Quebec is reinventing itself, according to Robert Lepage

Packed by the opening of the Diamond, Robert Lepage thinks big for Quebec. In an interview with the Journal at the inauguration on Friday, he says the capital can now aspire to play in the same leagues as major European capitals.

What feelings do you live in this weekend?

"Last year, I was expecting to be terribly excited when the big day was coming. But it's been a month since we left the Barracks and we settled, so every day was a source of delight and discovery. It's ten times, a hundred times better than we thought. It's rare to say that of a project because there are always cuts, compromises. Nevertheless, it remains an extraordinary place. It is comparable to large halls in which I played everywhere, for example in Athens or Barcelona. It is an absolutely extraordinary place. In addition, all the public aspect is very beautiful, very elegant, very inviting. "

But is there a moment in particular that has touched you more?

"There is the theater, which has been a concrete box for a very long time. One day, they did some sound tests and I heard music for the first time. The acoustics are absolutely incredible. That's when I realized that we were really making a theater where there would be concerts, opera. "

A long time ago, the initial project was to settle in a cavern under the Dufferin-Montmorency Highway ramps. Are you satisfied with Plan B?

" Absolutely. That said, the other project was very exciting but he was not very citizen because it cost $ 200 million. It did not make sense. So it was a compromise for us to say that we were going for plan B. Finally, it's no longer a plan B. Suddenly, the Diamond, compared to what it brings to the city, has a lot more sense here, instead of Youville. It forces us to do things in synergy with the Palais Montcalm, with the Capitol. We are going to make the city a lot more dynamic with the Summer Festival, ComediHa !, the Film Festival. At some point, we will all collaborate. I think it has more impact than going alone in the Batcave. We are doing well and it is not said that we will not do co-productions. "

Is a cultural pole similar to what is now found in place of Youville exists elsewhere in the world?

"Yes, and I'm thinking of a city like Bilbao. It is a city that was a little out of the map, rich and industrial at the beginning of the century but became poor when the industry went into decline. The Spanish government has invested a lot and that's where they made the famous Guggenheim museum and Philippe Starck settled. And Bilbao has become one of the great destinations in Europe. It's a place that has reinvented itself and I feel the same way in Quebec City. It takes time because we do not have the same means as the European community. But the renovation of the Palais Montcalm, the Capitol, us, the Lassonde Pavilion, the amphitheater: these are all very important gestures that put Quebec on the map in terms of culture and which create cultural tourism. That's our problem. We have a lot of tourism but we did not solicit them. So we have a team working on the cruise ships and at Château Frontenac. "

Do we already have an outside clientele among the people who bought tickets for the first shows presented this fall?

"By credit cards, we see a lot of 514. There are also people calling from New York, from Toronto. It is certain that when the Diamond has rolled, that it will be embedded in habits and will have a reputation, this presence will become more and more obvious. "

Is there something missing in Youville's place as she is today?

"She should continue to transform. It's clear that the mayor, with his streetcar project, has great ideas. We wish it to become a sophisticated and modern crossing place. I think people will want to go out and those who go to see the shows will have to stay, after the shows, to eat in town. "

As for you, can we think that you are settling down in Quebec City?

" Not really. People say I'm going to pack my bags. Yes but just one. What you have to understand, how it works to fund shows and create, the money does not come from here. He comes from elsewhere. This is a business model that does not exist in Quebec and people do not understand it. They say that we are 100% subsidized. But we are at 12%, sometimes 14%. All the money comes from Australia, Germany, Japan. More than 80% comes from abroad and 80% of this money is reinvested in the Quebec City area or sometimes in the Montreal area, depending on where we carry out the projects. "

Apart from the shows already announced (theater, circus, wrestling), will other forms of art be presented at the Diamond? I'm thinking of the musical, for example.

"Yes, and that's why we had an orchestra pit done. Musical theater is not very developed in Quebec. I'm not talking about Just for Laughs, which is playing a band and the artists are singing over it. I do not want to criticize what they do, but they do not have the means to develop a new approach to musical theater. On our side, with all the allies we have, we think we can do it. In addition, we continue to research the integration of new technologies into the performing arts. That's why we have the creative studio. "

You were involved in a controversy last year with the Kaneta show. Do you have projects in partnership with Aboriginal communities at Diamond?

"In fact, well before Kaneta, with the people from aboriginal communities who are on our board of directors, we had planned an aboriginal themed season at least once a year. For example, in October, an Aboriginal-themed show will be playing here (Where Blood is Mixed) and we intend it to be recurring. This is not a mea-culpa from us since it was a long time in projects. And there will not be just shows, there will also be conferences, conferences of eminent personalities in the aboriginal community. "