Théâtre des Variétés (Montreal)

2. French-Language Theatre Before 1898

Montreal had long possessed an active French-language theatrical culture, but throughout much of the nineteenth century it remained dependent on amateur performers, dramatic societies, colleges, touring companies, and initiatives of varying duration. The city’s major permanent professional theatrical structures were still largely English-speaking.

During the 1890s, this situation began to change. The Monument-National, inaugurated in 1893, played an especially important role in this transition. Its educational and theatrical activities helped foster a new generation of French-speaking performers and organizers.

3. Founding of the Théâtre des Variétés

The theatre was founded by two figures closely associated with the development of Montreal’s French-language stage: Léon Petitjean and Antoine Bailly, known as Godeau.

Petitjean was already active as an actor, playwright, stage manager, and theatrical organizer. Godeau, a Frenchman established in Montreal, taught mechanics at the Monument-National while also participating in its theatrical activities. He would later become an important figure in stage management and actor direction in Quebec.

Their ambition was to establish a genuine professional French-language stage in Montreal, with a regular company capable of presenting a sustained program of performances.

4. A Professional Company

One of the defining characteristics of the Théâtre des Variétés was the establishment of a genuine company of professional actors. Several of its members later became important figures in French-Canadian theatre.

Among them were Joseph-Sergius Archambault, known as Palmieri, Elzéar Hamel, and Joseph-Philéas Filion. Their time with the Variétés illustrates the venue’s role as a place of practical training, professionalization, and transition toward the larger companies that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century.

5. Repertoire and Programming

The company primarily presented melodramas and comedies, genres that were extremely popular with audiences of the period. Its activities were not limited to Montreal: performances were also given in Quebec City.

The repertoire drew heavily from popular French theatre. In 1899, and again in February 1900, the Variétés presented a stage adaptation of Michel Strogoff, the famous novel by Jules Verne.

This programming helped familiarize Montreal audiences with a regular form of professional French-language theatre that was accessible and aimed at a broad public rather than being restricted to amateur or school-based circles.

6. The Arrival of the Théâtre National

The fragile balance of the Théâtre des Variétés was disrupted by the emergence of new professional French-language stages. On August 12, 1900, the Théâtre National Français opened at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Beaudry streets.

Under the artistic direction of Julien Daoust, the National sought to bring together some of the best performers available in Montreal. Several of the principal actors from the Théâtre des Variétés subsequently joined the new company.

This movement of performers should be understood less as a simple failure of the Variétés than as evidence of the rapid transformation of Montreal’s theatrical ecosystem. In less than two years, Godeau and Petitjean’s small theatre had helped create a pool of professionals upon which newer theatrical institutions could build.

7. Historical Importance

The Théâtre des Variétés had an extremely brief existence, but its influence extended well beyond the length of its operations. It appeared at precisely the moment when Montreal’s French-language theatre was beginning to move from a culture dominated by temporary initiatives toward a genuine form of continuous professional activity.

The Variétés therefore represents an important link between the theatrical activities of the Monument-National during the 1890s and the emergence, at the turn of the century, of new professional stages such as the Théâtre National Français.

8. Timeline