Not enough
theatre noise

[Re: “Putting musicals on the map,” Jan. 3] In a year that’s seen the emerging anglo theatre scene just explode with talent, I feel you passed over people far more deserving of being called Noisemakers.

Where, for instance, was SideMart Theatrical Grocery (winner of the Best Production MECCA and company-in-residence at the new Segal Centre)? Frances Balenzano (director of Best of Montreal winner Heaven)? Christine Ghawi (star of the CBC Céline Dion biopic) or Catherine Bérubé (soon to be seen in CBC’s Sophie in both English and French)? Jeremy Taylor (NTS Playwriting student and writer of The King of Fifteen Island)?

Mike Payette and Mat Perron (founders of Tableau d’Hôte Theatre and producers of the Canadian repertory works whose absence you so lamented in your year-end review)? Emma Tibaldo (new artistic director of Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal)?

Where, in short, were the people who are actually making theatre in Montreal?

>> Patrick Goddard

Praise for Riff-Raff

[Re: “The Riff-Raff rundown,” Dec. 20] I’ll be direct Raf. I don’t like your columns. I think, more often than not, you use up valuable newspaper real estate with long, not-even-blog-worthy indulgent conceptual caca. And the editors probably let you get away with it ’cuz you’re connected with Vice.

However, I do think your little point about smoking merits a nod of respect in your direction. It was a quaint and nice anti-anti-smoking nod and reiterates how like, it really is dangerously sexy and cool. Which is indeed the one point, probably above all others, why people smoke and will continue to do so for a damn long time.

>> Hamza Khan

[Re: “Memo: I’m not gay,” Dec. 6] Just wanted to say to Raf that you’ve been a great addition to the Montreal Mirror. I actually turn to your column first before Sasha now (and everyone turns to Sasha first!).

But beyond that, your honest and open style of writing has encouraged me to finally write myself. Keep up the good work. I think you might be improving every week.

>> Eddie

Dickhead editors
got message…

[Re: Ongoing Middle East discussion in the letters section] Glad you dickheads finally got the message that we Montrealers are sick of your Palestinian trash editorials.

I’m glad you published the blatant and vulgar swearing by one of your readers. Hopefully, the CRTC or whomever oversees the drivel published in newspapers in general came down hard on your asses. The man should be commended for having stopped the nonsense that has persisted for years in your so-called editorial pages.

As you see, people have lots of other issues to discuss.

>> Alvin Gutmanis

Or maybe not…

[Re: “Freedom and academia,” Letters, Jan. 3] Instead of “occupied territories,” Ken Frankel refers to the Palestinian lands held by Israel since 1967 as “disputed territories.” Except for Israel, the entire international community considers these areas under illegal occupation, hence occupied territories. They are “disputed” only in the sense that a handful of whackjobs “dispute” evolution or global warming or the Nazi holocaust. Welcome to that club, Mr. Frankel.

>> John Dirlik

[Re: “Freedom and academia,” Letters, Jan. 3] Ken Frankel—naturally without providing a shred of evidence—accuses Norman Finkelstein of being a propagandist. Finkelstein has systematically debunked the myths of Zionism, meticulously documented how the Holocaust is used to stifle criticism of Israel and exposed Alan Derschowitz’s work on that topic as plagiarized third-rate polemics. That is why he is so vilified by apologists for Zionism. Unable to refute his scholarship, they resort to vulgar name-calling. But they fool no one.

>> Shirley Groves

Fanning the flames

[Re: “Speak out or keep quiet,” Dec. 6] Lysiane Gagnon recently spoke in the Jewish community, and she blamed Quebecor for fanning the flames of Quebec’s cultural crisis, with such examples as Muslims at sugar shacks. In St-Jérôme, anti-Semites were allowed to vent their ideas at the government commission designed to address the issue of accommodation.

But these issues would get nowhere if people like Pauline Marois or Mario Dumont would reject the xenophobia of their followers, and rightly denounce the narrow-mindedness that characterizes too much of Quebec society.

When Marois calls for more French, or more crucifixes, she’s really calling for more intolerance and less diversity. In a civilized society, she would be laughed out of the public eye, but here in Quebec, she and her ilk get far too much credibility.

Marois does need to be taken seriously, because those of us in the minority know what she stands for, and can feel the flames of hatred and tolerance licking at our already scarred souls.

>> J.M. Wolowitz

WE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!