BROWNSTEIN
Community theatre rocked by two robberies
It is a small community theatre on Ste-Catherine St., a few blocks east of the Main. Certainly more ramshackle than state-of-theart, with a capacity of little more than 100 seats, Théâtre Sainte-Catherine has nonetheless survived — scraped by, more likely — for nearly 15 years, providing a home for Anglo and Franco indie music, comedy and theatre events as well as serving as home base for Montréal Sketchfest and a frequent venue for the Fringe fest and the Just for Laughs satellite spectacles, the Off-JFL/ Zoofest.
What it may lack in size, glitz and financing, the theatre more than makes up for in spirit and a faithful fan following. Rarely has a negative word been uttered about its core principles, largely because the theatre stages all manner of free events for those unable to cover rental or admission costs.
So it came as quite the shock that the theatre had been hit with two separate robberies over the last few weeks. Thieves not only ransacked the place, but also made off with the theatre’s two and only administrative computers, holding all its records, in addition to significant cash and bar stock. The total loss is somewhere around $10,000.
Small change for many theatre venues, but for Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, it has been pretty devastating, all the more so since it had no theft insurance. At the
best of times, the theatre could afford to pay only one full-time employee and several part-timers. However, thanks to a large cadre of volunteers, it kept on churning out events.
But friends of the theatre have rallied and on Wednesday evening, a Theft Relief Fundraiser for Théâtre Sainte-Catherine will be held at Bar le Ritz PDB on Jean-Talon St. W. Being staged, pro bono, for this benefit will be the theatre’s annual musical bash, Jesus Christ Superband, featuring a host of members of the city’s indie music, comedy and digital art scenes.
In the role of Jesus once again will be Sandi Armstrong, a veteran Théâtre Sainte-Catherine improv teacher, performer and volunteer.
Mark Louch and Alain Mercieca, actors and comics, have run Théâtre Sainte-Catherine for the last nine years. Needless to say, they were really taken aback by the robberies, since there had never been any instances of break-ins in all the years of the theatre’s existence.
“The word is that the robberies were done by a small crew in the area, who also hit a really nice editing studio two doors down from us,” says Louch, the only full-timer on the theatre payroll.
“The money is obviously an issue for us, but what really hurt is that we all felt so safe here and these break-ins really stung on that level,” Mercieca says. “Our mandate has been to serve the community with free workshops and weekly shows to showcase new and older artists alike.
“As much as we feel awful having to ask for a handout from our friends, it has really been so heartwarming to see how people have come to our aid. That is so inspiring for us to keep it going. The show must go on and it will go on for us.”
Although the theatre is taking a break from the Fringe fest this year, it will play a large role again in the Off-JFL/Zoofest. It’s worth noting that over the years, the theatre has put on some of the best JFL-related shows in the fest’s history, including memorable performances by Aziz Ansari, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford and Moshe Kasher, among dozens more.
For nearly 15 years and counting, the theatre has also hosted the longest-running improv show in the city, Sunday Night Improv.
The theatre’s history is rather rich and, not surprisingly, quirky. It was first run by improv master Eric Amber, along with his two sidekicks David Lawrence and Paul Spence (famed for their Fubar cult flick series). But it had been bought more than 40 years ago by Amber’s parents, circus carnies who never stayed there very long, but who had rented it out over the years.
According to Amber, who inherited it from his parents, the place had been built in the 1890s and initially served as a halfway house, run by nuns, for pregnant working ladies in a district known for its abundant red lights. It later morphed into a series of stores and restaurants before becoming Théâtre Sainte-Catherine.
Louch and Mercieca, along with Armstrong and theatre communications director Erin Hall, are expecting to raise a large chunk of the missing funds from the benefit concert. But for those who can’t make the concert, they have set up a GoFundMe campaign, which they hope will cover the balance of their losses.
Armstrong explains that Jesus Christ Superband is an edgy musical homage of sorts to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. One of the theatre robberies actually occurred during the first night of the recent Jesus Christ Superband run, so Armstrong and her cast and crew of 15 felt even more compelled to perform this benefit show.
“This is really a labour of love for the theatre,” Armstrong says. “It’s been such a cornerstone of so many people’s lives. So in keeping with the character, Jesus, whom I portray, I’m really praying for a miracle.”