CALQ residency for Deaf and Disabled Artists at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert
The CALQ and the Théâtre du Rideau Vert are partnering to offer a residency program for Deaf artists or artists with a disability (including those who are hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, artists with diverse abilities and neurodivergent artists), as well as for collectives that include people experiencing these realities.
![[Translate to English:] Façade de la rue Saint-Denis, Théâtre du Rideau Vert](/fileadmin/fichiers/Programmes_Aide_financiere/Ateliers-residences_et_studios/Rideau_Vert/TRV5_-_cr._Adrien_Williams.jpg)
Partners
Introduction
ASL video of the program
This program is not accessible via Mon dossier CALQ. You need to complete the grant application form found in the section "Presentation of the application.” The CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec) accepts application files via WeTransfer. The instructions for submitting them are on the form.
Before submitting an application, please read the program information carefully. If you have questions once you have done so or to make sure you have understood everything, please contact the person responsible for the program by email or by phone for information and advice about how to present your project and what to include with your application.
Foreword
The CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec) and the Théâtre du Rideau Vert are partnering to offer a residency program for Deaf artists or artists with a disability (including those who are hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, artists with diverse abilities and neurodivergent artists), as well as for collectives that include people experiencing these realities.
Objectives
This residency fosters inclusion, recognition and professional development of Québec theatre artists. By supporting their artistic practice and offering them adapted conditions for creation, the CALQ and the Théâtre du Rideau Vert would like to contribute to more equitable representation of a diversity of practices and voices on the arts scene.
Lasting five months, the residency offers the selected artists or collectives a setting conducive to research, experimentation, and creation. It makes it possible to explore new theatrical forms and strengthen their ties with the theatre community.
This program has grown out of the CALQ’s and the Théâtre du Rideau Vert’s shared desire to foster access to and full participation in artistic life for Deaf artists and artists living with a disability and to make theatre a space for expression, encounters and equity.
Residency characteristics
Discipline concerned
Théâtre
Target applicants
This residency is open to artists working in theatre, whether as actors, directors, playwrights or interdisciplinary creators.
It is intended in particular for Deaf artists and artists with a disability, (including those who are hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, artists with diverse abilities and neurodivergent artists), as well as for collectives that include people experiencing these realities.
Length of stay and grant amount
The duration of the residency is five months, from February to June 2027.
The amount of the grant is $30,000
Location
The Théâtre du Rideau Vert This link will open in a new window produces and distributes Quebec and international works that explore human existence through compelling stories and unforgettable characters. The performer is the driving force behind the creative process.
True to its role as a cultural hub in Montreal, Rideau Vert is committed to opening its doors to all audiences, notably through its universal accessibility program and cultural mediation activities.
Accessibility of the spaces
The Rideau Vert rehearsal room is accessible to wheelchair users. Accessible bathrooms are available on the same floor. A relaxation area will be set up in the rehearsal room, including a microwave and a coffee maker.
Please note that the Rideau Vert administrative offices are located in a heritage building and do not have an elevator to access the second floor.
Eligibility
General criteria
Eligibility is for individual and collective projects by a professional theatre artist with a disability who would like to develop a research, exploration or creation project in a professional, inclusive setting.
Artists’ group (collective) – Application processing
Applications from a group of artists for a joint project must be presented by a single applicant artist, who must meet the program’s eligibility criteria.
If the application is accepted, the grant will be paid to the applicant artist who, as the grant recipient representing the group, will be responsible for managing the project and the budget.
Conditions
These rules govern all CALQ grant programs.
You can submit up to five separate applications and receive a maximum of five grants per CALQ fiscal year, from April 1st to March 31st. All applications submitted, including those deemed ineligible, are counted in the annual maximum.
Applications with a fixed date:
The fiscal year a grant application falls under is indicated under the application date for each program in the ''Presentation of the application'' section. You can only submit one application per registration.
Apply any time:
Travel, Circulation of Works Within Québec, Circulation of Works Outside Québec:
Applications submitted between March 1st and 31st inclusively are counted for the following fiscal year.
Others :
Applications received between February 24 and March 31st inclusively will be recorded in the following fiscal year.
You may not have more than three projects being considered, supported or under way at the same time.
If you have received financial support from one of the CALQ’s grant programs, you must produce a Grant Use Report within three months after the completion of the project. To be eligible to submit a new application, you must have submitted Grant Use Reports for all projects that have reached their end, and these reports must be approved by the CALQ. The official end date for the project is the date you set when applying.
Failure to meet deadlines for the submission of projects will render your application ineligible.
Ineligibility
- Projects carried out under the supervision of an educational program are ineligible.
- A project that has already been rejected by the CALQ is ineligible for this program.
- A group legally constituted as a not-for-profit or profit-making company or general partnership is ineligible for this program.
- Incomplete applications.
Amount of the grant
The CALQ will award the selected artist or collective a grant of $30,000 to cover eligible expenses related to the residency, including:
- remuneration for the applicant;
- fees for participating artists and contributors;
- expenses for project research and development;
- production costs, including the purchase of materials and equipment rentals.
The artist or collective selected will receive:
- a workspace at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert;
- 120 hours of studio time for stage exploration;
- personalized support and artistic mentorship;
- networking activities and meetings with specialists from the theatre world;
- technical and logistical advice tailored to their needs.
Additional financial aid This link will open in a new window may also be granted upon request to help cover some of the additional costs related to the artist’s disability (technical support, assistance or necessary accommodations).
Information session
An in-person information session will be held on March 30, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, to cover details of the residency and to help candidates prepare their application.
Advance registration required.
RegisterThis link will open in a new window
Deadlines
| Publication of the call for artists | February 24, 2026 |
| In-person information session | March 30, 2026 |
| Deadline for submitting projects | May 27, 2026 |
| Announcement of the project selected | September 2026 |
| Residency | February to June 2027 |
Evaluation of applications
Selection process and criteria
Applications submitted for this residency program are assessed by a peer committee – which includes Deaf artists and artists with a disability – based on the following criteria:
- Quality and interest of the project
o Quality of the artistic work;
o Originality of the artistic proposal.
- Project management and feasibility
o Feasibility of the project (realism of the proposal, schedule, budget estimate, relevance of partners and specialists involved in the project, etc.);
o Applicant’s ability to complete the project.
Ethics
Board members, employees and members of juries and committees of the CALQ are subject to Codes of ethics and professional conduct This link will open in a new window. All must act in good faith in performing their duties and refrain from taking part in any discussion concerning a grant application that risks creating a conflict of interest. Confidential or privileged information transmitted to them may not be used for personal reasons.
Decision
The CALQ will inform applicants of its response to the application approximately four months after the application deadline.
An applicant registered for Mon dossier CALQ will receive an email inviting him to consult his online file to find out the result.
If the application is successful, along with the announcement letter the applicant will receive a document describing the terms and conditions governing the use of the grant.
If the application is unsuccessful and the applicant is not registered for Mon dossier CALQ, the CALQ will communicate its decision in writing.
After receiving the results, the applicant may request the jury's or the evaluator's general rankings of the project for each evaluation criterion.
The CALQ wishes to reiterate that its decisions are final and without appeal. No form of verbal abuse, harassment or intimidation towards its team after a decision is rendered, nor at any point in the application process, is tolerated.
Presentation of the application
Registration deadline
May 27, 2026.
An application filed for this program will be treated in the 2026-2027 financial year.
An artist who wishes to apply for this grant program must fill out the appropriate application form and provide a complete file, making sure to include all the requisite items.
The date of submission online or the postmark is deemed to be the date of receipt of the application. Incomplete applications and those submitted after the application deadline are not accepted.
Application form
Important
The CALQ will not be accepting applications by mail. Mon dossier CALQThis link will open in a new windowis the favoured channel for transmitting an application and for finding out the status of your file. Please note that from now on, to access Mon dossier CALQ and submit an application, you must log in via the Government Authentication Service This link will open in a new window. This authentication method replaces clicSÉQUR – Citizens.
If this transmission mode is not available for the present program or if you cannot use it, the CALQ will receive the application file by WeTransfer. Instructions for sending are provided on the Application form – detail project.
Required file
- Grant application form - Details of the project for studios and studio-apartments (Word)
- Grant application form for studios - Personal Information (Word)
- Preliminary budget
- Images or excerpts from past projects completed by the candidate and their collaborators, if possible related to the project.
The required file contents are detailed on the application form.
Any documents or supporting materials received by the CALQ after the application deadline will not be submitted for evaluation.
The CALQ cannot be held responsible for the loss of submitted items or damage sustained by such items during shipping. Applicants are urged to never send the originals of items or supporting materials required for a grant application.
Subject to the provisions of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the CALQ respects the confidentiality of the documents and information in its possession and of those sent to it.
Applicants must promptly notify the CALQ of a change of address so that mail can be sent to the new address.
Additional aid for preparing an application
The CALQ offers additional aid for preparing an application This link will open in a new window for artists who request it.
This support covers expenses, in whole or in part, incurred to obtain the services needed to prepare and draft an application and grant use report.
These needs must be indicated on the Personal information form, which is one of the required documents.
Obligations and reports
Awarding of grants
- The CALQ determines the amounts awarded taking into consideration the funds available, budgets submitted and eligible expenses.
- The grant will be disbursed in the month following the announcement. However, to proceed with a payment, the CALQ must be informed of the grant recipient's social insurance number. In accordance with tax legislation, a grant recipient is bound to declare the amount of the grant awarded. The CALQ issues a tax slip to each grant recipient and submits the list of grant recipients to the ministère du Revenu.
- For the studio and studio-apartment residency program, the grant will be disbursed two months prior to the beginning of the residency.
- For the studio and studio-apartment residency program, the artist selected undertakes to comply with the applicable conditions and rules, whether communicated by the host organization or the institution overseeing the residency or posted on their website, as the case may be.
For further information…
- The CALQ cannot support the same project more than once. Moreover, the CALQ may not award a grant in respect of the same expenses related to a project already supported under another program of the CALQ or any other organization whatsoever.
- By cashing a grant cheque, the artist enters into a commitment to carry out the project planned and comply with the conditions governing the use of the grant.
- The grant recipient has three years from the application registration date to complete the project supported. The end of this period is the project expiry date. Should the artist fail to comply with this condition, the CALQ may demand repayment of the amount disbursed. Moreover, should the artist die or be disabled prior to completion of the anticipated activity, the CALQ may demand repayment of the grant prorated to the state of advancement of the activity.
Report on the use of a grant
The grant recipient undertakes to submit a detailed report on the use of the grant or the results of the research. This report must be submitted within three months after the end of a project. To be eligible to submit a new application, a grant recipient must have submitted the reports on the use of grants for all projects that have reached their end date, and these reports must be approved by the CALQ. The official project end date is determined by the candidate upon registration.
Visibility and use of the Conseil’s logo
Standards governing visibility
- When the project results in public activities such as exhibitions or publications, the CALQ's logo or a mention of its contribution must appear on any documentation, promotion or advertising materials.
- The grant recipient must comply with Standards governing the use of the CALQ's logo This link will open in a new window.
Further eligibility
Failure to comply with any of the foregoing conditions may jeopardize an artist's eligibility to submit a subsequent application.
Tools and references
Partners
This residency is made possible by the collaboration of the Théâtre du Rideau Vert.
- Frequently Asked Questions This link will open in a new window
- Code of ethics and professional conduct governing jury and committee members and assessors hired by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (65 KB)
- Glossary This link will open in a new window
- Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information This link will open in a new window
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act This link will open in a new window
- Act respecting the professional status of artists in the visual arts, film, the recording arts, literature, arts and crafts and the performing arts This link will open in a new window
- Policy governing juries, committees and assessors (365 KB)