Amphitheatre, Cirque bring booming business to Trois-Rivières
Julia Page | CBC News | Posted: July 15, 2016 10:24 PM | Last Updated: July 18, 2016
Trois-Rivières welcomes hoards of tourists as Cirque du Soleil opens new show
The city of Trois-Rivières wants to be Quebec's next entertainment destination, and it's hoping to attract tourists with its brand new open-air amphitheatre.
As many as 64,000 people attended last year's Cirque du Soleil tribute to Beau Dommage at the Amphithéâtre Cogeco, bringing in an estimated $15 million in revenues to the city.
"Sixty-eight per cent of the audience was from outside the Mauricie region," said Steve Dubé, the Amphithéâtre's general director.
"This means they book a hotel room, go out for supper ... It's helped local businesses, but it has also changed the perception people have of Trois-Rivières."
Good for business
The amphitheatre is only steps away from the city's historic core. The manager of nearby Bistro l'Ancêtre, Patrick Thiffault, says his phone has been ringing off the hook.
"We are fully booked for every show night this week," Thiffault said. "I may even consider opening during the winter months (because of the indoor cabaret)."
The downtown merchants' association was taken off guard by the success of the amphitheatre after it opened last year. Its general manager, Mathieu Lahaye, says businesses weren't expecting the crowds of tourists.
"Employees were a bit confused as to when the shows were on and how people could get there," Lahaye said. "This year we gave clear directions so everyone is on the same page."
A shuttle service to get to the amphitheatre site is provided for $1. There are also bicycle-taxis that take people there for free. Tips are donated to local community groups.
A promising debut
The Cirque du Soleil has signed a five-year agreement with Cogeco to continue performing its Série Hommage, a series of shows that pay tribute to Quebec artists.
After the Beau Dommage show in 2015, artists will next be performing acrobatic feats to the music of Robert Charlebois.
The same old songs that people loved in the seventies are there, but you have new emotions, new sounds, electronic, hip-hop ... and the kids love it. - Robert Charlebois
The audience follows the main character, Lindberg, through time and space, revisiting some of Charlebois' classics like Ordinaire and Je reviendrai à Montréal.
The 72-year-old singer-songwriter was at the show's premiere on July 13th, but had no say about how his songs were adapted for the Cirque's show.
"The same old songs that people loved in the seventies are there, but you have new emotions, new sounds, electronic, hip-hop ... and the kids love it," Charlebois said.
"And the people of my generation can discover new emotions, based on what they lived through in the seventies."
Another notable figure showed up at the premiere: former prime minister Jean Chrétien, who still spends his summers in his hometown of Shawinigan.
"Charlebois is an old friend of mine, I've known him for 50 years, so it was extremely pleasant ... and I'm home here, the Saint-Maurice Valley is my country," Chrétien said.
Tout écartillé, the tribute to Charlebois, runs until August 13th at the Amphithéâtre Cogeco.