The Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) and Théâtre ESPACE GO, in collaboration with members of the Award Development Committee,* are pleased to announce the call for applications for the 4th Jovette-Marchessault Award, which recognizes and showcases the contribution of women artists from Montréal’s theatre scene. The recipient of the award receives a $20,000 grant from the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Discover all the rules and details of this edition dedicated to women directors by browsing the presentation of the prize below.
INTRODUCTION
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS AWARD?
The annual Jovette-Marchessault Award is awarded on a three-year rotation based on the candidates’ artistic roles, alternating between directors, designers and playwrights.
The 2022–2023 call is for directors who identify as women. All levels of experience will be considered.
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS AWARD?
- Showcase women artists’ contribution to the development of theatre arts and the vitality of Montréal’s theatre scene
- Recognize the excellence of their work
- Highlight an artistic approach that contributes to the development of theatre practice, whether as a director, designer or playwright
WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO THIS AWARD?
In its 2018–2020 strategic plan, the Conseil des arts de Montréal made achieving a better gender balance a priority, particularly male/female parity in the arts community. To this end, the Conseil helped fund ESPACE GO’s Chantier féministe, a week-long event on the place of women in theatre, held in the spring of 2019. During this event, the theatre community emphasized the importance of creating awards to recognize the outstanding work of theatre artists and increase the reach of women artists.
The partners (CAM, ESPACE GO, Imago Théâtre, Théâtre de l’Affamée and artists associated with the F.E.T. movement) collaborated to create this new award and decided to name it in honour of the inspiring creator, Jovette-Marchessault (1938–2012), a Montréal novelist, poet, playwright, painter and sculptor.
Today, the award is developed by partners, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and ESPACE GO, in collaboration with Nahka Bertrand, Micheline Chevrier, Margarita Herrera Dominguez, Gabe Maharjan and Marie-Ève Milot.
SUPPORT
WHAT ASSISTANCE IS PROVIDED?
The sum of the award is twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
ELIGIBILITY
WHAT ARE THE GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA?
- be a professional artist who identifies as a woman, works as a theatre director, designer or playwright, regardless of her years of experience
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident on the date of submission
- reside on the Island of Montréal or, for Indigenous creators only, within 50 km of the Island of Montréal (including the Kahnawake and Kanesatake communities) and work on the Island of Montréal
- creators who have applied in the past, have been finalists or not, and have not won, can re-apply
WHICH APPLICANTS/APPLICATIONS ARE INELIGIBLE?
- artists who do not meet the general eligibility criteria
- artists’ collectives and organizations
- public or parapublic organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
- incomplete applications
- applications received after the deadline
- applications submitted by an employee or board of directors member of the main partners (the Conseil des arts de Montréal and ESPACE GO)
- applications submitted a third party nominating an employee or board of directors member of the main partners
HOW MANY APPLICATIONS WILL BE SELECTED?
Three finalists will be selected and benefit from public visibility. Only one of them will be named the winner and receive the $20,000 grant. The other two finalists will each receive an airfare to Paris courtesy of Air Transat.
EVALUATION
HOW ARE APPLICATIONS EVALUATED?
Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee assembled by the Conseil des arts de Montréal consisting of professionals representing the diversity of the theatre community.
WHAT ARE THE EVALUATION CRITERIA?
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- quality and originality of the artistic approach of one or more completed works
- impact of the artistic approach or artistic work on the development of theatre practice
When selecting the finalists and the winner, the Evaluation Committee will pay particular attention to the applicants’ diversity of experience, reflecting the richness of the theatre sector.
WHAT IS THE RESPONSE TIME?
The three director finalists will be announced in April 2023. The recipient’s name will be released in May 2023.
Participants will be notified of the decision by email. Finalists will be required to provide some communication tools and participate in a special awards ceremony at Théâtre ESPACE GO in May 2023.
SUBMISSION DATE
WHAT IS THE DEADLINE?
There is only one submission deadline each year: January 23, 2023.
APPLICATIONS
HOW DO I APPLY?
The application can be submitted by the artist or someone representing her. The artist (or representative) must complete the application form. The form must be signed by the artist and, if applicable, her representative.
WHAT INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS MUST I INCLUDE IN MY APPLICATION?
For all applications:
- completed and signed application form
- the artist’s curriculum vitae
- a letter (750 to 1,500 words max.), written and signed by the applicant that presents her artistic background and approach and take into account the objectives and evaluation criteria of the award
- two letters of support (750 to 1,000 words each), written and signed by artists or cultural workers, regardless of their artistic function or years of experience. To avoid any conflict of interest, letters may not be written by an employee or board of directors member of any of the award partner organizations. Letters should explain to the selection committee members how the applicant meets the award objectives and evaluation criteria
- application support materials (Internet links, video or audio, photographs, texts, etc.) of the applicant’s choice, taking into account the maximum consultation time of 15 minutes
- documents and the form must be sent together in one email, in a ZIP file, using WeTransfer or Dropbox links. The accepted electronic formats are as follows: PDF, DOC, DOCX Internet, video or audio links that can link to digital platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc.
- applications must only be sent by email to prix@espacego.com. The subject line of the email must include “Jovette-Marchessault Award”
Please comply with the requested maximum number of pages and words for texts, maximum consultation time for support material and specified number of minutes for audio or video presentations.
No unsolicited appendices or documents submitted after the application deadline will be accepted for evaluation.
PAYMENT
HOW WILL THE AWARD BE PAID?
The recipient will receive the twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) via a single payment from Théâtre ESPACE GO.
The payment will be paid once the recipient has provided her social insurance number and contact details to Théâtre ESPACE GO so that a T4A can be issued for tax purposes. Under current tax laws, obtaining a cash prize is taxable income.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Thai Ferreira
Project Manager, Creative Hub and Acting Executive Assistant
ESPACE GO
Tel. 514-845-5455, ext. 223
thaisferreira@espacego.com
Frédéric Côté
Cultural Advisor – Theatre
Conseil des arts de Montréal
Tel.: 514-280-3793