Quebecois artists find kindred spirits in Scotland with government help

This year is the 15th anniversary of Quebec and the United Kingdom cozying up through creative collaborations, and to mark the occasion, they are funding artists to cross the pond.

The two governments have helpedmore than 1,000 artists network and grow through collaborations over the years.

One of thosecollaborations is a bilingual theatre piece based on sovereignty and identity that will beat this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.

It's been in the works since 2014 as a collaboration betweentwo Montreal theatre development companies ThtrePPandHtel-Motel along with the National Theatre of Scotland.

The working title of the show is Nous/Usand will feature both Scottish and Quebecois actors.

"TheQC-UKConnections Programmehas afforded the opportunity for in-depth research between the nations,resulting in a unique theatrical international collaboration," CarolineNewall,directorof artisticdevelopment at the National Theatre of Scotland, said in an email.

According to the National Theatre's description of the collaboration, "the experiences of these two countries are near unique, having both progressed through official referendums."

A grant for travel

The granting window closes Feb.4 for ConnexionsQC UK Connections, a research travelgrant that offers about $2,500 to help cover trip costs.

The international exchange projects it seeks to promote must include at least one British and one Quebec partner, who are aiming to develop a deeper understandingbetween the two societies.

Saada El-Akhrass is the arts manager at Canada's British Council office, based in Toronto, and said it's important that artists have the opportunity to visit other places and explore different ways of doing things.

She said Quebec"has always been open to the rest of the world."

Quebec is Canada's only province to have this kind of cultural connection program with Britain.

On top of efforts to bring cross-Atlantic artists together fostered both by the British Council office and Quebec's Ministry of Culture and Communications Quebec's office in London helps Quebecers network.

Maude Laflamme is the director of culture at Quebec's London officeand said that in the past 15 years, governmentinitiatives havesupported 60 international exchange projects.

She said the benefits of accessing the much largerBritish marketis clear for Quebec artists.

"Given the modest size of its domestic market, Quebec looks beyond its borders for growth in many sectors, including culture," Laflamme said.

She added that the arts canfoster mutual understanding, which is "something of particularly high value in the current international context of upheaval and uncertainty."

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Quebec's special connection to Scotland

El-AkhrasssaidQuebecersoften find creative kinship with Scottish artists, based on parallels in their unique, sub-national identities further solidified by Scotland's 2014 independence referendum.

Quebec artists are encouraged to visit Edinburgh in August when the city isflooded withartists attending the Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

"A lot of collaborations come out of that,"El-Akhrasssaid.

She said other collaborations over the years have included Montreal's Blue Metropolis Literary Festival linkingup with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Montreal's music, art, technology festivalMutekdoing a curating exchange with London'sConvergence Festival.

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