EVENT: Zip & Wick #72: Endings (Fringe, 2011)

Feature: Backstage at L'Opéra de Montréal

Antoine Bélanger and Marianne Fiset rehearse the death scene

A Day at the Opera

The Charlebois Post goes backstage for the making of L’Opéra de Montréal’s all-new million-dollar La Boheme

A CharPo exclusive by Richard Burnett

(Photos by Richard Burnett)

Even out of costume, rehearsing Mimi’s death scene in Act 4 of Puccini’s masterpiece La Bohème, the two stars of L’Opera de Montreal’s brand-new production of La Bohème are riveting. Canadian soprano Marianne Fiset, who plays Mimi, and Canadian tenor Antoine Bélanger, who plays Rodolfo, do the scene over and over, in the enormous basement rehearsal studio at Place des Arts. They are accompanied by a pianist, as well as by conductor Giuseppe Petraroia of the Victoria Symphony and La Bohème director Alain Gauthier.

Fiset interrupts the scene and asks the director, “If Rodolfo is telling me he loves me, shouldn’t he be looking at me?” 

Alain Gauthier then takes the place of Antoine Belanger and shows his stars how to do the scene.

The Friday Five, Pre-Fringe Edition, May 20, 2011

Ya ain't watching TV, Mofo!

by Gaëtan L. Charlebois and Estelle Rosen

Joel Fishbane outlined a pile of don'ts for Fringe companies, but what about the people in the seats. We are all aware that many who come to the Fringe are seeing theatre for the first time, and while that warms the heart and sings to the future, it can also be one giant pain in the arse. Here are five things a good Fringe spectator should not do (but many will anyway). If you meet the villains, tack a printed version of this to their heads. (Also, feel free to make additions to our five in the comments section below.)

EVENT: The Birth of Weza or Go F@#k Your Mother (Fringe, 2011)

EVENT: 8 Ways my Mother was Conceived (Fringe, 2011)

EVENT: Suicide(s) in Vegas (Fringe, 2011)

News: Michael F. Hennessey wins Irish Diaspora play competition

PRESS RELEASE    18 May 2011

Four Eileen Sullivans Found in One Act Playwrighting    

Contest About Irish Diaspora to North America

When BYRON TOBEN announced a year long contest for what

may be the world`s first one act playwrighting contest about the Irish Diaspora

to North America, to be entitled ”THE SEARCH FOR EILEEN SULLIVAN”, he

didn`t realize that there are some 200,000 Eileen Sullivans in Canada/USA.

Now four of them have been found on page leading to stage.

A dozen entries arrived at the offices of the Quebec Drama Federation from Ireland, Canada and the USA.

CharPo's Picture of the Week, May 19, 2011

(This caption has been corrected) The gorgeous set and lighting for Geordie's Beethoven Lives Upstairs

(l: Lucinda Davis Quincy Armorer, Alex McCooeye)

Our reviewer, Amy Barratt, called it, "Fine theatre by any standard."

(Photo: David Babcock. Click photo for larger version.)

EVENT: Verbal Diary-Ah: Confessions of an awkward teenager (Fringe 2011)

EVENT: Shlong Form Improv (Fringe 2011)