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By Théo Martin

Did you know that Le Cercle Molière, one of the oldest Canadian institutions in performing arts, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year? Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is marking this anniversary by publishing two blog posts highlighting some elements of our archival fonds and collections that showcase the beginnings and evolution of this Franco-Manitoban theatre company.

Le Cercle Molière was founded in 1925 in Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, by Belgian professor André Castelein de la Lande, Manitoba civil servant and administrator Raymond Bernier, and translator and administrator Louis-Philippe Gagnon—who became its first president. In its early days, Le Cercle Molière was an amateur theatre organization dedicated to promoting French culture and language in Manitoba. It also sought to introduce French theatre to the English-speaking population of Winnipeg and surrounding areas, bringing both language communities closer together. Its first production, Le monde où l’on s’ennuie by Édouard Pailleron presented at the Dominion Theatre in Winnipeg in 1925, won over the audience. Throughout the 1920s, Le Cercle Molière maintained its momentum and put on one to several productions per year, gradually carving out its place in the cultural landscape.

On the left, an image of the production program for L’échelle cassée by George Berr, 1926. Performing Arts Collection, MG28 I 139, volume 18, file 14. On the right, an image of the production program for L’Arlésienne by Alphonse Daude, 1928. Performing Arts Collection, MG28 I 139, volume 28, file 14. (MIKAN 4705232)

From its early years, Le Cercle Molière extended its reach beyond the borders of Saint-Boniface, touring throughout Manitoba and providing the province’s French-speaking communities with invaluable access to theatre. In 1934, its reputation reached a milestone when the 14th Governor General of Canada, Lord Bessborough, invited the theatre company to participate in the Dominion Drama Festival. The same year, Le Cercle Molière won the award for best French-language play, both regionally and nationally, for its production of Blanchette by Eugène Brieux.

This national recognition marks the beginning of a long-term participation in the Festival, resulting in many regional and national trophies. By showing that it was possible to do French-language theatre outside of Quebec, where theatre institutions were already competing, Le Cercle Molière affirmed its role as an ambassador for French-language theatre and promoted its influence across Canada.

On the left, an image of the program for the second annual final of the Dominion Drama Festival, April 1934. On the right, a page featuring the play Blanchette, produced by Le Cercle Molière, which won the award for best French-language play. Performing Arts Collection, MG28 I 139, file 14. (MIKAN 4705232)

Actors from Le Cercle Molière in the production Le voyage à Biarritz during the Dominion Drama Festival in Ottawa, in 1937. That year, Joseph Plante received the award for best French actor. Photo: Yousuf Karsh, Yousuf Karsh fonds, 1987-054 NPC. (MIKAN 4332030)

Doing French-language theatre was no easy task for Le Cercle Molière and other French-language theatre groups outside of Quebec. During the 1936 festival, some Quebec journalists and critics, no doubt offended that the Le Cercle Molière had won the award for best French-language play that year, criticized the poor quality of the French spoken in its productions:

[Translation] “The Quebec actors who participated in the Ottawa Drama Festival are sore losers. At least, that was what was stated in a Canadian Press article that was published in the newspapers. They criticized Mr. Granville-Barker’s decision to award the place of honour to Le Cercle Molière. They claimed that Western artists did not have pure French-Canadian accents. As for the judge, he was allegedly incompetent because he did not know our language well enough […].”

     La Liberté (Saint-Boniface, Manitoba), April 6, 1936. (1)

Fortunately, however, these criticisms died down over the following decades.

In the 1930s, a dynamic couple from France, Arthur and Pauline Boutal, expertly produced Le Cercle Molière’s shows, which received acclaim throughout French Canada and internationally. After Arthur’s death, Pauline kept the momentum well into the 1960s. Le Cercle Molière presented a wider range of productions, including several youth plays. In 1961, it launched l’Atelier, a first training program for emerging theatre artists in Manitoba.

Starting in the 1970s, Le Cercle Molière became a professional company under the artistic direction of Roland Mahé, offering more space for contemporary French-language playwriting, experimental playwriting and youth theatre (notably with the creation of the Festival théâtre jeunesse [1970] and the Théâtre du Grand Cercle [1985]). Little by little, Le Cercle Molière became a hub for Franco-Manitoban and Franco-Canadian theatre. It featured works by artists and playwrights Roger Auger, Claude Dorge, Irène Mahé, Jean-Guy Roy, Jean-Pierre Dubé, Janine Tougas and Marc Prescott.

Poster for the play Montserrat by Emmanuel Robles, presented by Le Cercle Molière at the Dominion Drama Festival in 1971, in Ottawa. The Dominion Drama Festival fonds – Theatre Canada. R5415 1980-058 NPC. (MIKAN 2979533)

On the left, the play Suite manitobaine by playwright Roger Auger. Les Éditions du Blé, Saint-Boniface, 2007. ISBN 9782921347969. (OCLC 86226189) On the right, the play Sex, lies et les Franco-manitobains by playwright Marc Precott. Les Éditions du Blé, Saint-Boniface, 2013. ISBN 9782923673837, 2923673832. (OCLC 842523879)

Today known as Théâtre Cercle Molière and led by Métis actress and director Geneviève Pelletier (who will conclude her mandate on July 31, 2025), the century-old company continues to explore new artistic horizons. Working to promote cultural diversity, the company proudly showcases Franco-Canadian playwriting in Manitoba, Canada and around the world.

LAC is proud to preserve documentary evidence of this undisputed gem of the performing arts in the country. The national collection includes printed publications of works by Quebec and Franco-Canadian playwrights that have been performed on stage of Le Cercle Molière. LAC’s archival fonds and collections also include several promotional documents (posters, programs, leaflets, press clippings) from Le Cercle Molière, notably The Dominion Drama Festival – Theatre Canada fonds (R5415) and the Performing Arts Collection (R3376). In addition, Library and Archives Canada preserves the archives of individuals who have worked with Le Cercle Molière in their youth, including those of the novelist Gabrielle Roy (R11799) and the journalist Henri Bergeron (R10049). There are also many photographs taken in the 1930s by the renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh (R613) as part of the Dominion Drama Festival in Ottawa. This photographic collection contains some shots of a young actress, unknown at the time, from Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, who would become one of the most celebrated Franco-Manitoban authors of her generation (but she will be the subject of another blog post).

Additional resources

LAC fonds and collections:

• The Dominion Drama Festival – Theatre Canada fonds – R5415 (MIKAN 99527)
• Marian M. Wilson fonds – R9113 (MG31 D48) (MIKAN 190445)
• Yousuf Karsh fonds – R613 (MIKAN 138136)
• Performing Arts Collection – R3376 (MG28 I39) (MIKAN 106737)

Other archival centres:

• • Le Cercle Molière and Pauline Boutal fonds are located at the Centre du patrimoine (Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Manitoba).

Printed sources:

• Dubé, Jean-Pierre, Lynne Champagne. Le Cercle Molière: 75 ans de théâtre. [Edition] Le Cercle, Winnipeg, Manitoba. [2001] (OCLC 46629181)
• Le Cercle Molière : cinquantième anniversaire. Éditions du Blé, Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, 1975. (OCLC 2877379)
• Lee, Betty. Love and Whisky: the story of the Dominion Drama Festival. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, 1973. (OCLC 786525)
• The Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatre. Oxford University Press, Toronto, 1989. (OCLC 21293755)

Websites (or online publications):

• The Théâtre Cercle Molière – Théâtre Cercle Molière website
• Dominion Drama Festival – The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Le Cercle Molière – The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Lentz, François. Le Cercle Molière, 90 ans de théâtre en français au Manitoba : entrevues suscitées par un anniversaire, dans Cahiers franco-canadiens de l’Ouest, volume 29, numéro 2, 2017 – Érudit
• Théâtre Cercle Molière, at the heart of the Winnipeg’s Francophone theatre scene since 1925 – Salut Canada

Reference

1. Le Cercle Molière : cinquantième anniversaire. Éditions du Blé, Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, 1975. (OCLC 2877379)

Théo Martin is a Performing Arts Archivist in the Cultural Archives Division at Library and Archives Canada.