In this episode of Parlez-moi de l’Ontario français, Joël Beddows, director, educator and long-time artistic leader, and Karine Ricard, actor, director and current head of the Théâtre français de Toronto (TFT), explore how Franco-Ontarian theatre has evolved from survival to celebration.
Listen to this episode on Spotify (in French only).
From survival to storytelling
“When we started, theatre was about survival,” recalls Beddows. In the 1970s and 1980s, Franco-Ontarian theatre emerged from the same grassroots movements that fought for French schools and institutions.
Plays were written, often collectively, to express what it meant to live in French in an English-speaking province. “It was activism through art,” says Beddows. “Now it’s about telling our stories with humour, with honesty, with courage.”
A space for risk and reinvention
For Karine Ricard, the stage remains a playground for risk-takers. “What strikes me is the freedom,” she says. “Franco-Ontarian artists have always been resourceful. We do a lot with very little.”
Today’s generation is reinventing what it means to be Francophone through stories about gender, migration, ecology, and belonging. “There isn’t one Francophone story anymore; there are many Francophonies. Theatre is where they meet.”
Mentorship and legacy
As an educator, Beddows sees himself as part of a relay. “My mentors taught me to dream in French,” he says. “Now it’s my turn to pass that dream on, but without locking it into one definition.”
He often refers to pioneers like Jean-Marc Dalpé, André Paiement and Marie-Thé Morin, whose work gave a raw, poetic and unfiltered voice to the Franco-Ontarian experience.
A generation that no longer apologizes
Ricard believes the new generation doesn’t need to justify itself anymore. “We don’t start by saying, ‘This is who we are, this is why we speak French.’ We just tell our stories, with our words, our accents, our experiences.”
At the TFT, she champions new forms, such as immersive performances, urban storytelling, and collaborations that resonate beyond language. “Even English-speaking audiences connect,” she says. “Because what we tell is universal: belonging, memory, meaning.”
Education through presence
For Beddows, theatre remains an unparalleled learning tool. “When a young person stands on stage and speaks their truth in French, they’re doing more than acting: they’re asserting their existence.”
Through school programs and workshops, Franco-Ontarian theatre has nurtured self-confidence and pride among thousands of youths.
Gentle resistance
Both guests describe theatre as a form of gentle resistance in a world where cultural spaces are fragile. “We don’t do theatre to lecture,” says Ricard. “We do it to move people. And sometimes, that’s the most political act of all.”
Beddows nods: “Every play we stage, every accent we hear, keeps French alive. It’s not a relic; it’s alive, breathing, unpredictable.”
Looking ahead
“I hope we stay daring,” says Ricard. “That we keep asking questions.” Beddows adds: “Franco-Ontarian theatre will survive as long as it keeps evolving, as long as it surprises even us.”
Across Ontario, from Sudbury to Ottawa, the Francophone stage continues to reinvent itself — a chorus of old and new voices, telling stories that belong to everyone. Because for Franco-Ontarian artists, to speak French is not just to preserve a language. It’s to create a world.