HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | L'UniThéâtre is a francophone theatre founded in 1992 when two theatre companies, Théâtre français d'Edmonton and La Boîte à Popicos, amalgamated.
Réginald Bigras and France Levasseur-Ouimet founded Théâtre français d'Edmonton at the Collège Saint-Jean in 1967. In 1970, the Théâtre français hired its first artistic director and until 1992 it remained the main francophone community theatre for adults in Edmonton.
La Boîte à Popicos was founded in 1978 by Suzette Lagacé-Aubin and sponsored by Canadian Parents for French (Alberta Chapter). At the time, it was Alberta's only French theatre for young audiences. Based in Edmonton, La Boîte à Popicos hoped to make the French language a living subject both in and outside the classroom. The productions were designed especially for students learning French as a second language and toured many schools in Edmonton and throughout Alberta and Western Canada.
In 1992, L'UniThéâtre started its first productions under the artistic director Guylaine Normandin assisted by Daniel Cournoyer. L'UniThéâtre encourages the production of franco-albertan plays, including musical performances. |