Théâtre de la Manufacture and Théâtre de La Licorne

Théâtre de la Manufacture and Théâtre de La Licorne

In the beginning, the Théâtre de la Manufacture did not have a permanent home. Its first play (Jeudi soir, en pleine face, by Michel Beaulieu) was produced at the Théâtre de Quat’Sous. Subsequently, the company rotated among three venues: the Centre d'essai at the Université de Montréal, the Cinéma Parallèle and the Centaur Theatre. As of 1980, the Théâtre de la Manufacture still had no permanent facility. Because so few suitable performance venues were available in Montréal, the company, now led by Jean-Denis Leduc, decided to open its own space in which to present plays. At the time, there were many café-theatres in Montréal where people could come to have dinner and then enjoy a show. Leduc and his colleagues adopted this model and opened the Théâtre de la Licorne in a small café/restaurant, with a seating capacity of 95, on St. Lawrence Boulevard in Montréal.

The first production at the Théâtre de la Licorne opened in September 1981: Moman, a one-woman play starring Louisette Dussault. Subsequent productions included the plays Addolorata by Marco Micone, Quelques curiosités sexuelles rue St-Denis (an adaptation of David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago) and Ne blâmez jamais les bédouins by René-Daniel Dubois. The theatre also presented singers.

The Théâtre de La Licorne was an immediate success, and its artistic directors -- Jean-Denis Leduc, Daniel Valcourt and Daniel Simard -- soon realized that their current space was too small. They needed something that would be larger but preserve the current theatre’s intimate ambience. The space they found was a former sporting-goods store on Montréal’s Rue Papineau, and they moved in in 1989. They continued to operate the Théâtre de La Licorne as a dinner theatre and continued to present not only plays but also singers (such as Richard Desjardins, Gildor Roy and Dan Bigras), as well as poets (such as Gaston Miron).

In 1995, the theatre company decided not to present any more singers, so that it could present more plays—in particular, French translations of plays by Irish and Scottish playwrights. That same year, the entrance area of the theatre opened under the name La Petite Licorne as a separate venue where emerging artists could display their talents. For many years, this tiny space served as a springboard for new performance companies and a laboratory for various theatrical experiments.

In 1997, wanting to do more to support plays by Québec playwrights, the Théâtre de La Manufacture became co-presenter of the shows at La Licorne while continuing to produce its own shows as well. That same year, Jean-Denis Leduc became sole artistic director of La Licorne. He continued in that role until 2009, when, after 35 years, he handed over the reins of both the Théâtre de La Manufacture and the Théâtre La Licorne to Denis Bernard, staying on as founding director at La Manufacture.

Starting with the 1999/2000 season, La Licorne mounted La Manufacture’s productions. To enable as many people as possible to see its productions, the Théâtre de La Manufacture went on tour. Its play La société des loisirs, by François Archambault, was presented more than 200 times and set the tone for this new approach by La Licorne.

La Licorne’s productions were so popular--performances were consistently sold out, or very nearly so – that a larger space again became needed. In 2010, the old building on Rue Papineau was demolished, and in August 2011, the new Théâtre de La Licorne built on the site opened its doors in time for the 2011/2012 season. This new theatre has cleaner lines and more seating: the main room and the Petite Licorne seat 175 and 90, respectively.

In this building, the Théâtre de la Manufacture, in keeping with its original mission, continues to present contemporary plays in which politics and social issues are discussed in the most hard-hitting terms. As the result of cultural ties that Jean-Denis Leduc has developed in Scotland, the Théâtre de la Manufacture now presents French translations of plays by Scottish playwrights, directed by Scottish directors. The company of course continues to present the works of Québec playwrights and to host playwrights in residence, in particular the talented Fanny Britt.

The programming continues to reflect the company’s original mission: “to offer Québec audiences theatre in which they can see themselves, in contemporary plays from both Québec and abroad.”

In La Licorne, the Québec theatre scene has found an important partner that strikes the right note in discussing Québec identity while successfully stimulating the intellect of its audience.