25 years ago, the comedy world had its own gala. During the first Olivier ceremony, hosted by Lise Dion, the prize for best show of the year was awarded to Claudine Mercier. A wonderful evening for the two rare women who managed to do well in this boys’ club. A few days before the gala, Gilbert Rozon, the strong man of the industry, had obtained an unconditional discharge after pleading guilty to a charge of sexual assault. March 1999 was also the time of Hot pepperand racist and homophobic jokes in prime time.
The humor has undoubtedly softened, a quarter of a century later. Morals have evolved; some topics have become undermined. Broadcasters are also more cautious, especially since lawyers are much more present in the creative process. “But to say that we can no longer say anything is false,” says author Pierre-Michel Tremblay, who has worked with Blood Group and Jean-Thomas Jobin, among others.
“In any case, those who say that we can no longer say anything, what do they want to say so much that we can no longer say? Racist affairs? Sexist? I don’t think comedians censor themselves. I think they are just more aware of the impact of their jokes, whereas 25 years ago, we didn’t really have this kind of consideration,” he adds.
Needless to say, the comedy industry has changed considerably since the first Olivier. But if there is one thing, on the other hand, that has stood the test of time, it is the eternal question “Are there too many comedians in Quebec?” “. And it probably arises even more in 2024 than in 1999, because the number of comedians has truly exploded in 25 years. Never have there been so many tours, so many comedy evenings, so many films, series, podcasts featuring comedians.
“Yes, there are a lot of comedians, but I don’t think there are too many. If there are so many, it’s also because the demand is there,” replies Sylvain Parent-Bédard, the founder of the ComediHa! festival, whose 25e edition will also take place this year.
Lucrative industry
Is this abundance of supply really a guarantee of a healthy industry? More or less. Like all performing arts, humor has suffered the repercussions of the pandemic. The public took longer than expected to return to the theater, says Sylvain Parent-Bédard.
The market is also more segmented than before. Shows that work well are always extremely lucrative, but not as much as the tours of Jean-Michel Anctil or Lise Dion could be in the early 2000s. “It’s obvious that the more comedians there are, the less the slices of the pie they share are big. Today, there aren’t really any comedians who can please everyone like before. The different genres are better defined,” explains the director of the National School of Humor (ENH), Louise Richer.
That said, humor undeniably remains the cash cow of culture in Quebec. In 2018, the last year in which this data was compiled, 15 of the 25 most popular shows in Quebec were comedian tours.
“Humor is not experiencing the crisis that the music industry is experiencing, which is having a lot of difficulties at the moment. We don’t have to compete with the Anglo-Saxon industry. Humor remains something very cultural, very linked to language,” underlines the director of ENH.
Place for women
Like the environment in which it is immersed, the National School of Humor has also changed a lot in recent years. For three years now, it has welcomed as many women as men, which would have been unthinkable in times not so long ago. Even more incredible, this parity was achieved without quotas being imposed, even if Louise Richer has already toyed with this idea, just as the situation of women in humor has long evolved at a snail’s pace.
“For a long time, there was this idea that women were less funny than men. Without wanting to sound psycho-pop, I think it’s partly due to the fact that humor has always been seen as a way of seducing men, which is not the case for women. A funny woman can be perceived as threatening, even as vulgar. There is still work to be done, but fortunately, things are changing,” she says, very happy with the situation.
The tide began to turn for women in humor about ten years ago, with Katherine Levac, Mariana Mazza, Virginie Fortin and Eve Côté, who also co-hosts this 25e gala with Cathy Gauthier. The #MeToo wave, which hit the comedy world hard, also helped change the situation from 2017.
“The fall of Gilbert imposed an ethical reflection in the world of humor. We started to ask ourselves what behavior we accept or not, what passes as a joke or not. It opened the door to women, but also to comedians from diversity and the LGBT community,” relates researcher Christelle Paré, whose work focuses on the world of humor.
The end of the Just for Laughs model
When Mme When Paré first became interested in the industry, she was in what she calls a “latent period.” Comedians from the first cohorts of the ENH were then at the height of their popularity. The Martin Matte and Louis-José Houde of this world filled theaters throughout the province, in addition to occupying all the media space, which left little room for the next generation.
Then, the advent of social networks and web series allowed a whole generation of young comedians to bypass traditional channels to make themselves known to the public. The appearance of comedy clubsstarting with Le Bordel, also made possible the emergence of new talents.
“Before, there was pretty much only one path to becoming famous: you left the National School, then you were signed by a producer. You then started playing in bars and in “corps”, and when it was judged that you were ready, you were going to present a number in a Just for Laughs gala. If it went well, it was a consecration. You were going to come out of there with a big advertising contract, then the first one man show would follow. Today, everything is broken. There are a thousand paths to arrive at a first one man show », reports Christelle Paré.
In this new reality, Just for Laughs will not have succeeded in adapting. Over the years, its festival will have somewhat lost its reason for being. The 25e edition of the Les Olivier Gala will take place on Sunday, two weeks after the company that shaped the industry took shelter from its creditors.
Could the setbacks of Just for Laughs be a harbinger of a difficult future for humor in Quebec? “In the medium and long term, I honestly don’t think so. The environment is very solid,” says Sylvain Parent-Bédard, of ComediHa!, who has also taken over part of the Just for Laughs activities in the last few days.