This text is part of the special Theater booklet
Outside Montreal, no salvation? However, many are struggling in the region to bring the theater to life and discover it. Interview with two creators rooted in the region.
“The fjord is magnificent. When I was away, I missed it,” says Vicky Côté, multidisciplinary artist and founder of the Théâtre à Bout Portant in Saguenay. Even if the stages of Montreal and Quebec attract a majority of theater artists, the native of the region chose to set up her gestural and visual theater company there: “I did not ‘resign myself’ to settling here. Theater is a mobile art, I can move. »
Héloïse Desrochers decided to found the Théâtre des Béloufilles in Tadoussac when she left school. “There is no theater in Tadoussac or less than an hour from the city, even though it is the third most visited place in Quebec. I found it a shame, ”says the young graduate, based in Montreal.
Diversity of realities
The reality of regional theaters is as diverse as the corners of the country that host them. “In my region, you can absolutely live year-round as a theater professional,” says Ms.me Side. Saguenay has nine companies, each with its niche, and has a large pool of professionals who dedicate their lives to theatre. “There are several pooling projects, we really have a very positive reality in relation to our territory,” she continues. The presence of an Arts Council in Saguenay also helps support regional organizations and projects.
In Tadoussac, it’s impossible to play all year round, with only one small company in its infancy. The Théâtre des Béloufilles offers feminist productions during the summer only, but would like to offer artistic residencies to artists from the Côte-Nord or Charlevoix.
The lower population in some areas complicates the profitability and survival of theaters. And the lack of housing in regions highly prized by seasonal workers brings its share of challenges for artists who want to settle there.
Multiple Success
And does success rhyme only with big cities? “It depends on what you mean by success. But if I give 10, 15 performances, my rooms are full, the reviews are good, I don’t really know how to qualify it other than as a success, “says M.me Côté, whose shows created within the city of Saguenay are dedicated to the tour. “There are certain prejudices, like this idea that, to succeed in theatre, you have to play on the big stages like at the TNM or at the Periscope. As if, to be known, you had to make your place in town, ”laments Ms.me Rocks.
The companies of the metropolis have the advantage of having more media coverage. “I have a premiere in two weeks, which media will be present? asks Vicky Côté, who returns to the theater for the first time since the pandemic. Regional companies sometimes find it easier to shoot internationally than in mainland France. However, success comes in many ways, if only to bring different audiences into theaters.
Train the next generation
It must be said that the majority of theater training is given in Quebec and Montreal, which draws young artists out of the regions. “It would be good to decentralize training,” believes Mme Side. “There are music conservatories everywhere in Quebec, why not theatre? she adds. Indeed, even if the network of music and drama conservatories in Quebec is established in seven cities, drama studies are only offered in Montreal and Quebec.
There are certain prejudices, like this idea that, to succeed in theatre, you have to play on the big stages like at the TNM or at the Periscope. As if, to be known, you had to make your place in town.
To compensate for this lack of training in the regions, several companies are taking the professionalization mandate on their shoulders by offering more specialized training. “We are trying to decentralize and give access to the practice, but what I hear is that there are not a lot of resources for that”, remarks Mme Rocks. Some internships could, for example, be carried out in the regions, to introduce them to artists who could ultimately settle there. Some amateur theaters in the region also offer a good professional springboard.
With the pandemic, many have decided to settle in the regions, artists as well as spectators. “Perhaps people’s interest in the region will change things,” says Mme Desrochers, which highlights the proliferation of artistic and tourist initiatives in the region.
Multiple hats
Regional creators, who often wear several hats, including that of broadcaster (including promotional tasks, box office, etc.), must also develop their audience. “We don’t have the same population base as the major centres. The dynamics are different; some theaters have partnerships with the City, but we are both producers and broadcasters,” explains Vicky Côté. In Tadoussac, the people of Béloufilles literally distributed leaflets in the street to make its existence known to residents and tourists. “You have to create new habits,” she says.
Important mediation efforts must be made to make the public of all ages aware of the theatre. “In the regions, we have to get out of the myth of summer theater, or classical theater,” adds Mme Side. To highlight the theatrical practice of his region, the multidisciplinary artist also works in collaboration with other players in the field to create a calendar, to bring together in the same site different companies from Saguenay.
give keys
Mediation goes far beyond free tickets. The theaters in the regions apply rather to provide keys on the content and the form to allow audiences from all walks of life to appreciate what they see: panel discussion, period of exchange with the actors after the play and school workshops. “We try to make the experience easier, more complete, for people who are less used to it and who are stepping out of their comfort zone,” explains Ms.me Side.
Youth mediation occupies a special place. “It should be mandatory to see several plays a year,” believes the founder of the Théâtre à Bout Portant. The performing arts, by offering possibilities both in front of and behind the stage (acting, technique, staging), open up many possibilities for expression and careers for young people. “It goes beyond entertainment, or a tool to convince people. It’s to make people think, dream, develop a society”, insists Mme Side.
Diverse audience
“The main challenge is to reach the population,” notes Ms.me Côté, who notes that this issue is not specific to the regions: all the theaters are working hard to attract their audiences, efforts that have been undermined by the pandemic. “There is something about the promotion of the living arts that is perhaps a national gangrene. I can’t wait to see, after two years, how many people will come out of their screens, ”worries Mme Side.
But for Héloïse Desrochers, it is precisely the fact of playing in front of a diverse audience that makes the beauty of playing in the part of the country where she spent her summers. “The Montreal public is often theater people. This summer, some people came to the theater for the first time; it’s so beautiful to see this diverse audience,” she exclaims.
One thing is certain: the theater occupies an essential place everywhere in the territory. The theater, as a living art, must indeed represent society, the whole of society. “I do theater to say something, to share it, to reflect my society. If my audience doesn’t reflect society, it loses a bit of its meaning,” Ms.me Rocks.