Les Belles-Soeurs

play by Tremblay

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June 22, 2026

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Michel Tremblay's 1968 play, Les Belles-Soeurs, is a landmark in Quebec theatre. It revolutionized the stage by using joual, the working-class dialect of Quebec, to express the alienation of its characters. This departure from traditional language marked a significant shift in Quebecois literature and theatre, reflecting the social and political changes of the era known as the Quiet Revolution. The play's use of everyday language and its focus on ordinary people were groundbreaking, paving the way for a new generation of experimental and socially conscious theatre in Quebec.12

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Canadian literature
The Quiet Revolution
…Tremblay revolutionized Quebec theatre with Les Belles-Soeurs (“The Sisters-in-Law”; Eng. trans. Les Belles-Soeurs), which was first read at the Centre d’Essai des Auteurs Dramatiques (Centre for Dramatic Authors), established in 1965 to give a forum to Quebec playwrights. The “new Quebec theatre” ushered in by Tremblay was characterized by experimental…
Read More
…Tremblay revolutionized Quebec theatre with Les Belles-Soeurs (“The Sisters-in-Law”; Eng. trans. Les Belles-Soeurs), which was first read at the Centre d’Essai des Auteurs Dramatiques (Centre for Dramatic Authors), established in 1965 to give a forum to Quebec playwrights. The “new Quebec theatre” ushered in by Tremblay was characterized by experimental…
Read More