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Special projects
May 17, 2022The French Theatre Collective One of Mani Soleymanlou’s first initiatives as artistic director of French Theatre is to open up a horizon for the next generation of performers. He wants to offer them hope, but above all a genuine work opportunity, by mounting an annual production steered by…
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World Theatre Day: Irdens Exantus
March 25, 2022A return to playfulness as a driver of change I have no real idea what the future holds I don’t pretend to know either But I hope we’ll hold onto the playfulness we’ve managed to find in sad things I hope we’ll make it contagious To bridge the gap that separates us from the people…
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Interview with Karine Sauvé
November 11, 2021Chansons pour le musée is a show that’s available in several formats, including a podcast and an album. Can you tell us about these various forms and the motivation behind this multi-faceted project? For me, motivations often emerge from silence. Amid the fullness of life, I make room for…
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A Performance-Filled Celebration of Mois de la Francophonie
April 12, 2021With the support of generous donors like you, Francophone artists were centre stage at the NAC throughout March in celebration of Mois de la Francophonie. A diverse virtual program of music, theatre, dance and more drew thousands of visitors, offering Francophiles and Francophones the…
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A theatre project about the French language
December 7, 2020In 2019, Zones Théâtrales presented Oh! Canada : un forum sur la langue, a project led by Nicolas Gendron and Danielle Le Saux-Farmer. This workshop launched a vast research project on the state of the French language. From November 23 to 27, Zones Théâtrales welcomed Danielle and Nicolas…
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C’est la faute de Jean Marc Dalpé
November 23, 2020It’s Jean Marc Dalpé’s Fault It’s his fault that I took the biggest risk of my life. There were 15 of us gathered in a room under harsh fluorescent lights; everyone was tense, especially me. It smelled like burnt coffee and dirty carpeting. This interview, for an academic position, was…
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Partir ou rester
November 20, 2020To leave or to stay. The dilemma runs through much of Franco-Ontarian dramaturgy, including some of its most iconic texts: André Paiement’s Lavalléville (premiered in 1974), Jean Marc Dalpé’s Le chien (premiered in 1988), Michel Ouellette’s French Town (premiered in 1993), and, more…
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A conversation with Brigitte Haentjens about Pour en finir avec Octobre?
November 16, 2020October 2020. On the stage of Le Diamant in Quebec City, it’s a rare day of activity in this fall of cultural scarcity. For the past week, the set has felt like a radio studio, with 20-odd microphones set up to capture the epilogue of Pour en finir avec Octobre?, an eight-episode podcast…
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Dear you,
October 23, 2020Dear You, I’ve been thinking about the last time we saw each other at the theatre. When was that, do you remember? Do you remember the show you came to see that day? Perhaps you’ve carefully preserved an image or sound from that experience in your memory. Close your eyes and…
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Ersatz
August 28, 2020ERSATZ, adj. (Of a product) Made or used as a substitute for a product that has become rare. An interview with Mélanie Dumont about a mysterious theatrical product to be launched in mid-October. What is Ersatz? Concretely, it’s a web platform, an all-terrain, multidisciplinary…
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Chansons pour le musée
August 28, 2020In 2015, the amazing Karine Sauvé managed to dazzle us and make us laugh (!) with Les Grands-mères mortes. She was also seen in concert mode during the latest edition of the BIG BANG festival. She is now working on a sonic creation in which the ears will be directly connected to the heart.…
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Meet the Next Artistic Director of NAC French Theatre: Mani Soleymanlou
August 18, 2020Theatre director, playwright and actor Mani Soleymanlou will be the next Artistic Director of NAC French Theatre, effective September 1, 2021. Mani will take over from Brigitte Haentjens at the conclusion of her nine-year term. NAC audiences will have already seen some of…
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What keeps us alive
July 8, 2020As you know, the performing arts sector will probably be the last to reopen. We don’t yet know under what conditions. This is of particular concern to us because we cannot yet count on an exact timeline. We’re told that nothing will ever be the same again. But for now, the future is hazy,…
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Les ballets de ci de là
May 22, 2020Ultimately, we strive to share the things that consume us: love, death, fear, solitude.” — Alain Platel (2005) An exclusive online screening: LES BALLETS DE CI DE LÀ* (click here to watch) directed by Alain Platel Belgium | 2006 | 110 minutes *In French and Flemish with French…
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A continent to explore
May 21, 2020Trees are vertical, overhanging and solid, somewhat like adults. But a child is not only small in the forest: he can also see himself as a giant, discovering the microscopic abundance all around. - Ariane Voineau and Josué Beaucage GREAT EXPLORERS Activities based on the show Sous…