The return of the gauge reduced to 50% of the room and the distanced family bubbles, “it is a very very very hard blow for our sector”, reacted David Laferrière president of the board of directors of the association RIDEAU, which brings together 350 theaters and festivals in Quebec.
This measure in effect from next Monday imposes an enormous amount of work on the teams, he said in a telephone interview with Press Thursday evening.
“It means that all the ticket holders must be contacted one after the other to say:” Your seat no longer exists, you fell between two bubbles, we must relocate you because we don’t have the capacity, ”explained Mr. Laferrière.
“I know that some of our members will try the impossible and will find, perhaps, the energy or the capacity to do it, there may be some calendars which are less advanced than others, each one has its reality, but it’s going to be very, very, very difficult. ”
Mr. Laferrière, who is himself the general manager of the Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault, does not plan to do so for his hall. “We have no more room in our calendars, the shows are sold at full capacity and we are on the eve of the Christmas break, our teams are exhausted,” he said.
“It’s out of the question that I force them to go back to new seating charts. His theater will be looking at “the different options” with the producers at the end of the week.
“I think that there, we reached a point of no return and we will perhaps prefer to cancel in certain cases”, he considered in the minutes which followed the announcement of the Legault government.
“If my reaction is a little strong tonight, it’s because it’s not the first time we’ve experienced it,” said Mr. Laferrière, mentioning that some of his shows scheduled for January have already seen three seating charts. “It becomes very difficult to maintain a bond of trust with a clientele. ”
The theater also wants to ensure that the artists receive the stipulated fees and “that the help will be there so that all the trades receive their fair share”.
If the president of the board of RIDEAU says to have “confidence” that the financial support of Quebec can be at the rendezvous, he is not reassured so far. “It’s very worrying for the future because indeed, our winter-spring seasons are all on sale. And me and most of my colleagues, our 22-23 seasons are ready. ”