Creole Theater: Closing of a Very Rich Festival Period
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The Compagnie Théâtre Créole (CTC) has a brand new location, situated in the borough of Saint-Léonard, at 5322 Jean-Talon East Street, in Montreal.
From February 28 to March 26, 2026, the Compagnie Théâtre Créole (CTC) brought Montreal to life with the 8th edition of the Festival Théâtre Communauté des Noirs (FETHÉCOMNOIRS), under the rallying theme "Get involved in your community."
A true artistic and civic gathering, the festival brought together a diverse audience around a rich, engaged program resolutely oriented toward intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. The festival launched on February 28 with a wonderful evening uniting Jean-Jean Roosevelt, Stevenson Michel, and an audience that embodied the company's vision: multicultural and intergenerational.
The very next day, March 1, a tribute evening honoring poet and novelist René Depestre brought together several prominent figures from the Montreal Haitian community, including Frantz Voltaire, Robert Berrouet, Maguy Métellus, Samy, Herto Janvier, Bonel Auguste, and Fayolle Jean, bearing witness to the importance of dialogue between memory, culture, and contemporary creation.
In this spirit of transmission, a theatrical introduction and improvisation workshop was held from March 2 to 5 in the salle Riché Kenscoff, offering participants a space for artistic expression and development.
Throughout the month, the festival's programming unfolded across multiple venues on the island of Montreal, showcasing a diversity of performances and talent. CTC artists such as Zuma A. Lavertu, André Miraklin, Marc Emmanuel Dorcin, and Pierre Hector Nazon performed alongside emerging voices, including director Miracson Saint-Val of the company Bazou.
The festival was also marked by a powerful musical moment: a tribute concert to Ansy Dérose, led by the orchestration of maestro Ephraïm Guerrilus, known as T-FA.
FETHÉCOMNOIRS closed in style on March 26 with the show Les Dix Hommes Noirs, a landmark work by Haitian poet Etzer Vilaire, performed and directed by international comedian Rodlin Christolin.
Beyond its artistic programming, the festival is rooted in a social and inclusive approach. Its closing also marked the conclusion of the "Intégrer par le théâtre" project, an initiative supported by the Ville de Montréal, the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI), and several partners. Over the course of a year, this program fostered intercultural and intergenerational exchanges, reinforcing the role of theatre as a tool for bringing people together and building social cohesion.
New premises and new performance hall
Furthermore, the Compagnie Théâtre Créole (CTC) has reached a major milestone in its development with the opening of its brand-new space, located in the borough of Saint-Léonard at 5322 Jean-Talon Est, in Montreal.
At the heart of this space, a performance hall named salle Riché Kenscoff pays tribute to the actor of the same name, a symbol of artistic commitment and cultural transmission. This hall embodies CTC's determination to sustain artistic expression while providing an essential platform for visibility to artists from diverse backgrounds.
It was in this symbolic space that both the launch and the closing of the 8th edition of the Festival Théâtre Communauté des Noirs took place.
The Compagnie Théâtre Créole reaffirms its essential role in Montreal's cultural landscape. By combining artistic creation, community engagement, and openness to the world, it makes theatre a powerful driver of social transformation, and a living space for dialogue, expression, and visibility.