Acadian artists Gabriel Robichaud and Bianca Richard face off during their presentation Parler mal, which takes place February 9 at the Black Box Theatre. Photo courtesy of Annie France Noël.
What: Parler mal, documentary theatre production
When: Monday, February 9, from 7 to 8:30 pm
Where: Black Box Theatre, 1375 Water St., Kelowna
Cost: Tickets are $30, or $20 for UBCO students and members of the Centre culturel francophone de l’Okanagan
Anybody who has heard a Parisian accent knows it is considerably different from Canadian French. In fact, even the French spoken in New Brunswick and Quebec is slightly different.
What counts as “proper” French—and how accents differ—is now a docufiction stage performance by Acadian artists Gabriel Robichaud and Bianca Richard. The play, a debate about the prejudices we cultivate around language, has also inspired a podcast and a documentary.
After years of sitting in silence due to their linguistic insecurity, the pair created Parler mal (Speaking Badly) in 2019. As a comedic act of resistance, the two, who are from southeast New-Brunswick, take a close look at the scars collected along their journey—acquiring a reputation for being “bad Francophones.”
The performance is coming to Kelowna on February 9. While here, the show’s creators will meet with students of Parcours français (French Pathways)—UBC Okanagan’s French language Bachelor of Education program—to talk about linguistic insecurity.
Linguistic insecurity is feeling illegitimate when speaking a language, explains Dr. Francis Langevin, Director of Espaces francophones UBCO, which co-presents the play with the Centre culturel francophone de l’Okanagan.
“As a French professor, I’ve often heard people comment on different accents, sometimes as an attempt to bond with me about what they think is ‘proper’ French,” he says. “They will say things like, ‘I went to French Immersion until Grade 12, but my accent is terrible.’ This kind of bias, known as glottophobia, affects many of my students. It can lead to a complicated relationship with the language they’re learning, or even a language they grew up with.”
The show is coming to Kelowna thanks to a 10-year collaboration between UBC Okanagan and le Centre culturel francophone de l’Okanagan, focused on French-language cultural programming in BC’s interior. Together they have hosted film screenings, author talks and performances at events like Nuit Blanche Kelowna and Kelowna Maple Fest. This work celebrates linguistic diversity, and has produced multilingual spoken word events such as Many Tongues with the Inspired Word Café.
On February 10, about 80 high school students from École de L’Anse-au-Sable will join UBCO French Pathways Bachelor of Education students for a special performance of the play.
Colombe Cormier, a French Pathways advisor, says it’s important for UBCO students to have the opportunity to see the presentation so they can hear different accents and understand that accents don’t make someone a better or worse French speaker—they just add spice to the language.
“I’m from New Brunswick and I’ve experienced times as a student, teacher and school administrator where I felt inferior because of my accent. In some situations, I chose not to share my ideas for fear of being told I spoke badly,” says Cormier. “I’m very happy that the UBCO students will have this Speaking Badly experience so they can understand the beauty and poetry inherent in any accent.”
Parler mal is open to the public and takes place on Monday, February 9, at 7 pm in the Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $30, or $20 for members of the Centre culturel francophone de l’Okanagan. The show will be fully translated for people not fluent in French.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.theboxoffice.ca/upcoming-events/parler-mal
