Claire Donnan 

The University of Ottawa Theatre Club brings French flair to the city  

The University of Ottawa Theatre Club is seeking to represent French theatre with their production of Cyrano de Bergerac, opened January 23rd at La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins. 

 Cyrano de Bergerac is a famous French play written in the late 1800s, often studied by French students. Cyrano, a wordsmith, swordfighter and owner of quite a large nose, serves as voice and brains for his more attractive friend Christian. He writes letters to their mutual crush Roxane, signing them from Christian, and chaos ensues. 

Sarah Cantin, the show’s director, seeks to bring some modern simplicity to what is a very old and detailed play. This is her second time directing for the UOTC, having directed their premier production, The Great Gatsby. 

“I wanted to simplify sets in a way that would be maybe more poetic and metaphoric, so we’re gonna play around with shadows and with movement a lot on stage,” said Cantin. “But then because I was going more modern with the sets, I did want to keep the costumes and acting very true to the time period. So it’s kind of like a mix-up of both.” 

The cast, who have been working together for about five months, have many different theatre backgrounds. Some have performed in English and French, while others have performed exclusively in one of the two languages. 

Phillip Caron, who plays Cyrano, has performed frequently in both languages. However, he said he would not have gotten as many French theatre opportunities had he not sought them out. He noted some differences in how French and English theatre are practiced and performed. 

“Just the subject matter, but also the practice is very different,” said Caron. “A lot of French theatre seems to kind of embrace an extrovertedness and English theatre seems to oftentimes not go into as much of the absurd or extreme…so in a way it’s more engaging.” 

Meanwhile Abigaёlle Pinsonne, who plays Roxane, has enjoyed being able to bring some youth and complexity to her character. 

“To be able to incorporate youth into a piece that is quite old, it’s a nice mix,” said Pinsonne in French. “In the intentions, the nuances…she [Roxane] has this image of the beautiful girl who wants to find a handsome man. But she’s smart, she’s cunning, there’s a huge character development throughout the piece.” 

Overall, Cantin has greatly enjoyed being able to revisit such a classic show with more appreciation. 

“I was really just looking forward to re-exploring the story because I feel like, now that I’m older, I understand it a lot better, especially the subtext of it all and how it’s kind of a metaphor for self-acceptance,” said Cantin. 

 At the end of the day, actors and director want anglophones to do one thing: Get out and see some French theatre. 

“It’s just as good, it needs just as much, if [not] even more support,” said Caron. “So, you know, even if you don’t speak it or if you read a synopsis and don’t really understand what people are saying, go support French theatre. Go watch it, see the differences. Maybe it could even inspire English theatre, right?”