Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Saturday, August 18th, 2012
All is not well at the Edinburgh Fringe, and like in North America, there is considerable discontent amongst artists on the street regarding an increasingly corporate festival. It seems that most artists go into an unreasonable amount of debt to play at the Fringe, while at the same time a deceptive new system, the re-branded “Edinburgh […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Performance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, August 16th, 2012
I have arrived in glorious Edinburgh, Scotland, in the midst of both a strong downpour and the world-famous Fringe Festival. The city can only be described as beautiful, with its mediaeval architecture, quaint pubs and shops, and surprising nooks and crannies in every winding lane. While it’s tempting to just soak it all in by […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
“Infringe every day” was the mantra on everyone’s lips. The words were also prominent in performances, on posters and political buttons, and even on the enormous Trojan Buffalo that greets those arriving at the festival. A light-hearted take on the Trojan Horse, a deceptive weapon from antiquity that put adversaries into the heart of enemy […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, General, Performance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 1st, 2012
The Montreal infringement festival, sometimes described as “the anti-Fringe”, has been invited to the first-ever World Fringe Congress, a gathering of the leaders of 40 Fringe Festivals – and one infringement festival – from 13 countries across the globe. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, now the largest arts festival in the world, will be hosting the unique event this year from […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Road Trips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
The 8th annual Buffalo infringement festival runs from July 26 – August 5, 2012, and this year Optative Theatrical Laboratories (OTL) will be in attendance for the entire duration! The Buffalo infringement festival is a both world leader in grassroots arts management and the largest arts festival in Western New York. This year, OTL will be presenting three […]
Posted in archival posts, Performance, Road Trips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, June 22nd, 2012
Montreal’s summer festival season is heating up like never before! At play this year are two very different types of festival. The first is the typical Montreal staple: carefully stage-managed and highly corporate “festivals” that promote different brands, such as the F1 or Just For Laughs Festival. The second, joining in this year, is the festival of […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Culture-jams, General, Performance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
A dramatic funeral for a prominent National Historic Site, presently being demolished, was held in Montreal on Sunday, May 27, 2012. There was an outpouring of grief by over 40 mourners and funeral-goers for the Lower Main, an irreplaceable part of The Main National Historic Site, one of Canada’s most endangered heritage zones. Led by […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Culture-jams, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, April 15th, 2012
A funeral for will be held on the Lower Main, beginning in front of Cafe Cleopatra, on Sunday, May 27th at 3pm. It’s being planned by artists, heritage activists and community stakeholders to lament the loss of unique part of Montreal’s heritage and culture. The dramatic funeral is in response to a cultural disaster that has been unfolding on the Lower Main over the […]
Posted in Community issues, Culture-jams, Performance, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
The Main National Historic Site has been the epi-center of a cultural war being fought in Montreal, and it is again the focus in the latest salvo. At stake is the city’s cultural future. Artists and activists demanding cultural integrity have been battling corporate interests hell-bent on Disneyfication, and this time the corporate side is […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Occupy Wall Street has put theatre activism into the spotlight like never before. Conceptualized by Vancouver-based Adbusters Magazine, the Occupy Movement kicked off on September 17 by taking over New York City’s Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street in Manhattan. The initial encampment consisted of a small tent-city, including everything from kitchens to libraries to performances spaces […]
Posted in Activism, Community issues, Culture-jams, General, invisible theatre, Performance, Uncategorized, Viral theatre | No Comments »