Like several other cultural artisans who work in the shadows, Marie-Andrée Robichaud and Daniel Mastromatteo are severely affected by the decision of the Legault government to close all performance venues in Quebec because of the Omicron variant, a few days of the holiday season.
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She is a chorister and stage technician. He is a sound engineer. The two tour with Roch Voisine.
The couple, who managed to complete the tour in Europe and return to the country on December 12, just before the death knell sounded, are disheartened. They have no news of the shows scheduled for January and the European tour next March is also on hold.
“By dint of playing yoyo, you no longer know on which foot to dance,” explains Daniel Mastromatteo. Yes, there is a virus and a disease, we are aware of it all, but at some point we wonder when it will all stop so that we can resume what we were doing normally. We don’t really know anymore. ”
They find themselves in the same state of uncertainty as last year, when theaters were closed for six months.
Among the ten members of the tour, the reactions are varied: some are angry, others discouraged, especially those who only do shows for a living. Everyone must wait and see what happens after the holidays.
“It’s very hard because a lot of us just do that,” adds Marie-Andrée Robichaud. Government assistance has its limits and not doing what you love in life gets depressing. We also realize that it is not in theaters that the virus is spread. This makes us think that they are scattered a bit in their measures which are becoming very restrictive. We have the impression of suffocating. ”
To survive
At the height of the pandemic, last year, Marie-Andrée lost all the shows on her schedule (without financial compensation, because she is self-employed). She had to invest time and money in the CV creation company (Quality CV) and job search tools that she created to be able to do this.
Daniel, who was already working as a pole vaulter and sound technician part-time at TVA, was able to find work there. He started working on virtual shows Live in your living room.
They will look to those B-plans again to keep their heads above water during this new crisis.
“It’s not our main job, but we have to go towards these avenues to be able to survive,” says the singer, “but it has no relation to the income that we normally make. We survive rather than actually live. ”
RRSPs pay off
They are not the only ones. In some cases, the financial difficulties are so great that artists have to resolve to empty their stockings.
Thus, at the Union des artistes, never have so many members asked to withdraw their RRSP than now, reports the president, Sophie Prégent.
“This is very bad news. We also see people selling their goods. People who had managed to buy a house and put it up for sale, for the reasons we know, ”she reveals.
“Currently, there is no social safety net. The PCRE has been stopped since October 23 and the other confinement service is not effective. Since October, there is nothing. ”
At least Marie-Andrée Robichaud and Daniel Mastromatteo, together for 38 years, can count on each other to get through this period of professional uncertainty. “We are lucky,” they conclude.
“ Our job is precarious ”
Luc Theriault
- 27 years old, Longueuil
- Stage technician
Working in the industry for eight years, Pierre-Luc Thériault quickly understood that he had to have several strings to his bow to be able to survive.
“My calendar has opened up quite a bit,” said the man who was to go on tour with Roch Voisine in January, then across Canada with Simple Plan in February. I have nothing until mid-January, other than a few web and corporate broadcasts. ”
The young man, who calls himself a pessimist by nature, does not see a return to work until February or even March. “You have to have done this job to understand how wonderful it is,” continues the one who refuses to think of a career change. I know very well that living art will start again and is necessary for a society. “
– Sarah-Émilie Nault
“ I will have to start my studies again ”
Photo courtesy, Gabriella
Francois Lévesque
- 28 years old, Montreal
- Lighting designer
“It’s like I’m driving 120 km / h on the 20 and someone is pulling the handbrake for no good reason, in my opinion. “
François Lévesque believed that it was there. He had put aside his studies in vegetable production at the CEGEP de Victoriaville, which began during the previous confinement, to return to the touring and entertainment market.
“It was fun, I found the excitement before COVID, it gave me a little gas. I love my job so much. I eat that. I like to go on tour, to live big trips together, but then I will have to start my studies again, ”says the one who has been in the running for the ADISQ several times for the quality of his lighting.
He calls on governments not to forget those who work outside the public eye.
“Subsidies, it seems like it’s always the same that have everything. It would be nice if there were some for craftsmen like me. “
– Cedric Bélanger
“ I lost all my contracts ”
Photo from Facebook, Olivier Quirion
Olivier Quirion
- 39 years old, Quebec
- Musician and sound engineer
The future of Olivier Quirion in the music industry now seems very uncertain.
“I lost all my contracts. I’m going to try other things, but in the short term, there is nothing left in front, ”says the one who accompanies Rémi Chassé and Gab Paquet on stage, in particular, in addition to being a sound engineer for the concerts held at the bar. shows the Anti, in Quebec.
Most difficult now? The fear of having to change jobs.
“It’s so hard to make a living out of it, it’s almost impossible. So when you manage to do it and you lose it, it’s panic. ”
Olivier Quirion does not want to change direction, but he has set up a YouTube channel where he publishes bass videos. “I’m not making a lot of money with it, but it’s a project that will continue to grow and maybe become interesting one day. The pandemic gave me the opportunity to create new things. “
– Cedric Bélanger
Pandemic and mental health: devastating effects
The president of the Guild of musicians and musicians of Quebec (GMMQ) fears that even more artisans in the performing arts will develop suicidal thoughts because of the putting on hiatus of the performing arts.
“I’m scared, especially since it’s happening around the holiday season. It’s a very emotional time of year, ”says Luc Fortin.
A survey published in March 2021 already illustrated the devastating effects of the pandemic on the mental health of artists and technicians: 11.7% of respondents had claimed to have had suicidal thoughts since the start of the pandemic. “It’s scary because 11.7% is 5% above the average for the general population,” says Mr. Fortin.
Many know people who have thought about suicide or who have actually taken it upon themselves.
“For two years, we have known personally five people who have committed suicide in our community, musicians and technicians,” says Daniel Mastromatteo. Bankruptcies, suicides, depressions, at some point, it will strike. “
Distress
In the same sounding last spring, almost two out of three people admitted to feeling psychological distress.
Again, it will not improve, believes Luc Fortin.
“The vaccination has arrived and we said to ourselves, that’s it, we’re doing it. It was going well, several shows were scheduled, people had started to work again and poof, overnight, we fall from above. This is hard. This is the hardest part. “
Help during the Holidays
In an emergency, a sum of $ 315,000 was made available by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec to offer all kinds of support, particularly psychological, to artists.
“It’s managed by the Fondation des artistes and it’s available during the holiday season. This makes it possible to offer around ten hours of consultation with social workers, mediators, financial planners and legal advisers, ”advises the president of the Union des artistes, Sophie Prégent.
However, more will have to be done, insists Luc Fortin. “We lack psychosocial support resources. Since the start of the pandemic, it has been necessary to wait weeks to have an appointment with a psychologist. “
Psychological distress in numbers
◆ 43.3% of respondents have symptoms of major depression
◆ 11.7 have had suicidal thoughts in the past year
◆ 63% experience a high or very high level of psychological distress
◆ 41% considered changing jobs
Source: APASQ, AQAD, ARRQ, FNCC-CSN, GMMQ, TRACE, UDA, MNEQ report of March 2021
◆ 10.3% of respondents have been diagnosed with a psychological health disorder within the past year
◆ 14.8% have had suicidal thoughts
◆ 35.1% sought help for symptoms of distress
◆ 33% consulted a psychologist or social worker
◆ 28.3% faced financial difficulties
◆ 43.1% looked for work outside the cultural sector
Source: UDA survey of January 2021 after 1,124 members