The fire that broke out Thursday morning in part of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) that was being renovated caused more fear than harm. But it quite frightened its director, Lorraine Pintal.
Updated August 18th
Josee Lapointe The Press
“I experienced the worst hour of my life,” says the man who has held the reins of the Montreal institution for 30 years.
Between the moment the blazes started at 7am and her arrival at the TNM more than an hour later, Lorraine Pintal “was expecting the worst,” she says.
“I was sure that the theater was completely on fire. It’s the worst nightmare. The Saint-Urbain district was completely closed, everyone was calling me… The news was bad. »
Only at 8:45 a.m. did the director breathe a sigh of relief. But a few hours later, the images of the burning theater still came to mind. “You shouldn’t think about that. I try to focus on optimism and hope. »
Early Thursday morning, thick black smoke was billowing from the TNM building on the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Urbain streets. The Montreal Fire Department got there at 7 a.m., the fire was quickly brought under control and everyone on site was evacuated.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Lorraine Pintal, Artistic Director and General Manager of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde
“Fortunately nobody was injured, there was no serious accident. »
After a morning visit to the theater and an analysis of the damage, Lorraine Pintal was able to determine that the interior of the theater was unaffected. The fire that broke out in the jetty could not spread.
“It’s like there was an airtight wall between the jetty and the room. Water ingress occurred in the stairwell, in the corridors, in the amplifier and transformer areas. »
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Firefighters at the scene of the TNM fire, Thursday morning
After analysis, the TNM still preferred to reschedule the first three performances of Robert Lepage’s Seven Branches of the Ōta River, i.e. those for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The other five scheduled for August 26, 27 and 28 and September 3 and 4 are retained.
It is better to take your time to put the theater in order. But we will be ready to welcome the public next week.
Lorraine Pintal, artistic and general director of the TNM
Meanwhile, cleaning crews “armed to the teeth” are at work, costumes and wigs have been cleaned, and strategically important areas are being dried.
” Everything under control. The big question is what condition our amplifiers and transformers are in. But even if it’s damaged, it’s not irreparable and can also be rented if necessary. I don’t think that’s the performances next week will hinder. »
Hard hit
The fire started while a team of welders was working on the second level of the jetty, Lorraine Pintal says. “Sparks fell in the area of the amplifiers, which were protected by mineral wool. It was the mineral wool that caught fire and it happened very quickly. »
The insurance of the TNM expansion project manager LEM covers the fire damage. Work carried out in summer 2021 should normally be completed in November 2023 and Lorraine Pintal does not believe that this event will disrupt the schedule.
It is fortunate in our misfortune, we were only at the structure, concrete and steel stage. We’ll have to stop work until it’s safe again, but that won’t affect the schedule. I hope I’m not contradicting myself in a month!
Lorraine Pintal, artistic and general director of the TNM
The TNM team is currently working to find alternate dates for the three performances of Seven Branches of the Ōta River that are scheduled to be rescheduled. “We already had another one planned but not announced, it will be used for Friday’s performance. We just have to find two more. »
So no question of cancellation.
” I hope not ! We have refunded a lot of tickets during the pandemic, we want this to stop…”
At the start of a new season, this fire is a blow to TNM – laptops were also stolen from production on Tuesday, intruders taking advantage of the factory’s comings and goings to break into the building.
“It’s been a nightmarish week. Today we live it as a day of mourning. After two years of pandemic, we talked about a rebirth at TNM, so it’s hard. For teams, for everyone. But we will get through it as always. »
With the collaboration of Mayssa Ferah, La Presse