News

Toronto – Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) is proud to present the thirteenth edition of its flagship series Les Zinspiré·e·s, this year titled À la lumière des 13 Lunes (In the Light of 13 Moons). This vibrant and inspiring new creation will run from November 27 to December 19, 2025, at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

On the program: 18 school matinées for high school students and two public performances, offering everyone the chance to discover the talent and creativity of the next generation of Franco-Ontarian artists on stage.

In both numerology and superstition, the number 13 intrigues, frightens, and fascinates. For this 13th edition of Les Zinspiré·e·s, it instead becomes a symbol of strength and renewal. Titled À la lumière des 13 Lunes (In the Light of 13 Moons), this new edition celebrates creativity, diversity, and the power of stories told by youth.

Danik McAfee, a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist, directs this edition after making his mark as an actor in the previous one. For McAfee, it was essential to honour First Nations cultures through this 13th edition, drawing inspiration from their worldviews and their cyclical relationships with time and nature. The show’s title, in fact, is inspired by the thirteen-moon calendar, shared by several nations—including the Anishinaabe, Ojibwe, Mi’kmaq, and Iroquois—for whom each moon symbolizes a unique moment in the cycle of life.

Five Voices, Five Visions, One Shared Light
Selected from over 200 young writers from southwestern Ontario, five original, powerful, and vibrant texts will come to life on the stage of the Berkeley Street Theatre.

Contempler le vide (Contemplating the Void)
by Émilie Leis (É.s. Étienne-Brûlé, Toronto), coached by François Macdonald

On a winter night, a girl stands on a rooftop staring into the void. She no longer knows if she wants to end it all or simply be heard. The unexpected arrival of an awkward young man—who tries to break the silence without really knowing why he’s there—creates a fragile moment of truth. Contemplating the Void is a whispered play, a suspended bubble between the noise of the world and inner turmoil. Through this improbable encounter, two solitudes brush against each other… perhaps enough to change the course of a night.

13 heures pour décider (13 Hours to Decide)
by Mohammad Elnakoury (É.s. Étienne-Brûlé, Toronto), coached by Merlin Simard

Four students find themselves trapped in their school cafeteria. They are given 13 hours to decide which one of them will win a scholarship worth $100,013. The condition? The choice must be unanimous! As the hours pass, masks fall away: secrets, betrayals, and the most shameful truths are revealed. A quest for reconciliation tips into isolation until an unexpected gesture rekindles hope. 13 Hours to Decide is a comic closed-room drama about ethics, friendship, and the visceral need to be seen.

Un nouveau foyer, un lourd héritage (A New Home, a Heavy Legacy)
by Arman Bartis (É.s. Étienne-Brûlé, Toronto), coached by François Macdonald

After the tragic death of their mother and a forced move to Toronto, Mahikan and his sister Tanis try to rebuild their lives. One night while fishing, an incident leads to an arrest and a trial that exposes the flaws of the justice system, particularly toward Indigenous youth. Through flashbacks steeped in tenderness and pain, we discover their past, their family legacy, and the invisible weight they carry. Mahikan, both protective and wounded, becomes the witness of a generation searching for justice, belonging, and healing.

Il était (He Was)
by Leena El Hilali (É.s. Ronald-Marion, Pickering), coached by Jenny Brizard

Layla arrived in Canada after fleeing war in her home country. Working as a nurse in a hospital, she tends to Marcel, a young boy gravely ill. Their relationship, born in fragility, gradually becomes a sacred space of sharing and listening. But behind Layla’s silences lies a past she has never truly faced: the loss of her little brother, Ilyes. He Was is a story of grief, tenderness, and invisible transmission between the living and the dead. Through her gentleness, Layla offers Marcel a final season of light, and he, without knowing it, helps her heal a buried pain.

Les cinq souvenirs (The Five Memories)
by Sophie Massicotte (É.s. Toronto-Ouest, Toronto), coached by François Macdonald

After being hit by a car during a jog, Julie finds herself between life and death. Immersed in a liminal experience, she revisits five key memories that shaped her: a family birthday, her parents’ separation, her graduation, the start of her dream job, and the loss of her father. At each stage, her father reappears, a caring guide between worlds. The memories aren’t all happy, but together they form the vibrant patchwork of her life. The Five Memories is a tribute to memory, to family, and to the power of invisible bonds that keep us alive… even at the threshold of death.

TfT thanks BMO for its ongoing support. Since 1997, BMO has supported all of TfT's youth initiatives. Without its help, the teen program Les Zinspiré-e-s might never have seen the light of day.This project was also made possible by a financial contribution from the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Government of Canada under the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Official Language Instruction.

LES ZINSPIRÉ.E.S : À LA LUMIÈRE DES 13 LUNES
Texts : Emilie Leis, Mohammad Elnakoury, Arman Bartis, Leena El Hilali, Sophie Massicotte | Coaching by: Jenny Brizard, François Macdonald, Merlin Simard | Cast: Lara Arabian, Dharma Bizier, Al Hamameh, Chloé Petit, Jérôme Pouliot | Direction: Danik McAfee | Choreography: Raymond Jordan Johnson-Brown | Contest Coordination: Pierre Simpson | Costumes: Melanie McNeill | Costume Designer Assistant | Leo Clarkin | Set and Props: Saffiya Kherraji | Lighting Design: Paul Chambers | Soundscape: Heidi Chan | Stage Management: Jeff Soucy | Stage Manager Assistant: Zoé Daca | Production Manager: Mathieu Taillardas | Surtitles: Martha Lenoir
Performance: Thursday, November 27 to Friday, December 19, 2025
Reception: Friday, November 28, 2025, after the show
Duration: 75 minutes
Public Performances: Friday, November 28 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 6 at 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Berkeley Street Theatre | 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
Prices: Regular: $60 | Golden Age: $50 | Under 30s and Artists: $22.50 | Same-day last-minute tickets: $15, $20 or $25| Group rate (8 or more): $20 per ticket
Box office: 416-534-6604 or theatrefrancais.com