A word from Christine Bouchard and appointment of A new Interim Director
GOODBYE!
Dear friends, colleagues and partners,
It was with regret that I announced, on Friday, January 27, my departure as Executive Director of En Piste, a position I have held since 2015. Despite the sadness I feel, this was a carefully thought-out decision taken after a long period of reflection.
I am leaving this role with a sense of accomplishment. My time with the circus has allowed me to discover a wonderful and inspiring community.
The time has come for me to take on new professional challenges. I am pleased with the progress made and the gains achieved for the circus community under my mandate. These advancements include the reimbursement assistance for training expenses program, the CNESST protection measure for circus artists, a broad range of group insurance
programs, a support measure to encourage the development of circus touring and dissemination, and the securing of 21.8 million dollars of government funding to support the recovery of circus arts during the pandemic.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the current and past boards of directors, my team, and all our collaborators, partners, and governing bodies for the support they have given me. Working with you has been a rich and deeply engaging experience. I would also like to extend special thanks to the presidents of the board of directors who have accompanied me throughout these eight years: Samuel Tétreault, Marie-Claude Bouillon, and Tim Roberts. The commitment to the circus community that you have all shown is remarkable.
I have full confidence in the board of directors and staff who will steer the organization through this transition. I will have fond memories of my time in the circus community and in the cultural community at large. I am confident that the resilience of the cultural community remains an incredible strength that sets you apart.
Warmest wishes,
Christine Bouchard
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APPOINTMENT
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Nadia Drouin
as Interim Executive Director of En Piste.
Nadia Drouin has been working with the organization since 2021, first as Project Manager for Destination cirque, and then as Director of Services and Community Relations. Graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, she worked at the Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) and at Espace GO and directed her own company, Théâtre Pluriel, with Michel Laprise, before discovering the world of Quebec contemporary circus arts and street performance. Nadia was part of the staff at TOHU between 2004 and 2018, as Coordinator of Professional Services, and later as Head of Circus Arts Programming. While with TOHU, she created the International Market for Contemporary Circus (known by the French acronym MICC) in 2015. In 2018, she held the position of Director of the CINARS Biennial. Her extensive expertise in circus arts dissemination led her to join En Piste, where she built and ran Destination Cirque, a program dedicated to the development of circus dissemination throughout Quebec.
Her knowledge of circus arts, her leadership, and her organizational and communication skills are some of the many assets that will help steer En Piste forward.