On March 24, Éric Lapointe will perform at the Maison des arts Desjardins Drummondville. After deciding not to show him last year, due to his run-ins with the law, the broadcaster chose to add him this year, after careful consideration.
• Read also: Harassment: what to do with “cancelled artists”?
“I wanted my women’s team to be comfortable with the fact that we added Éric to the program,” said the venue’s general and artistic director, Marie-Pierre Simoneau. After that, were we ready to live with comments from spectators who might call us? There are other broadcasters who had had their audiences resent them. It was excessively delicate. »
Marie-Pierre Simoneau admits feeling “a little helpless” in the face of this new situation of artists “cancelled” because they were the subject of allegations. “We sometimes feel a bit lost in all of this. There is no written law or way of doing things to rely on. It is difficult to take clear-cut positions. »
A matter of money
Éric Lapointe will also play on October 7 at Bar Chez Maurice, in Saint-Lazare. One of the owners of the establishment, Richard Chartrand, admits having programmed it for financial reasons.
“There is no philosophical or political reason. We are businessmen. We try to make a living as best we can. We lost a lot of money during the pandemic. »
The rocker has already played in this bar last December.
Comedian Julien Lacroix will also play at Bar Chez Maurice on February 23. The 250 tickets available have all sold out. “I am not a judge. I am not suing anyone, ”concludes the owner.
Table Ronde
Monday, at the Center des congrès de Québec, ADISQ and RIDEAU will jointly present a round table entitled Harassment and misconduct in the arts community. What is my role?
The discussion panel is part of Forum 2023, organized by RIDEAU, which brings together 350 performance halls and festivals in Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie.
Throughout the day, workshops, conferences and round tables will be presented on current issues for the performing arts community.