13TH SKETCHFEST MARKS FESTIVAL SEASON’S START
Cine Gael closes the 2018 edition with tense Irish drama Maze, about 1983 IRA escape
There are two seasons in Montreal: winter and festival, wherein we celebrate the latter with gusto for six months after enduring the former for six months.
Winter ended earlier this week — or so we are inclined to believe. And summer festival season begins Thursday with the 13th annual Montréal Sketchfest, the city’s largest and longest celebration of the art of sketch comedy.
Unlike other festival directors, however, Sketchfest’s Erin Hall doesn’t boast about this year’s edition being the biggest yet. Quite the contrary.
“It will actually be smaller this year,” says Hall, who pledges that this will be her last year at the helm. “It’s quality over quantity this year.”
More than 60 troupes from around the sketch world — OK, this continent — will converge for this year’s fest, running until May 12. They’ll be coming in from as far as caffeine-addled Seattle, Edmonton and Winnipeg as well as from Toronto, New York and Philadelphia. Nor can we forget our own homegrown artistes, anglo as well as some franco participants.
“It doesn’t hurt our cause that we come at the start of festival season, and that people are so pumped and happy about getting out for the first time in months that it also pumps up the artists,” Hall explains. “Everyone seems just so stoked. So we like to think of our festival as therapeutic as well.”
For the uninitiated, sketch comedy falls somewhere between traditional theatre and improv, with elements of standup and physical comedy. But unlike improv, it’s generally written and practised before performers hit the stage. Think Second City or Saturday Night Live. Or as associate director Deirdre Trudeau has so delicately put it: “Sketch comedy is, ultimately, about people’s brains falling open on stage and the performers hoping that people will laugh at that. It’s really rather romantic.”
Needless to say, sketch comedy marries well with brewskis, readily available at Sketchfest headquarters, Théâtre Ste-Catherine, as well as at its other site, Montreal Improv Theatre.
“Sketch can be sketchy, because the performers all have different ways of communicating their material,” Trudeau allows. “We have a lot of collaboration shows and satire this year. The spectrum is vast and beautiful.”
This year’s highlights, according to Hall, Trudeau and the fest’s Outreach director Rena Taylor:
SPOOKY OPENING NIGHT GALA (THURSDAY AT 8 P.M. AT THÉÂTRE STE-CATHERINE)
Troupes from Montreal, Philadelphia and Toronto mix it up in an other worldly, mayhemfilled extravaganza. As an extra
added bonus, the spectacle will be hosted by organizers Hall, Trudeau and Taylor, who will dance while being creepily clad in skeleton attire.
TEMPLETON PHILHARMONIC (SATURDAY AT 7 P.M. AT THÉÂTRE STE-CATHERINE)
The highly touted Toronto tandem of Gwynne Phillips (HBO’s Sensitive Skin) and Briana Templeton (the Comedy Network’s The Beaverton) bring a blend of surrealism, biting social commentary and dance to the stage. “The most skilled performers I’ve ever seen and so smart and meticulously crafted,” Taylor marvels.
RAPP BATTLEZ (SATURDAY AT 11 P.M. AT THÉÂTRE STE-CATHERINE)
Toronto brothers Freddie and Miguel Rivas (the latter the coanchor on The Beaverton) host this mélange of rap, comedy and grand theatrics featuring a who’s who of sketch performers.
Rat’s Nest (May 10 at 10 p.m. at Montreal Improv Theatre)
Spoof of Dragon’s Den with three rats (a.k.a. Dragons), starring Jacob Greco (as the inimitable Kevin O’Leary), Nancy Webb and Travis Cannon, hosted by Lise Vigneault and with pitches by the likes of Paul Naiman and Kristen Rasmussen. Be warned: much pomposity and chat about dressage ensues.
KRISTEN RASMUSSEN (MAY 11 AT 8 P.M. AT MONTREAL IMPROV THEATRE)
The ex-Montrealer, now resettled in Hogtown, is in a sketch class all her own. The former Canadian Comedy Award and Just for Laughs award-winner will get down with much physical comedy and screeching. “She is probably the best solo sketch artist I have ever seen,” Taylor says. “She is deranged and wonderful.” And, frankly, does it get any better than that?
MARK & ANDY (MAY 12 AT 8 P.M. AT THÉÂTRE STE-CATHERINE)
That’s Mark Little and Andy Bush, members of the awardwinning Picnicface troupe from Halifax whose Powerthirst video has been viewed over 31 million times. “This will be an absolute blowout of a show to close Sketchfest 2018,” Hall promises.
Once again, Montréal Sketchfest doles out its unique set of prizes: The troupers deemed best newcomers will get to take swigs from the coveted Bag of Beer Award — a bag full of beer with a hole poked through it and with the winners parked underneath to soak up all the suds. Just for Laughs also gives out an award to the best Montreal troupe. And, of course, there’s the Giant Piece of Bark Award — no doubt shrivelled after all these years — which is presented to the best of the fest.
The 26th edition of Cine Gael, the festival of Irish cinema, wraps Thursday at 7:15 at Concordia’s J.A. DeSève Cinema (1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.) with the screening of Maze. This riveting drama is based on the events of the Maze jail escape of 38 IRA prisoners in 1983.
The film stars Tom VaughanLawlor and Barry Ward and is written and directed by Stephen Burke (Happily Ever Afters, 81).
Burke will be on hand, through the magic of Skype, for a Q&A following the screening.
Tickets cost $25 and include the film plus closing reception. For reservations, go to cinegaelmontreal.com.
Toronto’s Hot Docs International Documentary Festival has joined forces with Netflix to establish the Hot Docs Canadian Storytellers Project, a five-year initiative which will provide funding and development programs for Canadian doc-makers. The deal was announced Monday at the Hot Docs festival.
The deal will establish a fund to support up to 40 independent documentary projects with grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. In addition, the initiative will also support 10 fellowships for emerging filmmakers.
The project begins this summer and will accept applications for its first round of disbursements in the fall. For more information, go to www.hotdocs.ca.