The Duceppe Theater was rewarded Thursday by the Conseil des arts de Montréal, which highlighted its efforts to reach various audiences, its inclusive and daring programming as well as its eco-responsible initiatives. The Duceppe team received a $30,000 scholarship.
“Thank you for this great risk, launched co-artistic director David Laurin, who took the reins of Duceppe with Jean-Simon Traversy in 2017. Thank you to the board of directors who entrusted the management of this institution six years ago to three rather inexperienced young people, Amélie Duceppe [directrice générale], Jean-Simon Traversy and myself to bring Jean-Duceppe’s theater, an open, popular and accessible theater to a new generation. »
David Laurin took the time to thank one of Duceppe’s most important patrons, Power Corporation. “You have allowed us to set up writing residencies for Quebec authors for five years. In 2022 alone, we were able to produce four plays by Quebec authors: Oil, mom, The wolf, Showtime. »
The decision was made “unanimously,” said the director general of the Conseil des arts de Montréal Nathalie Maillé, presenting the company.
“A visionary, this organization is fearless, it multiplies its efforts and strategies to reach the public and makes progress on several fronts to act in full relevance with the current era. Inclusive and daring programming that brings us together and resembles us. Eco-responsible initiatives that show the way forward, an outstretched hand to all generations, ”she said in substance.
David Laurin, who intends to invest the sum received in creative laboratories, concluded his speech by hoping that Duceppe would make “inclusive” and “spectacular” theater. “A theater that makes people want to move around, to come and see us, but also eco-responsible, that’s the challenge that awaits us,” he said. We need to stop sticking our heads in the sand. I hope that next year, all cultural organizations will have made progress. »
Duceppe has been working for several years with the Écoscéno company, which recovers theater sets and film and television sets to put them back into circulation (to prevent them from ending up in landfill sites), but which also offers eco-design training — to ensure that all materials used are recoverable at the end of production.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, THE PRESS
The public prize was awarded to Cinéma Beaubien. It was the former general manager of Beaubien, Mario Fortin, who collected the prize.
The other seven finalists from the Conseil des arts de Montréal were: Cinéma Beaubien, Festival de literature jeunesse de Montréal (Page par Page), JOAT International Street Dance Festival, Les érotisseries (Les Productions Carmagnoles), Onishka, Salle Bourgie , Sight+Sound 2022 (Eastern Block).
Cinéma Beaubien won the audience award, along with a $10,000 grant. It was Mario Fortin, who accepted the prize presented by the president and general manager of Télé-Québec, Marie Collin. Mario Fortin, who was the general manager of the Beaubien until December 2022, retraced the tumultuous history of the cinema today directed by Roxane Sayegh, general manager of the Beaubien, Museum and Park cinemas. More than 7,000 people took part in the vote in this category.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, THE PRESS
Handy “HYA” Yacinthe accepted the jury prize for his International Street Dance Festival.
Finally, the jury prize was awarded to Handy “HYA” Yacinthe, head of the JOAT International Street Dance Festival, also accompanied by a $10,000 grant. HYA particularly thanked the team of Bust A Move, a festival which paved the way for JOAT until 2015.