THE (POST) MISTRESS and More Set for Theatre Francais de Toronto's 2016-17 Season

Today, Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT) is pleased to announce the seven productions that will make up its 2016/17 season. This is the final season programmed by Guy Mignault (who will step down in June 2016 after 19 years as Artistic Director) and will be overseen by Joël Beddows, incoming Artistic Director.

The season begins with the highly anticipated return of renowned First Nations' author, Tomson Highway, to the Toronto stage. The famed composer and pianist will present his latest play Zesty Gopher s'est fait écraser par un frigo, also known as The (Post) Mistress for the first time in the Queen City. Co-produced with Pleiades Theatre and directed by John Van Burek, it stars the wonderful Patricia Cano and Highway himself on piano! The show will be performed in French from October 12 to 23 (surtitled in English) and in English from October 25 to November 6, 2016 (surtitled in French).

Another historic co-production will punctuate the 16/17 season. This time Canadian Stage and TfT will team up to co-produce Cinq visages pour Évelyne Frost (Five Faces for Évelyne Frost) by Guillaume Corbeil in a new production directed by Claude Poissant. A new original work exploring the harms of social media, the play spoke directly to the hearts of both artistic directors, Matthew Jocelyn and Guy Mignault, who decided to present this work to Toronto audiences. Again, theshow will be presented in both languages: from February 14 to March 5, 2017, in English; and from March 21 to 25 in French (with English surtitles).

Also this season at TfT: the company with present the fifth installment of its successful series Les Zinspirés Cinq sur Cinq, written by aspiring young authors and directed by Chanda LeGroux Gibson. Through this project, TfT continues to give a voice to the next generation of creators.

In December, the company willpresent Un vent se lève qui éparpille (Scattered in a Rising Wind), the stage adaptation of the celebrated Jean Marc Dalpé novel that received the Governor General's Award in 2000. The same month, the show for young audiences will head to an exotic destination and on a thrilling adventure in L'île au trésor (Treasure Island). In 2017, free speech will take center stage in #PigeonsAffamé (#StarvingPigeons), a hard-hitting, multifaceted musical performance, before the free spirited Dom Juan by Molière makes his appearance in the season's closing show- the first production directed by Joël Beddows as a the company's artist in residence.

TfT offers even more flexiblesubscription packages: Buy 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or even 8 discounted seasontickets. NEW: You can use two tickets per show and come to the theatre with a guest. And if you are an artist or are under 30, you can use up to four tickets per show!

The prices range from $75 forartists, arts workers, and under 30s to $282 for 8 adult tickets.

Given the success of surtitled productions, TfT continues to offer them Wednesdays (or Thursdays when the show is not performed on Wednesdays), Fridays, and Saturdays. Talk-Backs: These discussions between artists and audiences are a unique way to exchange opinions on the play. They take play on Wednesdays or Thursdays after performances.

Details about the productions, calendars, casts, and subscription packages are available online at www.theatrefrancais.com. View the brochure online here.

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THE (POST) MISTRESS

(ZESTY GOPHER S'EST FAIT ECRASER PAR UN FRIGO)

From October 12 to November 62016. Produced by le Théâtre français de Toronto and Pleiades Theatre.

THE RETURN OF AN ICON

UNQUESTIONABLY Canada's greatest First Nations' playwright and one of the most influential artists of his generation, Tomson Highway returns to Toronto with his latest work, a one-woman musical starring the magnificent Patricia Cano, accompanied by Tomson himself on piano. The (Post) Mistress, known in French as Zesty Gopher s'est fait écraser par un frigo, tells the story of Marie-Louise Painchaud, postmistress of a town on the French River, who has the uncanny ability to read the village mail without opening a single envelope, and turn each letter into a magnificent song. Because she knows everyone's past and present, she takes us on a journey through their secrets, fantasies and lies, with songs in English, French and Cree. (Juno nomination for Best Aboriginal Album, 2015). A co-production with Pleiades Theatre.

LES ZINSPIRÉS CINQ SUR CINQ

From November 17 to 26, 2016.Produced by Théâtre français de Toronto

REGULARLY NOMINATED for Dora Mavor Moore Awards as Outstanding New Play and Best Ensemble (young audience division), Les Zinspirés continues to charm and entertain its growing audience. Get ready for the 5th installment: a unique and highly original production written by 5 teens from Southern Ontario, workshopped by experienced playwrights, and performed by professional actors. Clearly, the next generation has something important to say!

UN VENT SE LÈVE QUI ÉPARPILLE

(SCATTERED IN A RISING WIND)

From December 1 to 4, 2016. Produced by Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario, Théâtre de la Vielle 17 and le Théâtre français du Centre National des Arts.

BASED ON THE AWARD-WINING NOVEL, THIS RISING WIND WILL SPARE NO ONE.

MARCEL LOVES MARIE. Joseph, Rose's husband, does too. Marcel intervenes but his action will have serious consequences for Marie and her family. A story of longing, hatred and forbidden love that, for over a decade, disrupts and infects a whole village. One family's drama becomes a tragedy for all humanity in Jean?Marc Dalpé's hauntingly Franco?Ontarianmasterpiece. TfT is proud to present Dalpé's Governor-General's Literary Award-winning novel performed by a stellar cast.

L'ILE AU TRESOR

(TREASURE ISLAND)

From December 8 to 10, 2016. Produced by Picouille Théâtre and Le Théâtre de la petite marée.

WHEN A TREASURE IS WITHIN GRASP, OUR TRUE NATURE IS REVEALED.

SINCE THE DEATH of Leonie's mother, bedtime stories have lost their appeal. But through the experience of grief she also gains the desire for independence; one day, Leonie decides to read literature's most famous pirate novel without her father's help: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. This is just the opportunity that the mysterious "John Long Silver" has been waiting for all his life. Suddenly caught between reality and fantasy, Leonie finds herself on a quest for a great treasure, lost somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic at the turn of the 19th century. A wonderful tale of integrity, friendship, alliances and betrayalsthat reimagines Stevenson's classic in surprising ways!

#PIGEONSAFFAMES

(#STARVINGPIGEONS)

From February 23 to 26, 2017.Produced by Théâtre Trillium.

BORROWING MUSICAL REFERENCES from popular culture ranging from Marvin Gaye's Mercy Me to the McDonald's advertising jingle, #PigeonsAffamés transports us to a recent past, one imbued with nostalgia and the sense that anything was possible, before taking us back to our contemporary world-a world without direction and markers. Anne- Marie White pursues her unique path as a playwright and director by presenting a radiant theatre that responds to social issues. #PigeonsAffamés is a hardhitting, multifaceted musical performance by a team of versatile and virtuosic artists.

FIVE FACES FOR EVELYN FROST

(CINQ VISAGES POUR EVELYNE FROST)

From February 14 to March 25 2017. Produced by Théâtre français de Toronto and Canadian Stage. Based on the original production by Théâtre PàP.

A BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED DRAMATIC QUINTET BOUND BY THE VERBAL ARCHITECTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

FIVE FRIENDS VIE to increase their online status by revealing their innermost secrets on the Internet-but at what cost? This historic collaboration between Canadian Stage and Théâtrefrançais de Toronto take us to the deepest and darkest corners of virtual reality and into the incisive imagination of virtuoso Quebec auteur Guillaume Corbeil. With performances in both English and French, this electrifying multimedia production features five bilingual performers propelled by the pulse of today's social media.

DOM JUAN by MOLIERE

From May 10 to 28, 2017. Produced by Théâtre français de Toronto.

"ALL THE PLEASURE OF LOVE SUBSISTS IN CHANGE", DOM JUAN

REBELLIOUS LIBERTINE. Incorrigible skirt-chaser. Dom Juan does not want to be a son. He does not want to be a husband. Nor does he want to be a master. Or worse -a hypocrite. Dom Juan simply seeks the freedom to love women without restraint and, most importantly, without limitation. He only wants the freedom to seduce them without ever having to deal with the consequences! But can one really live a life of limitless conquests, running away from accountability each time, and never pay the heavy price of judgment? Director Joël Beddows plunges us into a universe situated at the crossroads of comedy, philosophical meanderings and the quest of a mythic figure more human than we would like to think.

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Pictured: Patricia Cano in The (Post) Mistress by Tomson Highway. Photo by Bryan McNally.

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