OTL Blog

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 attacking again. The potential casualties include people living and working in the neighbourhood, historic buildings, working artists, and the colourful heritage of Montreal’s old Red Light District.

After losing the fight to expropriate the historic Café Cleopatre to the artists trying to save it, the Angus Development Corporation is now rumoured to be plotting the ”Demolition-by-neglect” of an entire block of heritage buildings. Having bought out and boarded up all other nineteenth century buildings on the western block of The Main between Sainte Catherine and the Monument Nationale, Angus Development Corporation is not properly maintaining or heating them, which caused city officials to declare them dangerous and close off part of the street. Montreal’s Minister of Culture, Helen Fotopulos, is now suggesting that the buildings may be dismantled for potential re-use in the future.

Heritage Montreal has called on the City of Montreal to prevent the demolition of these historic buildings, adding their voice to artists from the Save The Main coalition, who recently presented their own official urban plan to save the buildings and promote tourism at the same time.

If the “Demolition-by-neglect” strategy is permitted by the Tremblay administration, it will effectively ruin The Main National Historic Site and prevent tourists from enjoying Montreal’s colourful Red Light heritage in the Quartier des Spectacles. If the historic buildings are razed, The Main National Historic Site will lose its commemorative integrity, as is already happening on the historic corner of St. Laurent and Ste. Catherine Streets. Once famous globally for its illicilt reputation, the Angus Development Corporation recently built the architecturally questionable 2-22 on the South-East corner, totally distorting the integrity of the historic neighbourhood.

The message from artists and activists is that these irreplaceable buildings should be protected and redeveloped responsibly, and if the Angus Development Corporation is unwilling or incapable, another developer should be found. At stake is nothing less than commemorative integrity of The Main National Historic Site, including the historic Monument-National on the southern end of the block, home to Canada’s National Theatre School.

Please demand that the historic buildings on the Lower Main be saved and redeveloped responsibly. Ask the politicians and developer to follow the artists plan instead of the destructive corporate strategy, by writing letters to:

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay – geraldtremblay@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Montreal Culture Minister Helen Fotopulos – hfoto@videotron.ca

Christian Yaccarini (Angus Development Corporation) – CYaccarini@technopoleangus.com

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 for theatrical and democratic expression. Daily expressions of anger and outrage were directed at Wall Street bankers, economic injustice and corruption, and a system that favouritizes the richest 1% at the expense of the other 99%.  As the outrage magnified through social networks first, and traditional media outlets later, the protest went viral and over 900 other Occupy camps appeared in various cities across the world.

Unlike many of the more conventional movements of the past, Occupy is unique in several distinct ways. It is leaderless, democratic, highly inclusive (with the central slogan being “We are the 99%”), community-building, DIY (do-it-yourself), it targets corporate oppression and it has staying power. It is also extremely theatrical.

Indeed, the central symbol of the movement is a mask; the infamous V-for-Vendetta mask signifies “Anonymous”, an anti-oppressive Everyperson, whose computerized voice frequently expresses solidarity with activists and encourages their important work.

Born in this Occupy movement are several new techniques that fall into the category of theatre activism, or the use of drama and theatricality for activist purposes, such as awareness-raising or direct intervention.  Here’s a list of some of the latest theatrical innovations to come from the Occupy Movement, as well as some dramatic strategies for the future.

MIC CHECK: This voice projection technique was allegedly created after megaphones and other projection equipment were prohibited at Zuccotti Park. To project the voice, a speaker announces “mic check”, which is repeated by the crowd, then proceeds to relay a message in sentences, which the crowd repeats it in unison and at a high volume, in order for everyone to hear. The mic check technique has since moved on to corporate locations where it has been used by activists to challenge corporatist discourse and help unionization drives at places like Walmart.

ROBIN HOOD TAX: Occupy protesters have been demanding a “Robin Hood Tax” on speculative corporate transactions – $1.3-trillion that’s sloshing around the global casino each day – to “fund every social program and environmental initiative in the world”. To theatricalize the message, roving bands of actors dressed as Robin Hood have been taking the message to financial districts around the planet.

TENT MONSTERS: One of the central reasons encampments of the Occupy Movement have been consistently attacked by police forces across the globe is because they allegedly broke anti-camping by-laws and other ordinances against staying in parks overnight. Politicians across the world have tended to agree that activists may express themselves so long as they do not occupy space, viscerally challenging the core message of the movement by invoking insignificant by-laws. In Melbourne, Australia, Occupiers created an ingenious “tent monsters” plan, a scheme that transformed tents into costumes and a playful  performance that left the police outwitted.

HUMAN RED CARPET: This holiday season, several dozen Occupy DC protesters rolled out the human red carpet for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s holiday party at their Washington, DC headquarters. The Chamber is the nation’s largest corporate lobby group. As guests entered, protesters shouted, “You walk on our rights, now walk on us!” encouraging attendees to trample on the activists laying underneath the red carpet painted with “99%.” A man dressed in business attire encouraged the participants to walk all over the people, suggesting they do so on a regular basis.

BANK THEATRE: Activists have re-appropriated Danger Tape and created “Occupy Tape” and “Foreclosure Tape”, then went about, playing anti-corporate ninjas, and “foreclosing” banks as theatrical gestures of culture-jamming. Meanwhile, in London, England, Occupiers actually managed to occupy a real bank by citing the UK’s liberal squatting laws, and created The Bank of Ideas as an anti-corporate community space from the failed UBS banking enterprise.

Here are some further suggestions to continue facilitating theatre activism and the human right to Freedom of Expression within the Occupy movement and beyond:

SPEAKER’S CORNER: One good way to ensure police cannot harass or molest protesters is to install a Speaker’s Corner, preferably a permanent one with the blessing of city officials. In Montreal, where Occupiers took over Square Victoria until evicted by police, McGill University Professor John Gradwell has intensified calls for a permanent Speaker’s Corner. While Montreal Cultre Minister Helen Fotopulos has been promising one for years (since the beginning of the Iraq war, in fact), there has been no action despite recent announcements that a Speaker’s Corner would be opened on Mount Royal, at the Gazebo, to honour author Mordecai Richler. Inexplicably, when Occupy protesters showed up to try and use the area to express themselves, they were evicted yet again by the police. Is the Culture Minister merely paying lip service to a permanent Montreal Speaker’s Corner? Ask her – Helen Fotopulos can be reached at hfoto@videotron.ca.

INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL: The infringement festival draws together like-minded artists and activists for creative performances and events that challenge the oppressive status quo, all in a community setting that is free from corporate interference. Originally designed to protest the corporate takeover of the Fringe Festival (the words “fringe” and “fringe festival” were actually trademarked in Toronto in 1998), the infringement festival now exists as a tool to empower artists and communities in several cities such as Montreal, Buffalo, Brooklyn, and Hamilton.

Given that the Fringe Festival has been excluding and censoring artists who object to their questionable financial policies, the infringement festival offers a much-needed antidote and alternative to this glaring corporate takeover of activist culture and arts. For information on empowering your community by starting your own infringement festival, see the help guide book. For those in Montreal, the 2012 infringement festival will run June 14 – 24, and  organizing meetings will be held at 7pm every Wednesday in 2012, at L’Escalier, starting January 11th. Artists and activists are all welcome!

With the Occupy Movement in its infancy, acts of cultural resistance will continue to develop and pioneering strategies of theatre activism are bound to emerge. These are very exciting times for activism – and theatre!

This Hallowe’en, horror-expert Donovan King is pleased to offer Haunted Mountain, a spooky walking tour up the slopes of Mount Royal. Beginning on the Plateau at the rumoured-to-be-haunted Barfly, the ramble visits various haunted sites on the mountain, including locations where ghosts have been sighted.  Theatrical guides will regale guests with ghost stories, mysteries and legends about Mount Royal, including haunted hospitals, abandoned castles, cemeteries teeming with undead spirits, and all sorts of paranormal activities on the mountain.

Visitors will learn about the place of Mount Royal in Montreal’s history and lore, including the legend of the cross, the ghost of l’Esplanade Street, the child-victims of the Alan Memorial Institute’s brainwashing experiments, and the tragic tale of Jack McLean and the Haunted Funicular.

Guests will also visit Simon McTavish’s forgotten tomb, recently disturbed by archaeologists digging into the mountain where his earthly remains lie. The angry fur baron’s ghost is known to terrify people – by tobogganing at high speeds down the slopes of the mountain - in his own coffin!

The Haunted Mountain tour begins at 8 pm sharp on Hallowe’en (October 31^st) 2011.

The tour is in English and starts at Barfly (4062 Saint-Laurent Boulevard).

Tickets will be on sale from 7 pm in Barfly Garden (back of the bar).

The tour is 90 minutes and finishes at the Pine & Peel intersection (a 15 miunte walk back to Barfly).

The tour costs $15.00.

RESERVATIONS: To reserve a spot, please email optatif@gmail.com with the heading “Haunted Mountain” and mention how many places you would like to reserve.

SPECIAL THANKS TO FELLOW PERFORMERS AND ORGANIZERS: Karen Spilak, Tim Hardman and Jason C. McLean (appearing as John ”Jack” McLean of haunted funicular fame).

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Donovan King, optatif@gmail.com,  514-842-1467

RECENT MEDIA:

Openfile Blog by Sarah Leavitt. “Have a Happy Halloween in Montreal”. October 31, 2011.

West End Times by Stuart Nulman. “Just in time for Hallowe’en for those who like a little mystery with their history”, pages 22 – 24. October 29, 2011.

Preview on Forget the Box by Jason C. McLean. “It’s Close to Midnight in Montreal: 2011 Halloween Preview”. October 29, 2011.

Radio interview on CJAD with Barry Morgan. “Ghosts on the Mountain!” October 25, 2011.

Article in The Montreal Gazette. “Ghostly tour not for faint of heart”. Marianne Ackerman. October 14, 2011.

Radio interview on CJAD with Barry Morgan. “Do you believe in ghosts?” October 11, 2011.

After hailing victory in the battle for Cafe Cleopatre, Burlesque queen Velma Candyass and cultural worker Donovan King are putting Montreal’s Red Light District firmly back on the map! As a cultural war unfolds in The Main National Historic Site between artists and developers, King and Candyass are working on behalf of the living culture, history, and heritage of the remarkable neighbourhood. Offering a dymanic vision of what could be, King and Candyass have been lobbying politicians and even made the Red Light District an election issue!

After much research and preparation, the dramatic duo are pleased to offer a salacious walking tour of Montreal’s storied Red Light District. From the days of New France through the Victorian era to Prohibition and right up the 21^st Century, the tour looks at all the unsuccessful attempts by various authorities over the centuries to control, destroy, or re-brand the area.

The tour examines the Montreal Red Light District historically and includes current issues, such as police brutality, gentrification, social activism by community groups, and corporate attempts to destroy authentic culture and historic buildings in order to rebrand the neighbourhood as the Quartier des Spectacles.

After successful jaunts during Jane’s Walk and the Montreal infringement festival, this third and final Red Light District Walking Tour of the 2011 season is being offered in conjunction with Montreal Fetish Weekend, a true celebration of all things Red Light:

Sunday, September 4, Noon

Starts at Midway Bar & Salon

1219 boulevard Saint-Laurent

In English.

$10.

Last Sunday, St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival security prevented local artists associated with the Infringement Festival from entering a public park, which was temporarily privatized, on the grounds that they didn’t pay to be there.

Security chief Ace Lopes also denied entry to anyone in the vicinity who seemed remotely associated with Donovan King, regardless of their involvement, or lack thereof, with the Infringement Festival.

When the artists started chalking their displeasure on the public sidewalk, Fringe guards splashed water on the chalk, once again censoring the arts. The also got violent with artists playfully attempting to award new Fringe producer Amy Blackmore with an over-sized novelty cheque and a free trip to the Buffalo Infringement Festival as a token of appreciation for (really in hopes of) her changing the Fringe into a more inclusive festival.

We had high hopes that under new administration, the Fringe would be willing to build bridges and help us remove the spike that is dividing the Montreal arts community, a community that cannot afford to be separated. Unfortunately, they chose the path of bullying, exclusion and censorship.

Have a look for yourself and then ask yourself: are the Fringe really pro-artist or for padding their own pockets.

Optative Theatrical Laboratories is proud to announce seven unique theatrical projects for the 2011 Montreal infringement festival. Traditional favourites like Car Stories will appear alongside Red Light District and Greening Montreal walking tours (including an ecological picnic), a birthday party to celebrate Cultural Resistance, a screening of our new film “Global Invisible Theatre”, plus a new theatre experiment called Infringement Therapy. The seventh project will be a Grassroots Arts Leadership Award. It will be handed out during the festival to a member of the Montreal arts community who has demonstrated leadership at the grassroots level and who is at a point in their career where the award could make a major impact on their practice.

Optative Theatrical Laboratories is also marking 2011 as a special year because it is the 10^th anniversary of being kicked out of the Fringe Festival. In 2001, OTL show Car Stories became the only show in the history of Fringe theatre to be kicked out of a festival, on orders of a corporate sponsor. The trend to corporatize the Fringe began in 1998 when a Toronto-based  organization called CAFF trademarked the word “Fringe” in order to sell products such as “T-shirts, caps, brochures, programs, posters and mugs.” In addition to becoming trademarked, the Fringe began charging “service fees”, insisting that artists “pay to play”, and allowed a flood of corportae sponsors and advertisers to take control of the agenda. Artists were horrified that an authentic, community-based event could be so easily co-opted. The realization that corporations now took precedence over artists at the Fringe Festival sparked local Montreal theatre activists to create the international infringement festival movement. A network of festivals in cities across the world, it was designed to protect culture from corporate abuse, to highlight arts activism and critical thinking, to challenge the idea that the arts need to be co-opted in order to “succeed”, and to demand the democratization (instead of corporatization) of the arts.

It is a fitting time for reflection because Montreal is currently witnessing a Cultural War of unprecedented proportions, pitting local artists and citizens against powerful corporate forces that are attempting to transform Montreal into the equivalent of Times Square or Disneyland. Corporations that have been spamming the city with visual pollution, co-opting the festival scene for advertising purposes, and attempting to destroy heritage buildings and living culture in the Red Light District, amongst other oppressions. It has reached such a point of saturation that Montrealers of all stripes are starting to take charge of the situation and  fight back! Indeed, the art of infringing has even spread to the Canadian Parliament, where rogue page Bigitte DePape recently culture-jammed the opening Throne Speech of the right-wing Harper government.

For its 8^th edition, running from June 16 to 26, the Montreal infringement festival is celebrating by joining the good fight! Celebrating Freedom of Expression, activist performances and a broad range of eclectic, independent, and controversial art of all forms, the Infringement Festival is modelled on the original 1947 Edinburgh Fringe, which was an artistic protest against corporate elitism and exclusion of local artists.

Artists and audiences of all backgrounds are invited to create a charged environment where people come together to take chances, push boundaries, explore uncharted territory, and to do so without corporate interference or having to pay any fees. Designed as an arts democracy, the Infringement Festival empowers communities, artists, and audiences to take charge of the culture and to use it as an incredible tool for social justice.

Set mostly in the Plateau, Mile-End, and Quartier des Spectacles, this year the festival features over 50 shows and events, including street theatre, experimental performances, visual arts, music, spoken word, strange picnics and new activist films.

OTL is very pleased to offer these seven unique projects for the Montreal infringement festival. One common theme that links the projects is Oppression vs. Activism in the City. The projects all highlight what Montrealers are doing to stop corporate harassment, reclaim public space, protect living culture and demand positive social change and justice in the city.

OTL’s 2011 infringement schedule

Greening Montreal Walking Tour and Picnic (Sat, June 18, 11am)

Plan an afternoon of green ecological delights with hosts Melanie Leavitt and Donovan King. Discover hidden and unique initiatives to green Montreal, and enjoy a secret urban garden picnic where everyone is invited to share foods. Starting in the community-created garden of the Masion de l’Amitié, the tour visits green alleys and rooftops, guerrilla gardens, and other urban ecological projects. Bring food and wine to share!

Saturday, June 18, 11 am sharp, at the Friendship Garden of Maison de l’Amitié, 120 Duluth Street east. Bilingual.

Pique-nique et visites guidées des espaces verts de Montréal

Venez passer l’après-midi rempli de plaisirs écologiques en compagnie de vos deux guides, Melanie Leavitt et Donovan King. Vous aurez l’occasion de découvrir une variété d’initiatives uniques et bien cachées créées en vue de faire de Montréal une ville plus verte qu’elle ne l’était. Vous serez invités à un pique-nique qui se déroulera dans un jardin communautaire de la Maison de l’amitié, et se poursuivra dans des endroits urbains écolos tels que des ruelles et des toits et des jardins « guerrillas. »
Nous vous prions d’apporter du vin et des la nourriture à partager!

Montreal Red Light District Walking Tour (Sat, June 18, 4pm)

Join burlesque queen Velma Candyass and cultural worker Donovan King on a walking tour of Montreal’s storied Red Light District. This tour looks at the Red Light District from the days of New France through the Victorian era to Prohibition and right up the 21^st Century, and the unsuccessful attempts by various authorities over the centuries to control, destroy, or re-brand the area.

Saturday, June 18, 4 pm, Starts at Midway Bar & Salon, 1219 boulevard Saint-Laurent. In English. $10

Visites guidées du Red Light de Montréal

Joignez vous à la reine du burlesque, Velma Candyass et guide culturel Donovan King qui vous guidront dans une visite du quartier Red Light de Montréal. Dans le cadre de la visite, on vous présentera l’histoire du quartier Red Light en partant de la nouvelle France en passant période victorienne et la Prohibition. Nous aborderons également le 21^e siècle et les différentes tentatives de contrôle, de destruction et du rebranding de ce quartier par les autorités. En anglais.

Car Stories (Sun, June 19, 2pm – 6pm, new shows every 30 minutes)

June 19^th is famous in countercultural circles – it is the day Car Stories got kicked out of the Fringe Festival on orders of a corporate sponsor in 2001. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this cultural disaster, Car Stories is rumoured to be booking a limousine! The one-day-only show starts in the Parc des Amériques, the site where Car Stories was originally expelled from the Fringe Beer Tent in 2001. It is sure to be a theatrical joyride of unprecedented proportions – for only three spectators at a time!

Sunday, June 19, 2 – 6pm, Starts in the Parc des Amériques, Corner of St. Laurent & Rachel. Pay-what-you-can. RSVP early (optatif@gmail.com)!

Le 19 juin est reconnu dans le milieu artistique de contre-culture. Ce jour là en 2001, Car Stories a été retiré du festival fringe à la suite des directions du commanditaire principal. Pour souligner le dixième anniversaire de cette désastre culturelle, on a entendu dire que l’évennement Car Stories allait réserver une limousine! Seulement durant une journée, le spectacle débutera à la tente fringe où sera servie la bière.
Nous vous guarantissons une aventure théâtrale de proportions gigantesques, et
qui ne pourra acceuiller que trois spectateurs à la fois!

King’s Birthday (Sunday June 19, 2 – 6pm)

Join the party and celebrate infringement festival creator Donovan King’s 39th birthday with beer, cake, and infringing!

Sunday, June 19, 2 – 6pm, Parc des Amériques, Corner of St. Laurent & Rachel

Célébrons le 39e anniversaire du créateur du festival infringement Donovan King avec de la bière, du gâteau, et du infringing!

Inaugural Grassroots Arts Leadership Award (Sunday June 19, 6pm)

OTL will be presenting the inagural Grassroots Arts Leadership Award (GALA) during the festival to honour a member of the Montreal Arts Community who has demonstrated leadership at the grassroots level and who shows potential ability to protect and enhance authentic Montreal culture.

A reminder that the deadline for Email nomination (optatif@gmail.com) is Saturday, June 18, 2011 at midnight. The Award will be presented on the afternoon of June 19th around 6 pm!

THE AWARD? A FREE TRIP TO THE BUFFALO INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL!

The GALA winner will receive a free trip to the 2011 Buffalo Infringement Festival (BIF) for a duration of their choice! Running from Thursday, July 28 — Sunday, August 7, the BIF is Western New York’s largest arts festival and is considered the most successful grassroots, community-based festival in the USA.

With no corporate interference or fees compromising the festival, the Buffalo Arts community blossoms each year with diverse, powerful, critical, and meaningful performances in an energised community environment that is protected from corporate interference! The Award-winner will have ample opportunities to learn from (and collaborate with) the best in the field of grassroots arts management!

Film – Shorts: A night of Cultural Resistance (Mon, June 20, 7:30pm)

Documentaries to be screened include OTL’s “Global Invisible Theatre”, as well as “Remembering Bagua”, “Mines Bases” and more! Pay-What-You-Can.

Monday, June 20, 7:30pm, XPression Gallery, 5334 De Gaspe, Suite
308

Infringement Therapy (Saturday June 25, 2 – 5pm)

Individual, couple, and group “clients” are given appointments for infringement therapy: after being diagnosed by a theatrical Doctor, they are prescribed an interactive, dramatic and therapeutic journey. The goal of infringement therapy is to purge the “clients” of their deepest, darkest oppressions, and empower them to transform their daily social reality!

Saturday, June 25, 2 – 3:30pm (appointments), Ends @ 5pm, Starts in the Parc des Amériques. In English. Pay-What-You-Can. RSVP by emailing optatif@gmail.com

Thérapie d’Infringement

Nous donnerons des rendez-vous aux individus, aux couples, et aux groupes pour assister à une séance de thérapie Infringement. Un docteur théâtrale dirigera la séance et préscrira une aventure intéractive, dramatique et thérapeuique. La visée première de cette thérapie est d’éliminer les oppressions les plus encrées et les plus sombres du patient. Ils auront par la suite le courage de transformer leur réalité sociale au quotidien! En anglais.

It is looking to be a red letter year for the infringement festivals, and OTL encourages you to support the amazing infringement artists who are putting on over 50 shows this year in Montreal – and over 700 in Buffalo, New York! Please spread the word. Join the infringement, and reclaim the culture!

Optative Theatrical Laboratories, forever exploring cultural issues related to social justice, is pleased to team up with Montreal’s Urban Ecology Center for the 2011 edition of Jane’s Walk.

Celebrating “walkable neighbourhoods, urban literacy, cities planned for and by people,” Jane’s Walk advocates the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs by encouraging people to explore their neighbourhoods and meet their community.

Free walking tours held on the first weekend of May each year are led by locals who want to create a space for residents to talk about what matters to them in the places they live and work. Since its inception in Toronto in 2007, Jane’s Walk has expanded rapidly. In May of 2010, 424 walks were held in 68 cities in nine countries. In 2011, many walks are being offered in Montreal.

This year OTL is offering TWO exciting Jane’s Walks on Sunday, May 8, 2011!

OTL JANE’S WALK #1:

11:00 am. Greening the Plateau and the Quartier des Spectacles.

Discover hidden and unique greening initiatives in Montreal! The walk will start at the Maison de l’Amitié‘s community garden. It will then visit green alleys and green roofs, guerrilla gardens, and other ecological urban projects, moving south towards the new Quartier des Spectacles!

Guided by Donovan King and Melanie Leavitt. 90 minutes. bilingual.

Meet at the Maison de l’Amitié, 120 Duluth Street East.

RSVP by email – optatif@gmail.com

OTL JANE’S WALK #2:

4:00 pm. Montréal’s Red Light District

There is a cultural war being waged in the old Red Light District, and this tour looks at both the history of the infamous area and current issues in the newly rebranded Quartier des Spectacles, such as attacks on artists and immigrant businesses, destruction of heritage, and Disneyfication.

Montreal’s new Quartier des Spectacles is rising from the ashes of the storied old Red Light District, but the historical area has not entirely disappeared! This walk looks at the infamous Red Light district from the glory days of New France, right through Prohibition and into the 21st Century, and all the attempts by political leaders to “clean it up”. This is a very popular tour that is receiving a lot of media attention, so reserve early. RSVP by email – optatif@gmail.com

Guided by Donovan King and Velma Candyass. 90 minutes. In English.

Meet at the Midway Bar & Salon, 1219 Saint-Laurent Boulevard.

A Canadian federal election has been called and never before have Montreal artists in the Quartier des Specatcles been so politically engaged and mobilized. A cultural war of unprecedented proportions is under way in the new Entertainment district, pitting an alliance corporate developers and the Mayor of Montreal against local artists,  heritage activists, and the living culture of the neighbourhood. The most recent battle, fought within The Main National Historic Site, saw artists declare victory after foiling attempts to expropriate their historic venue, the storied Café Cleopatre, and evict them and their burlesque performances from the Quartier des Spectacles.

The Quartier des Specatcles is an area that should be of interest to politicians on municipal, provincial, and federal levels. The fact that a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money is being spent to revitalize the old Red Light District requires careful attention to detail, especially given recent evidence of rampant corruption in the Quebec construction industry.

On the federal level, the Quartier des Spectacles sits squarely within two electoral ridings: Westmount-Ville-Marie, run by Liberal astronaut Marc Garneau, occupies the western sector, and to the east is the Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding, run by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe. Interestingly, the boundary that separates the two ridings is St-Laurent boulevard, also known as The Main National Historic Site, which is the location of the fierce cultural war being waged between the Save The Main coalition and the Angus Development Corporation/Tremblay Alliance. While both Garneau and Duceppe are considered very high-profile politicians in their respective parties, their commitment to Québecois culture is questionable: neither politician objected when the corporate alliance attacked The Main National Historic Site and the Québecois artists working there. The artists had to fight alone to save the Café Cleopatre, and they are still fighting the protect real Montreal culture against the corporate onslaught of Disneyfication that is threatening The Main National Historic Site.

The Main is considered sacred and holds a very special place in the hearts of Montrealers. As the first street to stretch beyond the ancient fortifications of Old Montréal, The Main is renowned as a gateway of immigration, a multi-cultural boulevard, the heart of the old Red Light District, and the spine of Canada’s most artistic neighbourhoods. It’s latest role is taking centre stage in the new Quartier des Spectacles, serving as the historical connection between the Place des Arts and Quartier Latin poles. If redeveloped properly, The Main National Historic Site would seem to be an obvious historical asset to the Quartier des Spectacles, but presently it is not even indicated on official maps displayed in the Place des Festivals. Tourists looking at the map will be unaware that a National Historic Site is nearby, and indeed is running right through the middle of the Quartier des Spectacles.

Federal candidates should pay careful attention to this cultural war on the border of Duceppe and Garneau’s respective ridings. Not only should they be concerned that their constituents, including artists and immigrants, are under attack by powerful corporate forces, but also because in 1996 it was the federal government themselves who declared The Main a “National Historic Site of Canada.”

The government’s rationale behind the designation was that ”National historic sites are places of profound importance to Canada. They bear witness to this nation’s defining moments and illustrate its human creativity and cultural traditions. Each national historic site tells its own unique story, part of the greater story of Canada, contributing a sense of time, identity, and place to our understanding of Canada as a whole.” The heritage designation suggested the fabled corridor must maintain a “sense of history”, and to protect it insisted that “intrusive elements must be minimal“. The future looked extremely bright for The Main.

Commemorative Integrity is a term used to describe the health or wholeness of a national historic site. As defined in the National Historic Sites Policy (of Canada), a state of commemorative integrity can be said to exist:

• when the resources that symbolize or represent a site’s importance are not impaired or under threat;

• when the reasons for the site’s national historic significance are effectively communicated to the public;

• when the site’s heritage values (including those not related to national significance) are respected by all whose decisions and actions affect the site.

Unfortunately, as time passed it became increasingly evident that The Main National Historic Site was failing in all categories needed to achieve commemorative integrity. All sorts of corporate intrusive elements began to appear, putting the site at risk and causing local citizens to complain.

The Main is undoubtably Canada’s most abused National Historic Site. Corporations have taken over with invasive and abusive advertising practices – Billboard trucks, giant advertisements, stealth marketing ploys, “street parties” hosted by online gambling companies, and a host of other manipulative commercial activities. Such blantant violations have led to criticism that The Main National Historic Site, far from being protected, is becoming Disneyfied at the expense of the real culture. Disneyfication is a process whereby something real is replaced by a fake, corporate imitation.

Disneyfication occurs when authentic culture is eliminated in order to replace it with a fake, corporate version that is somewhat akin to a shopping mall. Often called “monoculture” or “Generica”, the Disneyfied space proceeds to disempower artists, small businesses and citizens in order to facilitate profit-making for corporations.  In this case there is even an official plan to gentrify the neighbourhood by attracting “premium” developers to replace the displaced culture. Disneyfication is a rampant problem in the Quartier des Spectacles and The Main National Historic Site.

For example, according to the federal government, one of the most important reasons for protecting The Main was its connection to the theme of welcoming and immigration: ”In the collective psyche of Montréal, Boulevard Saint-Laurent is the immigrant corridor…Immigrants still see Boulevard Saint-Laurent as the place where they find fellow immigrants; their workplace and their community institutions are there. The cosmopolitan aspect of Boulevard Saint-Laurent intrigues and reassures them.” However, historic immigrant businesses have been evicted, such as  Épicerie Importations Main, Montreal’s first Middle-Eastern grocery store (established in 1924), to make way for an office tower that will also see heritage Victorian architecture destroyed.

Despite these clear violations of the National Historic Site’s raison d’être, even the Mayor of Montreal teamed up with developers to try and evict other immigrant businesses, such as the historic Café Cleopatre, owned by Johnny Zoumboulakis. When Zoumboulakis refused to leave, in a heavy-handed gesture, the City issued an expropriation order. The reality on the ground was far from the federal government’s claim that ”Immigrants still see Boulevard Saint-Laurent as the place where they find fellow immigrants; their workplace and their community institutions are there.” Indeed, the federal government did nothing as immigrants, their workplaces, and community institutions were directly attacked by corporate powers.

Another example of Disneyfication is the destruction of several historic performance halls in the Quartier des Spectacles, such as the Spectrum, Le Medley, and Saints. Ironically, as these historic theatres were being bulldozed, new banal and characterless theatres were built, and are now named after corporations.

Overall, the relentless advance of Dinseyfication suffocates real Montreal culture, then tries to replace it with a manipulative corporate model. It displaces artists, threatens public space, and co-opts the culture, transforming the area into the equivalent of a giant outdoor shopping mall. If the Dinseyfication trend is allowed to continue, it will eventually transform the public space into the equivalent of a theme park: squeaky clean and safe, but also expensive, corporate and devoid of authentic culture.

Montreal’s artists are not known for tolerating these types of attacks on their workplaces and culture, so it didn’t take long for the grassroots to mobilize under the Save The Main coalition. Artists joined citizens, business owners, and academics, who collectively joined the Montreal residents who have been complaining for years that The Main National Historic Site lacks protection and is being inundated with exploitative “intrusive elements”: abusive corporate advertising, demolition of historic buildings, and ongoing attempts to eradicate living culture.

One might assume that the federal government, in creating the designation, would assume some responsibility towards protecting the historic site and its stakeholders, ensuring its guidelines are adhered, and monitoring any development within it. However, to date no federal party has shown any leadership on this file.

Historic sites are regulated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, a branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage.  After numerous complaints about “intrusive elements” in the historic site, Executive Secretary Michel Audy wrote (on December 11^th 2006): “It is the responsibility of site owners to ensure that the national historic site they own is operated to a standard that meets the principles for which the site was designated…The Main is the responsibility of the City of Montréal, and if you have not already done so, I encourage you to contact the Conseil du patrimoine de Montréal.”

The problem lies in the fact that the City of Montreal has disregarded the historic site’s guidelines and hence failed in their responsibility. A block of heritage buildings on the west side of the Lower Main is crumbling now that most of the immigrant businesses have been evicted, awaiting the Disneyfication process. Meanwhile, the federal government has shown no leadership in demanding better protections for the endangered National Historic Site, which they are mandated to do. 

According to the System Plan for National Historic Sites, the federal government’s mandate includes “protecting the health and wholeness, or commemorative integrity, of the national historic sites… This means preserving the site’s cultural resources, communicating its heritage values and national significance, and kindling the respect of people whose decisions and actions affect the site.” The National Historic Sites Policy mandates the government:

• To foster knowledge and appreciation of Canada’s past through a national program of historical commemoration

• To ensure the commemorative integrity of national historic sites administered by Parks Canada by protecting and presenting them for the benefit, education and enjoyment of future generations in a manner that respects the irreplaceable legacy represented by these places and their associated resources  

• To encourage and support the protection and presentation by others of places of national historic significance that are not administered by Parks Canada.

Indeed, to support National Historic Sites such as The Main, which are not owned by the federal government, there is even a National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program which can provide funds to encourage protection, maintenance, animation and commemorative integrity. The question arises as to why the federal government has turned its back on The Main National Historic Site, allowing the victimization of immigrant businesses and Montreal artists, not to mention the destruction of living culture and historic architecture? Indeed, why did the federal government create the historic site if there is no will to protect it? Currently there are no politicians or parties on federal, provincial, or municipal levels offering to protect the historic site or the rights of the local citizens, so the artists of the Save The Main coalition must operate in a political vacuum, battling the culture-destroying forces of Disneyfication without official political representation. They continue raising awareness, lobbying politicians on all levels, and presenting a more logical vision for the The Main National Historic Site that respects its important guidelines.

Will Garneau or Duceppe finally step up to the bat for Montreal culture and heritage, offering protections to Québecois culture, artists and The Main National Historic Site? Will the NDP, Greens, or Conservatives come forward and offer any sort of vision or cultural leadership on the file? Or will federal politicians continue ignoring their own policies on culture and heritage, allowing corporations to continue destroying The Main National Historic Site, devastating its commemorative integrity, and attacking its living culture? The cultural war being waged by artists against corporations on The Main is symbolic of the cultural war being fought across Canada. As Big Business tries to gouge the average Canadian in every way possible, artists are taking a stand at ground zero in the cultural war, by defending The Main National Historic Site and demanding serious cultural protections for all Canadians.

Save The Main is asking voters to say NO to Disneyfication, the abuse of artists and immigrants, and corporate takeover of culture. They plan to lobby politicians from all federal parties to commit to protecting and enhancing The Main National Historic Site. In fact, the artists even created their own Urban Plan to show the politicians how to do it.

Save The Main encourages voters to reject laissez-faire politicians and vote for parties that offer real support for real culture. Until such a time, the diligent Québecois artists will continue their work, unpaid and without ally, to protect the Main National Historic Site.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Please email these politicians ASAP and demand to know why they aren’t protecting us from attacks on our culture in The Main National Historic Site. The vote is May 2, 2011, so time is of the essence!

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear [...],

I am writing you today to express alarm about a cultural war in the riding you are running for. Corporations are attacking immigrant businesses and artists in The Main National Historic Site, a site dedicated to the theme of Immigration. I am worried, because if the federal government cannot protect authentic culture within a National Historic Site, how will they be able to protect Canadian culture across the land? I am against corporations taking over our culture, replacing local Main Street stores across Canada with Wal-Marts, gouging Canadians in every way possible through excessive charges, and even Disneyfying National Historic Sites now! I want to live in a real city, not a theme park.

The Main National Historic Site represents any Main Street in any Canadian town or city – it symbolizes local culture and small business. I am asking you and your party to pledge to protect The Main National Historic Site, its living culture and the stakeholders who use the site, such as artists and immigrant business owners who were recently attacked there by corporations. By extension, I ask you to protect Canadians from the corporate takeover of our culture and the commercial gouging of every day Canadians. I am demanding Real Support for Real Culture!

Sincerely,

[your name]

List of Candidates:

* incumbent

Laurier-Sainte-Marie (Eastern Quartier des Spectacles)

BLOC: * Gilles Duceppe       514-373-3148             laurierstemarie@bloc.org

GREEN: Olivier Adam         (514) 990-2326           olivier.adam@greenparty.ca

NDP: Hélène Laverdière       helenelaverdiere@npd.ca

LIBS: Philippe Allard            Lauriersaintemarie.liberal@gmail.com

CON: Charles Langford         http://media.conservative.ca/candidates/charles-langford.html

COM: Sylvain Archambault  http://www.votonscommuniste.ca/2011/04/07/sylvian-archambault/

ML: Serge Lachapelle            [no contact info]

Westmount-Ville-Marie (Western Quartier des Spectacles)

LIB: * Marc Garneau             514-447-3642              rgamache@plcq.ca, reception@lpcq.ca

BLOC: Véronique Roy          514-373-3157              westmountvillemarie@bloc.org

GREEN: Andrew Carkner    (514) 500-3531           andrew.carkner@greenparty.ca

CON: Neil Drabkin                514-282-4108              info@neildrabkin.ca

NDP: Joanne Corbeil           joannecorbeil@npd.ca

COM: Bill Sloan                    http://www.votonscommuniste.ca/2011/04/07/bill-sloan/

Artists are crying “Victory” in the Quartier des Spectacles after winning a David vs. Goliath battle that pitted powerful corporate interests against local artists at the Café Cleopatra, a popular burlesque venue and centre for alternative arts.

Café Cleopatra hails from another era and symbolizes the city’s once thriving Red Light District. Situated within “The Main” historic site, everything about the Café Cleopatra, from its Victorian architecture, historic performance spaces, and ongoing burlesque shows, hails back to earlier times when Montreal’s Red Light District was booming, such as during the days of Prohibition. Located in the heart of Montreal’s new Entertainment district, the Quartier des Spectacles, and employing over 100 talented artists, the historic Café Cleopatra seemed like a major asset within Montreal’s culture, heritage, performing arts and tourism milieus.

However, beginning in 2008, developer Christian Yaccarini and the Société de Développement Angus (SDA) began purchasing nearby buildings, with the goal of buying up the entire block for a project called Quadrilatère Saint-Laurent. Ill-conceived from the beginning, the SDA’s plan called for the demolition of a block of Victorian heritage buildings located in “The Main” national historic site – in order to build an office tower.

The irony that SDA was planning on destroying several historic performance venues within the new Quartier des Spectacles was not lost on local working artists, who kept a close eye on the situation as they began mobilizing. Heritage activists joined in, observing the fact that “The Main” national historic site is guided by the policy that “initrusive elements must be minimal”.

The SDA systematically bought-out or relocated long-time resident businesses, devastating the living culture and heritage of the area and leaving a cultural vacuum in “The Main” national historic site. Irreplacable historic businesses were ejected, such as the famous Montreal Pool Room (in operation since 1912) and Épicerie Importations Main, Montreal’s first Middle-Eastern grocery store (established in 1924). Popular performance venues such as Katacombes, Opera, and Saints, crucial to the living culture of the area, were also shuttered and given the boot.

After gutting almost the entire block of its living culture, heritage, and business, the SDA ran into one final obstacle – the Café Cleopatra refused to sell. Owner Johnny Zoumboulakis said at the time: “This is a historic part of our city. It should be restored, revitalized, not just bulldozed. History, once you break it down, you don’t bring it back with an office tower. What we have now is the real thing. It’s our heritage, it’s part of our history.”

Not to be deterred, in January 2010, the powerful SDA teamed up with Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and his administration to appropriate the last remaining holdout, Café Cleopatra. By now the artists had assembled a “Save the Main”coalition of community stakeholders, artists, and intellectuals, and they began fighting back on various fronts. On the legal front, Zoumboulakis refused to negotiate with the SDA, and hired a lawyer.  Save the Main created a petition to save the café that garnered over 1000 signatures, and made their case through lobbying, the media and public consultation process.

On the cultural side, artists tried just about every trick in the book to save the Café. They created awareness-raising performances, lobbied politicians, and attended public meetings in burlesque costumes. They also created a viral video campaign that included critical parodies of the Tremblay/SDA alliance, and, when artists realized that politicians were not listening, they made pleas to heritage buff Prince Charles for his intervention, generating substantial media attention. Finally, the artists created a new urban plan for the area that repositioned Café Cleopatra as a major asset within the Quartier des Spectacles. The artists’ urban plan was presented by cultural worker Donovan King and burlesque performer Velma Candyass to City officials in May, 2010, as part of a PechaKucha series.

As the battle for hearts and minds dragged on over the summer, with legal costs mounting and Montreal’s brand image taking a beating in the press, it appears as though City officials began to reconsider their unpopular position.

In a December, the City of Montreal sent out a press release and and invited special guests to a cocktail party in the gallery of the new Maison du Festival, where plans for the future of the neigbourhhood were to be unveilled. Behind the scenes there had been a process whereby artists and community stakeholders were able to express their opinions, and the event signalled the culmination of these consultations, and recommendations for future action.

At the event City officials conceded that the artists’ vision of the Lower Main had lots of merit, and even issued a booklet about the envisioned future of the area that incorporates many of the artists’ ideas. Interestingly, 7 of the 11 recomendations are directly related to Save the Main’s new urban plan. The document calls to “re-establish commercial activities (Principle 2)…maintain the area’s diversity (Principle 5)…rennovate the buildings (Principle 6)….commemorate history (Principle 7)…highlight existing cultural institutions (Principle 8)…promote a multi-functionnal area with nighlife (Principle 9)…and to encourage quality, audacious architecture (Principle 11).” It appeared as though the artists were finally being listened to.

Finally, on Thursday March 10, in a flip-flop of enormous proportions, the City of Montreal announced that it would no longer seek to expropriate the Café Cleopatra, effectively ending the lengthy (and expensive) legal battle. Likewise, the SDA must now work around the Café Cleopatra, with spokeswoman Genevieve Marsan saying: “We don’t have a choice.”

Artists are ecstatic now that the Café Cleopatra is safe, and reaffirmed their support for the historic Red Light District and its preservation on CTV News.

The lesson learned is that artists need to be proactive and create superior visions for our society, because, as this case so clearly illustrates, nothing is safe when corporate powers get into bed with government officials. Given that this is a systemic problem across the globe, artists need to be bolder and more persuasive than ever before, and must challenge oppressive behaviours and demand their right to be heard in the decision-making process. The fact that corporations, with the government’s support, can run amok in a national historic site, destoying culture and heritage, shows just how sick the society is.  Meanwhile, developers like the SDA need to realise that artists should be treated as valuable consultants to be included in the decision-making process, because not only can they provide better visions that will ulimately lead towards higher profits, but also because it is a really bad idea to get on the wrong side of artists, as this case so clearly illustrates. Finally, politicians need to wake up to the fact that the artists are currently doing their job, alebit unpaid, and they need to start taking their duties more seriously. To date, municipal, provincial, and federal governments have shrugged off protecting The Main national historic site, each of them passing the buck and denying responsibility.

In one final irony, Café Cleopatra, the symbol of the real Red Light District, was snubbed when glowing red lights were installed on the outside walls of all performance venues within the Quartier des Spectacles. The idea behind the design is specifically to recall the era of the Red Light District by illuminating venue sidewalks with pools of red light.

After being snubbed initially, perhaps now the Café Cleopatra will finally get its own red lights to indicate it is, most definitely, a part of Montreal’s new Quartier des Specatcles - and a unique window into the city’s Red Light heritage at that!

To celebrate, a Victory Party and burlesque show (hosted by the fabulous Reena) is planned at Café Cleopatra on Saturday, March 26. A $5 donation is suggested, and the burlesque show starts at 9 pm (doors open open at 8). Everyone who supports local culture, heritage, and burlesque entertainment is invited to raise a glass, celebrate, and hear about the artists’ next step in saving “The Main” national historic site from further devastation – and demanding their say in the development of the Quartier des Spectacles!

The infringement season is upon us, and it is looking to be a red letter year for the global network of festivals!  With four unique infringement festivals on offer in both Canada and the USA, it is going to be a great summer for both infringers, new and old, and audiences seeking daring and authentic arts!

The Montreal infringement festival is moving into high gear and is beginning preparations for its 2011 edition. Now in its 8th year, the festival celebrates activist performances, critical discourse and a wide variety of infringement arts. Artists and audiences of all backgrounds are invited to create an anti-oppressive environment where people come together to take chances, push boundaries, explore uncharted territory, and challenge the omnipresent corporate worldview and all its spamming of the culture.

Optative Theatrical Laboratories is proud to work with individual and group collaborators (such as the FTB collective) to organize the annual festival of culture-jamming, activist arts, experimental performances and a wide variety of events, all created by a diversity of people with important messages to get out. With no censorship, no fees to participate, no unethical sponsors, and no corporate environment, this is a true Do-It-Yourself festival that is designed to empower people through the arts and reclaim culture. Infringement is also a stark reaction to the corporate takeover of the Fringe movement, which began with the trademarking of the word “Fringe” in 1998.

MONTREAL INFRINGEMENT NOW SEEKING COLLABORATORS!

The Montreal festival is currently seeking collaborators, and anyone who agrees with festival’s mandate is most welcome to participate. Infringement collaborators do everything from making art, producing shows, handling media, booking venues and advising artists to culture-jamming and  building the infringement movement, a global network designed to reclaim culture and democratize the arts.

In Montreal, the dates have been set from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 26, 2011. There are currently meetings every week for collaborators interested the festival, which are held every Monday at 6:30pm at the artsy “Resto Bar Culturel” L’Escalier (522 Ste. Catherine Est, metro Berri-UQAM).

All are welcome to drop by, meet the Circle of collaborators, and learn more. For more information or to RSVP your place at the meeting, please email optatif@gmail.com!

BUFFALO INFRINGEMENT

The Buffalo infringement Festival is a “non-profit-driven, non-hierarchical grassroots endeavor bringing together a broad range of eclectic, independent, experimental, and controversial art of all forms.” Taking place in multiple venues in and around Buffalo’s Allentown District, the festival is an annual eleven-day event running from the last weekend of July through the first weekend of August. Visual, theatrical, performing, musical, and media arts are all welcome here.

This year the incredible Buffalo infringement festival runs from July 28 – August 07. For those planning on going this summer, the deadline for your online proposal/submission is May 1:

http://infringebuffalo.org/submit/

BROOKLYN & HAMILTON INFRINGEMENTS

There are also newer infringement festivals being staged in Brooklyn and Hamilton, Ontario this year! Brooklyn infringement, now in its 3rd edition, runs from May 19-22, 2011. Please note that the deadline for submissions is March 30.

The Hamilton infringement festival will be announcing their dates and other information soon. “Entering our 2nd year, we’re seeking input from all interested parties,” says festival founder Gary St. Laurent.

He adds: “We’re hoping to be bigger and make a statement that we’re here to stay. Let’s nail the Hammer! All who are interested can contact me at Gary@infringementfestival.com or 905-512-1964.”

DO-IT-YOURSELF INFRINGEMENT!

Infringement festivals have been held in various cities across the globe since 2004. In addition to the 2011 circuit, festivals have been held in places as diverse New York City, Regina, Ottawa, Toronto, and even Bordeaux in France! At the root of each festival is always at least one dedicated person with a will to bring the infringement movement to their community.

As a Do-It-Yourself festival, collaborators are always welcome to create news festivals anywhere in the world, and there is even a guidebook explaining how to do it. Please spread the word – and the global infringement movement!

Stay tuned to this blog and www.infringementfestival.com for updates and information!