Montreal Department of Culture

www.voteforenvironment.ca

2008-10-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

We met them this October 5th in Montreal...

The Dancing Polar Bears are spreading the good word:

http://www.voteforenvironment.ca/

check out how to make your vote best count this election.

Then pass it on.

!!!THANKSGIVING FLYERING BLITZ!!!

2008-10-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED -

This weekend is key decision making time for those ridings in close races with Conservative candidates. It is our plan to target key transportation hubs for commuters headed home to these ridings, such as the metro and central bus station at rush hour.

We will be flyering on Friday 4-6pm, and Saturday 2-4pm.

***MEETING POINT: BERRI METRO STATION - ground floor level, centre between ticket booths where the 2 lines intersect. 4PM Friday, 2PM Saturday***

Our aim is to give every person exiting a metro during peak times something to read and think about on their ride home to their swing riding. The more volunteers we will get, the more likely we will be to achieve that goal.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE - Avaaz.org

2008-10-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCING: Avaaz.org launched their new video “You Know You Have A Choice” tonight at

THIS IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE PARTY @ The Phoenix in Toronto

This event now officially represents a landmark coalition of artists, environmentalists, and ordinary Canadians from all walks of life, who are determined to defeat Stephen Harper on October 14th. It will be a part of a defining moment in the 40th General Canadian Election as we band together to speak up for the hopes, values and priorities of the majority of Canadians to be represented and implemented by our government.

Stephen Harper’s campaign is crumbling. Come be a part of the final push to bring about real positive change.

Take a sneak peek at the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slnN3GMy7Nc

Looking for a Party?

2008-10-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

There has been a wealth of cultural activity inspired by the election taking place across the country this week; events that voice the opinions and celebrate the contributions of hundreds of ordinary Canadians. After The Wrecking Ball, please join your friends and colleagues at This is NOT a Conservative Party! in your city.

The Department of Culture presents

This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Rocking The Vote Right Across Canada

Flagship concert takes place in Toronto on
Thursday October 9 at The Phoenix Concert Theatre

REGINA’s This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Tuesday, October 7 @ 8 pm at Regina’s Cathedral Village Freehouse

WINNIPEG’s This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Wednesday, October 8 @ 7pm at King’s Head Pub, 120 King St.

TORONTO’s This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Thursday, October 9 doors @ 8pm at The Phoenix, 410 Sherbourne St.
featuring Winners of the Gone in 30 Seconds video contest.

OTTAWA’s This is NOT a Conservative Party!
Friday, October 10 @ 8pm at Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York St.
featuring from Vancouver BRASSTRONAUT + from Ottawa SADIE HELL
http://www.zaphodbeeblebrox.com/

VOTE on Tuesday, October 14
and then join your friends wherever they are to watch the results.
In Montreal, please join us for the Department of Culture’s Election Party, location TBA, from 8pm on…

The Wrecking Ball - we swung hard and mighty across the Nation!

2008-10-09T21:40:00.001-07:00

Madame and Matante speak with Halifax. K. Rogers Hall looks on. (Oct. 6th, MainLine Theatre)

LE WRECKING BALL - We did it - Monday night was a huge success! And I bet they never saw that one coming.

Check out our national coverage at http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2008/10/06/political-theatre.html

With upwards of 120 people in attendance, and a raucous energized crowd throughout the evening, we managed to raise serious funds for the campaign activities of the Department of Culture in this final week.

With Madame and Matante presiding over the evening's ceremonies, we shared riotous moments as the calls came in from Halifax, and were passed on through Ottawa; artists and musicians roused the masses through their indictment of an 'artless Canada', and their love for freedom of expression; the electricity of the audience carried us from start to finish as we fired through an inspired three hours! of theatre, politics, and cabaret. Thank you to all for coming, and to our wonderful volunteers and artists who donated their time and their inspiration; your commitment resonated throughout the night, and across the country, let me tell you!

Here's what other Wrecking Balls had to share:

Toronto - "Well we did it. Congratulations to all of you! It was a really terrific evening in Toronto. The audience was in brilliant form. As were all the pieces...this was definitely one of our strongest Balls."

Ottawa - "We wrecked 'em good! Ottawa was fantastic! (...) During our call from Montreal, Paula Danckert let out a great cry of recognition from the back of the room: "It's Matante!!!" (...) Hope this isn't the last WB in Ottawa... the appetite for political theatre is definitely here."

Vancouver - "Vancouver rocked out as well. The Stanley Theatre (seats 600?) was over capacity. People were spilling out into the lobby watching by live feed t.v. (...) The wrecking ball was electric. The audience was loud and united and hungry for anything we threw at them. (...) All of us were commenting after that none of us had seen anything quite like this in Vancouver before. What a night!"

Edmonton - "In only 8 short days, very little press and scrambling like crazy we were able to fill our venue! We held it at the Varscona Theatre and had over 180 guests sitting, sprawled out in the aisles and standing on the sidelines."

Winnipeg - "Add Winnipeg to the Standing Room Only list (...) The mood was amazing--there was a full minute of applause when the house lights went down at the very start of the show--the audience is starving for this kind of show. So, I think, are the actors (...) And yet one more highlight was the simplicity of that darn cell phone on the chair lighting up right at the end of our very first piece with a hello from Cornerbrook--I think that, above all, made everyone suddenly realise and believe we were all part of a nationwide phenomenon and ramped up the whole night ten more notches."

Cornerbrook, NL - "And thanks to everyone and all who organized this event from us here in Corner Brook - we had a great time, the speeches were great, the dancing was fantastic- and it was really special to have that live connection on the cellphone. Congrats all!"

For more recaps, check out www.thewreckingball.ca Thank you all!

October 5th protest against Conservatives - we were there!

2008-10-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Masses bear witness.

Say NO to Harper!

Our message was clear:

Activism, and cookies!

The Conservatives: Here for a good time

2008-10-04T21:04:00.001-07:00

Out of the wonderful world of YouTube, and all the creative protest it can birth, here is a definite favourite of ours this week:

Montreal Department of Culture in the Media

2008-10-04T20:56:00.001-07:00

Following the launch of the Montreal Department of Culture and LE WRECKING BALL, we have been responding to the onslaught of media interest and coverage! Here are some of the opps we've had in the past week promoting LE WRECKING BALL, campaign activities and the Deapartment of Culture's mandate:

The Montreal Mirror (Hammering Harper, Arts section)http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/100208/artsweek.html

Pat Donnelly's Stage and Page blog, critic for the Montreal Gazette (Contender for Best Arts Protest Video)http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/stageandpage/default.aspx

Upstage with Estelle Rosen on CKUT 90.3FM
http://secure.ckut.ca/cgi-bin/ckut-grid.pl?action=showaudio&show=thursday,18:00

The Rover
www.roverarts.com

Focus Montreal on Global TV
- airs Saturday October 4th, 6:30PM; Sunday October 5th, 6:30AM

Next week you'll find us in Artthreat magazine, on CBC Radio and CIBL Montréal.

Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep in ACTION!

LE WRECKING BALL - October 6, 2008 - This election, try swinging...

2008-09-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

For immediate release: September 30, 2008

“LE” WRECKING BALL

A nation-wide evening of political theatre in response to the coming election

Montreal – On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Wrecking Ball goes national! Inspired by the coming election, live events will be held in cities across Canada. Each city (or “niche” as Harper might call them) will showcase local talent, as well as pieces simultaneously performed across the country. This unprecedented event will create a tide of political action from coast to coast!

Cities include: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Cornerbrook.

“Le” Wrecking Ball, Montreal

“Le” Wrecking Ball features brief, explosive works from local Montreal writers David Fennario, Anna Fuerstenberg, Julie Tamiko Manning and Julian Doucet, as well as a special contribution by two-time Governor General Award winner Judith Thompson. The playwrights have complete free rein over what they choose to write – the only goal of the Wrecking Ball is to challenge and provoke. All pieces created for this event are no more than a week old, so you know the it’s going to be fresh.

Hosted by the infamous Madame and Matante (Kiss My Cabaret), “Le” Wrecking Ball also features The Montreal Women’s Choir, and much, much more…

“Le” Wrecking Ball

One night only: 6 October 2008

Doors open at 7 p.m. Performance starts at 8 p.m. Cash bar

MainLine Theatre, 3997 boul. St-Laurent

PWYC (pay what you can: suggested $5)

For more info: 514-560-5314 or email: montrealdepartmentofculture@gmail.com

“Le” Wrecking Ball is presented with the support of Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal and MainLine Theatre.

Proceeds from the Montreal event will go to the Department of Culture, a growing community of Canadian citizens concerned with the social and cultural health of our nation in the face of a Conservative Party that is aggressively undermining the values that define Canada. http://www.departmentofculture.ca/.

The Wrecking Ball

The Wrecking Ball was founded in Toronto in November 2004 to address a nagging imbalance: too much theatre in our politics, not enough politics in our theatre. http://www.thewreckingball.ca/

Culture in Trouble!

2008-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Wrecking Ball

2008-09-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

An evening of political theatre inspired by the election, featuring Quebec playwrights, performance artists, and musical guests.

Organized by the Montréal Department of Culture
Monday, October 6. Doors open 7 pm; show starts 8 pm.
MainLine Theatre, 3997 St-Laurent Blvd. Tickets at the door. Cash bar.

Check back for more details.