is also the French language editor for the IATC web journal Critical Stages/Scènes. He has published numerous articles and books, including "L’accompagnateur. Parcours d’un critique de théâtre" (2005) and "Nu, simplement. Nudité, nudisme et naturisme" (2012).