Closure of La Tulipe | Our united voices for La Tulipe

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The co-signatories of this letter hope that the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal on the subject of noise has not signed the death warrant of the performance hall which they describe as a cultural jewel.




The judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal which requires La Tulipe to stop making noise and which results in its imminent closure1 throws us into dismay.

This news outrages and worries us for several reasons.

Firstly because La Tulipe is a historic performance hall, a flagship of Montreal and Quebec culture since its opening in 1913 under the name of Théâtre Dominion. This room housed the famous Théâtre des Variétés from 1966 to 2000. Since 2000, La Tulipe has welcomed important local and international artists by offering a privileged experience to spectators with a room-stage relationship which encourages proximity with a gauge of ‘around 500 people seated.

  • The singer Dumas, one of the co-signatories of the letter, was the very first artist to perform in the room, installed in the heritage building of the former Théâtre des Variétés.

    PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

    The singer Dumas, one of the co-signatories of the letter, was the very first artist to perform in the room, installed in the heritage building of the former Théâtre des Variétés.

  • He also performed live in September 2020.

    PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

    He also performed live in September 2020.

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Then, because La Tulipe is an easily accessible performance hall. We often wonder about the problem of access to culture for the general population. Here is a room in the heart of the city, accessible on foot, in front of which you can spontaneously stop and enter. We need these democratic and urban places of culture as much as those which are isolated and out of the way.

Then, by placing individuality above the collective, the Quebec Court of Appeal seems to demonstrate indifference to our reality as cultural workers.

We refuse to see cultural heritage places disappear over legal technicalities.

PHOTO PIERRE CÔTÉ, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

Gilles Latulippe, founder of the Théâtre des Variétés, in front of the building in 1991

We hope that the City of Montreal will have the courage to correct its mistake.

We have hope that this giant of our cultural history will not disappear silently.

We hope that our voices, which join those that have resonated in La Tulipe for over 100 years, will be heard.

We hope to keep a strong urban culture.

We hope that the discontent of a handful of individuals will not decide the fate of a collective jewel.

* Consult the list of signatories of the letter

1. Read “Judgment regarding noise – La Tulipe closes, the City seeks a solution”

What do you think? Participate in the dialogue


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