Symposium

International Symposium Supporting New Work
June 4 and 5, 2011

Artistic directors, presenters, programmers for art centres and festivals, choreographers, theatre directors, dramaturges and art critics will meet for a weekend of discussion to reflect on the conditions that foster creativity in the contemporary performing arts. Whether working on the initial steps or on a work-in-progress or making final touch-ups prior to presentation or reporting on the creative process adopted by artists, they will be sharing their experiences and engaging in discussions with the public about the many forms that support for new work can take. A great opportunity to reflect on artistic creation.

 

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JUNE 4

Providing Support during the Creative Process

How should artists be supported? At what point in the creative process is intervention, support or an outside presence desirable? What are the artist’s needs, and how can those needs be met? What are the conditions that foster a strong upcoming generation of artists?

The answers to these questions vary, depending on the artist and the creative context. Being closely involved in the creative process is a form of intimate accompaniment, as collaborators and partners provide support, a sympathetic ear, advice and resources to artists. Whether that accompaniment takes the form of discussions on issues and themes of concern to the artists or takes the form of structural support (rehearsal space, time and a context conducive to research), in all cases it is essential, as these types of support and accompaniment allow artists to reflect on their discipline and hone their approach.

The purpose of this initial encounter is to define the various forms support can take, and to understand what can stimulate a new work and what helps reinforce an artistic vision.

Guests / 1:30 p.m.

Franco Boni, artistic director, Theatre Centre / Toronto
Daniel Danis, writer and director / Quebec City
Lynda Gaudreau, choreographer, board member and director of De Studio, a space for experimental dance / Montreal
Paul Lefebvre, dramaturge, Centre des auteurs dramatiques / Montreal
Lieven Thyrion, general manager, les ballets C de la B / Ghent
Agnes Wasserman, department head, Ressources Professionnelles du Centre national de la danse / Pantin

Guests /3:30 p.m.

Mélanie Demers, choreographer and artistic director of the company Mayday / Montreal
Marie-Thérèse Fortin, co-general manager and artistic director, Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui / Montreal
Matthieu Goeury, programming manager, Centre Pompidou-Metz / Metz
Benoît Lachambre, choreographer and artistic director of the company Par B.L.eux / Montreal
Toshiki Okada, writer, director and artistic director of the company chelfitsch / Tokyo
Matthias Quabbe, dramaturge and production manager, K3 / Hamburg

Moderator
Lucie Boissinot, artistic and academic director, LADMMI / Montreal

 

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JUNE 5  / 1:30 p.m.

Conditions for Presenting New Work 

What are the responsibilities of presenters as regards artists and the works they present? If there is no support or accompaniment on their part during the initial creative process, what sort of support beyond financial assistance can they offer? In a context that favours presentation, how are research and creativity preserved?

Providing support requires an open mind, confidence and trust, daring and imagination. One must be attentive to artists and their needs, but also to their development. Presenting new works requires an understanding of the creative process and an awareness that artists must be supported over time, that they are not machines constantly producing new work, and that creation involves first and foremost research.

Presenters must also take the audience into consideration. Does presenting and promoting new works call for a special approach? How is new material to be presented to audiences in the current context of contemporary creation, which is often multidisciplinary and hybrid by nature? How does one awaken the public’s curiosity and encourage audiences to go to the theatre? Can the support and accompaniment of presenters help the public discover new works?

Guests
Norman Armour, director and artistic director, PuSh International Performing Arts Festival / Vancouver
Francine Bernier, general and artistic director, Agora de la danse / Montreal
Marie Brassard, actress and artistic director of Infrarouge / Montreal
Paul Caskey, artistic director, Live Art Dance Productions / Halifax
Jan Goossens, artistic director of KVS / Brussels
Marie-Andrée Gougeon, general manager, Daniel Léveillé Danse / Montreal
Mark Russell, artistic director and producer, Under The Radar festival / New York

Moderator
Laurent Vinauger, secretary general, Centre Chorégraphique National de Franche-Comté à Belfort / Belfort 

 

JUNE 5 / 3:45 p.m.

The Role of Writing and Criticism in Supporting New Work

How does one write about creation, and how can critical commentary be a form of support or accompaniment? Should the critic be close to or distant from the creative process?  Reflection is the very basis of any artistic approach, and writing is also reflection.

Writing, criticism and theory play essential roles and accompany diverse aspects of creation. They help artists to reflect on and plunge deeper into their disciplines, while providing the public with points of reference to assist receptivity to new works. Like video and photography, they also help preserve a cultural heritage.

A number of blogs and other Internet discussion platforms allow both experts and amateurs to express their opinions, and appreciative commentary is increasingly the norm. In that context, what is the value of criticism? If theatre is a form for reflection on the world and society, why are critics so rarely a part of the discussions thus generated? Does criticism also serve to stimulate new discussions and new debates?

Guests

Edit Boxberger, dance journalist / Hamburg
Marie-Andrée Brault, member of the editorial staff, Jeu theatre magazine / Montreal, Canada
Philippe Couture, theatre critic for Le Devoir newspaper and for Jeu / Montreal
Lorenzo Donati, independent journalist / Bologna
Gérard Mayen, journalist and dance critic, regular contributor to Mouvement magazine / Paris
Philip Szporer, journalist and dance critic for the weekly Hour and the magazine Dance Current / Montreal

Moderator
Paul Lefebvre, dramaturge, Centre des auteurs dramatiques / Montreal

 

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Agora Hydro-Québec du Cœur des Sciences de l’UQAM
175, ave. Président-Kennedy (entre la rue Saint-Urbain et la rue Jeanne-Mance)
Métro Place-des-Arts