History
La Troupe du Jour celebrates four decades of professional French-language theatre in Saskatchewan
Since 1985, it has been the province’s only professional Francophone theatre company. It creates, produces and promotes French-language theatre while supporting artists, emerging talent and the community.
Join us as we look back on some of the highlights from the past 40 years.
Despite the struggle to preserve the French language in a minority context, Francophone theatre is thriving in Saskatchewan in schools, parishes, and communities.
1969
1985
Founding of La Troupe du Jour by Alphonse Gaudet, Carmen Gareau, and Michel Quirion, young artists seeking to create theatre rooted in the Fransaskois reality.
Alphonse Gaudet is the first artistic director.
1986
1988
Manon Lastcall by Jean Barbeau wins first prize in the Provincial One-Act Play Competition. The production then goes on tour to several cities.
Jean Barbeau (1945–2019) was a Quebec author. The play depicts the situation in Quebec, focusing on the oppression of the working class by the French elite and highlighting this aspect through language opposing joual with “proper” French.
1989
1990
Presentation of Balconville by David Fennario, directed by Laurier Gareau : a major bilingual production that attracts new audiences.
Balconville is a bilingual play in two acts; notably, it is the first bilingual play in the history of Canadian theatre.
The story is based in a poor neighbourhood in Montreal and addresses socio-economic tensions and the French-English divide as families listen to campaign promises in both languages in a sweltering summer heat.
1995
La Trahison by Laurier Gareau, directed by Denis Rouleau : a landmark work on Métis and Fransaskois history (followed by a provincial tour in 1998).
The Betrayal is a passionate conversation between Gabriel Dumont and the elderly priest of Batoche, Father Julien Moulin. Set in 1905, the two discuss the 1885 Métis resistance, the Catholic church’s role which led to Gabriel’s contentious relationship with the church, and the alleged causes of the Métis’ defeat at the hands of the Canadian government.
1997
Rouleau creates the Cercle des écrivains to support the creation of new works and the Fransaskois Drama Festival to promote these works.
The Cercle des écrivains is an opportunity for French-language writers of all genres to meet ten to twelve times per year under the guidance of two dramaturgy consultants. The writers can choose to share their work with the group for feedback.
The Festival de la dramaturgie fransaskoise aimed to highlight these original works created in the Cercle des écrivains. This was later expanded into the Festival de la dramaturgie des prairies (1998, 1999, 2001), which featured playwrights associated with Edmonton’s UniThéâtre. In 2003, the name was changed to Festival de la dramaturgie de l’Ouest, hosted over a five-week period by La Troupe du Jour, UniThéâtre, and Théâtre la Seizième.
2003
La Troupe’s induction into the Margaret Woodward Theatre Hall of Fame (It is worth noting that this was the first theatre company to be inducted.) This achievement served as a remarkable testament to the professionalism of this troupe and its key role in promoting Fransaskois theatre and Francophone culture in Western Canada at both the provincial and national levels.
2005
2007
2009
The debut of Rearview by Gilles Poulin-Denis, a production that toured across Canada, and was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Awards in 2010.
Rearview is an existential theatrical roadtrip and the first work of Gilles Poulin-Denis. A man in his early 30s travels and learns that he cannot run from but must confront his demon. Through encounters with various characters, we revisit what has caused him to run in the first place.
2010
La Troupe du Jour acquires its own production centre in Saskatoon, at 914 20th Street West.
Launch of the current logo.
The Conseil culturel fransaskois presents the Le Lys d’Art award to our artistic director, Denis Rouleau, in recognition of his dedication to culture and the arts in the Fransaskois community. Denis Rouleau is also a recipient of the prestigious “Henry Woolf Continuing Achievement Award” at the 2010 SATAs, an award recognizing a lifetime of dedication to Fransaskois and Francophone theatre.
Raoul Granger is also a recipient of the “Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting” award at the 2010 SATAs for the script of the play Bonneau and Miss Bellehumeur.
Bonneau and Miss Bellehumeur examines the fallout of the Métis resistance focusing specifically on the impact on Métis women.
June 1885, the battle of Batoche is over, the Métis resistance has been crushed. Riel is in prison in Regina. His wife, Margeurite Monet, also called Bellehumeur, comes to town to visit him. While waiting for her visiting rights, she is staying with Pascal Bonneau’s family – an influential French-speaking merchant, friend and employer of the Métis. The Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald wants to find a way to discretely “liberate” Riel. Pascal Bonneau has been entrusted with this mission…
2011
Denis Rouleau wins the prestigious Marcus-National Bank Award, presented jointly by the National Arts Centre and National Bank Group, in recognition of his outstanding career and his significant contribution to the development of Francophone theatre in Canada.
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem is nominated by La Troupe du Jour and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre in the “Arts, Culture, and Heritage” category for the 2011 YWCA of Saskatoon Woman of Distinction Award.
La Maculée/sTain by Madeleine Blais-Dahlem receives a SATA (Saskatoon and Area Theatre Awards) award for Outstanding Playwriting. The play is equally nominated for Best Actress (Marie-Claire Marcotte), Best Lighting Design, Best Set Design, and Best Production. Blais-Dahlem represents Canada at the Women Playwrights International conference in Stockholm in 2012.
The play is set in the Prairies between 1919 and 1928. It follows a woman who tries to assert her Francophone identity while living isolated in an Anglophone community. It closely examines faith and religion, marriage, and oppression.
2014
La Chambre blanche by Ian C. Nelson receives a SATA for Achievement In Playwriting. This drama explores confined spaces, intense interpersonal relationships and psychological tension, fitting within a tradition of “white room” staging where the focus is entirely on the actors and the narrative.
2017
2019
Mishka Lavigne wins the Governor General’s Literary Award for her play Havre, which had its world premiere at La Troupe du Jour in 2018.
Mishka Lavigne, a Quebec playwright and winner of the 2017 Quebec-Ontario Award for her play Cinéma, explores loss and absence, as well as the relationships formed in times of crisis. The play follows two characters: Élise, who has just lost her mother, and Matt, who is searching for traces of his past. But what does this have to do with the huge hole in the road and with what was left in the wrecked car at the bottom?
2020
In the midst of the pandemic, La Troupe du Jour remains resilient. Forced to cancel or postpone certain projects from the outset, the company bounced back in December 2020 with a production of La vie après le hockey, adapted to comply with COVID-19 health protocols, followed in February 2021 by an outdoor production of Le Chandail (a co-production with Sum Theatre).
Life After Hockey, written by Kenneth Brown and translated by Michel Garneau, is the weird and wonderful story of Ken “Rink Rat” Brown and his obsession with our national sport. It is a one act where Ken Brown meets and pays tribute to our champions–real and imagined–who each play a part in the Rat’s great fantasy.
Sum Theatre and La Troupe du Jour work on The Hockey Sweater / Le Chandail, a musical and bilingual adaptation of Roch Carrier’s beloved short story, Le Chandail.The Hockey Sweater tells the story of a child who wishes for a new Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater, but receives instead something he could never have imagined. This re-telling of a Canadian classic was performed on an outdoor rink and embodies the hope that any child with a stick and a puck can become Maurice “Le Rocket” Richard.
Martine Noël-Maw’s play, ‘Will and Ernest,’ wins three SATAs:
- Outstanding Original Script: Martine Noël-Maw
- Outstanding Leading Performance: Bruce McKay
- Outstanding Projection Design: Stephanie Kuse
Monica, a young secretary who longs to make a living with her writing, is offered a dream contract: to assist her idol, the legendary Will James, in the writing of his next novel. The relationship with the fifty-year-old alcoholic man will put Monica’s dedication and loyalty to the test. Will & Ernest is inspired by the life of famous writer, cowboy and illustrator Will James. The action takes place in Los Angeles, in 1942, during the last months of his life. (from the publisher)
2021
Establishment of the Bourse Denis Rouleau, an anual award presented in honor of the former artistic director that supports the development of a Francophone theatre artist. Mr. Rouleau managed the company with distinction for thirty years, creating many memorable productions and winning multiple awards for himself and the company. The $500 bursary is distributed annually. It is awarded to a French-speaking theatre artist to help them continue their professional artistic development. Preference is given to Fransaskois artists (artists who work in French in Saskatchewan).
2023
Frank Engel (Technical Excellence) and Bruce McKay (Leadership) each receive a SATA.
2024
The Ian C. Nelson Fund (LTDJ), managed by the Fondation fransaskoise, supports the long-term development of La Troupe du Jour. It helps fund building maintenance and renewal, as well as the creation, training, production and presentation of francophone theatre in Saskatchewan.
A conference highlighting Fransaskois and Francophone literary works from Western Canada, in collaboration with the Department of Languages at USask, is organized by Marie-Diane Clarke. French-speaking poets and writers from Western Canada (BC, MB, SK, AB) are invited to share their works. Presentation of J.R. Léveillé’s new anthology, Poésie franco-ouestienne, 1974–2024, featuring Marie-Diane Clarke, Mamadou Bah, David Baudemont, Estelle Bonetto, Thuy Nguyen and Sébastien Rock.
September 2025
December 2025
March 2026
Madeleine Blais-Dahlem, playwright and author, is awarded the Centre des écritures dramatiques – Wallonie-Bruxelles Prize, which provides a writing residency in Belgium to further her artistic work.
Jesse Fulcher Gagnon, a Métis multidisciplinary artist, receives the Roland Mahé Award from the ATFC Foundation, which supports the development of creative and professional development projects in Western Canada or the Territories.
May 30, 2026
Celebration of the 40th anniversary in collaboration with Radio-Canada, featuring several unveilings, including a new, forward-looking brand identity.
For 40 years, La Troupe du Jour has brought the French language to life on stage and throughout the community.
The story continues!
