News: QDF autumn calendar launch

Acme Burlesque (photo credit: Andrew Gryn)

ANGLO-MONTREAL ENJOYS ITS SEASONAL RITE OF PASSAGE
joel fishbane

Another theatrical rite of passage passed through the Montreal theatre community on Monday night with the latest QDF season launch. Hosted by Dance Animal, Robin Henderson’s infectious troupe of comedic dancers, the evening’s entertainment consisted of 18 “commercials” for shows from the professional, independent and non-professional worlds. While the quality varied, there’s no doubt that Anglo-Montreal is in for an atypical season: in a city known for its commitment to original work, there’s a large focus on classics and contemporary standards.

To be sure, there’s still some new work to be seen: Music Theatre Montreal will present a concert version of Frayne McCarthy’s new musical The Virgin Courtesan on September 22, while Geordie Productions will tour two new plays, one by Marcus Youssef and the other by Attila Clemann. Hudson Players Club will present the world premiere of Donna Byrne’s the Widow Schwartz while Shayne Gryn and Seska Lee are producing a two-night only event called Acme Burlesque, a show who advertised their work by giving us a dazzling burlesque number featuring a memoir of a Geisha that you definitely haven’t seen before. 

News: QDF Winter Calendar Launch

Kirsten Rasmussen in blink, blink, blink

It Is The Very Model Of a Modern Major Winter Launch

By Byron Toben

Just as the Charlebois Post has become the “go to” blog for Montreal area English theatre (and in just one year!), so has the Quebec Drama Federation’s quarterly Theatre Calendar, become the indispensable handy printed guide to local theatre-goers. Started some years ago by former QDF head Elise Menard, it has blossomed under current director Jane Needles. In addition, she has instituted party-like launches where - shades of  Fringe for All - some companies in the forthcoming quarter can strut their stuff with

short excerpts.

News: QDF launches fall calendar

Geordie's Little Prince

QDF FALL CALENDAR LAUNCH PLAYS TO FULL HOUSE

By Byron Toben

The 39 year old Quebec Drama Federation has  always been a valuable umbrella for

English-speaking theatre groups. It really became a major focal point a few years ago when former head ELISE MENARD inaugurated its quarterly Theatre Calendar. This handy palm sized guide has become indispensible to local theatre fans and aficionados. Its influence has grown under the current executive director, JANE NEEDLES, especially with the QDF's increasingly useful web site and the fun filled public launches. The Fall 2011, held at the Centaur, was a festive occasion for le tout théâtre

anglo-montrealais.

News: QDF Summer Calendar Launch

Christopher Moore stars as Titus in Titus Andronicus. Photo by Brian Lauber

Too Much Talk, Not enough theatre - but Cat Lemieux keeps it fun

by Valerie Cardinal

The QDF’s Summer Calendar launch reminded audiences that although we’ve all got Fringe on the brain, there’s more to summer theatre than that. A record 320 people showed up for a warm evening on the terrace of the McAuslan Brewery to see a preview of some of the events of the summer. However, many appeared to show up only for the free beer; host Cat Lemieux had to threaten the back of the terrace at least three times during the show for making too much noise. 

Some acts featured scenes or songs from the upcoming production, while others were just talking. Performers from downtown to Hudson to the West Island showed up to invite audiences to their productions. There were also some impressively large casts crammed on the stage. As soon as I walked onto the terrace, I was swarmed by Roman citizens from The Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Titus Andronicus. As for WISTA’s Hairspray, 14 out of the 33 cast members showed up to serenade the audience with “Without Love.”

The Sunday Feature, February 26, 2011

Although they share the same waters, Magdalene Islanders swear

their lobster is better than PEI-ers'!

Allons-y!

Quebec’s English-language regions want a taste of our anglo Montreal theatre. So how do we get there, and how do we get them here? 

by David King

Ten years ago, an Interim Executive Director at the Quebec Drama Federation, I had the amazing opportunity to represent QDF and our English-language theatre at the Quebec Community Groups Network. At the time, Sheila Copps was Heritage Minister; Dyane Adam was newly-appointed Commissioner of Official Languages; the Quebec Farmer's Association's Hugh Maynard was QCGN President, and Alliance Quebec was doing an internal shuffle to re-establish its voice and place within the newer, QCGN network.

My travels while representing our English-language arts community led me to Hull and Parliament Hill; to rapid-fire meetings in Montreal and Québec City; and to an important Annual General Meeting in Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine. Connecting with representatives of Quebec English-language communities in and outside of Montreal, I was amazed to see a side of Quebec I had only witnessed in franco-Canadian regions: pockets of official-language minority communities (in this case English-language minorities) fully integrated into Quebec society yet starving for at least an occasional cultural reflection of themselves in their first language. "Theatre would be great!" I heard time and again, "but how can we help bring it here when our school has no budget for it and our auditorium only has two lights?" My taste of anglo arts and culture outside of Montreal was more than just limited. The Community Association for Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (CASL) was selling cookbooks at the time, featuring recipes by members of its community (it's a cookbook I still use today for Tortière, Banana Nut Loaf and a chocolate chip cookie recipe stolen from Neiman-Marcus.) In the Maggies, or Magdalene Islands, I checked out the intricate sandglass designs of locals on one developed side of the island, before heading over to the "anglo" side, where I stayed with a lobster fisherman renting out rooms in his off-season (it appears a fisherman's struggle to make ends meet is not dissimilar to our own, except that their Employment Insurance system is a little better set up in the off-season). 

After Dark - December 7, 2010

By Gaëtan L. Charlebois (Editor-in-Chief) I am astounded by the success of The Charlebois Post after a single week online. I am also enormously thankful to be surrounded by collaborators who like theatre and its people so much. The ideas and the writing here have certainly struck a chord with our readers and with me.

Steve Galluccio's piece, for instance, offers an important lesson: to carve out a good career in this business you not only need talent, you have to work your ass off. But Galluccio's piece also reminds that it's also about how you approach the work (a dinner with a producer is not only good business it can also be pleasant) and moreover, you'd better enjoy the work you do. In our business, we can spot lazy, jaded malcontents a mile off: it shows in sloppiness on the stage, it shows in inelegant PR, in aimless texts and it shows in tired (and ultimately tiresome) reporting. As one professor of mine reminded his theatre students over and over again: it's not called "play" for nothing.

News: Estelle Rosen, CharPo Editor, Honoured at QDF Calendar launch

Estelle Rosen, producer of CKUT's Upstage: Theatre on Radio and CharPo editor was honoured by the Quebec Drama Federation last night for her contribution to local theatre. However, because of the snow storm, the honour was conferred via speaker phone by QDF executive director Jane Needles. Estelle, also one of the forces behind the Montreal English Critics Circle Awards (MECCAs), has been with the Circle from the start and has been a key figure at CharPo from its inception. The QDF honour is richly deserved.

(Gaëtan L. Charlebois, Editor-in-Chief)