News: An open letter about the crisis at Tableau D'Hôte

(Via Facebook)


Dear friends, colleagues, and art-lovers,


Please forgive the mass facebook message. I do not make a habit of them, but I feel I have little other choice. Should you wish to reply to this message, remember to click on the 'reply' button next to the time at the top of the message. If you reply by writing directly in the box below, you will be replying 'all' to a buncha strangers.


I write to you today with an important request.



As many of you know, Tableau D'Hôte Theatre is an award-winning English Montréal independent theatre company that was launched in 2005 by myself and Mike Payette. Since its inception, the company has produced 20 productions and has worked with over 100 local artists and practitioners from across the city. The company has grown exponentially over the last 6 years, and the days of our $500 productions (“Lawrence & Holloman” being the first and last) are long over. To give a clearer idea, our most recent productions of Canadian gems like “Dark Owl” and “A Line in the Sand” ran upwards in the tens of thousands in production expenses. Producing theatre is an expensive business, and Mike and I strongly believe in paying the artists whom have committed to our productions and who believe in our mission of creating a home for Canadian Theatre in Montréal. Artists salaries are what make up 75% of our production expenses, and believe us, they are not receiving lavish salaries.


Many of you may not be aware that ticket sales typically only cover 30-40% of our production expenses. The remainder of the expenses are paid directly from out of our pockets. Mike and I have never seen this as a huge loss to our personal lives, but rather as a calculated investment in the art of creation. The time has come, however, that we can simply no longer sustain to personally contribute the necessary tens of thousands of dollars to every production. It is in this spirit that we extend our hand to our loyal fans, family, and friends in an effort to keep the company alive.


We have long offered individual donation packages for interested patrons, but we have always hesitated to be aggressive in our soliciting. At this point, we have no other choice, so we hope you will forgive our plea and that you will understand the benefit that comes from investing in Tableau D'Hôte Theatre.


Indiegogo is a website that allows for artists to pitch their project(s) to the global interweb community in an effort to raise the funds necessary for their creative endeavors. Donations can be made via paypal or credit card. You can peruse our pitch here. We have given ourselves until January 13th to raise at least $3, 000 in individual donations.


We know that we have the support of each and every one of you. We also know that many of you have regrettably been unable to encourage us by attending one of our shows - as much as you would like to - due to geographic or time restrictions. If you have ever wondered how you could help us from afar, this is the answer. We sincerely hope you will answer our call.


If you have any questions about this fundraising campaign, do not hesitate to contact us.


With your help, we will hopefully be able to say 'we'll see you at the theatre'.


With deepest thanks,


Mathieu Perron & Mike Payette
Tableau D'Hôte Theatre