MONTREAL – A former French rock star who was convicted of manslaughter in the beating death of his girlfriend has found a new job – in a Montreal theatre production.
Bertrand Cantat spent four years in prison for the 2003 killing of popular French actress Marie Trintignant.
The director of a prestigious Montreal theatre says Cantat will compose the music and perform in a Greek tragedy title by acclaimed playwright Wajdi Mouawad.
"I think we can give him a second chance," Lorraine Pintal of Theatre du nouveau monde said Tuesday.
But Pintal said while it is not her place to judge Cantat, nobody on the production team has forgotten the horror of his crime.
The production opens in May 2012.
News of Cantat’s upcoming role was met by stiff condemnation in Quebec, including opposition from a women’s rights group.
The director of a federation that represents 37 women’s shelters in the province said Cantat has a right to live, but so did Trintignant.
Manon Monastesse said the former lead singer of the French rock band Noir Desir should not be welcomed into the theatre because he has never addressed or explained his crime publicly.
"We are quite perplexed about this choice," Monastesse said.
Cantat was granted early release from jail in 2007 for good behaviour after serving half of an eight-year sentence.
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