This text is part of the special Theater booklet
Kariane Héroux-Danis is an actress, producer and co-founder of the Théâtre à l’eaufroid company. She is now part of the Table de concertation de lalève du Conseil québécois du théâtre (CQT), which aims to launch various mentoring and workplace integration projects to support the next generation.
For the young artist, the working conditions of her young colleagues have become a real hobbyhorse. “I’ve seen a lot of very talented people make career changes during the pandemic. It made me realize how fragile our environment is. It is not normal that our career is called into question at each beat, at each dead time, ”she is scandalized.
The exodus of talent is truly a problem in the Quebec theater community, particularly over the past two years. “Schools train too many actors for our ecosystem, believes actor and theater teacher Marc-André Thibault. The companies lack the money and resources to accommodate more people. This was already the case long before the pandemic. »
According to Mme Héroux-Danis, approximately 178 students have graduated from theater schools in the past two years, and it is precisely for them that the young artist decided to get involved in the CQT. “I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said to me, ‘I’m burnout. I can’t do it anymore,” she says. It is an enormous mental and physical burden which very often rests on the shoulders of the performers. At the CQT, we are trying to find solutions so that the exit from schools of pandemic cohorts is smoother. »
Stitches
Marc-André Thibault has been teaching for three years now in the theatrical interpretation program of the Professional Theater School of Lionel-Groulx College. The actor, also founder of the company Théâtre Bistouri, noted how great the desolation was among the graduates, who have not yet been able to show the fruit of their three years of work in front of an audience, and will not have had the opportunity to network. He then set up the Stitches initiative.
“I used my contacts and asked various well-established companies to host student observers in the hall during rehearsals. In one year, more than 65 matches have been made. These opened the door to several audition opportunities for the students,” explains the teacher.
An initiative for which Kariane Héroux-Danis is full of praise.
“What is great is that it bypasses a certain consanguinity in the cultural environment, she notes. People tend to work with people they already know and that makes it very difficult for those who are just starting out. With Stitches, there are new mixtures that are created, human contact and lots of unusual and formative encounters that would not have happened otherwise. »
The two artists also mention that major Montreal theaters such as Théâtre Denise-Pelletier or La Licorne have also set up internship and mentoring programs aimed specifically at emerging actors. In particular, the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier launched, in the summer of 2020, its internship program entitled Le groupe des six, which will continue in the summer of 2022 by welcoming six graduates from theater schools in the interpretation, production , dramatic writing, direction and scenography.
A succession that is mobilizing
Alex Trahan graduated from theater school nine years ago and considers himself part of what he affectionately calls “the old generation”. The young actor, co-founder of the company La Fratrie, considers himself in a good position to bridge the gap between established actors and actors who are just starting out.
It was while talking with his colleagues that the artist had the idea of setting up a safe space for up-and-coming actors so that they could talk about their fears and their challenges in the industry. The Theatrical Emerging Jasette was a great success with the new generation of actors and even kicked off the creation of the CQT Emerging Talent Table.
Alex Trahan sees his initiative as the beginning of an important speech: “We would like to create a manifesto, a cry from the heart of the next generation, he reveals. We need to be heard and we need to say what makes us dream for the future. We need to be heard, welcomed and able to find our place. »
“Succession is the sinews of war,” concludes Kariane Héroux-Danis. Without succession, what will Quebec theater look like in twenty years? »