ABOUT US

THE COMPANY

Land recognition

We recognize that we are standing on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dene and Dakota peoples and the homeland of the Métis Nation. Stories have been told on these lands for thousands of years and we would like to thank Métis Elder, Dolorès Gosselin who guides us throughout the season.

Vision

We seek to bring Manitobans together through French theatre and culture, so as to build a strong, creative, open and interconnected community.

Mission

Through our activities, we share powerful stories that are enriching and thought-provoking. We stimulate the creativity of young people, we foster the development of our amateur and professional theatre artists, we welcome the whole community and are proud of our one hundred years of history.

Our values

INNOVATION

We never cease to advance, learn and improve, with curiosity, passion, creativity and audacity as our driving forces.

connection

We seek to develop a friendly space for belonging, one where anyone can feel welcome. It is our responsibility to establish connections between the dramatic work and the public so as to create a sense of belonging.

collaboration

We believe that thinking and working together allows us to achieve more ambitious goals. This is why each of us is committed to the success of the team, of our theatre artists and of our young people.

opening

We are an open, welcoming place in tune with its community. We believe that access to culture is a human right and that everyone should have the same opportunities to enrich their lives.

Our history

OUR BEGINNINGS

Founded in 1925, Théâtre Cercle Molière is the oldest theatre company in Canada, French or English. It has always been and remains a driving force in the cultural life of French-speaking Manitoba.

Established in St. Boniface, at the heart of Manitoba’s capital city, Le Cercle Molière (now Théâtre Cercle Molière) began by performing plays from the French classic repertoire. Then in the 1950s, plays from Quebec and across Canada were staged, and for the last forty years, the emphasis has been on new Manitoba works. The company first presented a season entirely written by Franco-Manitobans in 1986, then a second time in 2000 to celebrate the TCM’s 75th anniversary.

OUR TRANSFORMATION

From the very beginning, the company toured the rural regions of Manitoba. In its first phase and under the leadership of Pauline Boutal (1925-1968), Théâtre Cercle Molière carried home many prizes from the Dominion Drama Festival, and in 1958, embarked on its first tour of Western Canada. In 1970, it was the first non-professional troupe to perform at the National Arts Centre.

Under the artistic direction of Roland Mahé (1968-2012), TCM transformed itself into a professional theatre company, in terms of conditions offered to artists, production values and the pursuit of excellence. During this second phase, the company produced adaptations and translations of plays from Canada and abroad, with numerous texts from the Quebec repertoire that struck a chord among Franco-Manitobans, while adding various forms of professional development and support for theatre artists.

OUR EVOLUTION

TCM has also put a great deal of energy into stimulating a fully Franco-Manitoban dramaturgy. Over the past decades, some seventy plays by Franco-Manitoban playwrights have been performed on the TCM stage, and the company continues to seek out new voices from the community.

After ten years of planning and a campaign to raise nearly $2 million from the private sector, the Théâtre Cercle Molière team moved into a new performance and production space in 2010. The theatre building, on Boulevard Provencher, St. Boniface’s main artery, is an important symbol of the vitality that the TCM has developed as an institution and the community that it serves. Having a dedicated permanent location, so long wished for, has enhanced the technical capacities of the company, provided the administrative team with a luminous and inspiring setting, and offered performers a generous and stimulating work space.

WHERE WE ARE

Geneviève Pelletier is a Métis performer and director from Winnipeg. Since 2012, she has been the Artistic Director of the Théâtre Cercle Molière. She is interested in the intermingling/interweaving of cultures and the myriad of possibilities that are opening up in a world that is getting smaller all the time, giving rise to complex and fertile spaces for creation. Issues of important demographic change within communities, the changing face of the Francophone and Métis communities are now reference points for a theatre company that is continually searching for renewal and relevance.

Eco-responsible accreditation

This accreditation is aimed at performing arts professionals wishing to undertake a sustainable development approach (environmental, social and economic pillars). The process is user-friendly, adapted to the fast-paced world of the cultural sector. It helps to structure the integration of sustainable development and provokes crucial reflection, opening the door to new perspectives and management methods, while fostering a sense of belonging for existing teams. In this way, the sector mobilizes through sharing best practices and forging strong links with the community.