Isabelle Hubert’s Le Chiard: Gaspésie’s Hidden History on Stage
Isabelle Hubert’s new play, Le Chiard, opening at Théâtre La Bordée, isn’t simply a historical drama; it’s a reckoning with a largely untold chapter of Quebec’s past. The play centers on Donatienne, a Gaspesian fisherwoman in the early 20th century, who refuses a request from the local factory owner to prepare her renowned chiard – a traditional fish stew – for him. This seemingly small act of defiance ignites a conflict that exposes the deeply entrenched system of exploitation that defined the region’s fishing industry for over two centuries.
Hubert’s inspiration stems, in part, from a family anecdote. Her father, working for a pulp and paper company, would routinely bestow gifts upon the contractors he took out on a converted crab boat, culminating in her mother preparing a chiard. This practice, reflective of a time when “the pattern of the English boss and French employees” was firmly in place, took a turn when a consultant her father disliked was denied the customary meal. The resulting friction, though minor in itself, sparked Hubert’s curiosity about the broader historical context.
However, Le Chiard quickly moves beyond this personal story to explore the larger narrative of the Gaspé Peninsula’s fishing industry. Hubert discovered a history largely absent from textbooks, a history where the lucrative dried cod trade, controlled for 250 years by prosperous English merchants, relied on a system that kept French-speaking, often illiterate, colonists perpetually indebted. “When we’re told the history of Quebec and Canada in primary school, high school, and college, we’re never told about the Gaspé,” Hubert noted.
The play’s setting – the autumn equinox in early 20th-century Gaspésie – is crucial. It’s a time of transition, mirroring the societal shift brewing beneath the surface. Donatienne’s chiard, a celebratory dish, becomes a symbol of resistance against a system that reduced individuals to mere economic units. The refusal to provide it to the factory owner isn’t about the meal itself, but about preserving dignity in the face of systemic oppression.
Hubert’s journey into historical drama was somewhat unexpected. Having previously focused on contemporary themes – including adaptations like Les Plouffe in and 34B in – she initially believed she was “condemned to write here and now.” But research for those projects opened a door to exploring the past, a path she found increasingly compelling.
This exploration coincided with a period of self-reflection, a “midlife crisis” as Hubert described it, where she questioned the relevance of her work in a theatrical landscape increasingly focused on the present. She observed a growing trend of historical plays emerging on Quebec stages, a phenomenon she attributes to a renewed interest in re-examining the past. “We haven’t had that on our stages for decades… and suddenly, it appears,” she said.
The play draws inspiration from a specific event: the strike in Rivière-au-Renard. A reduction in the price of cod from $5 to $3.50 per quintal sparked a rebellion. The response was swift and severe: the Canadian army was deployed, and the striking fishermen were arrested and subjected to a two-day trial conducted in English, without allowing them to testify. This incident, largely overlooked in historical accounts, serves as a stark illustration of the power imbalance at play.
Hubert hopes Le Chiard will fill a void in the collective memory. She believes the omission of the Gaspé’s history from mainstream narratives is no accident. “I think the people who wrote the history books don’t come from the Gaspé,” she stated. The play, rooted in a “popular theatre” tradition, aims to bring this forgotten story to light, offering a nuanced portrayal of a community grappling with economic hardship and fighting for its dignity.
The production, running from to at La Bordée, promises a compelling exploration of a pivotal moment in Quebec’s history, reminding audiences that even the smallest acts of resistance can have profound political repercussions. It’s a story of a woman who, by refusing to simply provide a meal, challenged a system that had held a community captive for generations.