International Project Incubator hosted by the Commission internationale du théâtre francophone
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 holds a seat at the Commission on behalf of Canadian Heritage as part of its support for Francophone minority communities.
2023 Artist Profiles
Caroline Bélisle
Moncton, New Brunswick
Merlin Simard
Toronto, Ontario
Katia Café-Fébrissy
Toronto, Ontario
Photograher: Annie France Noël
Biographical note
Caroline Bélisle is an actor, a playwright, a scriptwriter and an extremely angry feminist who has mainly worked in the Moncton region. In 2020, she graduated from the playwriting program at the National Theatre School of Canada, having graduated a few years earlier from the performing arts program at the University of Moncton. Incisive and fatalistic, she specializes in comedies about things that are not funny, and drama generated out of nothing. She won the prestigious Prix Gratien-Gélinas for Les remugles ou La danse nuptiale est une langue morte, a play that was also a finalist for the 2022 Governor General’s Awards. Her plays have been produced by Le Théâtre l’Escaouette, the Satellite Théâtre, Le Théâtre populaire d’Acadie and Le Théâtre des Béloufilles. As an actor, she appeared recently in Un. Deux. Trois. by Mani Soleymanlou and the television series Garde partagée. Her plays Dîner pour deux and Les remugles have been published by Éditions Perce-Neige.
Photographer: Mark Binks
Biographical note
Merlin Simard is an actor, writer, and playwright, originally from Missisquoi in the Eastern Townships (Quebec) and now based in Tkarón:to (Toronto). Her artistic practice explores themes of access, gender euphoria and technology in relation to identity. Merlin has acted with Factory Theatre, the Stratford Festival, Crow’s Theatre, Outside the March, The Company Theatre and Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. She has also acted in Grand Army (Netflix), This Life (CBC) and, more recently, Poils anyways (a short film by Marie-Claire Marcotte). Merlin is also developing several projects combining theatre and virtual reality, with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille (FEAR OF MEN) and Nightwood Theatre (a free Britney). @hussy4hussy.
Photograher: Johann Bonna
Biographical note
Katia Café-Fébrissy is an author, director, scriptwriter and producer. Her versatile creations range from documentary film to factual television and include music clips, a web series and virtual reality. Her theatrical writing and directing credits include Ça rime avec vinaigre (2023), Nona’s Malaika (2022), La kid du COVID (2021) and C’est ça l’affaire (2020). She also directed Chronologie, in the 2021 anthology 21 Black Futures, and An Understanding of Brown (2020). Katia is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada, the Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinéma, the Académie canadienne du cinéma et de la télévision and the Playwrights Guild of Canada. She is also a member of the Front des réalisateurs indépendants du Canada, Le Labo (Toronto’s Francophone Media Arts Centre), the Fédération des professionnels du théâtre francophones en Ontario and Théâtre Action. She has a master’s degree in language and literature from the Université Paris VIII, and a master’s in documentary cinema from Les Ateliers Varan, France.
I am thrilled to be part of this extraordinary program! I can’t wait to collaborate with like-minded individuals and express my vision of a theatre where multiple trans voices can finally be celebrated!
Merlin Simard
About
In collaboration with the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Festival TransAmériques, the Commission internationale du théâtre francophone (CITF) organized a project incubator in Montréal, from May 24 to June 2, 2023.
The Commission was created in 1987 to support the realization of multilateral theatre creation and circulation projects. On behalf Canadian Heritage, the seat on this Commission is held by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Some 15 artists from various countries of the Francophonie took part in creation labs; they met with audiences and had conversations with thinkers and artists from Quebec who are politically engaged. This year’s theme was “Flamboyant(e)s, commes des oracles” (flamboyant, like oracles).
With this theme in mind, the CITF was looking for artists whose practice was driven by political engagement, who spoke out on society’s hot button issues and who wished to share their art and their thoughts with other artists across the Francophonie. Over the course of the incubator, participants met with other artists whose approach was based in politically engaged art or the creation of works that made demands, decried situations, took stands or championed causes.
The Canada Council for the Arts provided funding for three artists from Francophone and Acadian communities across Canada to attend the incubator.
Incubator goals:
- Enhance the collective knowledge and the connections between artists from Europe, North America and countries in the Global South.
- Support the development of artistic collaborations and co-produced theatre projects between companies and artists in the Francophonie.
- Contribute to the development of theatre practices.
- Spark conversations about everyone’s respective practices and share knowledge.
- Promote Quebec theatre.
Eligibility
Selected candidates were required to:
- have five years of recognized professional practice in theatre;
- have at least two of the following skills: playwriting, acting, stage directing, musical composition;
- have a company with which they could carry out production projects;
- demonstrate a genuine desire for professional resourcing and development;
- want to collaborate on artistic projects with creators from other Francophone areas; and
- be available for the duration of the incubator.
Submitting an application
Applicants were required to:
- include a cover letter that explains the link between their artistic approach and the theme of the incubator, how international connections fit into their own journey and which incubator goals made them want to take part in the event;
- confirm their availability for the duration of the incubator; and
- send in their resumes.
Application deadline
Applications were sent in no later than 11:59 p.m. (EST) on March 1, 2023, to the Canada Council for the Arts International division, at international.coordination@canadacouncil.ca.
Selection process
- Peer evaluation is fundamental to the Canada Council’s decision-making process. A peer assessment committee assessed the eligible applications.
- The committee selected applicants that represented local, geographic or cultural diversity, as well as a range of scopes of artistic practice.
Attendees were selected in mid-March and notified by phone or by email.
Event agenda
The incubator event was organized into three movements.
First movement – Upstream work (videoconference)
- Meet and greet: The attendees, the program and the goals were presented.
- Attendees prepared a short written presentation for the incubator.
Second movement – Artistic incubator (in Montréal, from Wednesday, May 24, to Friday, June 2, 2023)
- Attendees gathered in various spots around Montréal to collaborate on creative labs and creation workshops. A Quebec-based team of artists accompanied incubator attendees.
- The labs and workshops were varied (e.g., writing or movement workshops, creative work in smaller teams, brainstorming).
- Shows presented as part of the Festival TransAmériques, which took place in Montréal from May 24 to June 7, 2023, were also included in incubator programming. Outside incubator labs, attendees were free to attend Festival performances.
The OFFTA festival also proposed a full program of activities.
Third movement – Post-mortem (once everyone has gone home)
At the end of the incubator, artists submitted a short account of their experience.
