Like many of those people who were near Ground Zero on Sept. 11, Remy Charest has his own story to tell about the horrific events that unfolded around him. "I was working in my hotel room," he recalls, "when I heard a terrible boom. I went outside and joined others as we watched the buildings collapse."
Charest was one of 140 Quebeckers who were gathering in Manhattan for the Sept. 13 launch of Quebec-New York 2001, a hugely ambitious, $15-million promotion of the province's culture and technology across the Empire State. Charest, in charge of public relations for the venture, believes that had the attack happened just 24 hours later, there almost certainly would have been casualties for the entourage. Most of the events booked for Manhattan were slated to take place in or directly adjacent to what has become known as Ground Zero, the 16-acre void where the Twin Towers and several other buildings once stood.
As it happens, no one involved in the venture was hurt. Whether the province has come away unscathed is another matter. In the wake of the attack, virtually all of Quebec-New York 2001 was cancelled; a massive undertaking that had been two years in planning fell victim to ill-fated timing, dealing a body blow to the Quebec government's scheme to raise its cultural profile in the United States.
Some shows were closed for the simple reason that their venues no longer existed. But in what is undoubtedly the strangest episode, Quebec City-based theatre deity Robert Lepage's eagerly anticipated, multimedia epic Zulu Time was cancelled due to its subject matter. The show, which was to open the Friday following Sept. 11 and close today, featured a gang of rogue Mideast terrorists and footage of actual plane crashes. This "technocabaret," which was co-produced by Peter Gabriel and included a Cirque du Soleil contortionist and a film by François Girard, culminated in an apocalyptic plane crash. Adding to the eerie prescience, Lepage spent weeks on detailed research about suicide bombers and Mideastern camps where they are trained. "We were faxing experts to ask if we had the right turban," Lepage tells me, "and if they would necessarily wear a beard."
Lepage acknowledges the art-and-life coincidence felt very odd indeed. "I don't want to sound pretentious or anything, but you know, our company [Ex Machina] when we immerse ourselves in new work, sometimes things like this happen. I'm not saying we have psychic powers, but there are moments where we're obsessed with things that are going on, any subject matter that we treat we find a reflection of. If you spend three years devising a piece, chances are some of the discussions you've had, the ideas you've come up with, will actually happen."
The idea for Quebec-New York 2001 was formed in April, 1999, when former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard was in France for the debut of the Quebec-France exchange. That endeavour proved so successful in raising Quebec's profile, both as a cultural force and a technology innovator, that Bouchard felt the same thing should be done in New York. "New York has proven a vital trade partner for Quebec," says Charest, noting that 15 per cent of Quebec's exports go to New York, which is more than exports to Europe and Asia combined.
Organizers concede that the venture must now be considered a rather massive bust. Some shows did go on, including a visual-arts installation by Nicolas Reeves and the Violins du Roy Sept. 29 performance of Mozart's Requiem at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. (The choice of music, the poignant piece by Mozart, was entirely coincidental.)
Government sources say they hope the losses won't amount to the entire $15-million Quebec-New York 2001 budget, but also caution the sum could rise above that, seeing as a good deal of art and equipment is still unaccounted for. Unable to gain access to the site, organizers are attempting to retrieve everything from the equipment of the technology exhibits to their own luggage.
Organizers were counting on media exposure, too. The New York Times had booked two feature stories on Quebec-New York 2001 for their Sunday, Sept. 16, edition and, due to early deadlines, the pieces ran. They included a story on Lepage's Zulu Time and a lengthy feature by Montreal journalist Jacques Godbout (the latter complete with swipe against the late Mordecai Richler). But the articles were in the first Sunday edition of the Times after Sept. 11, when New Yorkers' minds were very much on other things.
The diminished venture, meant to bolster Quebec's economy, has also raised questions about its effect on the province's robust cultural businesses. Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil CEO, told me: "Obviously, our first priority was to make sure that all of our people were okay." (Cirque troupe members were to perform Sept. 13 to 15 at the Winter Gardens, which were destroyed. No Cirque employees were hurt.) But, he says, he has considered the effects on the Cirque's fortunes. "On first reflection, I believe there may be a short-term shakeup. But our eggs are not all in the same basket. We have a show in Vegas, but we also have touring shows where we go to people.
"I suppose that's the security of being in the entertainment business. People will always need to entertain themselves for a couple of hours a week."