On October 19, Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (TNO) announced the lineup for their 2021/2022 season and in light of the pandemic that has prevented shows, the season is aptly titled, “Together Again.”
A release from TNO states it is “time to gently piece together the theatre pieces swept away by a pandemic wind. Time to craft a brand-new theatre season, full of things we can’t wait to show you.”
The season consists of nine French-language shows (though some are subtitled in English) and tickets for the TNO's events are now on sale through the Place des Arts box office.
This year, in an effort to make their programming as accessible as possible, TNO is offering a "Pay What You Can" program, where audience members are invited to choose the price of their ticket, according to their means.
Also for this season is an artist initiative called the TNO-Geneviève Pineault bursary, which offers an emerging artist a $2,500 creative grant to carry out a first professional theatrical project. The 2021-2022 applications are now open and the deadline is November 15, 2021. You can find more information here.
Ti-Jean de partout
The season starts with Ti-Jean de partout, a production from Vox Théâtre. Franco-Ontarian author Marie-Thé Morin revisits the adventures of a traditional Canadian tale character who no longer needs to be introduced; this same character has his origins in France and has travelled through the Francophone imagination on all continents for several decades. It is in fact Ti-Jean's identity - a bold francophone from a modest background - that gives him the gift of blending into a multitude of accents and evolving perpetually according to the great oral tradition used by all the peoples of this world who share French as their language.
Throughout the month of November, this project will invite school groups from grades two to four to relive the adventures of this famous character, in the form of a virtual workshop performance featuring puppets made of recycled material.
On March 12, 2022, families will be able to experience the adventure in the Studio of Place des Arts.
Aéroportée
TNO's annual production highlights the story of Amelia Earhart.
Fantasy, comedy and philosophical fable come together in this imaginary journey that plumbs the depths of memory that lives beyond death. In Aéroportée, the visions of two Sudbury playwrights intersect in Miriam Cusson’s French translation of local playwright Matthew Heiti’s original English play, entitled “Ever Falling Flight.”
The show will run in La Grande Salle of la Place des Arts, from February 16 -19, 2022.
Some performances will be presented with English subtitles.
The Sudbury Theatre Centre will present an original production of the same play from Feb. 16 to March 5, 2022; the opportunity to discover two unique visions of the same play.
Manman la mer
Manman la mer by Djennie Laguerre features Marjolaine, who has a gift; in her dreams she sees future events. Her mother tries to stifle this unwelcome connection with disreputable beliefs of their Haitian past. But when Marjolaine comes down with a mysterious incurable disease, her only remaining hope is to travel to Haiti to be cared for by her grandmother. Is Manman la Mè a midwife, a mystic, or simply a loving elder?
Krick? Yié krick! A charismatic storyteller weaves Haitian oral tradition, true life experience and light-hearted moments into an engaging first-person narrative that explores Haitian spirituality and the mother-daughter relationship.
Running from March 17 to 19, 2022 at La Grande Salle of La Place des arts.
Some performances will be presented with English subtitles.
Le problème avec le rose
The youth series continues with the presentation of Le Problème avec le rose, a Quebec-France co-production by Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke and Christophe Garcia.
“Pink is for girls!” So says the rumour. That’s unsettling news for four young boys who have always had great fun in their pink play area. But their sense of friendship and self-acceptance will prevail over what anyone else might think.
This play’s highly colourful environment enchants children and adults alike, with its pink mushrooms, phantasmagorical flowers, fuchsia stalagmites, dream-like caverns and a deluge of confetti. Dance and theatre combine to throw open the doors of freedom and defend the right to be true to your own heart.
This play for ages 9 and up will be presented for families on April 9, 2022 in La Grande Salle of La Place des Arts.
Le Club des éphémères
A TNO creation that had its original run postponed by the pandemic, this dramatic comedy by Alain Doom features five residents in a retirement home who are being interviewed for a documentary on the dreadful swarms of Lake Nipissing shadflies ― called ‘éphémères’ in French ― that engulf North Bay every summer. These ladies find the request disappointing. They would much rather discuss a topic dear to their hearts: the Dionne quintuplets. They share their memories for the camera, but in doing so, each of them ends up revealing a sordid page of her past. Le Club des éphémères will return to the stage in La Grande Salle at Place des arts. from April 20 to 23, 2021, after two weeks of performances in Toronto.
Some performances will be presented with English subtitles.
Par ici, le talent!
The traditional TNO Community Show is back with a project that showcases the talent of Sudbury Francophones of immigrant background. This project is realized in collaboration with the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury (CSCGS), Communauté francophone accueillante and Place des Arts du Grand Sudbury, with the goal to create rich opportunities for Greater Sudbury's francophone cultural organizations and folks having immigrated to the region to meet, exchange, and create new ties with one another. Eight citizens will be selected to participate in three evenings of this Grand Theatrical Talent Competition presented on June 9, 10 and 11, 2022 at La Grande Salle of La Place des arts.
The Call for Auditions for this project is open until October 22. Interested citizens can apply here.
Jack - Virtual Tour
Throughout the year, Marie-Pierre Proulx's play Jack will be shown on screens across the province and elsewhere in the country during a webcast tour of the virtual adaptation of this play directed by Éric Bachand, based on the stage play directed by Magali Lemèle. The public is invited to take to the road again towards the Nevada desert with Alexandra, who leaves her sedentary life behind to embark on a journey across America that leads her to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather and, along the way, to meet herself.
This version of the show, adapted for the screen, was produced in collaboration with the TFO Media Group. The TNO can thus complete its Coup de foudre-Réseau Ontario tour, which was halted in March 2020 by the pandemic. Details and performance dates are available on their website.
La Brigade
For 10 weeks, 12 teenagers from grades 9 to 12 will have the chance to participate in theater workshops and present their creation to the general public. Guided by Chloé Thériault, La Brigade is for teens who want to create and gain experience in theater creation. Participating teens will meet with experienced artists, participate in a professional photo shoot and prepare a unique performance to be presented in Le Studio of La Place des arts, on March 17, 2022.
Registration for The Brigade is open today. Interested teens can apply here.
