Le Petit Théâtre

Culture

« Le Petit Théâtre », Alliance Française’s theatrical troupe !

Alliance Française Vancouver is proud to have her own amateur drama group since 1978.

The Story behind it


In 1978, Alliance Française Vancouver created a theatrical troupe called « Le Petit Théâtre du Pacifique ». A nod to this past project, we decided to bring it back to life, 40 years later, with the name « Petit Théâtre». We wanted to show plays written by francophone authors (contemporary and classics) in order to celebrate francophone theater and francophone culture in general.

Le Petit Théâtre is the opportunity to offer more cultural events in French in Vancouver. It allows, as well, to invite the whole francophone community to join us to take part in these projects. The « Petit Théâtre» has for specificity to have auditions where anyone can partake, for every play. Everyone is welcome, whatever his or her experience in theater is. The actors join the play as volunteers. 



Magda Ochoa, artistic director


Passionate about the performing arts and Francophonie, this Francophile has been the artistic director of the troupe Le Petit Théâtre de l'Alliance Française de Vancouver since 2019, the year she directed Georges Feydeau's Un Fil à la patte. In 2020, the pandemic frustrated the process of mounting Molière's classic Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, a play that this year relaunches the troupe's activity.

Trained in theater in Mexico and at Laval University in Quebec City, this Mexican actress and director has taught acting techniques, stage direction and verse of the Spanish Golden Age in the Bachelor of Theatre at the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico (2002).

In Canada (in British Columbia) she has facilitated different theater workshops: the first one, organized by Réseau-Femmes, took place throughout 2006 "Ensemble en sécurité" (Forum Theatre techniques for French high schools and immersion schools). The second "Les arts dramatiques ou comment raconter une histoire" in the program of the festival Le printemps de la francophonie at SFU in 2018. The third "Forum Theatre" during the stage creation process of Les Éloquentes (Réseau-Femmes 2021-2022). She directed the grassroots epistolary project "De la plume à la scène" organized by La Boussole in Vancouver, which premiered at Studio 16 in March 2022.

Currently, Magda works at Full Circle: First Nations Performance as the Francophone Community Outreach Coordinator. She is also responsible for the Forum Theatre workshops at La Boussole in Vancouver, a project that will culminate in the September production of "Les Spectacteurs", which she will direct.

Independently, she organizes her own workshops and stage projects with her company Farandula Theatre, of which "Do You Know How To Swim" was her first children's theatre creation, presented during the Festival Songs of Summer 2022 at the Gateway Theatre. La stratégie du chat noir o La estrategia del gato negro, is a bilingual (Spanish-French) creation in process, aimed at an adult audience.