Gaspé area native Jasmine Dubé studied literature at the CEGEP de Matane community college from 1973 to 1975; she then studied acting at the National Theatre School in Montreal from 1975 to 1978. Playwright, actor, and director, Dubé co-founded Théâtre Bouches Décousues and she is the company's artistic director. Novelist, she also writes albums, notably for la courte échelle collection. In 1998, Dubé won the Arthur-Buies Award for her entire body of literary production and the same year, she was awarded the silver medal of cultural radiance by Renaissance française. Many of her plays are translated and have been performed in Canada, the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal.

Her play Bouches Décousues, nominated for the Alvine-Bélisle award in 1986, has toured Quebec, Switzerland, and Belgium, logging 350 performances, and has been translated into English. In the 1991-92 season, the association of Quebec theatre critics honored Petit Monstre (Little Monster) with its Best Production for Young Audiences award; the play was also nominated for the Governor General's Award in the drama category. La Bonne Femme won the Masque Awards from the Académie québécoise du théâtre for Best New Play and Best Production for Young Audiences of the Year in 1995-96. In 1997, the play was also nominated for the Governor general's Award in the drama category. In 1996-97, Le Bain (Bathtime) was nominated for the Best Production for Young Audiences of the Year Masque award and so was La Mère Merle in 2001-2002.

Writing has gradually become Dubé's main occupation. Although she still writes theatre for adults, she prefers writing for younger audiences. In both her plays and her books, she tackles difficult issues: "When I see a taboo, I want to deal with it. For me, the challenge is greater." Bouches Décousues and Le mot de passe deal with unwelcome sexual advances; Paula Pan, Minister of Childhood and Related by-products deals with power and with an adult who does not like children. In La Mère Merle, Dubé chooses to portray a single self-employed woman while in Norah's Ark, she introduces a courageous child, only survivor of a terrible natural disaster. Jasmine Dubé puts her trust in children and advocates an equal to equal relation with them, while constantly pushing back the limits of a theatre often inclined to give the good example.

Bibliography

Theatre

Le Bain
Lanctôt Éditeur, 2002, 67 p.

Le Pingouin
Lanctôt Éditeur, 2002, 97 p.

La Mère Merle
Lanctôt Éditeur, 2001, 67 p.

L'Arche de Noémie
Lanctôt Éditeur, 1999, 62 p.
(part of the Théâtrales repertoire, Paris)
Nominee, Governor General's Award
Nominee, Radio France Internationale/Francophonie Jeunesse Award

La Bonne Femme
Leméac Éditeur, 1997, 60 p.
Académie Québécoise du Théâtre Masque Award for Best Play
Nominee, Governor General's Award.

Pierrette Pan, ministre de l'Enfance et des Produits dérivés
Leméac Éditeur, 1995, 76 p.

Petit Monstre
Leméac Éditeur, 1993, 64 p.
Nominee, Governor General's Award

Au bout de mon crayon
Leméac Éditeur, 1990, 53 p.

Des livres et Zoé: Chou Bidou Woua
Leméac Éditeur, 1988 122 p.

Sortie de secours
In collaboration. Théâtre Petit à Petit, VLB, 1987, 136 p.

Bouches Décousues
Leméac Éditeur, 1985, 159 p.
Mention, Alvine-Bélisle Award, 1986.

Unpublished theatre
Plays available at Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD), Montreal

Sirènes et gyrophares, 1996.
Jouons avec les livres, 1989.
Le mot de passe, 1988.
Marie-Western, 1988.
Ça tourne autour du lit, 1987.
Manon, Sophie, Ibid et les autres…ou Si j'étais moi (In collaboration) 1985.
La Gaspésie quand on y vit (In collaboration) 1981.
On est d'dans (In collaboration) 1981.
Une goutte d'eau sur la glace (In collaboration) 1979.

Adaptation

Par une belle journée d'hiver, 1998
Translation of A Spell of Cold Weather by Charles Way
In collaboration with Louis-Dominique Lavigne

Translations

Norah's Ark by Linda Gaboriau, 1999.

Paula Pan, Minister of Childhood and Related by-products
by Linda Gaboriau, 1999.

Bathtime by Linda Gaboriau, 1998.

Little Monster
by Maureen Labonté, 1993.

Unbutton those lips
by Geoffroy Dyson, 1991

Albums

Elvis aime danser
Ill. Roger Paré,
La courte échelle, 2001, 24p.

Elvis se déguise
Ill. Roger Paré,
La courte échelle, 2001, 24p.

Elvis présente sa famille
Ill. Roger Paré,
La courte échelle, 2000, 24p.

Elvis fait des acrobaties
Ill. Roger Paré
La courte échelle, 2000, 24p.

Grattelle au bois mordant
Ill. Doris Barrette,
La courte échelle, 1998, 23 p.

L'Ourson qui voulait une Juliette
Ill. Leanne Franson,
La courte échelle, 1997, 24 p.
Alvine-Bélisle Award 1998.

Le Petit Capuchon rouge
Ill. Doris Barrette,
Éditions du Raton laveur, 1992, 22 p.

Cannelle et l'horloge
Ill. Josée Laperrière,
Radio Québec, 1991, 45 p. (Les Contes Passe-Partout)

Pruneau en plongée sous-marine
Ill. Céline Malépart,
Éducation Québec, 1990, 45 p. (Les Contes Passe-Partout)

Le Petit Matin de Cannelle
Ill. Josée Laperrière,
Éducation Québec, 1989, 45 p. (Les Contes Passe-Partout)

L'Horloge s'est arrêtée
Ill. Sylvie Daigle,
Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 1990, 24 p.

Au bain capitaine!
Ill. Anne Michaud,
Éditions du Raton laveur, 1989, 24 p.

Le mot de passe
Ill. Sylvie Daigle,
Éditions Pierre Tisseyre, 1988, 24 p.
Nominee, Gouvernor general's Award, illustrations category.
Reprinted by Éditions du Théâtre Bouches Décousues
In Italian : La parola d'ordine, by Dott. Bruna Zamarian, Centro Studi Terapie Sessuali

Novels

Le grand Nazaire,
Ill. Sylvie Daigle,
La courte échelle, 1999, 62 p.

Tu n'es plus seul, Nazaire!
Ill. Sylvie Daigle,
La courte échelle, 1997, 61 p.

Les Deux Nazaire,
Ill. Sylvie Daigle,
La courte échelle, 1996, 62 p.

Nazaire et les mousquetaires
Ill. Sylvie Daigle
La courte échelle, 1995, 63 p.

Fais un vœu, Nazaire!
Ill. Sylvie Daigle
La courte échelle, 1994, 58 p.

La Tête de Line Hotte
Les Éditions Québec Amérique, 1989, 127 p.