PRODUCTIONS DE L’UNITHÉÂTRE 2023-2024

VACHES, THE MUSICAL

A Créations In Vivo production 

WRITTEN BY : Stéphane Guertin and Olivier Nadon
DIRECTED BY: Dillon Orr

CAST: Constant Bernard, Maxim David, Emma Ferrante, Stéphane Guertin et Geneviève Roberge-Bouchard 

Do you dream of seeing Casselman, the ice storm and a cow named Caramel in the same movie? So do we. But until we get the budget, here’s the musical.

Very freely inspired by a true story, VACHES, the musical, tells how Jean, a farmer, attempts to save hundreds of cows from certain death despite the obstacles: his urban daughter, the money-hungry mayor, the soldiers who show up and the ice storm that is freezing the hearts of the inhabitants.

Both funny and touching, VACHES, the musical, speaks (and sings!) with humour and sincerity about living together and Franco-Ontarians "standing tall" in the face of adversity.

*THIS PRODUCTION WILL HAVE ENGLISH SURTITLES

TROUT STANLEY

A L’UniThéâtre and Théâtre Niveau Parking coproduction

WRITTEN BY: Claudia Dey
TRANSLATED BY: Manon St-Jules
DIRECTED BY: Hugues Frenette
CAST: Stéfanelle Auger, Steve Jodoin and Melissa Merlo

Described by Variety as ‘Yukon Gothic,’ Claudia Dey’s acclaimed Trout Stanley is set in northern British Columbia, on the outskirts of a mining town between Misery Junction and Grizzly Alley. In this inhospitable setting live a pair of sisters, twins who are not identical in any way: Sugar, a complicated, insecure waif who still wears the tracksuit her mother died in ten years prior, and Grace, a rough-and-tumble hellcat who owns the local dump. At the play’s opening, it is their thirtieth birthday, and the TV news has announced the disappearance of a local Scrabble-champ stripper. While Grace is at the dump, housebound Sugar is surprised by a mysterious drifter, one Trout Stanley, foot fetishist and fake cop, who is searching for the lake where his parents drowned – a fishy story if there ever was one. He quickly becomes mired in a surreal love triangle with the two sisters.

Trout Stanley is about three people who confuse codependence for co-operation and afliction for affection. An eccentric, captivating story in which the biggest catch of all is love.

*WARNING: The play addresses the subject of suicide.

**Presented with English Surtitles

LA BEFANA

A Théâtre La Seizième production

WRITTEN BY: Anaïs Pellin
DIRECTED BY: Emilie Leclerc
CAST: Thérèse Champagne, Julio Rod Marín, Mia Wistaff

Sofia loves witch stories. Her favourite is the one about her Nonna meeting the Befana, an old lady who brings sweets to well-behaved children while they sleep... and who carries away the unwary ones who stumble upon her in the middle of the night! The day Nonna disappears, her granddaughter is convinced the Befana has kidnapped her. Sofia sets off to find her and becomes immersed in a story that goes beyond anything she could ever have imagined. 

In this show inspired by the legends of northern Italy, Anaïs Pellin's writing takes young audiences on an adventure full of twists and turns. Between the rapture and turmoil of childhood, La Befana conveys a poetic story about the final journey of our loved ones.

MICHEL(LE)

A Théâtre La Seizième production

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY : Joey Lespérance
DIRECTED BY: Esther Duquette

As children, Joey and Michel used to stage themselves in shows that they would present to their family and friends. Difficult, otherwise, to display their true colors in the working-class Quebec of the 60s and 70s where they grew up. To escape this harsh reality, Michel and his brother Joey found their way into the art scene. Joey embarked on a busy acting career in Vancouver, while Michel shone on the Montréal drag scene. Then came the ultimate liberation: Michel would become Michelle, the woman she had always been, deep down … until the day when external forces overruled her true identity. Is it possible to live fully when you don’t fit the roles society imposes on you?

This first autobiographical solo by actor Joey Lespérance paints a complex and nuanced portrait of a marginal and courageous existence. Directed by Esther Duquette, this powerful statement brings to life the lost dream of Joey’s “bro-sister” Michel(le), who always wanted to be in theatre. May their memory shine on our stage to eclipse the injustice.