Usine C, Theatre building in Montréal, Canada
Usine C is a performance venue housed in a former factory in Montréal's Centre-Sud area. The building keeps its rough concrete walls, steel beams, and a tall chimney, while inside there are two flexible performance rooms, a rehearsal studio, an exhibition hall, and a café.
The structure was built in 1913 for a fruit jam factory and later used for other manufacturing until production stopped in the 1970s. A group led by Gilles Maheu and Danièle de Fontenay transformed it into its current use, opening doors as a cultural space in 1995.
The venue has become a gathering point for artists working in theatre, dance, music, and media arts, with a focus on works that mix different forms. Visitors often notice how the industrial textures of the old factory serve as a backdrop for contemporary performances and installations.
The main entrance leads into a large, open lobby that makes it easy to get oriented before a show. Some parts of the building are not fully accessible to all visitors, so it helps to ask staff about the best route once you arrive.
The plaque in the park south of Usine C honours the Société Alphonse Raymond Limitée, the company that built the edifice in 1913 and ran its fruit jam factory until the 1970s. The same firm employed many workers to operate the plant, so the marker ties the venue to the jobs behind its walls.
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