Sketch out
PURRRFECT FUN: Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival
The only thing sketchy about this year’s Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival, according to Eric Amber, is the guy who requested that everything on stage be covered in plastic. “I have no idea what he’s up to,” Amber says. “But I guess it’s going to be messy.”
This is the second year of the fest, a no-brainer after the success of last year’s edition. “We’re riding with what works,” says Amber. “Two shows a night, three acts per show. We’ve got a screening of comedy shorts on Saturday at noon, which was very popular last year. And a big sketch hoedown on Sunday, with tons of performers coming together.”
The festival also has a celebrity improv night, troupes from across Canada and the USA and a couple tons of locals. Yes, all that and more at Montreal’s favourite little licensed showroom, Théâtre Ste-Catherine (264 Ste-Catherine E.). The Fest runs from May 16–20. See the full schedule at www.montrealsketchfest.com.
by MATTHEW WOODLEY
Accès Asie round-up
Twelve years ago, Janet Lumb, a third-generation Chinese-Canadian musician, wanted to create a showcase and meeting place for Asian artists. So she co-founded Festival Accès Asie, which celebrates Asian Heritage Month with a 10-day arts fest that highlights music, dance, film and visual arts.
It’s now week two for the festival and this Friday, May 11, 8 p.m.,  Filipino choreographer Alvin Tolentino performs solo in Field: Land is the belly of man, a multi-media performance that pays homage to the traditional rice harvest. After the performance, pop in on Marissa Largo’s visual art installation that concentrates on work done with a Filipino youth group on identity and integration. Both events take place at the MAI (3680 Jeanne Mance).
As for melodies, Vancouver-based guitar and Chinese lute duo Silk Road Music takes a modern approach to Chinese traditional music. They’re in concert this Saturday, May 12, 8 p.m., at the Centre Gésu (1202 Bleury).
Then to wrap it all up, May 19, head over to the Musée Juste Pour Rire (2111 St-Laurent) for Bollywood Party and Other Perfumes From India, the closing music and dance bash fundraiser for children in India. Get the complete details at (514) 523-1047 or visit www.accesasie.com.
by MARITES CARINO
Poetic politics
Black Theatre Workshop has invited the most scorching spoken word artists the city has to offer to compete for cash prizes at their annual Poetry Jam Series. “It started out of a desire to reach out to a younger set of live performance artists,” explains Tyrone Benskin, artistic director of BTW.
The shows revolve around a particular theme—this year it’s politics, hence the soirée’s title, Po-Lyrical. “But politics itself has a wide range of meaning—there’s office politics, obviously, government politics, politics of relationships, politics of language,” Benskin says. “So the door is wide open to the interpretation of the word.”
The jam’s hosted by Coco Café MC Jason “Steel” Joseph, and the special guest of the evening is storyteller Pat Dillon. The line-up includes Odessa “Queen” Thornhill, Blu RVA, Jason “Blackbird” Selman, Lady Katalyst and many more. Sunday, May 13, 7 p.m. sharp at The Green Room (5386 St-Laurent), $5.
by VINCENT TINGUELY
Is it art?
SCIENCE  ART: Science and art are connected at the hip during the Quebec-wide 24 Heures de science, with over 90 activities at locations  ranging from museums to planetariums to aquariums celebrating the theme Science and Creativity: Inseparable Buddies. Activities in Montreal include a conference on solar-powered housing at the École de technologie supérieure (1100 Notre Dame W.), a lesson in the art of ice-cream-making at les Scientifines (2235 Delisle), topped off by a night of star gazing at the Planetarium (1000 St-Jacques W.). All events between noon, May 11 and noon, May 12.
Rain or shine, on Saturday, artist-scientist Florence Veilleux will promenade his moving exhibit—a giant, electro-mechanic sculpture of a wacky looking horse—through the streets of Montreal. For more info, see www.science24heures.com.
Arts
hole
Film students go crazy! Every year, Concordia film students slave away on their film projects. And at the end of the term, they get a chance to show off their stuff at the Year End Screenings (YES). Tonight (May 10), an anthology of choice examples of student work will screen as the Best of the Fest at the Cinéma du Parc at 7pm. Included are shorts by Jennyfer Mayor (Lily), Emily Carreiro (Circulus) and Maxime Robin (Under My Skin). See the famous screenwriters and directors of tomorrow, today! CONCEPT ART: Bill Vazan’s conceptual work is now at VOX (1211 St-Laurent). Among the works on display is Lifeline, “a project that involved sending a postcard, on which a one-inch line was drawn, to Ian Wallace every day for 1000 days.”
Artistat
Number of envelopes, each signed, sealed and delivered to a different artist, that have been decorated and returned for exhibition at Pink Espace (1399 St-Jacques) until July 1: 40
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