Fringe Arts

  • Urban Science Brass Band Launches Their First Album

    They Brought the Party to the Streets

    Victoria Lamas — Updated June 15, 2018 | Comments

    Urban Science is a project that includes Le Cypher, a weekly live hip-hop jam session on Thursdays, currently held at the Bootlegger l’Authentique on Saint-Laurent Blvd. It has a traditional lineup of drums, bass and guitar.The brass band is another project of the Urban Science family. While the lineup is not set in stone, it is composed of brass instruments, a saxophone, percussionists, dancers, and MCs.

  • Theatre Review: “Greasy” Triumphs at the Fringe Festival

    Sexy, Touching and Queer, Glam Gam “Flips ‘Grease’ On Its Head”

    Penina Simon & Victoria Lamas — Published June 12, 2018 | Comments

    Featuring two female leads, Greasy, a parody of the 1978 musical Grease , is an example of gender diversity⎯the play features characters who express their gender in different ways, creating a space where some underrepresented women are seen and heard on stage.

  • Comedy at the Fringe Festival: “Giant And Angry” Review

    Gillian English Presents Her Feminist Show

    Victoria Lamas — Published June 11, 2018 | Comments

    English came to Montreal for the Fringe Festival to present her embodied and personal show. By talking about anger, by being angry, by demanding men to do better, and by occupying the space she deserves, English allowed us audience members to get in touch with our anger too.

  • Theatre Review: “Mid Knight” Debuts at the Montreal Fringe Festival

    A Boy Delves Into a Fantastical Realm to Cope With His Parents’ Divorce

    Victoria Lamas — Published June 11, 2018 | Comments

    To cope and make sense of the changes in his life with his parents’ divorce, main character Laurent recounts the events as happening in a fantastical realm.

  • Theatre Review: “Don’t Read the Comments” Shows the Messy Side of #MeToo

    A Fringe Festival Performance That Uses Bouffon To Make a Point

    Savannah Stewart — Published June 11, 2018 | Comments

    Set on the stage of a talk show in which host Wendy Winfrey invites three guests to discuss the confusing subject of sexual assault, with very messy results. The characters, portrayed in the clown style of bouffon, show us absurd but often very real points of view about consent, responsibility, societal expectations, and the grey areas that come up after experiencing uncomfortable sexual encounters⎯the kind you can’t seem to put a name on.

  • Artist Profile: Kay Nau Draws for Representation

    Nau Creates Pieces Unapologetically Showcasing Diverse Love with Their Series: “Kisses”

    Victoria Lamas — Published June 10, 2018 | Comments

    “I want my art to mean something to people,” said Nau. “I want people to buy my art because it means something to them, not just because it’s a pretty thing they can hang.” The artist connects with their audience through shared stories and desire for social change. While they only started selling their art a year ago, Nau’s work resonates deeply with the community they are beginning to foster.

  • Montreal Fringe Festival Launches Its 28th Edition

    A Little Fringy Tease: Highlight of Upcoming Shows

    Victoria Lamas — Published June 1, 2018 | Comments

    At Club Soda downtown artists and members of the community celebrated the start of this year’s Montreal Fringe Festival on May 28. In both official languages, the 2018 programming features theatre, comedy, puppetry, drag, dance, and exciting performances that resist formal categorisation.

  • Film Review at Concordia’s Film Festival: “Pre-Drink”

    A Look At Gender Through Lemire’s Work of Art

    Youmna El Halabi — Published June 1, 2018 | Comments

    A woman is getting ready for a night out, she paints her nails by the window of her dimly lit bedroom. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she cocks her head from left to right, and slips out of her shirt. There she is, in her bra, admiring herself. She continues to strip down, giving both the audience, and herself, a frontal view of her pale breasts. She cups them, but not in a sexual way. She is marvelling at herself, as if discovering her body for the first time.

  • Diversity in Concordia’s 45th Film Festival

    Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema Encourages Inclusion

    Youmna El Halabi — Updated May 24, 2018 | Comments

    The festival screened premieres, made up of short films and animations, created by Concordia students and international filmmakers alike. MHSoC proudly stands as the largest university-based centre for film studies in Canada, with a collection of works screened to great acclaim at festivals around the world.

  • Montreal’s Queer Arts Festival Celebrated a Successful Second Edition

    The Rose Festival Showcased Multidisciplinary LGBTQA+ Art

    Savannah Stewart — Published May 22, 2018 | Comments

    You would think that in Montreal, this bastion of diversity and summer festivities, a multidisciplinary queer arts festival would be a well established tradition by 2018.