Camille Deslauriers Ménard

Camille (Cam) is a storyteller and puppeteer, and crafter of words and delicacies. She's always in quest of adventures, new knowledge, and occasions to plant stars and wonders into people’s eyes.

She speaks French and English and lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, the unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation. An island known as a place of gatherings and exchanges since the beginning of times. She’s forever grateful to share that space filled with an effervescence of culture(s), with so many people, trees, and bees.

Maybe Cam’s journey began with drama classes as a kid… The only place she truly belonged. Or maybe it began as a baby, when she could talk before she could walk. Somehow, classes after master classes, Cam became also a puppeteer and now works with Théâtre de l’œil, a renowned children's puppet theatre company in Montréal. It’s in a summer camp affiliated with a history museum that Cam discovered storytelling. She now tells stories in museums, schools, bars, festivals, and in nature. She's digging into the folklore of Québec and the world, while also creating stories for institutions. She's developing multisensorial shows, with smells, tastings, textures, and more. For accessibility and to bring the public into another universe completely.

In her current cycle of creation, her shows are specifically designed for the landscape hosting the event. In Constellations, for example, she tells the myths behind the stars present in that night’s sky. In Fjords and Rivers, she wants to give a voice to the waterways. A project that is possible through Adventure Canada's Young Explorers program. She wants to learn about the cultural, social, and historical significance of bodies of water in Inuit, Danish, and Viking cultures, while comparing them to the Kebek landscape.

Cam is a two-time alumnus of Ocean Wise’s volunteering programs, with some of her creative projects dedicated to youth and promoting sea conservation.

When not working or crafting, she cooks boreal flavours in surprising combinations of comfort and audacity. She enjoys reading, watching too many movies and series, hiking here and there, and trying her best to take care of her house plants.

Her dream is to have a massive land with gardens, a food forest, to tell stories in a greenhouse, and host educational activities in the woods.