Artistic director of Dralion since 2001 and Alegría since 2006, Sylvie Galarneau is buoyed by the diversity her job entails. "Each show has a colour of its own that speaks to the artistic director on various levels," she explains. "With a mostly Chinese cast and several young artists, Dralion is like a child's drawing in crayon—fireworks and colour galore. Alegría, on the other hand, which includes a great number of Russian artists, is like a fine piece of lacework."

For Sylvie Galarneau, artistic directors are involved in management and casting, but their main duty is to play a support role. "Artistic directors nudge the show forward by leveraging the individual qualities of each artist," she says. "They also ensure that the artists—who are naturally always on the move—continue to thrive and grow."

A graduate of the École nationale de théâtre du Canada (production) in 1983, Sylvie Galarneau studied also music for four years. In 1990, she collaborated with Cirque du Soleil for the first time as the stage manager and assistant production director of Cirque réinventé. She then became assistant production director on the Japan tour of Fascination and of Mystère in Vegas. In 1995, Sylvie Galarneau took on production direction duties for Cirque réinventé during the G 7 Summit in Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Quidam, prior to assuming the role of assistant general manager, Touring Shows (America) from 1996 to 1997. The following year, she became the production director of Dralion, a position she held until 2001.

Sylvie Galarneau was involved in lighting design for a dozen theatre plays in Quebec, including Marivaudages, directed by Luce Pelletier in 1994, and À quelle heure on meurt?, under the direction of Françoise Faucher in 1999.

Sylvie Galarneau's accomplishments as an assistant director and stage manager include work with Montreal-based Théâtre de Quat'Sous: Aurore l'enfant martyre, directed by René Richard Cyr in 1984, Robert Lepage's Pour en finir une fois pour toutes avec Carmen in 1987, and Léola Louvain, écrivaine, directed by Paul Buissonneau in 1989. Other works include Elvire Jouvet 40 with Théâtre de Quat'Sous and Théâtre français de Toronto, directed by Françoise Faucher in 1991.

Sylvie Galarneau's track record as a technical and tour director includes Robert Lepage's 1988 production of Vinci, as well as the plays Quand j'avais 5 ans je m'ai tué and Une lune entre deux maisons, both directed by Gervais Gaudreault at the Théâtre du Carrousel.