The Disowned Collective Théâtre Parminou and the Canada Council

Abstract

Can a troupe that has performed 4,200 times for 960,000 spectators over a twenty-year period contribute to the development of Canadian theatre? The troupe in question, Quebec’s Théâtre Parminou, thinks it can. The Canada Council disagrees. The result of the disagreement: an $85,000 cut to the operational funding of a troupe the Canada Council believes lacks artistic merit. The cut hurts. The Theatre Parminou is a touring troupe and one of its trucks needs to be replaced if it is to continue to play in the regional halls and school auditoriums that are its main venues. The nine permanent sta ff members, all members of the cooperative that runs the Parminou, already have salaries slightly below the Canadian average but after years of perfecting their skills they find themselves forced to accept lower salaries and longer hours to keep the troupe afloat. The forty contractual salaries that have allowed the Parminou to act as a training ground for young Quebec actors are now more than the troupe can afford. But worst of all, the Canada Council’s decision to completely cut their operational support has left members of the collective feeling like they’ve been disowned. In co-artistic director Maureen Martineau’s words: “All of a sudden they’re telling you that you’re no longer a member of the Canadian theatre family. You can keep doing what you do, but as far as they’re concerned, you really have nothing to contribute.”