It took guts – some would say naivety. Faced with an environment that seemed to block management positions from the new generation, David Laurin and Jean-Simon Traversy dared to apply to take the reins of one of the largest theaters in the metropolis: that of Duceppe.
Their audacity paid off. The selection committee responsible for finding a replacement for Michel Dumont, who worked 27 seasons as artistic director at Duceppe, recommended the hiring of these two young thirty-somethings unknown to the battalion of spectators. In doing so, the theater nestled in the center of Place des Arts launched a rejuvenation movement which has since spread to several institutions in Montreal and Quebec.
In 2017, however, the year the duo was hired, the shock was seismic in the industry: two millennials were going to decide in tandem (unheard of in Quebec!) the programming of the Théâtre Duceppe, judged by many to be the most conservative in the time in Montreal.
However, Duceppe’s leaders had had enough of this image of a dusty theater with silver-headed subscribers. An electric shock was necessary.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Amélie Duceppe, general manager of Duceppe
Our image was not good. There was a clear desire to revitalize our theater, our artistic proposition. We met with several people to find out what was wrong with us.
Amélie Duceppe, general manager of Duceppe
It was during one of these exploratory meetings that a first contact was created between the Traversy-Laurin duo and Duceppe’s management. “We got there saying that we were going to be super transparent,” remembers Jean-Simon Traversy. We said to ourselves that at worst, they would hate us, but that we would take the opportunity to say that we wanted things to change in institutional theaters. They were told that in the previous ten seasons, only one text had been written by a woman. Just one! We pleaded for more openness, more representativeness, particularly for women. These were concerns of artists of our generation. »
After this meeting, which lasted a whole morning, the two men were invited for an official interview, where their vision and dynamism won over the selection committee. The announcement of their appointment was made during a season launch in April 2017, in front of an audience of doubtful spectators, but to the cheers of the performers present for the occasion.
Have some subscribers deserted the institution when they saw these two new faces arrive? Of course, but not as much as management feared. “Each season, we lose a certain percentage of subscribers for various reasons,” explains Amélie Duceppe. But when the guys arrived, this percentage was lower. »
For Jean-Simon Traversy and David Laurin, this appointment arrived much earlier than they had imagined. “We knew that artistic direction interested us, but we didn’t think we would be able to try it until we were 50. It was not an achievable dream for us,” says David Laurin.
“We decided to do the exercise to find out what the hiring process was like. We were curious! We had absolutely nothing to lose, adds Jean-Simon Traversy. Afterwards, we had to do our classes, learn this profession for which we were not trained, even if we had our company LAB87. »
“The transition was a big challenge,” adds David Laurin. We had no reference, because there weren’t many people from our generation or from the previous generation who managed theaters at the time in Quebec! This was seen more abroad, such as in Anglo-Saxon countries or in Germany. »
A revolution like a return to basics
After six years as artistic directors, the two men changed the way things are done at Duceppe. The theater has largely rejuvenated its audience, several plays featuring diversity issues (and performers) have been presented, women occupy important positions (writing or directing) in 50% of productions . Writing residencies and annual open auditions have been established to discover new talents.
A revolution ? Both men say no. “While doing our research, we found a very strong connection with Jean Duceppe. Our mission was the same as that of the founder: to democratize theater and make it accessible to the general public,” believes Jean-Simon Traversy.
It is sometimes normal that with the passage of the years, an institution becomes a little lost, but from the foundation, this desire was clear. We wanted to re-establish ourselves on these values of the company, but also to bring it into the 2010s.
Jean-Simon Traversy
“For us, openness and representativeness of Quebec society on our stage have always been profound values,” continues David Laurin. Also, our way of leading may be different from that of the previous generation. We do not arrive with ready-made ideas in front of our colleagues. We like there to be a sharing of ideas. This is our way of working in the rehearsal room and it is also taking place peacefully in the offices. »
A concrete example of this more collegial way of doing things: there is always a Duceppe employee on the reading committee who decides on the works that will be presented in future seasons. “Comments are always well received, even if they do not go in the same direction as us. It’s generational, perhaps,” says David Laurin.
An undeniable groundswell
One thing is certain, by appointing two millennials at the head of their theater, the leaders of Duceppe have shaken up the theatrical ecosystem of the metropolis. Since 2017, several theaters in Montreal and Quebec have appointed younger heads to artistic or general direction. Think in particular of the Prospero (Philipe Cyr and Vincent de Repentigny), Espace Go (Edith Patenaude), the Trident (Olivier Arteau), the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier (Stéphanie Laurin).
Two-headed managements have also multiplied. David Laurin and Jean-Simon Traversy are ardent defenders of this way of doing things. The latter explains: “It doubles our curiosity, it increases our ability to read texts and the meshes of the net are tighter to put our ideas to the test. When I have an idea for a show to put on, for example, I first have to convince David. If I see that my idea is not good, I give up. Perhaps if I were alone, I would persist in a wrong path. »
“It also allows us to continue to work outside of Duceppe; thus, there is less risk of disconnecting from the environment,” says David Laurin.
“And together, we can see more shows to see what’s happening elsewhere,” adds Jean-Simon Traversy.
When asked about the future of their directorship, the two men look at each other, smirking. David Laurin breaks the silence: “When we arrived, we said that we would stay between 8 and 12 years so that we would not find ourselves too comfortable in our seats and so that the power would not corrupt us. We will always have things to say and do, but Duceppe will not always be our vehicle. When the time comes to pass the torch, however, we will want to be there to help those who will take over…”
Don’t want to overwhelm yourself for fear of being overwhelmed. Maybe this is another cell in the millennial DNA…