Stop or continue? That’s the question Jade Barshee asked herself for her company’s most recent production, Théâtre Everest. Having received only part of the financial aid she expected, she wondered whether to move forward with her play Last Frontier, which is due to be presented at the Stables from November 30.
Aware that she was not the only one in this situation, she launched a consultation on Facebook among her peers who had not received the desired help. The survey was conducted without any scientific pretensions, but the responses are nevertheless revealing. Of the 70 responses received, 89% of respondents revealed that they were going to present their piece despite the rejections.
The impacts of this decision are numerous: personal debt, volunteer work, artistic concessions…
Same story at the Association of Theater Companies. “Since the beginning of the summer, we have received a lot of calls from companies who tell us that they have not received all the help they were hoping for and who do not know if they will be able to present their show,” explains Joanie Roy, executive director of the organization. Many emerging companies are forced to share ticket revenue, which is often not much. And there is a lot of volunteering that happens. Sometimes around 20 hours a week. And many have to have another job because they can’t do it…”
“We hear little or nothing about these projects which are broadcast without financial assistance and which are carried out in extremely precarious conditions,” believes Jade Barshee. It affects emerging companies, but also well-established companies. »
“We are witnessing the bankruptcy of our entire ecosystem,” believes Joanie Roy. Theater is truly made on the backs of the artists. »
“All we hear about currently in the industry is the negative feedback to requests for help. Obviously, there is a kind of demoralization that comes with that. »
According to Rachel Morse, outgoing co-president of the Conseil québécois du théâtre, discontent has been intensifying for some time within Quebec theater companies. The reason: rejections have never been so numerous.
The figures provided to La Presse by the Canada Arts Council demonstrate this. There have never been so many requests for financial assistance from the theater community as for the 2023-2024 season. In total, a record 312 applications were received for the Research and Creation and From Concept to Realization streams included in the Canadian Explore and Create program. For the 2019-2020 season, just before the pandemic, that number was 278.
In the batch, only 27% of applications were accepted, compared to 35% five years ago. Therefore, more than seven out of ten requests were refused this year. This low rate would be directly linked to the explosion in requests, according to the federal public organization supporting the arts.
How can we explain this increase in requests for financial support? Theater companies continued to be born during the pandemic, students left schools and all these emerging creators want to find their place in the sun. Above all, several shows were imagined, written, or even the subject of stage laboratories during the health crisis, while the theaters were closed, explains Joanie Roy, general director of the Association of Theater Companies.
“During the pandemic, the government injected more money into the various arts councils to ensure that people worked,” says the director of this organization representing some 160 companies in Quebec and Ontario that produce shows French-speaking for an adult audience. “Both at the CALQ [Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec] and the CAC [Canada Arts Council], several research and creative projects have been funded. Today, we find ourselves with plenty of shows that are ready to be broadcast. »
All these beautiful people are now competing for a piece of the pie… which is smaller.
The Canada Council for the Arts’ total parliamentary appropriations are $364.3 million in 2023-24. In 2021-2022, they totaled $510.4 million, a peak which can be explained by the emergency funds paid at the time by the federal government to support the cultural sector during the pandemic. “In 2023-2024, the Council has not received any other pandemic-related funding and is supporting the arts sector using only its core parliamentary appropriations,” explains the CAC in a written communication.
At the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the story is different. “The number of requests is holding up,” explains Véronique Fontaine, director of planning and programs at CALQ. The value of each grant has increased significantly, with an average of $19,559 in 2022-2023. “Our philosophy has always been to give a significant amount to certain projects so that they can reach the public, rather than throwing money around,” adds Véronique Fontaine.
Emergency ticketing assistance, offered to presenters during the pandemic, also allowed the industry to experience a temporary improvement, estimates Caroline Gignac, co-director general of the Conseil québécois du théâtre. “This measure alleviated a weight on the shoulders of artists if the venues were not full. It also gave broadcasters the freedom to take risks. We’re not in there anymore. »
The economic context adds to the growing insecurity in the area.
The lack of manpower also weighs heavily on the shoulders of theater companies, which struggle to keep their employees. “There is a loss of expertise that is being felt,” adds Rachel Morse. During the pandemic, many have reoriented themselves, with good reason. We’ve all thought about it, I want to say…”
But without help to stay afloat and meet the “increasing demands” of arts councils for funding, Rachel Morse says the challenge has become superhuman for theater company leaders. “This environment is becoming less and less healthy for workers. We have come so far in the scarcity of financial and human resources… And the public is not necessarily back. »
Several speakers and artists consulted agree on one point: changes are necessary to ensure greater sustainability for theater companies.
The Conseil québécois du théâtre has been advocating for years for Quebec’s budget to be made up of 2% of current expenses and investments in culture.
Others question the fact of having to present projects before the juries of the various arts councils to obtain financial assistance when the show has already been programmed by a theater. “We are judged twice,” says Justin Laramée, playwright, director and performer in the show Run delait. We must already convince a theater that our project is interesting enough to be included in its programming. Then we are judged by a jury of peers who decide whether or not we can receive financial aid. Once would be enough: if the piece is programmed, it means the project deserves to be supported! »
The composition of these peer juries also raises eyebrows. At the Canada Council for the Arts, the jury is pan-Canadian, multidisciplinary and, as much as possible, bilingual. “Basically, it means that a trumpeter from Saskatchewan can decide whether a particular theatrical project is of interest to Quebec,” says Joanie Roy. Now, how can you judge the value of an art that is not yours in a province that is on the other side of the country? In addition, since it is not easy to find bilingual jurors, requests for help must be translated, which is not ideal. »
