The show produced by Québec Issime for 20 years at the Théâtre Maisonneuve was not scheduled for next December. Producer Robert Doré deplores the “cavalier” decision of Place des Arts.
Robert Doré still cannot explain the decision of Place des Arts, which informed him of its decision to deprogram his holiday season show on December 21 (to accommodate a new production), right during the series of representations of December.
“I found it cavalier, he confided to The Press. If I had known, I would not have invested half a million to restart production, he says. We were in a restart. You know, December, it’s a show, an audience, but it’s also 200 jobs in the cultural sector that are attached to it. »
The blockbuster, conceived at the request of Place des Arts 20 years ago, recalls Robert Doré, was inspired by the annual show at Radio City Music Hall in New York, but paying homage to Quebec song.
“For us, Place des Arts is an extraordinary source of pride,” Robert Doré tells us. We left Saguenay to create this show in Montreal. A show that is now part of our holiday traditions. Find me another private producer who installed a show in Montreal for 20 years! »
Was the audience still there? “Listen, last December, of course, we were post-pandemic, so there was still insecurity. According to Mr. Doré, to justify the abandonment of December the programming director of Place des Arts invoked “the renewal of the winter offer” and the “development of the public”.
“I find that unacceptable, insists Robert Doré. Listen, even during the pandemic, we produced the show December [en ligne]. We sold 16,000 web links. Nobody else did this. There are 100,000 Quebecers who have seen the show in their living room during confinement, who experienced two hours of happiness because a producer took a risk and invested the money. »
The future of December, which brought together on stage about twenty performers (and as many technicians), is now more than uncertain. “They offered us to go to the Maison symphonique or Duceppe, but these are not suitable rooms for this show” regrets Robert Doré, who also surveyed the Grand Théâtre de Québec, which unfortunately cannot accommodate the production. .
Robert Doré does not rule out creating a “smaller” version, “but we will have to invest 1.5 million to create a new production. I don’t know if we can afford it. We are always listening, looking for solutions, but maybe this adventure is over. »