Review: Changing Room

Beyond the stage and into the back
by Rebecca Ugolini

From the moment audience members enter Espace Libre’s performance space for a showing of the Nous Sommes Içi collective’s celebrated piece Changing Room, they know they aren’t in for just another night at the theatre. 

Hostesses are carrying trays of a blue-coloured, sweet-sour shot called Androgyne back and forth from the theatre’s well-stocked bar. Tables and chairs are arranged around the stage mimic a show club set-up, and a red-velvet-curtained stage complete with elaborate runway stands awaiting its performers. As soon as the lights dim and the disco ball starts spinning, Délice (Anne-Marie Coté) a big-haired, foul-mouthed, instantly-lovable drag queen hostess appears on stage and welcomes the audience to a night of cabaret numbers, laughs, and heart-to-hearts. 

CharPo's Real Theatre! August 31, 2012

Picture of the Week, August 30, 2012

Changing Room à Montréal from Collectif Nous sommes ici on Vimeo.
Website

Review: The Pillowman

Show logo

The Pillowman is a must-see, must-experience at MainLine theatre

by Rebecca Ugolini

Fairy tales appeal to young ears because they promise adventure and deliver a comforting moral that reaches into everyday life from a land far, far away; in the thrill-seeking stage of adolescence where late nights with friends replace bed-side story-time, urban legends weave the same kind of enchanting, this-worldly-yet-otherworldly weft that lies at the base of all satisfying, if not particularly good, storytelling. 

Whether the tales of Cinderella or the hook-handed killer are plausible or implausible is immaterial to the importance of the story to both the teller and the listener; yet somewhere in the dispiriting world of 9-to-5 jobs and paying bills, we forget that we exist to be moved and thrilled by a really good story. That’s where the MainLine theatre and Lifelong Productions' staging of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman steps in and jolts us uncomfortably, brilliantly, into remembering that at our core, we love being an audience.

Beyond The Fourth Wall, August 29, 2012

Grain(s) 

(French version of Porte Parole Seeds)

Sept. 4 – 22

La Licorne

Shows Of Interest this Week

by Estelle Rosen

Zoo

To Sept. 3
Musée d’Art Contemporain

Montreal Burlesque Month
Lovers & Other Strangers
Sept. 16
Upstairs Club

Duels
Agora de la Danse
Sept. 12-21

After Dark, August 28, 2012

Outside the (Poor) Box
Reflections on money in a penniless world
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

If you're on Facebook or Twitter you have been seeing two trends: projects - especially theatre projects - crowd-sourcing funding for shows; a backlash against professionals - actors, journalists, musicians - working for nothing except the joy of working, experience and exposure.

These two trends interest me profoundly. As we, at CharPo, have said - out loud and constantly - we pay nothing to our writers (nor do editors, nor publishers, receive any payment). Crowd-sourcing money has been considered so that we can at least offer honorariums.

However, what is happening out there is sometimes exciting to us, and sometimes discouraging. Whereas, as little as a year ago, crowd-sourcing funds was a fascinating idea, we now see a lot of projects who go the Indiegogo route (to name one fund-raising organization) failing to raise even close to what they were aiming at. Some of these companies are solid, even magnificent, organizations. They cannot - for a variety of reasons - get government funding or when they do it's a pittance. Right now, without much research, I know at least four theatre organizations crowd-sourcing money and having a bitch of a time of it.

The Upstage Interview: Léane Labrèche-Dor on Théâtre La Roulotte

(photo credit: Éric Bolte)

Six Decades in a Trailer
Upstage and CharPo Contributor Sarah Deshaies spoke with actor Léane Labrèche-Dor about Théâtre La Roulotte. 

UPSTAGE:  I understand Théâtre La Roulotte is celebrating their 60th anniversay. Is this the first year you’ve been part of Théâtre La Roulotte?

LABRÈCHE-DOR:  The way the program works is the cast is selected from among graduating theatre students. This means we only do one year with Théâtre La Roulotte.

We’ve been working on this year’s presentation of Peter Pan for a few months now. The show has been running since the end of June, ending September 9. We’re five graduates from two different schools and it’s our first real contract as actors.  It’s really fun to have this kind of energy in the play and be outdoors; feels like it’s perfect for young actors.

Tour Whore, August 26, 2012

Night of the Living Deed
by Cameryn Moore

I don’t like to make sweeping generalizations about Fringe artists’ experiences. We have different ways of living and working and playing out here on tour. But at this point on the tour, I think I can safely speak for us all:

We are all sleep deprived.

It’s worse for me, I think. I have to sign in for my phone shifts at 7am Pacific time, which means when I’m on the East coast, I don’t have to even crack my eyes open until 9:55am. The further west I travel, though, the earlier I have to get up, and that doesn’t change the fact that Fringe makes me stay up hella late. Not “makes” me, scratch that. I’m a willing participant. I don’t really deserve any sympathy, because I lose my own sleep, I toss it right out the fucking window, of my own free will. 

First-Person: Dustin Kagan Fleming and Charley Hausknost on The Breakfast Club

Stories from the detention hall...

Dustin Kagan Fleming:

In June of 2011 I discovered that I had the chance to put up my own production. This incredible opportunity was given to me by the amazing Shift Space Inc. When I had decided to do a show the first question was which show to do. I wanted to choose something that I felt resonated strongly with me personally. The idea of The Breakfast Club came to me quickly; it had been a favourite of mine ever since I had first seen it and I knew that it was a story that everyone could relate to. I grew up in a world full of theatre, having two parents rooted so deeply in the theatre world, I feel that it has been a very large part of my upbringing. Even with a life surrounded by theatre, the idea of creating a show from scratch seemed like an almost impossible task. I decided to call upon the first two people I knew I would be able to depend on for a job this big: my long time friend Charley Hausknost who had also been brought up in the theatre world and had experience doing theatre, and my best friend Sam Cohen. I got two more actors to join the cast and with that we became the rough draft of what would be The Breakfast Club cast. Being the ones with theatre experience, Charley and I took charge of the project as co-producers. Even with all the hard work we put in, it was becoming clearer to both Charley and I that we needed to get a Director as soon as possible. In November we had two of our actors drop out of the show, saying that the project was too much to take on. So with our cast of three, Charley and I contacted Mike Payette, an incredible director and actor that we had known for years. Mike agreed to direct the show for us and I couldn’t have been happier. After we lost two actors, the show seemed like an impossibility but with Mike on board, it finally seemed like we could actually do this show and make it amazing. Shortly after Mike joined the production we started solving the problems that were stopping us from putting this show on. Thanks to Charley we managed to get two amazing actors to fill the roles of the two that we had lost. We got Sarah Krnjevic as Claire and Tiernan Cornford as Brianne. The wonderful Jo Joffre also joined us in the role of Ms. Vernon. We were a complete cast now and ready to make this show all that it could be. From that point on we started really making the show our own and crafting it into something none of us expected it to be. We were working extremely hard at every rehearsal and Charley and I were working on organizing the show itself. We grew together as a cast and as friends; each rehearsal we would find something new and exciting, making it an amazing time in my life. 

Theatre For Thought, August 25, 2012

ACTING IN THE AGE OF REJECTION
joel fishbane

This week was a typical one for me. There was some good news, which stroked my ego; this was quickly followed by one or two disappointments that knocked it back to size. When you work in multiple formats you usually end up tripling your chances of being turned down;  when you’re acting, writing and dating, it also means you field three or more rejections a week. Does this make me an expert in rejection? If so, it’s a dubious skill and I’d be happy to give it back. 

Rejection remains a difficult thing whether it comes from a publisher, director or the girl at the end of the bar. The most common balm is the suggestion that we not “take it personally”. This isn’t easy for actors and less so for those hoping to find a date for Saturday night. At the end of the day actors are every bit like the singleton: both are trying to sell themselves and both find it all too easy to take the rejection as a personal affront.

CharPo's Real Theatre! August 24, 2012

Picture of the Week, August 23, 2012

Promo video for The Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company (MSTC)

production of Macbeth, getting across-the-board raves for its run at Monument National. 

(Read our review)

Beyond The Fourth Wall, August 22, 2012

(Grab Your Partner, by Linda Bacon)

Beyond Realism: Photorealists and Hyper-realists

North American Première

Galerie de Bellefeuille

Vernissages Sept. 8 & 9

Shows Of Interest this Week

by Estelle Rosen

Maison de l'Architecture du Québec
Vegetable Sculpture: Green Utopia?
Vernissage Aug. 23 – 6pm

Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM)
Docville Series: Walk Away Renée
Cinema Ex Centris
Aug. 30 – 7pm

International Literature Festival
Sept. 21-29

After Dark, August 21, 2012

Am I Getting Laid?
What's with the mood...?
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

A friend was about to set off on the weekly column journey and asked for advice. I told him, "When you're pissed off, write down what's pissing you off, come back to it in three days and if it's still pissing you off...you've got a column!"

This week, as I was staring at the blank page now unblank before you, I realized that I'm not particularly pissed off about anything! Horrors! What's happening? I'm not getting laid more than usual, but it feels like when I was a younger man getting laid with mind-bending regularity. That young man had all the ugliness of the world around him as this older man does, but he - like me this week - was able to pass beyond the fixation on hopelessness and enjoy what is working.

The Upstage Interview: Lynn Paquette on fund-raising for The Medea Effect

You get sucked into it like quicksand.
Upstage Host Eric Sukhu spoke with Lyne Paquette, Artistic Director of Talisman Theatre,  about  their fundraising campaign for their next production The Medea  Effect.

UPSTAGE:   Tell us about the show.

PAQUETTE – The Medea Effect by Suzie Bastien will be at Theatre La Chapelle from Oct. 11 to 20. Directed by Emma Tibaldo, with Leni Parker and Eloi ArchamBaudoin.

UPSTAGE: Is this based on the Medea we know?

PAQUETTE: It’s more a discussion of Medea; a story within a story. A director is speaking with an actress who has just crashed the audition. He’s looking for a Medea. She wants to play Medea; we learn that her life is similar to Medea.

Tour Whore, August 19, 2012

I've Got Shit to Do...
by Cameryn Moore

I’m still out here. There’s still about a month before the Canadian Fringe portion of my touring is over for the year, three and a half months before I finish my 2012 tour. I am developing a podcast, planning a revised edition of my book, enhancing my two websites, MOVING TO MONTREAL. I have at least thirty-five presentations of my three shows to get through before then, plus preview appearances, Sidewalk Smut sessions, workshops, panel discussions, radio interviews, special guest appearances, and five minutes at the Fringe Bar Gong Show at the Vancouver Fringe, during which I will teach the entire, gradually endrunkening crowd (increasingly inebriated? I like my word better) how to do the Cupid Shuffle. 

I’ve got shit to do, in other words, but that’s all right. For the last month, at least, I’ve been an active participant in a collective conversation that spreads around every Fringe, a conversation that hinges on one seemingly innocent question: “So, what are you working on for next year?”

Theatre For Thought, August 18, 2012

LOVERS AND KNAVES IN TORONTO’S BACKYARD
joel fishbane

People who know me know how vehemently I tend to react to those who alter Shakespeare and keep it to themselves. Toronto actress / producer Kaitlyn Riordan knows me well – or at least well enough to assure me that her company’s inaugural production, Two Gents is very clearly an adaptation of a Shakespeare classic (Two Gentleman of Verona). “The ending is different from the original,” she assured me, though she admitted that many people may not even notice.  “Nobody knows anything about [the original,]” she admitted. “It’s an early work – much like us.” 

The “us” Riordan is referring to is Shakespeare in the Ruff, a new Toronto-based company dedicated to bringing the Bard to Riverdale, the neighbourhood east of the city’s downtown core. The company is a reboot of one that existed years ago – Shakespeare in the Rough, who performed once upon a time in Riverdale’s Withrow Park and inspired company founder Brendan McMurty Howlett.

Review: Macbeth

(photo via Facebook)

Macbeth satisfies and stuns at Monument National

It IS a dagger...

by Rebecca Ugolini

Superstition holds that it’s the play whose name dare not be spoken, but the Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company isn’t afraid to tempt fate. Their production of The Scottish Play is graphic, visually-arresting, and haunting, imbuing the famous play with new energy all the while screaming “Macbeth!”

Audience members sit on the periphery of all four sides of the square stage, either level to the action or watching over the railings of the balcony seating above, like spectators crowding a boxing ring from every angle. Thanks to directing by Aaron George, dynamic fight choreography by Paul DeTourreil, invigorating, dramatic, and almost tribal drumming by producer, percussionist, and set-builder Ace Lopes, and the eerie, cult-like movements of the production’s 12 Weird Sisters choreographed by Amy Blackmore, Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth feels appropriately frightening, claustrophobic, and mad.

CharPo's Real Theatre! August 17, 2012

Picture of The Week, August 16, 2012

When John Hughes created his film, The Breakfast Club, he probably had no idea how much it would speak to young people and for how long it would be on the radar. This weekend, a young company in this city is presenting a stage adaptation of the iconic film. Details are here (this is a Facebook event listing). (Young) veteran Mike Payette directs Tiernan Cornford, Sarah Krnjevic, Sam Cohen, Dustin Kagan-Fleming, Charley Hauskost and Jo Joffre.

Beyond The Fourth Wall, August 15, 2012

Creativity: A Unique Adventure in Painting and Drawing

Workshop for those with some painting and drawing experience

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – Cultural Activities

August 21 – 24

Shows Of Interest this Week

by Estelle Rosen

Expanding the boundaries of Indie music…

This Is The Hello Monster
Il Motore
Aug. 24

Animated version of Romeo & Juliet with Emily Blunt
Gnomeo & Juliet
TMN
Aug. 19 – 7:30pm

After Dark, August 14, 2012

If I was a Millionaire...
Ten shows I'd be gadding around the country to see before Christmas
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

Yes, we are in the dog days of summer, but it is now that theatres are slowly climbing out of the heatwaves and realizing that it is time to make some noise for the upcoming season. It is also the time when Estelle Rosen, our Editor-in-Chief, and I look at what is out there in the first half of the subscription lineups across the country and, subsequently, set to pestering publicists.

It is my duty, when reviews start coming in across the land, to sit down and format them for the various sites. I am, basically, a code-monkey. My job would be so much easier if I just cut and pasted and went on with my life. Instead, though, I read everything (before Estelle then proofs the stuff) and revel in the many kinds of art the reviewers are seeing and imagine what it would be like to be there, in some far-away hall, sharing the night with each and every one of them. I fantasize about getting a nice roomette on a train (do they still have those?) and whistle-stopping all over the country to see just what I like. (Forget flying...I have a phobia and need a case of Ativan and an SO rubbing my shoulders to get anywhere in an airplane.)

If I could do this, now, I have the next months laid out. After removing the three must-sees of my hometown, Montreal (Metachroma's Richard III, Jean-Duceppe's Thérèse et Pierrette and Opéra de Monréal's Flying Dutchman) I have narrowed the huge field (and my travel intinerary) down to ten shows and, obviously, kept it to those already announced. Let me say this before I proceed, though: it's the little gems which pop up at the little theatres which - season after season - steal my heart. Now...the ten (in order East to West and ignoring chronology).

The Upstage Interview, August 13, 2012

From a Very Fortunate Afternoon
Upstage Contributor Jana Van Geest spoke with Lady Josephine and Cherry Typhoon about  Bad Ladies and the Detective being presented August 18 at Theatre Ste-Catherine. 

UPSTAGE:   They asked me to read a little story to set the scene:

In the year 2XXX  art is forbidden by the world government and 
everyone is monitored on the KENSAKU system. Some artists escaped from KENSAKU and created a cabaret show that breaks people free from the government’s brainwashing. Thus are born The Bad Ladies.

Cherry tell us a bit more about the premise of the show.

CHERRY: It’s a neo-burlesque show featuring the best and most original burlesque performances in Montreal and Toronto. It’s a sexy science fiction cabaret including songs, sketch comedy and body painting.

First-Person: Donald Rees goes into The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later

Learning Laramie
by Donald Rees

I've always wanted to work on The Laramie Project. I read the original script almost a decade ago and it moved me. But ten years ago, the idea of Brave New Productions putting on a show that called for over 75 characters seemed far too ambitious. Over the years, the original Laramie Project has gone on to be one of the most performed plays in modern theatre. Schools and independent theatres love to do it, and it's easy to see why. Not only is the story emotional and important, on the practical side of things very few physical elements are required to bring Laramie to life, except for the actors.

Tour Whore, August 12, 2012

It's Touching
by Cameryn Moore

Two days ago I was flyering a line here at the Calgary Fringe, and I came upon a young-ish, hipster-ish straight couple hugging each other, arms wrapped tightly around each other while looking into each other’s eyes. “I’ll come back when you two aren’t so busy,” I said, making a sex joke out of it. “No, no!” they exclaimed, opening the hug. “There’s room in here for you!”

Now, I approach flyering the lines like improv theatre: don’t leave blank time and say “yes” whenever you can. So of course, I stepped right into their arms and had a hug threesome with these strangers, for easily 10-15 seconds, which is a LONG TIME for a full-body hug with a stranger, let alone with two. We smiled and made “mmm-mmm-mmm” snuggly noises at each other; the people around us in the line were completely charmed and a little bit envious, I’m sure. Of course I handed the couple my flyer and gave them my pitch, and they followed up by being in the front row of the next show. Clearly that moment worked as a promo encounter.

Theatre For Thought, August 11, 2012

SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON SIMULATED MEDICINE 
joel fishbane

The world of simulated medicine is getting a comedic approach thanks to Vanessa Matsui, the actress / writer / brain behind The Simulation Centre, a new sitcom she’s pitching at Toronto’s Pilot Week Festival. “It’s about a former child star who is now the most unemployed actress ever,” said Matsui, speaking to me during a brief sojourn in Montreal. “The pilot is the disaster episode where everyone has to pretend to be dying.” 

There are many things they don’t teach in theatre school and the ability to feign gastro-enteritis is definitely one of them. Yet across Canada countless actors are being asked to become adept at having abdominal cramps, nausea and perhaps a little vomiting. Canada’s several Simulation Centres are used to train young doctors in the art of diagnosis. They’re also places where the hungry actor can come to find a steady paycheque; cast in the role of Simulated Patients, actors both contribute to science and explore an untouched realm of their own abilities.

CharPo's Real Theatre, August 10, 2012

Picture of the Week, August 9, 2012

Rolline Laporte's photo for La Roulotte's 60th anniversary production of Peter Pan has everything you want: a clear indication of the style of the work, a fascinating use of perspective and a subdued palette that reminds viewers that this is outdoor theatre without the benefits of extravagant effects. 

Beyond The Fourth Wall, August 8, 2012

Intimate Sky “String Theory” Singers, poets and guitar.

Jason Blackbird Selman

Aug. 11

Shift Space

Shows of Interest this Week
by Estelle Rosen

Did you know that August is Archaeology month? Neither did I!
The 8th edition will explore themes of territory and identity
To Aug. 31.
Pointe-à-Callière Museum, Chateau Ramezay, First People’s Festival

A new theatre company in Montreal,  Raise The Stakes Theatre, opens with David French’s classic. 
Salt Water Moon
Aug. 15-16
Theatre Ste-Catherine

In addition to World Competition, and Documentaries of the World, The Montreal World Film Festival includes a festival of films from Concordia University, York University and Dawson College. 
Canadian Student Film Festival
Aug. 23 – Sept. 3

After Dark, August 7, 2012

Ambivalence
Big stories have me at my wits' end
by Gaëtan L. Charlebois

A very dear and trusted friend of mine who works in the environmental movement told me that at conferences now the backstage talk is not, "What do we do?" but, rather, "It's too late."

Think about that for a moment...

Now. Doesn't that put everything - and I mean EVERYTHING! - into perspective? Perhaps it's my friend saying that or old age or experience or some damn thing that makes me ambivalent about so many things I used to really red-rage about!

The Upstage Interview, François Vincent on Montreal Improv

Vincent (r) and his Venezuela partner Sean Michaels

It’s more fun than anything I’ve ever done.
Upstage  and CharPo Contributor Sarah Deshaies spoke with François Vincent, one of the founders of Montreal Improv.

UPSTAGE: Tell us how Montreal Improv got started.

VINCENT: Marc Rowland, Bryan Walsh, Kirsten Rasmussen and I had all performed together on the improv scene. Even though there are many great improv spots in Montreal, we thought Montreal needed a centre for improv, a home base dedicated to the art of improvised theatre. 

The four of us started teaching classes together. Fortunately for Kirsten, but unfortunately for us, she’s gone on to her own amazing career. The three of us were left behind!  We’ve put on hundreds of shows, taught many hours of classes, so we’re doing OK, and here we are celebrating our second anniversary.

We have shows every Thursday-Friday-Saturday and classes the rest of the week. It’s turned into this wonderful community.

Tour Whore, August 5, 2012

What would you do if there were no stars?
by Cameryn Moore




What would you do if there were no stars?

You’re a theatre-goer, an avid one, you pride yourself on seeing as many Fringe shows as you can cram in. When you talk to your friends who are less theatre-going than you are, you talk it up a little, how quirky and idiosyncratic the Fringe is, and you know that, therefore, by extension, they are going to admire how quirky and idiosyncratic you are.

You read the filler stories about the Fringe, take in your friend’s show (you hate it, but you can’t tell them that), make your preliminary lists. Maybe you even have a spreadsheet printed out in your notebook. But there are a lot of empty boxes in that chart, and you keep them empty until Sunday night of that first weekend, when the local mainstream daily paper has promised to finish all of their reviews. They helpfully organize it by the number of stars and you arrange and re-arrange the five-star shows until they have all fit in. And then you take the four-and-a-half star shows and try to wedge those into the remaining spaces, and you buy up tickets for all of them. You sweat hard over this process, so you feel justified in looking just a little bit weary on Monday afternoon, when a hard-working performer approaches you, smiling and holding his postcard. “No more, I’m done.” That’s right, you’ve settled your course.

Theatre For Thought, August 4, 2012

From the original production of Big Plans

TAYLOR TAKES TORONTO
by joel fishbane

It’s a Sunday morning and both Jeremy Taylor and I are going on very little sleep, although in his case it isn’t because he spent the night before in a bar. Taylor’s the proud father of a new baby girl and of all his latest creations, she’s the only one not making an appearance at SummerWorks 2012. Toronto’s annual festival of new and innovative work will feature two works that have Taylor’s fingerprints – one which he wrote, the other which he directed. Although his shows have been produced in Montreal and abroad, until now Toronto has been “the mythical beast we haven’t been able to hunt down.”

Review: Wicked

Jeanna de Waal and Christine Dwyer (photo credit: Joan Marcus)

WICKED, THROUGH AND THOUGH
Brush up on your Frank L. Baum and watch the power
joel fishbane

Brush up on your Frank L. Baum before going to see Wicked, the Broadway sensation which has just rolled into Montreal. After taking New York by storm a few years back, the show is enjoying a healthy afterlife, with its own rabid fanbase and a pop-infused score that has become standard fare for musical theatre auditions across the land. The touring company has proved to be in fine shape to show Montrealers what the fuss is about: this Wicked remains a splashy, sensational and effective production of a generally powerful piece of musical theatre.

The show’s clever plot serves as prequel (and interquel, if you want to get specific) to The Wizard of Oz, delivering a behind-the-scenes look at the Wicked Witch of the West and the politics of the Emerald City. It’s the years before Dorothy Gale hit the Yellow Brick Road and young Elphaba (Christine Dwyer) is sent to Shiz University, where she meets the pompous Glinda (Jeanna de Waal) before raising the ire of the Wizard after she becomes a political activist hell-bent on securing equality for the Animals of Oz (and yes, that’s Animals with a capital A).

Real Theatre! August 3, 2012

Picture of the Week, August 2, 2012

Christine Dwyer is sooooooo Wicked. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

Flop Sweat, August 1, 2012

Venezuela (aka: Sean Michaels and Francois Vincent)

It's a Party - with no script
Montreal Improv Anniversary Weekend
by Kyle Allatt


[CharPo-Montreal is very happy to introduce an occasional column by Kyle Allatt. Kyle will be covering the improv scene in Montreal.]


The place is dingy, poorly-lit.  A fake brick wall stands against the back of a much too small stage.  Even though you’ve already paid cover to get in, you’re still harassed by overworked and underpaid staff to fulfill the two drink minimum, and they’re damn sure in a foul mood because of the crappy tips they get on the 7 dollar martinis.  

Your standard shithole comedy club.

This is NOT what you get going to Montreal Improv.

Instead, for some crazy reason Marc Rowland, Kirsten Rasmussen, Bryan Walsh and Francois Vincent, founders of Montreal Improv, have decided to create a warm, appealing and friendly atmosphere for their establishment, eschewing traditional comedy club conventions.  

Beyond The Fourth Wall, August 1, 2012

A stunning dance presentation by Momix
St. Sauveur Arts Festival
Aug. 2 -3 

Shows of Interest this Week
by Estelle Rosen



Ken Russell will interpret the life of Gustav Mahler In his own eccentric way, Raoul Ruiz will meet Klimt; Carlos Saura will explore the paintings of Goya…
Of Music and Paintings
Cinema du Parrc
To Aug. 9

Beyond Pop Art

Tom Wesselman
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
To Oct. 7

If you’re sitting in a swing, in a picnic area, looking at public artwork -  you’re enjoying McCord Museum’s Urban Forest. Free concerts in the evenings. 
Victoria Street, adjacent to McCord Museum. 
To Sept. 30