QDF’s history
The 1970s: The Festival
The Quebec Drama Festival was founded in 1972 as a result of the vacuum created by the collapse of the Dominion Drama Festival. In its first three years, QDF was a competition event for full-length plays. In spring of 1975, QDF produced two annual festivals: a fall community festival and a spring festival of one-act Canadian plays. In 1978, QDF decided to alter its methods and to produce a festival with professional guest directors.
The 1980s: The Federation
In 1981, QDF produced another one-act festival at the Centaur Theatre, which in fact became its last of this sort. In the fall of 1985, the Quebec daily “La Presse” published an article announcing that English theatre in Quebec was practically dead. In response, an open meeting was held for Montreal’s professional theatre artists. This first “Colloque” resulted in the creation of a standing committee, who prepared and circulated a brief on the situation to all levels of government, helping QDF to receive funds to hire its first full-time Executive Director in 1987. In June 1989, the reconstituted organization changed its name to the Quebec Drama Federation.
The 1990s:
The Coalition QDF’s 1991 Annual General Meeting created the appointment of a Board of Directors, largely made up of active theatre professionals. QDF immediately undertook lobbying activities which resulted in a 1992 policy paper which stipulated that the Quebec Government acknowledges the contribution of English-speaking Quebecers to Quebec’s culture and will, consequently, strengthen its support for the development of their heritage and its support for English-speaking artists and English-language cultural organizations in conjunction with its regular programs?. In 1994, QDF revived the coalition of English-Language Arts Organizations and helped to create the Quebec Community Groups’ Network (QCGN). By 1995, QDF became the first arts group of 13 English-language groups to sign a four-year agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage, solidifying QDF in its position.
2000 to the present: A New Focus
The beginning of the millennium marked a new chapter in QDF’s long history with a renewed focus and energy. New initiatives were started such as professional development workshops, a new layout of the Theatre Calendar, research reports on the feasibility of new production spaces for English-language theatre artists and the realities of the needs of the English-speaking communities in the regions of Quebec, to name only a few.
Recently new initiatives have been taken in the development of auditions for graduating students and generals for the main community, a communications committee composed of members of the community, supporting the Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs), searching for space for the service organizations of different disciplines, and initiating discussions on different subjects and issues that affect the English-speaking theatre community of Quebec.
QDF acts as a hub for the community, a collective voice representing companies (both professional and community), theatre artists of all disciplines, training institutions, educators, and students. In addition, new opportunities are emerging through collaboration with both the French theatre community, and the greater arts community in Quebec. The coming years promise to be continuously busy and rewarding for QDF and English-language theatre, as new ideas and new ventures are embarked upon, all for the benefit of this community which is a special one, being a minority within a minority within a majority.