With several shows canceled or postponed God knows when, the worst scenario is about to materialize for the theater community, which sees a dark, very dark month of January looming on the horizon.
In fact, several theaters announced on Wednesday the cancellation of all performances of their first show of 2022. It will be recalled that faced with the meteoric rise in cases of COVID-19, the Quebec government ordered on December 20 the closure of all theaters, for an indefinite period.
At the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, the play Lysis, which stars Bénédicte Décary in the title role, was scheduled to be performed from January 11 to February 5. The management decided instead to cancel the performances planned for this season. “Artistically, this decision is heartbreaking”, launched the director Lorraine Pintal.. “We broke the news to the cast on Tuesday, which created a shockwave. This is an appointment that we have been waiting for since 2020. However, we did not want to unnecessarily postpone the decision to postpone the show. Rumors are being heard that the situation will not improve until early February. ”
The one who also wears the hats of artistic director and general of the TNM added: “We will do everything to resume this show. No question of burying him. Unfortunately, next season is already full with shows canceled in 2021. We are aiming for spring 2024. ”In the meantime, the TNM team intends to offer a webcast of a documentary laboratory on this major piece where 17 performers and musicians had to share the stage. A decision on the holding of Three sisters by Chekhov, which is due to be presented from February 17 to March 5 in a production by René Richard Cyr, will be taken at the beginning of next month.
At Duceppe, we also amputate the first show of the winter season. The management has confirmed to us the cancellation of the piece News room, with among others Denis Bernard. “However, we are working on reprogramming it”, told us the general manager of the company, Amélie Duceppe.
Ditto at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, where the play The daughters of the St. Lawrence will not be showing on January 18 as planned. “It became obvious that we could not present the piece in January or February,” said Sylvain Bélanger, artistic director and co-director general.
We will study different scenarios to resume the show on future dates. Will it be four months or two years from now? Impossible to say for the moment.
Sylvain Bélanger, artistic director and co-director general of the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui
At the Prospero, the first two weeks of performances of the show Winter solstice, directed by Joel Beddows, which was set to debut on January 11, were also canceled on Wednesday. The performances from January 25 to 29 are however being maintained for the moment. Age of consent, presented in the intimate room of the theater from January 25, is also maintained until further notice.
Finally, the Opéra de Montréal also announced on Wednesday the cancellation of its production of La Traviata. The performances were to take place at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from January 29 to February 6.
“Following recent government announcements regarding the deteriorating situation, we see that the production of large-scale works such as La Traviata, which involves nearly 250 artists, artisans and technicians, involves significant risks to their health. Indeed, it would be impossible for us to adequately ensure the health and safety of all the stakeholders during the rehearsals which were to begin this week. », Affirmed by press release Patrick Corrigan, general manager of the Opéra de Montréal.
The status quo for some
On the side of La Licorne, the company is awaiting government directives before canceling the production of Two golden women. “If we resume, even on February 8, we will do three weeks of performances”, told us the public relations officer of the Théâtre de la Manufacture, Ginette Ferland.
Same story at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, where the management will wait until January 14 to make a decision regarding the play Long journey into the night, directed by Yves Desgagnés. The premiere date, however, has been pushed back from January 25 to February 8.
At the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, it’s also the status quo for the moment, explains artistic director Claude Poissant. “No drastic decision was taken and the shows planned, either The weight of the ants and The Plouffe, are neither postponed nor canceled. They are ready to be presented. We don’t want to move too quickly and make decisions that we might regret. ”
As for Espace Go, management will wait until the beginning of next week before making a decision on the creation of UBU, Dorothy Dix’s 10 Commandments. The company could play from mid-February. The show is also scheduled to be presented at the NAC in March and in Paris in June.
With the collaboration of Dominic Tardif, Press