These great speeches are not all from pure Quebecers, but they will soon emigrate to Paris.
To great evils, great speeches, the astonishing show directed by Frenchwoman Marie Guibourt and produced by Les Agents doubles (Luce and Lucie Rozon) will take off in Paris at the Théâtre de la Madeleine in mid-January. It’s a dazzling journey for a show that began without pretension at the Théâtre du Gesù last winter. Warmly applauded, word of mouth of the show was successful, so much so that the tour continued in most cities in Quebec.
At a time when our theaters are having difficulty filling their rooms, this very simple show, composed of excerpts of speeches and archive images, is sold out with, to defend it, Dorothée Berryman, Marc Béland, Martin David -Peters and Naïla Louidort. In a modest but effective setting, actresses and actors repeat, without trying to imitate those who gave them, famous speeches which recall bitter struggles for the independence of a country or racial equality, calls for mobilization against war and famine, for feminism, etc.
«SPEAK WHITE»!
The show includes, among other things, the famous poem Speak White by Michèle Lalonde and the sad speech by René Lévesque on the evening of the 1980 referendum. Certain speeches marking very Quebec historical times will be subtracted or adapted, in the version presented in France. This will last one hour and 20 minutes without intermission. It will feature Souleymane Sylla, David Brécourt (The Walking Dead, 11e season), Mylène Wagram and Céline Samie, former member of the Comédie Française.
Meanwhile, the Quebec tour continues until May 2025 with the four actors who have defended the play since its beginnings. Only Marc Béland will have to be replaced for a few performances.
I saw To great evils, great speeches at the Gesù and I left with a heavy heart as the speeches we evoke still arouse emotion today. I remain convinced that after its theatrical career, the show should become a compulsory history course in our CEGEPs and universities.
THE “FATHER” OF AUDIOVISUAL
It is not so often that we can say of a federal minister, an English-speaking one at that, that our Quebec culture owes him a lot. Francis Fox, who has just died, born in Montreal, mastered French perfectly. Before being appointed senator in 2005, Francis Fox was Minister of Communications from 1980 to 1984.
It was under his leadership in Communications that the SDICC became Téléfim and the Television Program Development Fund was created, endowed with $245 million over five years.
This fund is the ancestor of the Canadian Television Fund, which has since become the Media Fund. Francis, with whom I collaborated at the time, is so to speak the “father” of our audiovisual industry today.
