McSweeney’s List (21 June, 2023)
Accessible Audio for McSweeney’s List will be available soon!
[This week's (Play)List is inspired by Broadway, truth, and freedom.]
This is my column, so it's my opinion. To speak for others would be presumptuous and inappropriate. This is just me doing me, yo.
One festival, thirty reviews, six contributors, and one squeaky wheel. So ends my first St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival experience. Throughout the festival, the enthusiasm and talent of the artists involved floored me. It gave me so much hope to see people committed to their craft, and dedicated to their dreams. We do what we do for Artists. We spent so much time interacting with them, hearing their creative and personal journeys and goals, listening to their experiences, both in Montreal and with Fringe, we were in our element.
Admittedly, not all our reviews were positive. I'm on record as stating (and will repeat for as long as necessary) that anyone, or any place, that exclusively says positive things is lying. It's unreasonable to trust any writer, or outlet, that avoids dissention. As such, Forget The Box encourages, publishes, and stands by honest reviews, positive or negative.
We ran a few features, mostly written by yours truly, discussing FringeMTL, its history, and the fun events in the festival people may be unaware of. Hell, I didn’t even know how Artists submitted! But the crux of our Fringe coverage was always intended to be the reviews, at a time when reviews are hard to come by. Of the thirty reviews, at least three were negative. One so subtle that no one noticed, another was shared by the artist we reviewed, tongue firmly in cheek, feathers unruffled. The last is where things got interesting.
I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to tell this story, but I need to. We, as a publication, were put in an awkward and inappropriate position, and I refuse to carry that secret.
Creative Director Andrew Jamieson was leading our FringeMTL Review Lottery team, and so he was committed to five reviews himself. One of these reviews was negative, and that’s okay. Jamieson knows his shit, so when he said the show was bad enough he didn’t know what to write, I believed him. The review we published was strong and succinct.
Days later, Andrew received a message from a leader in the community, a member of FringeMTL, asking him to take the piece down. They suggested that it was "mean spirited". And that's how I became involved in this situation. My first reaction, as Editor-In-Chief of an independent publication, was to be appalled. The idea that someone with such power in the community would abuse that in such a way, expecting us to censor ourselves shocked and dismayed me. The only explanation I could come up with was that the aforementioned squeaky wheel had put them in a position where they thought this was the easiest solution.
I mentioned reviews are becoming harder and harder to come by, for exactly this reason. Interference. When the outcome of writing an honest review brings upon something like this, it’s less likely that the reviewer will carry on reviewing. Maybe there should be some mentor-type artist workshops to remind people that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and recount their tales of bad reviews. To protect ourselves from obstacles, critique, and adversity is to choose to stop growing. We must overcome both our circumstances and inner demons to evolve. There can be no good art without personal insight and fortitude of spirit.
I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that the decisions and choices of Forget The Box are not conceived in a vacuum. We consult with each other, with arts community members, with people we see as mentors on our own artistic journey. All of them were shocked to hear of this professional transgression. One very successful artist assured us that they had received reviews far worse than this, and just kept it moving. Others told us that having seen the piece, they fully agreed with the review.
In the end, Fringe removed Andrew's reviews from their social media, thus breaching our agreement, which we found very disappointing. It was pretty clear to us early on in the Festival that we would work with the Artists directly in the future, and not the establishment. This final act solidified that plan for us.
Long story short, if you have any questions, concerns, objections, or praise about what happens on FTB, (Editor’s Note: Especially praise.) contact us. Much like with reviews, I can't promise you'll get something you like. Despite the fact that I'm a laid back broad, and I trust my team wholly, allowing me to chill behind the scenes, I am a rabid defender of our FTB Fam, Mama Bear styles. We are unwavering supporters of freedom of expression, and freedom of artistic expression, both foundational values of Forget The Box.
The Youth Need Art And Culture
"Breaking Walls is Montreal's all new Urban Arts and Culture Festival produced by Kolors World, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and pooling resources to help empower at-risk youth around the globe. All proceeds from the event are recycled directly back into the hands of our youth network. Using art as a tool to generate energy that can go towards improving communities all over the planet."
The first edition of this festival will be creating 20+ new murals in collaboration with 30+ local and international graffiti and mural artists. It's a block party! Live music and dance performances on multiple stages. Food, drinks, and daily youth empowerment workshops. Local vendor booths will be on site, plus live graffiti at the Meeting Of Styles graffiti jam.
WHAT: Breaking Walls - Urban Arts and Culture Festival
WHERE: Studios Giovaneli, 3081 Ontario St. E., Montreal, H1W 1N7
WHEN: Friday, June 23 through Sunday, June 25
METRO: Prefontaine (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
Sunset Picnics Are A Limited Time Event
I keep going to the Open Mic at Parc Jeanne Mance, and I keep having a great time. From the performers, to the sunset, to the smiling strangers (I dig that shit), there's no other place I'd want to be on a Monday night.
WHAT: Open Mic Mondays in Parc Jeanne-Mance
WHERE: Jeanne-Mance Park, 4422 Esplanade Ave., Montreal, H2W 2N4
WHEN: Every Monday, Sign-up @ 6 PM, Show @ 630 PM
METRO: Mont Royal (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
New Laughs
Montreal's newest weekly comedy show right in the heart of the McGill ghetto, come through for laughs and drinks with some of our funniest folks!
WHAT: Stand-Up Comedy at Tipsy Cow
WHERE: Tipsy Cow Bar MTL, 3575 Park Ave., Montreal, H2X 3P9
WHEN: Every Sunday, 7 PM
METRO: Place Des Arts (Green)
DETAILS: Facebook
ROCK THE HAÜS
Come hit an open mic that has you covered with full backline, guitar, keyboard, mics, and drums! Plus, each act gets two songs to flex their skills! The drinks are great, the stage and sound are great, and all genres are welcome. Sign-up is 8 PM sharp, and spots fill up fast.
WHAT: Open Mic Tuesdays
WHERE: Turbo Haüs, 2040 St. Denis, Montreal, H2X 1E7
WHEN: Every Tuesday, Sign-Up @ 8 PM, Show @ 830 PM
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange)
DETAILS: Facebook
McSweeney’s List drops every Wednesday with the best events to catch each week in Montreal. Don’t forget to SUBMIT YOUR EVENT to be listed!
