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Toronto, May 30, 2023 - Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) is delighted to unveil its 2023-2024 season, a remarkable collection of theatrical productions that share a common thread of discovery and voyages. This season takes audiences on a captivating journey through time and across oceans, as these themes intertwine gracefully throughout each show. As always, TfT remains dedicated to providing a diverse range of plays that will captivate audiences of all ages.

The season opens with CONVICTIONS, an original new play by Lara Arabian, directed by Djennie Laguerre, presented from September 28 to October 1, 2023 at Berkeley Street Theatre. This play explores the origins of our deep-seeded personal convictions through the story of a New Canadian family confronted with their own beliefs. It will be presented for the first time in France, at the Festival Les Zébrures d'automne, in Limoges, on September 22 and 23, 2023. This is the first time that TfT travels across the Atlantic to present one of its creations!

The second play of the season, LES FILLES DU ROI, takes us out to sea, in the year 1673, and recounts the eventful journey of six women confined to the hold of a ship; all of them dreaming of new beginnings as they travel to New France. The play, inspired by historical facts, will be presented from November 2 to 12, 2023 at Berkeley Street Theatre. Populated with characters from the works of Molière, this original new play is penned by Sébastien Bertrand (Les Liaisons dangereuses : correspondances inédites) and directed by Karine Ricard.

LES ZINSPIRÉ.E.S: ONZE CALME ET ON CONTINUE, a collective creation by five young writers, will run at Berkeley Street Theatre from November 23 to December 15, 2023. The 11th edition of the highly successful series will continue to highlight current issues and concerns that inspire today's youth and will once again be directed by Constant Bernard.

In 2024, the season continues with L'AMOUR TELLE UNE CATHÉDRALE ENSEVELIE, a NOUS Théâtre creation presented in association with Crow's Theatre. This play tells the story of an "Intrepid Son" bent on crossing an ocean to reunite with his mother, already living in Quebec. Through an opera composed by Guy Régis Jr, a renowned Haitian artist, audiences witness the heartbreaks caused by sea migrations driven by despair. Karine Ricard, TfT's Artistic Director, fell in love with the show when she attended a preview in Limoges last year. It became clear that this epic production, highly praised in France, would need to be staged in Toronto. The play will run from February 22 to 25, 2024 at the Streetcar Crowsnest.

In March, TfT will present MONONK JULES, a production by Productions Illusion Fabuleuse written and directed by Jocelyn Sioui. The story, set in the 1940s, is inspired by the life of the author's great-uncle: Jules Sioui, considered one of the greatest Indigenous heroes of the twentieth century. Using models, miniatures and projections, Jocelyn Sioui transports us from one historical event to the next in a truly captivating story. The play will be presented from March 20 to 24, 2024 in the TfT Studio.

In April, young audiences (5 to 8 years) will discover QUICHOTTE, a production by Ombres Folles, a shadow puppet theatre company. In search of adventures, the clownish duo Benjamin Déziel and Maude Gareau takes us into a world as raw as it is fragile and introduces us to the zany imagination of old Don Quixote. Performances will take place from **April 10 to 14, 2024 **at the Théâtre Spadina of the Alliance française de Toronto.

At the end of April, TfT and Vox Theatre will present LE ROI POUBELLE, a show for young audiences (9 to 14 years). This musical play, written and composed by Eudes Laroche-Francoeur, tells the story of a young woman who finds herself shipwrecked on an island built entirely from waste and where the enigmatic ‘Roi Poubelle’ (Trash King) rules. The play deals with important themes such as environmental responsibility, consumer society and waste reduction. The show runs from 24 April to 3 May 2024 at Berkeley Street Theatre.

Finally, Molière will return to the TfT stage to close the 2023-2024 season with LES FOURBERIES DE SCAPIN. This production by the Compagnie l'éternel été and Lucernaire Diffusion, from Paris, is co-presented with the Alliance française de Toronto, and will be performed from May 29 to June 1, 2024 at the Berkeley Street Theatre (Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre).

This particular production of the timeless classic, Les Fourberies de Scapin is revisited with music and in the spirit of La Commedia dell'arte.

IN THE SCHOOL NETWORK ONLY: TfT will continue to offer its travelling show LES CONTES DU VOYAGEUR, performed by Eudes Laroche-Francoeur, to schools and public libraries throughout the year.  Finally, TfT will offer Théâtre Catapulte's NOMBRE, a participatory theatrical work specifically designed for classes.