“The government has had sort of a knee-jerk reaction for venues to be the first businesses shut down and last ones to reopen, and they’ve provided absolutely no data to justify that,” said Weisz, the director of Les Scenes de Musique Alternatives du Quebec.As of Monday, theatres and other venues can reopen at 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 500 people (1,000 for outdoor events), with vaccine passports required.Five men and women from the Quebec culture scene interviewed by The Canadian Press all said the reopening announcement brings them relief and hope.
However, they stressed that the rules in place add extra complications and make it hard for some venues to reopen at all.Sophie Pregent, the president of the Union des Artistes, which represents stage, television, radio, and film performers, says it won’t be financially viable for some venues to mount shows under the current rules.“There are theatres, there are institutions, that will remain closed longer, because they can’t open with 50 per cent capacity,” she said in a recent phone interview.Philippe Lambert, the artistic director of Montreal theatre La Licorne, said there are also logistical hurdles surrounding reopening at half capacity.
Since most of his attendees are season ticket holders and many postponed shows were sold out, he’s forced to decide between adding extra shows or telling some people they can’t come.While government aid has helped keep his theatre afloat, the constant openings, closings, and schedule rearrangement have been hard on a sector that generally plans its program a year in advance.
It means trouble for actors who participate in several productions at once, as well as for theatre directors who worry that a play chosen for its social.