There was a time when even the biggest public and critical successes applauded in Montreal theaters were condemned to die out after a first wave of 10 to 20 performances, missing the opportunity to reach an audience lured by word of mouth . This era is increasingly over, we have particularly noticed this season. This was remarkable at La Licorne, where the calendar was arranged in such a way as to leave free slots for possible (and numerous) additional ones. The strategy was a winner: the coin Volunteering, by Maud de Palma Duquet, had 40 sold-out performances, instead of the 28 planned, and it will be presented again in December 2024. Other theaters, notably Duceppe and the TNM, as well as the Rideau vert and the Prospero , operate in a similar way. An uncommon practice barely ten years ago.
Why this old reluctance to prolong successes? The reasons were multiple. The seasons are based on a very tight schedule and planned three years in advance to meet the requirements of grantors. Agreements with the Union of Artists (UDA) protect actors from contracts that require too much availability for uncertain dates. Public funding is lacking for the distribution of covers, in a system which often prioritizes new creations. And, of course, the availability of actors and actresses is limited, in a province where the profession, without a social safety net, pushes them to work at the same time on all fronts — theater, television, advertising, radio.
The example of The Unicorn
This season, artistic director Philippe Lambert has chosen to produce two fewer creations than usual in his small room to allow himself to prolong, while the iron is still hot, one or two possible successes. Volunteering took advantage of it, but also a piece of the Free Space, Sister donkeys, by Mathieu Quesnel and Yves Jacques, which returns to the stage at La Licorne only two months after its first series of performances. In an ecosystem where the norm is rather to schedule takeovers two or three years later, the decision is bold.
“Montreal is missing a private theater that would be freed from the structure of pre-programmed seasons and that could quickly showcase the successes of other theaters,” says Philippe Lambert. Toronto has Crow’s Theatre, which is part of its mission. As these shows are guaranteed to fill theaters, there is less financial risk in programming them. However, the ideal would be to extend them immediately, when word of mouth abounds. While waiting to have such a place, I decided to test a formula like this at La Licorne. »
Still, it’s not simple. It’s difficult to predict which shows will work best. “The flexible schedule that I established was not perfect,” regrets Philippe Lambert. He did not allow the show to be extended Missed threads, which could very well have continued. For me, it proves that theater can be mainstream. When I hear colleagues make generalizations and say that the rooms are empty, I am perplexed. This is not the reality for us. And we’re not the only ones. »
A practice that is becoming widespread
This is also the case at Duceppe, a theater revived by its new artistic direction since 2017. Successful revivals are an integral part of the distribution strategies cherished by David Laurin and Jean-Simon Traversy, who reserve two slots of a few dates each season. at the Fifth Room — neighboring theater at Place des Arts. They also happened to borrow the most imposing Maisonneuve theater for monster successes with the potential to fill its 1453 seats several times over. The now cult piece I like Hydroby Annabel Soutar and Christine Beaulieu, was among them.
Less quick on the trigger than their counterpart in La Licorne, Traversy and Laurin nevertheless move away from the tradition of covers two years apart. “To react quickly, we also take advantage of Duceppe’s reading committee, which does artistic monitoring work,” adds Jean-Simon Traversy.
Irrefutable observation: these covers attract a new audience! “I like to cite the example of Not lost, by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette and Émile Proulx-Cloutier, adds Duceppe’s co-director. The revival at the Maisonneuve theater proved that such a play can not only appeal to a wide audience, but also serve as an entry point for neophytes. »
At the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM), the director, Lorraine Pintal, gives the same speech. The resumption this winter of Calls me Mohamed Ali, one of the first French-speaking Quebec productions entirely performed by an Afro-descendant cast, mobilized a new audience from the Montreal-Haitian community. “We also saw a younger and overall more diverse audience. My philosophy for revivals is to identify shows that have been created by small companies, often homeless, that have the potential to reach a large audience in the 800-seat TNM venue. »
Challenges, all the same
This rule is not immutable. Next year, we will see for example at the TNM Two women in gold, a success of La Unicorne (again!). The fact remains that, even if these shows fill the rooms, “there is a financial risk”, nuance Lorraine Pintal. “To cover costs, these plays absolutely have to be sold out. We pay attention to pricing, so as not to create too big a difference between the cost of creation in a smaller theater and the cost of the ticket at TNM. Without neglecting artist royalties and copyrights. »
Extending the lifespan of shows in the Montreal context remains complicated, all the stakeholders consulted tell us in unison. But theaters are more determined than ever to persist. A refreshing attitude which brings a little optimism in the context of underfunding denounced these days by the performing arts community.