Interview with Pierre Antoine Lafon Simard, Artistic Director, La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins

By Robin Etherington

Pierre Antoine Lafon Simard is an artistic and general director, and digital artist, who has had works presented nationally and internationally. He directs Théâtre du Trillium, weaving together contemporary theatre and digital arts, with a focus on emerging francophone artists and hybrid live performance. He collaborates with partners in Ottawa’s arts ecosystem such as the National Arts Centre, SAW, AXENÉO7, and DAÏMÔN, strengthening Ottawa’s francophone artistic community and opening the theatre to a more diverse audience.

La Nouvelle Scène, Ottawa’s francophone theatre in the heart of Lowertown, was created in 1999 by four resident companies – Théâtre du Trillium, Théâtre de la Vieille 17, Vox Théâtre, and Théâtre Catapulte. They built a permanent home for French-language theatre in the National Capital Region. In 2016, it reopened as La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, in recognition of a donation by philanthropist, Gilles Desjardins. It offers two fully equipped studio theatres, a rehearsal studio, a bistro, and an interior courtyard. The four resident companies present their works alongside visiting theatre, dance and interdisciplinary projects from across Canada and abroad.

What has been the greatest challenge and opportunity?

We are a producing and presenting venue, a shared home for resident companies, a rental and community hub, and a symbol for La Francophonie in Ottawa. Balancing these roles inside one building, with the available staffing and funding, requires creative negotiation. We navigate post-pandemic audience habits – people go out differently, plan later, and spend less on culture. For a francophone theatre centre, this is impactful because our public is already smaller. Our challenge is to keep the building vibrant for families, school groups, young adults discovering contemporary performance, and elders who have supported us for decades, with accessible ticket prices. We manage a complex, highly technical facility. Maintaining the building and keeping our equipment up to date with rising costs, is difficult. We collaborate, share resources and invent new models. The opportunity is to bridge between languages, disciplines, local, and international networks. We play a central role in how Ottawa imagines itself as a cultural capital over the next decade.

How can the community help the arts in Ottawa?

Ottawa has a rich, diverse arts ecosystem. Many residents don’t realize how much is happening in small and mid-size venues across the city. For francophones, there is the question of language and cultural confidence. Extraordinary work in French is being created. Attending a show at La Nouvelle Scène is a night out and an investment in Ottawa’s cultural life. The community supports the arts and there are opportunities to donate or volunteer, and strong partnerships with educational institutions, community organizations, and associations.

What is the theatre’s relationship with the City of Ottawa?

The city’s cultural funding programs support La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, in particular via a multi-year arts service agreement that recognizes the venue’s role as a key facility for francophone theatre and live performance. We work closely with city departments on issues such as urban planning, accessibility, cultural policy consultations, special events, and the city’s cultural life. City support helps us keep our spaces affordable for the community and allows us to welcome events that make the building a living part of the urban fabric.

What are the funding resources for the theatre and its arts activities?

Our funding model is hybrid. We work to diversify and stabilize our revenues so that artists can take risks on stage to amaze our audience.

Public funders – operating and project support from the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, and other project based provincial and federal programs. 

Foundations and private donors – in 2016, La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins received a historic private donation that helped rebuild it. We cultivate relationships with individual donors and foundations who share our commitment to francophone culture and to the development of the next generation.

Earned revenue – ticket sales, bar and bistro income, space rentals, and co-presentations generate important revenue, but they cannot sustain a building and a mandate of this size. 

Partnership-based resources – we design projects in partnership with other institutions (universities, cultural centres, embassies, schools), which allow us to share costs, staff, and infrastructure while reaching new audiences. 

What partnerships are happening that are unique and future-oriented?

An exciting dimension of La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins is our network of partnerships. We deepen collaborations between our four resident companies, who increasingly co-produce and share artists and resources. We partner with contemporary art centres, digital-arts labs, and educational institutions on projects that explore the intersection of theatre with new technologies, immersive media, and research-creation. We develop ties with university research centres to host residencies that bring together artists, students, and researchers around questions such as artificial intelligence in performance, accessibility, and new forms of storytelling in virtual or mixed reality environments. These projects rethink what a francophone theatre centre can be in the 21st century – a place where art, education, and innovation meet. We maintain strong relationships with regional, national and international presenters and festivals, which allows Ottawa-based work to tour and to welcome artists from other cities and countries to Lowertown.

How do community people participate in La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins?

Community participates as audience members – attending theatre, dance, performances, family programming and school matinees throughout the season, as collaborators and as renters. Community groups, artist collectives, festivals, and non-profits use our studios, bistro, and meeting spaces for performances, workshops, conferences, and celebrations. Also, through education and outreach, via school groups, artist talks, discussions, and special events, and as volunteers, donors and ambassadors, by helping during events, supporting fundraising campaigns or simply spreading the word in their networks. Our goal is for people to feel that La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins belongs to them – that it is a welcoming, multilingual, multigenerational house where they can see themselves reflected on stage and in the audience.

Where do you see La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins in five years?

I see it as a vibrant landmark in Ottawa’s cultural landscape – a place that people recommend instinctively when someone asks, “Where can I see something bold and francophone tonight?” This will be possible because we are a laboratory for new forms of performance, where artists can experiment, undertake residencies and build international collaborations. The building will feel alive at all times, with rehearsals, workshops, school visits, and public events constantly overlapping.

How do you plan to celebrate Ottawa’s 200th Anniversary in 2026-2027?

Ottawa’s 200th anniversary is a unique opportunity for La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins to highlight the francophone contribution to the city’s past, present, and future. We’ll present a season that speaks to the history and future of the National Capital Region, through new francophone works. We’ll host community events and collaborate with other venues and festivals to ensure that francophone voices are visible and audible in the Ottawa 200 program as an integral part of the city’s story.