Sébastien Labelle

Sébastien (he/him) grew up in Algonquin territory on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river. He has since found a home in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he lives with his partner, Sue, and children, Françoise and Aimé. He has been part of the River Clyde Pageant's creative team every year since the very first one in 2016. Sébastien introduced the Crankie box as a storytelling mechanism to the pageant and led teams of community members in telling stories through this method in many of the following pageants. First with children concerned about the River Clyde's health, then with recent immigrants sharing their journeys that led them to the island, and later with groups of Islanders worried about the ecological health of the planet. Sébastien has also helped over the years with various aspects of building, designing, puppeteering, writing and directing. His whole family has participated in the pageant's creation and performance in various ways over the years with his two children becoming regular performers in the pageant since 2021.

Sébastien is an accomplished actor and dancer who has worked with many of Nova Scotia's most acclaimed companies including Mocean Dance, Matchstick Theatre, Halifax Theatre for Young People, Eastern Front Theatre, Villains' Theatre, Zuppa, Workshirt Opera, Shakespeare By the Sea, 2b Theatre, Two Planks and a Passion Theatre and Symphony Nova Scotia's production of The Nutcracker. His screen credits include Sullivan's Crossing, The Good House, Chapelwaite, Diggstown and Black Cop. Sébastien is also the Festival Director for the Mayworks Festival of Working People & the Arts in Kjipuktuk/Halifax and former Executive Director of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative.