The Commission internationale du théâtre francophone (CITF) supports theatre coproduction and circulation projects in La Francophonie. CITF funds artistic projects that promote dialogue and collaboration between artists from at least three countries on two continents. To date, several hundreds of projects have been supported, providing artists with the opportunity to meet on creative and theatre-based grounds, to challenge and enhance their artistic processes, to discover other French-language cultures and win over new audiences.
The Canada Council for the Arts sits on this commission on behalf of Canadian Heritage.
I am honoured to have been selected to participate. I can't wait to celebrate French-language theatre with my peers from around the world and to collaborate on a new project!
Paula Laroche Humby
Introducing the 2019 Artists
Cory Haas
Vancouver (British Columbia)
Paula Laroche Humby
Edmonton (Alberta)
Gabriel Robichaud
Moncton (New Brunswick)
Cory is a director, actor and acting coach who splits his time between Canada, France and the UK. He holds an MFA in Actor Training and Coaching from the Central School of Speech and Drama.
He is the artistic director of no comment. th(é)âtre (formerly known as Stages There Co.), a company that asks, “What is going on in the world today?” In June 2019, the company will be in Copenhagen to begin the research and development stage for a new project that will adapt the Scandinavian thriller genre to the stage and look at themes of oppression, identity and isolation, in collaboration with the HIT Lab.
Paula Laroche Humby is a bilingual, Edmonton-based playwright, actor and musician. Paula holds a BFA in acting from the University of Alberta and has performed with many theatre companies across Alberta, including the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Calgary, Teatro La Quindicina, and L’UniThéâtre. Paula is passionate about developing new Canadian works and exploring immersive theatre. Her first full-length French play, Élise contre l’extinction totale, is currently on a tri-provincial school tour. Paula also sings and plays the fiddle, the ukulele and the banjo. She performs with her family band, The Real Humdingers, who appeared on Un air de famille on Radio-Canada in 2014.
Gabriel Robichaud is an actor, poet, playwright and singer from Moncton, New Brunswick. He has acted on stages across Canada (Acadia, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario) in nearly a dozen productions since 2010, and he has portrayed Zoël Bourgeois on TV in À la Valdrague. He has four publications to his name, three of which are collections of poetry published by Éditions Perce-Neige—La promenade des ignorés (2011), Les anodins (2014) and Acadie Road (2018)—and one play published by Éditions Prise de parole—Le lac aux deux falaises (2016). The play was co-produced in 2016 by the Théâtre l’Escaouette (Moncton) and the Théâtre de Quartier (Montréal). Over the span of his career, he has also treaded the boards on international stages, notably in France, the United States and Ivory Coast. He has recently been awarded the 2019 Prix littéraire Champlain for Acadie Road.
The CITF is running a project incubator in Monthey, Switzerland, from May 15 to 26, 2019, in collaboration with Oh ! Festival and the Service de la Culture of the canton of Valais and Culture Valais.
Eighteen artists from countries across La Francophonie will take part in creation laboratories, following which they will meet with the public, contribute to formal and informal discussions with artists and theatre professionals, and take part in various activities and shows for the 6th Swiss Theater Encounter.
This year’s theme, DE ROC & DE GLACE [Of Rock and Ice], is linked to the locale: the snowy peaks and age-old glaciers of the Alps. This powerful landscape, known as a place for silence, rest, contemplation, and communion with nature; for inspiring diversity and scientific discovery; for illusions, disillusionment and transition—this landscape will be the source of inspiration for the project incubator.
The Canada Council for the Arts will fund the attendance of three artists from Francophone and Acadian communities in Canada.
Goals of the project incubator:
- Enhance the collective knowledge and the connections between artists from Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
- Support the development of artistic collaborations and co-produced theatre projects between companies and artists in La Francophonie.
- Contribute to the development of theatrical practices.
- Spark discussions on respective practices and the sharing of information.
- Discover Swiss theatre creation.
The candidates were selected through a peer assessment process based on their responses to application questions. Regional, geographic and cultural diversity, as well as a range of artistic disciplines was also taken into consideration.
For more information
Sylvain Cornuau
E-mail: sylvain.cornuau@canadacouncil.ca
613-566-4414, ext. 5272
Toll free: 1-800-263-5588, ext. 5272
TTY: 1-866-585-5559