We’re embarking on an exciting summer of work here at Troubadours & Vagabonds as we begin mapping English-language presenting and touring ecosystems in Quebec. As a result, I’ve been thinking a lot about presenters, venues, and the relationships between them. Somewhere along the way, a rather silly metaphor popped into my head: some presenters are hermit crabs, and some are lobsters.

A hermit crab presenter doesn’t have a permanent home. It finds the space that suits its needs and moves when circumstances change. A folk club that presents in different churches. A concert series with different venues picked to reflect the artist’s vibe and draw. A festival that uses multiple community spaces.

A lobster presenter, on the other hand, is attached to its shell. Whether they own the building or not, their venue is part of their identity. They grow within that space, adapt programming to fit it, and invest time and energy in keeping it active. They may modify the shell over time, but they never abandon it.

One isn’t better than the other. Hermit crabs can squeeze into places lobsters can’t reach. Lobsters can support activities that hermit crabs would struggle to sustain.

As our research continues, I’ll be curious to see how many hermit crabs and lobsters I encounter along the way.