What is “good” French? Parisian French, Montrealer French, Brusselian French? Is there one correct way of expressing oneself, one accent that is above the rest? Long silent for fear of being judged, Bianca Richard and Gabriel Robichaud chose to face their linguistic insecurity and ultimately free themselves from it. As an act of resistance, the two Acadians from southeastern New Brunswick sift through the stigma of their reputation of being “bad francophones”.
Through a series of delightfully offbeat and skillfully documented scenes, Parler mal exposes with humour, yet painfully at times, the biases we have about language. In examining what language means to the construction of our identities and imaginations, this tribute to setting speech free echoes beyond borders to welcome the diversity of our ways of expression through language.
Co-authors and performers Bianca Richard and Gabriel Robichaud
Direction Philip André Collette in collaboration with Bianca Richard and Gabriel Robichaud
Assistant director Mara Saulnier
Music and sound environment Sébastien Michaud
Video design Étienne Boivin
Lighting design Nathan Finnamore
Set and costumes design Laura Stinson, in collaboration with Ian McFarlane
Artistic collaborator Alix Dufresne
Dramaturgy advisor Sasha Dion
Stage management and technical direction Xavier Richard
Tour management Amélie Colette
Production Théâtre Gauche (Moncton)
Coproduction Satellite Théâtre, Théâtre À tour de rôle, Festival TransAmériques
Financial partners Canada Council for the Arts, ArtsNB, Province of New Brunswick, Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes, Fondation pour l'avancement du théâtre francophone au Canada, Fondation pour la langue française
Community partners Théâtre l'Escaouette, CEAD, Département d'art dramatique de l'Université de Moncton, Université de Moncton, Théâtre Capitol
Ages From Grade 8 and up
Show length 70 minutes (+ 10 minutes Q&A)
Cost $16 per student (+ GST), + 1 complimentary ticket offered for every 20 tickets purchased. If you wish to make a reservation for multiple classes, please indicate it in the reservation form, and we will provide you with a quote.
Total number of seats 150
Educational material Study guide provided 1 month before the performance
Eligibility PassepART program, ImmersART program and Culture en classe (CPF) program
