Succeeding Marie-Pierre Fleury as general and artistic director of the company based in Chicoutimi, the man of the theater had to work hard to assimilate his rich past, the origin of which dates back to 1974. It is as well as little by little, show posters and puppets that have brought joy to several generations of Quebecers are imposing their presence in the premises located on the first floor of the Arts and Culture Center.
They awaken the memory of productions like Stolen bike et The color magician which have marked the history of the Friends of Chiffon, while drawing a link with recent works such as Bundleas well asUlysses and Penelopebased on a text by Louise Portal. These relics emanate a sweet scent of nostalgia, but the current times do not allow us to abandon ourselves to it for long. Quickly, we must come to terms with the harsh reality of the performing arts in 2024, in particular that of theater, which raises serious concerns.
Among other factors, they are justified by the envelope of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), which has not kept pace with inflation. However, it is he who finances a large part of the activities of the theatrical world, under agreements spread over four years. To have access to it, you must submit a detailed document, tracing the results of past achievements, while including an artistic vision embracing the immediate future. This is the exercise that Dario Larouche carried out last winter.
“When you take office, just to see the state of the files, to understand how things work in an organization, it’s quite a job,” he observes. However, through this, I had to put together a plan covering the next four years, in which I deliver my vision of what the Friends of Chiffon could accomplish. It has four axes.”
<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="The room Aesopettea creation by the Théâtre des Amis de Chiffon will see the light of day in December.” class=”c-image” loading=”lazy” src=” srcset=” 274w, 400w, 768w, 1024w, 1440w” width=”1200″ height =”800″/>
The first concerns the texts, which must be “gritty, formalist and very strong”. Dario Larouche also plans to work on very theatrical aesthetics, alongside partners familiar with children’s theater and the art of puppetry. Finally, he says he is banking on the intelligence of the target audience, namely children aged four to ten, by offering them pieces where educational intentions will be relegated to the background.
“It doesn’t interest me. The child will gain something from our productions, but we are not here to give lessons. As we will approach it through the artistic, rather than through the moral, it is clear that there will be a shift,” notes the general and artistic director, who believes that within the cultural environment, each transition constitutes a delicate exercise.
Crossroads
Returning to the precariousness mentioned earlier, Dario Larouche points out that the exercise carried out by the CALQ was the first of its kind in seven years, an unusually long delay which was caused by the pandemic. The organizations already covered had benefited from an extension of the aid granted by the State, except that in the meantime, other players appeared, who maintained the legitimate desire to obtain their share of the pie.
“There are more and more groups who want to be subsidized by using the same channels, which makes me believe that we have arrived at a crossroads, in the theatrical world.
“What one will gain, the other will have lost, since the pie is not bigger.”
— Dario Larouche
Companies will question themselves. People will get fed up and leave. Everywhere in Quebec, things will be brewing,” anticipates the one who, while directing the Friends of Chiffon, watches over the destiny of the Théâtre 100 Masques.
There is no magic formula to prevent attacks, but one avenue that he considers promising is that of pooling services. This is an orientation that its board of directors endorsed earlier this year, which will have the effect of maximizing collaboration with professional theater companies which, like the Friends of Chiffon, are rooted at the Center des arts et of culture.
“It will first affect the window overlooking Saguenay Boulevard, which the other troops will have the opportunity to use. They will also be able to use our production workshop,” reveals Dario Larouche who, in fact, took advantage of the interview carried out in this room to show a strange object whose design is very advanced. This one looks like a trunk, but has lots of openings, as well as pram-like wheels.
As soon as he talks about this creation by Sophie Châteauvert, the man of the theater rediscovers his sense of the marvelous. Here he reveals the title of the short play whose 12 characters will be manipulated by the actress Geneviève Arsenault: Aesopette. He adds that the text imagined by Sophie Torris will be based on an Aesop fable and that the premiere will take place in December, at the Salle Murdock in Chicoutimi.
“A crow having stolen a seamstress’s measuring tape, she must use her imagination to compensate,” summarizes Dario Larouche. This will be the first of four solos planned in the company’s plan, which also includes a major performance. It shows that despite the headwinds emanating from places of power, the hope of an improvement for the world of theater, coupled with a new cycle of creation among the Friends of Chiffon, remains very much alive.
