Par Anne Trudel - Présidente du conseil québécois du théâtre

Dear colleagues and friends,

In November 2019, as the new president of the CQT, I pledged to work for the common good of my community with all the passion, enthusiasm and goodwill that I possess. Well aware of the challenges that would be faced, I was determined to work towards the completion of the Quebec Theatre Master Plan covering the next 10 years and to contribute to mobilizing our community around the issues of our profession.

The pandemic hit us hard and forced us to postpone this major project and everything else that was underway at CQT. In March 2020, after a few days' break, and a suspension in time where everyone was holding their breath, we found ourselves working in a perpetual state of emergency, day after day, for several months.

Then the CQT made a major shift in order to position itself as a leading voice for the theatre community. We had to reorganize our operating methods and develop a strong political strategy in order to be pro-active with government authorities and to ensure that we could sufficiently  convey the demands of our entire milieu. It is clear that this unprecedented crisis has also had a profound impact on the organization's human resources, as you will note that the entire team has now changed over the past two years. 

In a way, one could summarize all this by saying that, in the first year of my mandate, we managed an unparalleled predicament and during my second year we worked to rebuild a strong CQT, that paid attention to its community and one that was determined to support theatrical recovery and its eventual return to normalcy.

This was no ordinary mandate, to say the least. Both the political and health issues and the internal issues concerning the management of the CQT have been extremely demanding for all the people involved in the CQT and especially for me, as president. Therefore, it is for this reason that I have decided not to seek a new mandate at the Annual General Meeting on November 12, 2021. 

I am proud of what we have accomplished at the CQT during the last few months, The challenges were numerous, as were the bridges that needed to be built. The solidarity and generosity that has guided our work has enabled us to overcome the difficulties, to review our ways of doing things and to reconstruct to enable us to look forward to the future with hope. 

It is with great peace of mind that I feel I can now leave.  Yes there are many projects to be undertaken and the task ahead remains immense, but the CQT is in good health! The person or persons who choose to run for the presidency – (the call for candidates will be launched today) - need not fear living through an experience as demanding as that of the past few months. The new team is well settled in, and it has developed a great deal of expertise surrounding the various issues. It is welcoming the challenges with enthusiasm, is reviving the projects left on ice in recent months with vision, rigour and energy, and is continuing to manage what remains of the pandemic with confidence. The decision-making bodies have resumed meeting at a more reasonable pace than during the emergency months and I am sure that the people who sit on them will ensure a high-level quality follow-up with the new president or co-presidents.

My connection and my commitment to the CQT remain unbroken.  I feel closer to my community now more than ever. But after several months of hard work and dedication, I need to step back, think about myself and refocus on my own career. 

I am hopeful that I can pass the torch to a president or co-presidents who will pursue the mission of CQT with vision and bring new energy to the organization.

Your faithful president

Anne Trudel