After more than four decades, the timeless voice of Quebec theatre perseveres in the return of classic Québécois tragi-comedy, Les Belles-Sœurs, in English.
Ottawa’s Phoenix Players will perform from November 21-29 at the Gladstone Theatre in Little Italy.
The production process began in Spring 2025, with rehearsals running three times a week starting in August.
Co-directors Lorraine Hopkins and Sue Armstrong say they spent a lot of time immersing themselves in the play, getting to know the characters, and creating set designs that were period and setting-appropriate.
The play was originally written by Canadian writer, novelist, and playwright Michel Tremblay in 1965 at the time of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, and has a reputation as one of the greatest playwrights in Quebec theatre.
Les Belles-Sœurs follows Germaine Lauzon, who wins a million trading stamps and invites her sisters, friends, and neighbours to paste them into booklets. Beginning as a cheerful gathering, the play continues to depict the realities of working-class women in the 1960s.
The anger, desperation, and frustration these women experienced will be heard through the raw exploration of relationships and hardship. The oppression against women by men, the church, and society will also portray the generational conflicts women faced.
With this being the first English run since 1984, Hopkins says the issues faced by characters in the play are universal, despite any cultural backgrounds or language barriers.
“While this play illustrates a historical reality, it also demonstrates that women’s struggle for equality is not over, even in 2025. These universal truths can be an impactful experience no matter what side of the Ottawa River you live on,” says Hopkins.
During the run of Les Belles-Sœurs, Phoenix Players will be hosting a fundraising initiative for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
This campaign is an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which raises money to support grandmothers in Africa who are raising and caring for grandchildren orphaned by AIDS.
Hopkins says that the women advocates from Grandmothers to Grandmothers reflect the same sentiments as women in Les Belles-Sœurs, as their struggles continue, but they are “buoyed by hope for the future”.
With just over a month until opening night, Phoenix Players are busy fine-tuning their performances. Hopkins says the cast has worked tirelessly to breathe life into their characters.
Opening night of Les Belles-Sœurs will be on Friday, November 21, and tickets can be purchased on the Phoenix Players Website.
Hopkins says Les Belles-Sœurs is not an easy play to watch, and audiences should be prepared to feel discomfort.
While the reality of these women’s lives is not the prettiest, there are moments of comedy and celebrations of love that are emotionally moving.
“It will make you laugh and cry, but you will walk out with a better understanding of these women and where we’ve come since 1965,” she says.
