La Seizième

Currently developing: Dilemme

The Artistic and Managing Director of Théâtre la Seizième, Cory is an actor, director, creator, acting coach, and translator. He is developing the project Dilemme and directing the production Ce que je sais de vrai for the 50th season of Théâtre la Seizième (written by Andrew Bovell). Cory holds a Master of Fine Arts in Actor Training and Coaching from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, as well as a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Capilano University. He is the recipient of the Prix de l’École Nationale for Artistic Training (2020) and the Prix Roland-Mahé (2022).

Together with his friend François Bernier (Théâtre DuBunker), Cory is working on the development of Dilemme, a project inspired by a Danish film that seeks to adapt a genre still rarely represented on stage: the psychological thriller. Exploring a hybrid form between theatre and cinema, Dilemme takes place in a suicide prevention call center. At the end of a story filled with humanity and suspense, a question arises that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats: how far are we willing to go to save someone?

Currently writing: Liste des enfants dévorés par les loups

Caroline Bélisle is an actress, playwright, and fiercely feminist artist based primarily in the Moncton area of New Brunswick. A graduate of the Drama Writing program at the National Theatre School of Canada in 2020, she also completed acting training at the University of Moncton a few years prior. Her play Les remugles ou la danse nuptiale est une langue morte won the Artist of the Year in Theatre Award at the 2024 Gala des Éloizes and the prestigious Prix Gratien-Gélinas in 2022, the same year it was also shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Caroline is also a finalist for the 2023 Prix littéraire Antonine-Maillet-Acadie Vie.

Her works have been produced by Théâtre l’Escaouette, Satellite Théâtre, Théâtre Populaire d’Acadie, and Théâtre des Béloufilles. As an actress, she has appeared in Un. Deux. Trois. by Mani Soleymanlou and in the TV series Garde partagée. Her plays Dîner pour deux and Les remugles are published by Éditions Perce-Neige. In 24/25, Caroline is working on developing her play Liste des enfants dévorés par les loups for la Seizième, where she explores the entanglements between femininity and guilt.

Currently developing: Grande ourse – Petite ourse

Julie Lebel was born on the Northern shore of Quebec, on the ancestral lands of the Innu Nation, and comes from a family with roots in France and Ireland. Since 2005, she has lived and danced with gratitude on the ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəjˀəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil Waututh) First Nations. She is a Francophone choreographer dedicated to cultural outreach and the interactions between public space and community, involving musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, and writers with nearly 30 years of work. She is the artistic director of Foolish operations, connecting people of all generations through new dance experiences, especially with and for very young children. She is a member of the Lower Left Collective (United States, Germany, Norway, and Canada) and teaches ensemble improvisation [Ensemble Thinking]. She is the proud mother of active twins who are the primary consultants for all her creative projects.

She is creating Grande ourse – Petite ourse, an interactive dance performance for children aged 0 to 2 and their caregivers, inspired by stars, constellations, and galaxies. In contrast, when a child is born, they become the center of our universe. Grande ourse – Petite ourse hopes to spark the wonder of children as they explore the world, rekindling our curiosity and commitment to caring for it.

In 24/25, through her residency, Julie will hold studio research periods with several collaborators in dance, music, projections, costumes, and materials. Families will be invited at key moments to test some ideas, including in January 2025, through a technical residency at the Roundhouse Community Centre, supported by New Performance Works.

Residency: Nuits claires: Double Vie 

Anaïs (they/he/she) is a queer actor, playwright, and producer with a fluid gender identity. They are also a Polish settler living on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver). Anaïs’ work is multidisciplinary, blending theatre, cinema, music, and poetry. Through hybrid art, they explore the multiplicities that exist within gender, sexuality, and culture. Their writing work includes the short film Underground Absolute Fiction, the hybrid cinema-theatre piece Kill Your Lovers, and the musical Poly Queer Love Ballad, which has won numerous awards, including the Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award at the Fringe Festival and two Jessie Award nominations for Outstanding Original Script and Outstanding Production of a Musical. Anaïs performed in Un. Deux. Trois. by Mani Soleymanlou at the National Arts Centre and in NoShow, both presented at Théâtre la Seizième.

Anaïs was the first writer to take part in the Nuits claires project, initiated by Cory Haas and Mani Soleymanlou, where they took on a one-month writing challenge in the heart of Vancouver’s night. During their residency, Anaïs had the opportunity to stage their play Double Vie alongside six artistic collaborators. The presentation of this work on September 21, 2024, marks the conclusion of their stage in Nuits claires, with the text continuing its journey to Théâtre Populaire d’Acadie (Caraquet) in June 2025. In total, twelve Canadian Francophone theatres will have participated in the relay writing project exploring the night and its mysteries. The final text of this “cadavre exquis” combining all the writing segments created over a year of relays, will be presented at the Zones Théâtrales in Ottawa in September 2025.

Residency: Carte blanche

Isabelle Kirouac is a trans-disciplinary artist, choreographer, and teacher. Strongly inspired by the poetry of the senses, ecology, and especially mycology, her works are influenced by her practice in improvised dance, somatic studies, immersive theatre, and olfactory arts. Community engagement is also a driving force in her practice. She has presented her work across Canada and through tours in Europe, the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.

Willoughby Arévalo is a mycologist, visual and sound artist, writer, and teacher. He has taught mycology and the arts across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Greece. He is the author of the book DIY Mushroom Cultivation and was the director of the Vancouver Mycological Society. He has created numerous visual installations for public spaces, including living sculptures made from natural materials (Fruiting Bodies, Beaver Pondering Lodging), and the olfactory installation Aromatic Wheel of Fungi, featuring 360 mushroom scents, as well as a large-scale painting commissioned by DRAWEVERYWHERE/Google Quantum Myco Yoho.

Together, Isabelle and Willoughby have developed Art & Fungi, a series of artistic collaborations blending multiple disciplines around their chosen field: fungal life. The result is sensory and playful experiences that fascinatingly expose how fungi connect and transform our world. They will present a carte blanche with Théâtre la Seizième on May 30 and 31, 2025. More information to come!