Beyond Literature :
Events Designed for Every Walk of Life
Written By Curtis McRae
Despite its prestigious acclaim as an international literary festival, Blue Metropolis has contrived various activities intended for audiences with interests beyond reading. Among the heavy literary based curriculum, all thespians, musicians, storytellers and foodies alike will find entertainment amongst several events.
For those looking to take a break from the page and engage in the Ancient Greek tradition of theatre, The Segal Center for Performing Arts will host the highly anticipated play ‘The Angel and the Sparrow’ directed by Gordon Greenberg. This musical is based on the true story of music icons Edith Piath and Marlene Dietrich, and how a fascinating friendship had blossomed between the two illustrious show business behemoths. Including the classic dazzling tunes “La Vie en Rose” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, this event is a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon at the theatre for all thespians, musicians, and those looking to be transported to a romantic age of intoxicating music. ‘The Angel and the Sparrow’ takes place on Sunday April 15th at 14h, and tickets will start at 40$ and may be purchased on site or online at segalcentre.org.
Tantamount to the theatre, the tradition of storytelling is embedded in human nature. In all of our histories, rooted in all of our heritage, there lies the oral tradition of storytelling. Our lives have all been graced or touched upon by the practice of storytelling in one way or another; whether it be through the stories read to you as a child before bed or through uncle Ned’s famous stories around the camp fire. For those who have kept in contact or lost touch with such traditions, Blue Metropolis has fashioned two events, ‘The Naughty Bits Book Club’ and ‘This Really Happened: Crime and Punishment’, in revival of such traditions. On Friday April 27th at 21h, stop by the Hotel 10 on Sherbrooke street in the Salle Godin to witness the live storytelling series ‘This Really Happened’ hosted by Maria Schamis Turner. Renowned writers and storytellers such as Canadian poet Lee Maracle will depict their harrowing encounters with the law, ranging from petty crimes to the unsparing, which have changed the course of their lives. Lively, entertaining, and earnest, this event will bring you into the life experiences and lessons learned from the encounters not often spoken of. Tickets will be sold at the door for 15$.
Straying from the severe, ‘The Naughty Bits Book Club’ will harness another aspect of the illicit storytelling tradition entirely. On Saturday April 28th at 21:30, located in the Salle Godin of Hotel 10, authors such as Montréal-based poet Sherwin Tija will read sexcerpts from famous literary works on stage. Intended to reinvigorate your youthful sense of the taboo, there will be a box of risqué costumes, and a playful sense of the naughty aspects of literature lingering and ringing in the air. You may stumble across some of the first encounters you had with the ‘naughty bits’ of literature, or learn of a new side of it entirely. Tickets will be sold at the door for 10$.
Finally, for the foodies and those looking to learn or freshen up on their cultural sense of Montréal’s scene, this year’s festival has catered to satiate your appetite. As a part of the CBC Blue Series, ‘Blue Met’s Montreal Moonwalk with Paul Kennedy’ draws from a traditional walk guided by CBC Radio host Paul Kennedy and his friend and novelist Katherine Govier. What began between the two as a tradition of going for a walk whenever they found themselves in the same city on a full moon has made its way to becoming a first time Montréal event that you may now join. What’s more is that the walk only requires itself to conclude at an Oyster Bar – so maybe the ‘Naughty Bits Book Club’ won’t serve as the only aphrodisiac after all! For all interested ‘moonwalkers’, the starting point will be in the Hotel 10 lobby on Saturday April 28th at 19h.