Cultural entities attempt to navigate new world
Currently, we don’t have any clarity from government on how to welcome audiences to the building. The reality of theatre right now is that it’s actually not possible if we can’t fill the house. Eda Holmes, Centaur Theatre
Mapping the reopening of the Quebec arts scene is no simple task. While indoor public gatherings of up to 50 people have been allowed since June 22, the path back to business as usual is far from clear for the province’s cultural entities.
Here’s an overview of what some of the major players have planned:
MOVIE THEATRES
Quebec’s two main movie chains, Cineplex and Guzzo, reopen July 3. Many summer blockbusters have been postponed to fall, but Guzzo will begin by showing a combination of new films and old favourites.
“At first we’re going to have very few titles, with multiple screens of the same titles,” Vincent Guzzo told the Montreal Gazette. Showtimes will be staggered to avoid clogging the lobby, and capacity will be no more than 50 per cent.
Independent theatres Cinéma du Parc, Cinéma du Musée and Cinéma Beaubien plan to open July 2, also at reduced capacity, with employees cleaning theatres between screenings.
“We have to hire more staff,” said Jean-françois Lamarche, assistant general director in charge of programming for all three theatres. “We will have people clear one row at a time, to ensure that people don’t bump into each other. It will take some getting used to the different methods of distancing.”
Repertory theatre Dollar Cinema resumed operations on June 22.
LIVE MUSIC
Quebec’s summer festivals are cancelled through Aug. 30. Promoters are in a tight spot regarding indoor shows, as regulations prohibiting crowds of more than 50 people make it tough to cover costs.
“Evenko is currently evaluating all possible options so that we can welcome fans again in a safe environment,” representative Philip Vanden Brande said.
The concert promoter owns venues including the Bell Centre, Metropolis and the Corona Theatre.
Smaller venues such as the city’s jazz clubs will have an easier time.
Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill will reopen July 3 at less than half-capacity, with a reduced lineup of local duos and trios, an adapted menu and safety protocol.
“I’ve been working on the programming, and it feels so good, the financial thing aside — just to be working again, and being in the club, speaking to musicians,”
Upstairs owner Joel Giberovitch said. “Musicians are so happy we’re reaching out.”
Jazz club Dièse Onze also opens at the beginning of July; but local mainstay House of Jazz (formerly Biddle’s Jazz & Ribs) announced this week it is closing permanently because of the pandemic.
LIVE THEATRE
Adapting to the times, the Centaur Theatre presents Portico Project, a series of short outdoor performances on the theatre’s iconic steps, Sept. 24 to Oct. 3. Application deadline is July 17.
Beyond that, the Old Montreal institution has put all indoor performances on hold until 2021.
“Currently, we don’t have any clarity from government on how to welcome audiences to the building,” said the theatre’s artistic and executive director, Eda Holmes. “The reality of theatre right now is that it’s actually not possible if we can’t fill the house.”
The Segal Centre is also putting off all its productions until 2021.
“Just because you may be allowed to have 50 people, (doesn’t mean you should),” said the Segal’s artistic and executive director, Lisa Rubin. “There are so many more things at play. There are the artists, technicians, designers, craftspeople. We still don’t have a full picture of what that’s going to mean.”
COMEDY
The Comedy Nest will reopen July 2, with reduced capacity and an all-local lineup for the summer.
“Luckily, Montreal has a phenomenally deep pool of comic talent,” said co-owner David Acer. “As the weeks and months go on and some of these restrictions are relaxed, we will be able to cast a wider net, with headliners from the U.S. as well.”
ORCHESTRAS ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL
Montreal’s premier symphony orchestra will launch its revised summer season next week.
The OSM is ready to announce its 2020-21 season, but is waiting for confirmation of a rumour that the Quebec government could increase limits for indoor gatherings to 250 people, as of mid-july.
ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN
For the moment, the Orchestre métropolitain is maintaining its program for the 2020-21 season. Concerts are scheduled starting
Sept. 19 and 20, with a show titled Mahler According to Yannick Nézet-séguin, at the Maison de la culture Mercier and the Maison Symphonique.
OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL
The Opéra de Montréal has postponed its major productions of La Traviata and Jenufa to 2021-22. Smaller Quebec productions of La voix humaine and L’hiver attend beaucoup de moi will take place in the fall at Théâtre Espace Go; while larger shows including Julien Bilodeau and Michel Marc Bouchard’s La beauté du monde, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and Riders To the Sea, a double-bill in partnership with I Musici de Montréal and Ballet Opéra Pantomime, are planned for the new year.
“These are big productions with over 200 people backstage,” said general director Patrick Corrigan, explaining the decision to reschedule. “They’re just not made for social distancing. And you can’t sing opera with a mask on your face.”
DANCE
Les Grands Ballets’ spring productions of Luna, Romeo and Juliet, and Sleeping Beauty have been rescheduled for the spring of 2021. The company has yet to announce its full 2020-21 season.
Tangente had to cancel nine productions in progress and has pushed its 2020-21 season to 202122. Some smaller online hybrid events are planned for fall at the contemporary dance company’s home in the Wilder Building, details of which will be announced in the coming months.
“For us, it’s important to have events that are not just virtual but are also real, and to regain contact with people,” said Stéphane Labbé, Tangente’s executive director and international projects curator.
ART GALLERIES, ETC.
Art galleries and institutions are reopening on a case-by-case basis.
The Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art has instituted new health measures and will present the exhibition Relations: Diaspora and Painting, July 8 to Nov. 29.
Galerie Hugues Charbonneau, one of more than two dozen galleries and studios in the Belgo Building, is open by appointment only for the summer. The exhibition, Just For You, consists of “customized experiences based on each visitor’s preferences.”