In the heart of Montreal’s vibrant art scene, there’s a place that has quietly yet powerfully shaped the city’s culture and given local artists a home.

"I want to talk to you about life. It’s just too difficult to be alive, isn’t it, and try to function? There are all these people to deal with." These words, lingering in the air like smoke in the intimate space of Variations Mile End, begin Christopher Durang's Laughing Wild.

Artistic creation often emerges as an act of survival, a pursuit of expression intricately woven into the fabric of history, politics, and personal experience. For Nikita Seleznev, a sculptor and sound artist hailing from the industrial Ural region of Russia, art transcends mere self-expression; it is a navigation through complex, sometimes hostile, environments that have shaped both his identity and practice.

Shakespearean productions are scarce in Montreal.  To our benefit, The Shakespeare Project has emerged as a passion-driven initiative, offering a new take on classical theatre in our fair city.  A far cry from grant funded anglo theatre, this project is entirely fueled by the dedication of its creators and players.

Walter J. Lyng and Troy Stark are mainstays of the Montreal comedy scene. If you're a fan of funny stuff, you've probably seen one, or both of them, slay. Personally, I've seen each of them perform about a million times, and I keep coming back, because I laugh my face off every time.

I don't want to evoke memories of those bleak times a few years ago when we couldn't gather and have fun, but that's where this story begins.

I met Vance Michel at a wild time in my life. Fresh off a disastrous two-year run of comedy club management, I was teetering on the edge of permanent banishment from Montreal’s stand-up scene.

Montreal loves festivals. Montreal loves comedy. In fact, it feels like we should have some sort of comedy festival, like a week long, featuring different comedians doing their unique thing. It feels like that would be super successful, the kind of thing you’d have to try really hard to fuck up.

Back in February, Director and CEO of Canada Council for the Arts - a governmental entity which supports the arts and literary scene in Canada through grants, services, prizes and payments - issued a letter to the community in which it announced that the Council will be lowering its spending incrementally over three years, as part of the federal government’s Refocusing Government Spending initiative, for a grand total decrease of $9.88 million.

I recently got together with local musicians Debbie Christ and Booster Fawn to talk about their projects, their upcoming mini-tour, their plans for the future, and staying sober in a city that loves to drink.