In the midst of the turmoil in the cultural industries, how do arts graduates find employment? What is the magic recipe for starting to earn a living in music, theater, or dance? In this series, recent graduates talk about their aspirations. And the tips for breaking into their discipline.
Romy Bédard remembers the energy she felt when she put on plays with her brother, sister and their friends in the living room of the family home. She felt the same adrenaline rush doing improv in high school and CEGEP.
“I always loved telling stories. I felt like I belonged on stage. That was the moment when I could talk non-stop and it didn’t bother anyone anymore!” laughs the 24-year-old Montrealer, whom we met on the terrace of a café in the Rosemont district.
This graduate of the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal still hesitated when it came to choosing her career: the outdoors, her other passion since her childhood summer camp stays, caught her eye. She even worked as a counselor.
But when she was offered a contract as a sea kayak guide in the Magdalen Islands, Romy Bédard was disillusioned: she realized that all her days would be pretty much the same. She would paddle all summer in the same place, day after day. She would also have to drag clients who were unable to continue. It was a far cry from the dream of helping adventure enthusiasts discover the world.
“I thought, ‘No, this is not the job I want to do,’” she says.
Enjoy every second
From that pivotal moment on, Romy Bédard dove headfirst into the world of the stage. She earned her theatre degree from Cégep de Saint-Laurent. She took a year off during the pandemic to prepare for auditions to enter the Conservatoire d’art dramatique.
Her efforts paid off: she was one of the 10 lucky ones, out of about 350 aspiring artists, who were admitted. When she arrived at the Conservatoire, she felt like she was taking her first steps in the profession. She was not just a theater student. Romy was already integrating into the world of dramatic art.
“I quickly understood what game we were playing!” she says. “From the first year, I put myself in professional mode. You’re building a reputation for yourself. All my teachers are actors or directors. It’s a job of networking and contacts.”
Romy Bédard quickly realized that all her friends at the Conservatoire had talent. It takes talent to reach this level of training. Without feeling in competition with the other students, she decided to commit herself fully to her studies and develop a “work ethic” – teachers will tell you that these are words they don’t hear every day in class.
“I’ve often been told, ‘You’re the one who’s going to do your Conservatory. Go get what you need, don’t wait for someone to give it to you.’ After three years, I can say that I’ve enjoyed every second. I’ve been there. I’m burned out, but I have no regrets. I feel like the people I’ve met would like us to work together again.”
“You’re going to go far”
The aspiring actress stood out in the three productions mounted during the third and final year at the Conservatoire. She loved diving into “the ugliness of the human” — and even into the depths of the human soul — with the play Festivedirected by Solène Paré. It is the story of a 60-year-old father’s birthday dinner that brings out deep family wounds.
A three-week tour of France at the end of the second year of studies was also significant. The Conservatory troupe performed at three festivals — street theater, poetry and singing. Romy and her friends sang, among other things: do you love me in a show dedicated to Richard Desjardins and Renaud.
“It was thanks to the tour in France that I got the taste for dramatic art to become my life,” says Romy Bédard. “Spectators who didn’t know me, who don’t have our culture or our accent, told me: “Keep going, you’re going to go far. I believe in you.” I have to believe in it too!”
One thing led to another and Romy earned a spot on this summer’s tour of Théâtre La Roulotte, which is offering 48 performances in Montreal parks. This institution, founded in 1952 by Paul Buissonneau, is the oldest children’s theatre in Quebec. Students from the National Theatre School and the Conservatory perform the shows on stage.
The graduate will also be at the next Nice Try event, at Usine C, in collaboration with La Fratrie. She will also participate this fall in the reading of a text for young audiences by the author Julien-Claude Charlebois, at the Maison Théâtre.
Therapy and empathy
At the same time, Romy Bédard is working on creating a documentary piece that combines her two passions. With her partner Clara Bernardo, also a graduate of the Conservatoire, she wants to stage the outdoor expedition of a group of young people. The two artists are currently organizing their participation in a real expedition where they will capture the sounds of rain, wind, discussions between hikers, etc. They are inspired by pieces such as I like Hydro And Milk Runwhich have been a resounding success.
In short, Romy Bédard is doing pretty well in an industry in crisis, shaken in turn by the pandemic and by the explosion in the cost of living. “It’s really crazy. I didn’t expect to be able to do so much stuff a few months before the end of school. I haven’t experienced my disillusionment yet, but we were warned about the difficulties of the cultural sector.”
The actress has had to learn to manage her anxiety. “I’ve been in therapy for two years!” she says spontaneously. She deals with the ups and downs of life as a self-employed person and becomes better equipped as an artist.
“It takes a lot of introspection and empathy, for yourself and for others, in this profession. The more I delve into myself, the more empathy I have for my characters. I must not judge them, but embody them. I feel like I entered the Conservatoire as a teenager and came out as an adult.”