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!

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 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!

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!

What makes laser ads disturbing is not only the visual pollution they create on public spaces (such as sidewalks), but also the fact that they project potentially harmful laser beams into the eyes of pedestrians, who are innocently passing by. Laser beams are known to be harmful to the human eye and can cause serious damage, which is why people tend to get upset when a laser pointer is shone into their eyes.

Exposure to lasers can cause flash blindness, glare, and afterimages. Flash blindness occurs whenever someone is exposed to a bright light source. While it only lasts for a few seconds, it can be extremely dangerous when someone is involved in a task which requires vision, such as when crossing the busy St. Laurent boulevard. Glare, a reduction or distortion of visibility caused by bright light, occurs when the laser is pointed directly at the eye. Afterimages can last for several days, and take the form of small spots in the vision. The overall effect is one of disorientation and confusion.

Due to the dangers of pointing lasers into human eyes, there have even been cases of offenders being arrested for shining lasers at aircraft, essentially putting human safety at risk. In fact, a site advocating the “safe” use of lasers advocates: “NEVER aim laser pointers at aircraft! It is unsafe, you may be arrested, and you may help get laser pointers banned.”

The obvious question arising is why it is “unsafe” and illegal to point lasers at aircraft hundreds of meters in the air, when it is somehow perfectly “safe” and legal to shine them into pedestrians’ eyes from only a meter or two away? Generally-speaking, shining lasers into human eyes is not a good idea, which is why warnings exist against this practice.

Given the seriousness of the situation, one must ask whether there any regulations governing these dangerous new advertising tools? Do they even adhere to standards of laser safety? What is being done to ensure public health and safety to protect people from these devices?

Lastly, why are these new laser ad devices being permitted in “The Main” national historic site, where the government of Canada gone to tremendous efforts to protect the heritage. Officials have clearly stated that “intrusive elements must be minimal” to protect the district’s historic characteristics, which ”must predominate and set it apart from the area that immediately surrounds it”.

There is a lack of leadership to protect citizens from these dangerous and abusive new forms of advertising that cause both visual pollution and potential eye damage. The fact that they are permitted in a designated historic site shows a flagrant disregard for Montreal’s history and heritage. Corporations think their right to advertise their product outweighs our right to be safe and comfortable in our historic site, and so far the politicians are allowing them. To make matters even worse, the product being advertised by the laser ad, BH Jeans, appears to have sexist advertising on the front page of its website, something that is actively discouraged in Quebec due to its negative influence on women and society in general.

How did it come to be that the corporate right to zap us with their new laser advertising medium and questionable product came to supercede our right to enjoy our historic site in peace? To shed light on the issue (pardon the pun), this topic has been selected for our annual Buy Nothing Day jam!

Join Optative Theatrical Laboratories this BUY NOTHING DAY for the Laser Ad Challenge! On the busiest shopping day of the year, we plan to stage a theatrical DIE-IN to challenge these dangerous laser ads – and demand their immediate removal from the historic site! To get involved in this year’s Buy Nothing Day activity, please meet us at Bar Bifteck (3702 St. Laurent) at 7 pm on Friday November 26.

For media inquiries or more information, please contact Donovan King at optatif@gmail.com

——–

To mark the 10th anniversary of CAR STORIES’ ejection from the so-called “Fringe” festival, the OTL has decided to try and collect the ticket sales it was defrauded of over 10 years ago. It appears as though Jeremy Hechtman, the man responsible for transforming the Fringe from a grassroots community event into a corporate feeding trough, is finally stepping down this year. Filling those capitalist shoes is Amy Blackmore, a long-time Fringe afficianado and talented artist. The question on the minds of many artists in the community is whether she intends to continue with the corporate program that has essentially destroyed what was once one of the city’s most poular grassroots festivals, or if she has enough courage and vision to restore the festival to a semblance of its former self. OTL decided to ask her, and sent the following letter:

———–

Dear Amy Blackmore,

Congratulations once again on taking over responsibility for the Montreal Fringe Festival from Jeremy Hechtman. As the only artists ever kicked out of any Fringe Festival (by Hechtman in 2001), we feel that we are in a unique position to offer constructive criticism directed at improving the Fringe Festival, and indeed encouraging it to return to its original grassroots approach. We are keeping a close eye on developments, and are extremely hopeful that you will do a better job respecting the rights of artists and the local theatre community for the duration of your mandate.

Unfortunately, your new post does not come without baggage. As you may recall, 10 years ago our show (Car Stories)  was ejected from the Fringe festival, according to Jeremy Hechtman because we offended then-sponsor The Gazette by writing a satirical critique of their theatre critic Pat Donnelly, who cancelled all Fringe festival reportage until we were given the boot. Hechtman also stated that The Gazette had threatened to withdraw $15,000 in sponsorship money, making it very clear that The Gazette was in a conflict-of-interest as both corporate sponsor and media responsible for covering the event. It became very clear in 2001 that the artists at the Fringe now played second fiddle to corporate sponsors, effectively negating the concept of the original festival (which was activist in nature).

Furthermore, Jeremy Hechtman refused to pay us the ticket sales Car Stories earned for the week run before it was ejected ($822.00) or the projected sales from the sold-out run (around $1000), nor did he reimburse our “application fee” of $253.06 which was required simply to appear in the Fringe schedule (we brought our own venue). Ten years later, with accrued interest, we figure the Fringe Festival you are inheriting still owes the artists it defrauded in 2001 close to $5000.00. We have the documentation to prove our claim, which we can put online if you like to ensure there is no confusion as to what actually happened.

I am asking you firstly, as the new Fringe Festival director, to reimburse us fully for the amount owed. Secondly, I know our artists are still waiting for an apology regarding their shabby treatment at the hands of the Fringe in 2001. Lastly, if you meet these conditions, we at the infringement festival would be happy to consider forming a new relationship with the Fringe, this time based on mutual respect and potential collaboration for dealing responsibly with artistic issues in the community.

Please understand that for authentic fringe artists like us, 10 years is a long time to wait for what is owed. As such, if I do not hear back from you by June 18, I will have no choice but to send theatrical “Collection Agents” to the Fringe festival to try and collect our ticket sales money. On June 19, 10 years ago, Jeremy Hechtman told us we were being kicked out of the Fringe. It is a day artists will never forget, and, failing the immediate reimbursement of our money, it is the day we plan to raise a theatrical ruckus at the Fringe beer tent to remind everyone about the corruption still affecting the current Fringe.

I truly hope you will do the right thing and get in touch immediately to work out a payment plan, or at least to try and explain your own position. We are flexible, and can avert the (very public) theatrical protests/media campaign if you demonstrate a serious commitment to resolving this issue in a timely manner. I can be reached at 514-842-1467 or via email. I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Donovan King

——-

It should be noted that Ms. Blackmore did respond promptly and in a  courteous manner, but she did not deal with any of the issues or arrange a plan to rectify the situation. Speculation is rife that as the “co-producer” with Hechtman (for this year only), she does not actually wield any poltical clout (yet).

The OTL has responded, as promised, with a theatrical campaign to collect the ticket sales and spur social justice.

COLLECTION AGENCY is a piece of Do-It-Yourself theatre whereby those wishing to participate create and assume a theatrical “Collection Agent” character, and proceed to investigate 3 dramatic people or companies to collect what is owed. Using primary documents within a theatrical matrix that includes both the Fringe and the infringement festival, the first participant to collect from all three people or companies wins a $500.00 prize (or 10% commission on what the fringe owes OTL). To participate, find someone at the Fringe beer tent distributing the instructions and documentation, or download them. The Documents:

Collection Agency P2 (Collection #1)

Collection Agency P3 (Collection #2)

Collection Agency P4 (Collection #3)

Collection Agency P5 (Media article about Car Stories, 2001)

Collection Agency P6 (the letter that got OTL kicked out of the Fringe)

Collection Agency P7 (letter from Levack, resigning from OTL and begging media to restore coverage. Note it is CCed to Jeremy Hechtman)

Collection Agency P8 (media article from The Gazette about show’s expulsion)

Collection Agency P9 (letter to Fringe from Car Stories artists for box office sales and compensation)

Collection Agency P10 (letter from Hechtman refusing, note he claims he received “no documentation whatsoever” about Levack’s resignation from OTL – he was CCed the resignation in document #7.

Collection Agency P11 (media report from Ottawa Citizen about the scandal)

The first “Collection Agent” to collect all three should email optatif@gmail.com to verify and collect the $500.00 prize!

With a bit of theatrical pressure it is entirely possible Ms. Blackmore will do the right thing and ensure the artists get their ticket sales from the Fringe festival – 10 years late is better than never!

AFTERWORD

OTL visited the Beer Tent the evening of June 20 to ask Ms. Blackmore in person if she had any intention of reimbusring the artists who had been defrauded by the Fringe festival. Ms. Blackmore offered “no comment” and referred us to someone named Geoff Agombar, who is apparently the Fringe’s PR hack (yes, the Fringe Festival actually has paid people on staff for things like damage control!) Mr. Agombar was not only extremely rude to the defrauded artists he met, but he was adamant that they were not to be refunded. In the frat party atmosphere that has become the trademark of the new Fringe, Mr. Agombar even referred to the infringement movement as “10 years of bullshit”.

Fringe Festival spokesmen Brand (left) & Agombar (right)

Not to be outdone, Fringe Festival Board of Directors member Tristan Brand, himself directly implicated in the scandal in 2001, also dismissed the idea that artists should be paid their ticket sales.  

And thus the St. Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival has squandered a rare opportunity to make amends, ensuring many, many more years of cultural resistance to their exploitative capitalist agenda.

After a successful opening vernissge, the Dumpster Dive Art Drive has been on display in an undisclosed alleyway for the public to enjoy. One jogger who stumbled upon the opening said, “Thanks! You just made my day!” between chugs of red wine served to him in a brown paper bag.

The great news is that there will be a second vernissage to close the festival! We want to do another one, bigger this time.

The public is invited to BAR BIFTECK (3702 St. Laurent) at 3 pm on Sunday June 27, where they will be led to the secret alleyway art display. Please attend, and please invite others, especially art critics!

Artists should arrive at 2 pm to set up. For artists wishing to created new dumpstered works, please start doing so immediately. Please make about 3 – 5 new, original pieces (or more) from the dumpster or trash, noting the following details:
 
TITLE
ARTIST
MATERIALS
DESCRIPTION
COST

We have the (waterproof-ish) art labels to fill in! If everyone makes 3 – 5 pieces, we will have a lovely vernissage! Please spread the word to other artists!! Anyone with questions should contact Donovan King at optatif@gmail.com or call 514-842-1467. Cheers!

Pee Brick

—-

The Dumpster Dive Art Drive is an experimental/environmental visual arts project created for the 7^th annual Montreal infringement festival.

Artists, both established and beginner, are invited to create artistic works made primarily from dumpstered and recycled materials. The objective of the project is to reclaim items destined for landfill and to transform them into artworks of all types.

The vernissage, where these works will be displayed, is to be held in an alleyway. Artists may opt to sell their works, and can keep 100% of all sales or donate it to an environmental organization of choice. The alleyway vernissage is planned on June 19^th at 5pm, and wine will be served to guests and critics from a brown paper bag. The location will be disclosed at a later date.

We encourage anyone who wants to reclaim trash as art and alleyways as galleries to get involved and participate! Create your own art-work for display, or volunteer to help!

To get involved, please call Alexandra Cuellar at 514-683-2750 or email Donovan King at optatif@gmail.com

Is this man too sexy for YouTube?

A few months ago, the OTL in solidarity with the coalition of artists trying to prevent the destruction of artistic venues on the lower Main produced a video appeal to Prince Charles.  Burlesque dancers asked the Prince, a noted heritage buff, if he would do something to stop Café Cleopatre from being replaced by an office tower.

While this video did generate quite a bit of coverage in places as varied as Paris Match and the Montreal Gazette along with tens of thousands of views, last week, unfortunately, it was removed by YouTube for containing sexually inappropriate content.  Is this video really too sexy for YouTube?  Is it really inappropriate?  Or maybe, is there some other reason why it was removed?  You be the judge:

In a secret communiqué obtained by OTL, the bureau is recruiting locals and offering a pay-what-you-can training session to give you the tools to help them track and apprehend aliens like this one:

We feel that this is a blatant attempt at discrimination and scapegoating.  After all, these supposed aliens aren’t evil.  They aren’t harming anyone.  They’re just trying to get by and aren’t even a drain.  They eat the food that the rest of us throw away or don’t even consider to be food in the first place as this photo suggests:

If you want to help us, here’s the plan.  Sign up for the bureau’s “training sessions” by phoning 514-699-3378.  You’ll need to have the password, which we have learned is “sparrowdove.”  These sessions are for three people at a time and leaving every 30 minutes or so between 3pm and 8pm on Saturday, November 7th, so you’ll need to reserve a spot in advance.

Then, at the appropriate time, go to the bureau’s Montreal headquarters which, due to budget cuts, are located inside Bar Bifteck, 3702 St-Laurent and look for this man:

Tell him you want to help, but always remember your mission.  You may get some help along the way from other more high-placed infiltrators in the bureau.  It’s a tough job, but please remember why you’re doing it, so the “aliens” can live free.

We’re counting on you, but more importantly, they’re counting on you

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Car Stories: Alien Invasion continues a tradition that has been described as “the most fun you might ever have in the backseat of a car” (Ottawa Citizen).  Three spect-actors at a time are invited to witness and take part in Montreal’s longest-running theatrical experiment by going on a guided theatrical joyride through the Urban Wonderland and its alleyways, cars and parking lots.

The 2009 edition won six Iffy awards at this year’s Buffalo infringement Festival where it premiered and now returns to Montreal for one day only.  Please call 514-699-3378 or e-mail carstories@optative.net to see the show or check out our site for more info.

If you saw us in June at the 2009 Montreal infringement Festival, this is a completely different show but it is still PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN at the end, so hop in and enjoy the ride!

*** Please FWD widely and re-post

Under the bright sun, Coppertone promoters gave pedestrians free samples of sunscreen while warning them about the problems caused by the sun’s ultra violet rays. They also invited people to have a free evaluation of their facial skin to test for existing sun damage. The test was administered by a man in a white laboratory coat in the shade beneath a Coppertone branded umbrella. He performed his test with a “diagnostic camera” which took one picture, developed it in two different ways laid out side by side. On the left, the picture appeared overexposed and hid any skin blemish and on the right, the picture was underexposed revealing every wrinkle and spot on one’s face. The diagnosis was performed by comparing the two pictures. The man pointed out skin abnormalities from the underexposed picture. If he found skin problems participants were told that they could prevent further harm by using Coppertone products. If he found no damage, people were told to use Coppertone to prevent future skin problems.

Instead of thanking Coppertone for caring so much about my well being, I approached the Coppertone display to ask some very important questions. Why was Coppertone so concerned about my skin? Do they truly care or is this another marketing ploy to brand the Coppertone name? Is their diagnosis real or is it a sales tactic? How qualified is the man giving the diagnosis? I know that sun exposure can cause skin damage, but can Coppertone really protect me? Does Coppertone contain any ingredients which cause skin damage? These questions induced a little panic in the Coppertone promotion team. I guess the presence of my camera man didn’t help. Though, I didn’t get to the bottom of all these questions, I did discover some awful truths about their campaign.

Since the promoters didn’t work for Coppertone it was hard to find out anything about their products. Coppertone paid actors and event organizers from New Ad, a marketing company who delivers young people to corporations, and a nurse from Quality Health Services LTD. The nurse alleged that he could not make any formal diagnoses because he was not a doctor. In fact, none of the promotional staff could not answer any questions about how the product worked, how it was made, what ingredients were in the sunscreen or if any ingredients used in the sunscreen were harmful.

Like the glare of the sun, light shed on the true intentions of Coppertone’s promotional spectacle. Coppertone’s campaign was not designed to help people but to scare them.  If someone is told that they may develop skin cancer because they are not well protected from the sun, they should be more likely to take advice from the street promoters and apply Coppertone sunscreen. Furthermore, if people are told they have skin problems from someone that resembles a doctor, they may be scared enough to use Coppertone more frequently so the ‘damage’ doesn’t escalate, especially if the Coppertone name is associated with cancer prevention. If Coppertone was really concerned about people’s skin, they would have hired real doctors to make real medical assessments instead of contracting a nurse from Quality Health Services LTD who can only provide an unprofessional opinion. He only told me he was a nurse and that he was not making an actual diagnosis after I inquired. Those who didn’t ask may have assumed he was a doctor giving valid evaluations, prescribing Coppertone to prevent skin cancer.

If Coppertone sunscreen really prevented skin cancer, my argument could be moot. Maybe a little scare for something healthy wouldn’t be so bad after all. These tactics are commonly used in anti-smoking and anti-drinking and driving commercials. The main problem is that Coppertone sunscreen does not do very well in research conducted by independent sources.

In 2008, the Environmental Working Group conducted an investigation of nearly 1 000 brand name sunscreens. This report concluded that none of Coppertone’s 41 sunscreens met the Environmental Working Group’s criteria for safety and effectiveness. Coppertone was accused of using dangerous ingredients including Oxybenzone, which is reported to be a possible cancer causing agent (for a comprehensive list of harmful ingredients used by Coppertone, follow this link).

The other sources of research on Coppertone products are conducted and/ or  sponsored by Coppertone themselves. The Coppertone Solar Research Center is responsible for testing Coppertone’s sunscreen for safety and effectiveness. This center was opened in 1971 and is described by Coppertone as the world’s largest state of the art facility for testing the quality of their sun-care products. In addition, the Coppertone Research Fund was established to provide financial support for dermatology research in Canada. Research on Coppertone sunscreen is mainly conducted by their research center through their charity fund, a blatant conflict of interest. In addition, they hire promoters, like those at the Mainfest, who cannot answer basic questions regarding the safety or effectiveness of their sunscreen.

Coppertone’s Mainfest masquerade came to an end when members of the Optative Theatrical Laboratories drew attention to the hypocrisy of associating Coppertone sunscreen to cancer prevention, especially by promoters who know nothing about the product. Since Coppertone paid actors to promote their sunscreen at the Mainfest, we intervened by sending in actors of our own. Because of the insincerity of their campaign, they were culture jammed. Here is what transpired: