Theatre Francais de Toronto to Present LES ZINSPIRES 3D

Théâtre français de Toronto will present Les Zinspirés 3D, a universe filled with untamed emotions, existential angst, BFFs, and (anti)social media. Five short stories, all written by teens from across Southern Ontario, brought to life by Théâtre français de Toronto, reworked by professional writers and performed by professional actors. An exceptional, provocative journey for the wildly creative teenager in all of us! For the first time this year, there will be three performances for the general public: October 24 & 29 and November 1, with English surtitles October 24 and 29. There will also be school matinées from October 23 to 31.

Les Zinspirés is a youth-development program intended on introducing the art of playwriting and storytelling to local teenagers (14 to 18 years old). This unique initiative encourages Toronto's youth to express themselves freely and find the means to do so effectively - through theatre. The program starts off with a writing contest organized in schoolsfollowed by three dramaturgy workshops for the students whose texts have been selected. Finally, a professional theatrical production featuring 5 stories is mounted and publicly shown at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

Year after year, the results are astonishing. The 2012 instalment was nominated for two Dora Awards: Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance - Ensemble.

On the program this year:

· Diable blanc (White Devil) by Mary Anne Bakos, École secondaire catholique l'Essor: Small, spunky and rebellious, Ashley has no other option. She must reveal her true identity: the crime-fighting superheroine Diable Blanc! She will cleanse her school of wrongdoers - if only she could stop tripping over her own feet.

· Les étoiles de Barcelone (The Stars of Barcelona) by Johann Sapim, Lycée Français de Toronto: Beautiful and quirky Laurie and her bff are loving their trip to Spain - until their purses get stolen. A ridiculous chase through the streets of Barcelona will wind them up in a spot not so tailored for tourists...

· Zigzag by Kim Letendre, École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé: Darkly poetic, Étienne feels he must punish himself for ruining his parents' marriage. His little sister will try to pull him out of this morbid spiral.

· Mes cheveux, ma couronne (My Hair, My Crown) by Godelive Majamu, École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé: Marie-Claire, a confident teen of Congolese origin, decides to do the unthinkable: let her hair grow out naturally. She'll have to put up with a ridiculous amount of maintenance, but especially a sea of varying opinions on her new look.

· Poisson d'avril (Prankster extraordinaire) by Abtine Monavvari, École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé: With the help of his two best 'bros', Mike unleashes 4 penguins into the school halls in his best practical joke ever. Hilarity and disaster aren't far behind...

Directed by Pierre Simpson. With Lise Cormier, Alexandre Côté, Djennie Laguerre, Lexi Soha and Xavier Yuvens. Set & Costume Design: Laura Gardner; Lighting Design: Michael Brunet; Sound Design: Christopher Webb; Surtitles: Gunta Dreifields; Stage Management: Melanie Hall.

A new original play from Théâtre français de Toronto.

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