Seth and Sprott
A LIFE IN PICTURES: From George Sprott“Cartooning is not drawing,” explains Canadian graphic novelist Seth in a recent Q&A with The Walrus, “it’s representational, but… the action of cartooning [is] intricately woven with the process of how the memory works.” That the artist’s work has long been informed by a love affair with the past will come as no surprise to his many fans, especially those familiar with the artist’s wire glasses and Bogart-esque attire.
Those new to the graphic novel may have inadvertently seen Seth’s work, as his cartoons have graced the cover of The New Yorker, and his newest book, the picture novella George Sprott, was recently serialized in the New York Times Magazine.
The poster for the slide show and book signing, entitled Brief Stories About Cartooning—which takes place at Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W.) this Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.—makes reference to the greatest names in the history of the medium: Spiegelman, Crumb and Ware, to name just a few. But look at the fine print, and the wit which characterizes the artist’s work becomes clear; “Note: none of the cartoonists listed above may be discussed in any way—subjects vary.”
by STACEY DEWOLFE
Buddhist building blocks
MONK-Y-ING AROUND: Sutra
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s childhood obsession with martial arts and Bruce Lee gradually led him to the remote mountainous region of China. He ended up there last year and began work on a collaboration with 17 young Buddhist monks.
Following his interests in philosophy, faith and building cultural bridges, Cherkaoui created the highly physical piece Sutra for himself and the monks who mix martial arts and contemporary dance, while moving in and around 21 plywood boxes they use as physical and metaphorical building blocks.
“As a child, Bruce Lee was a role model—not just the characters he portrayed, but the man himself and the world-view he embodied,” says the Flemmish-Moroccan choreographer. “When he spoke about martial arts, about drawing from nature, from elemental forces, it rang true. Through him, I delved deeper into Kung-Fu, to the Shaolin school of Chan Buddhism.”
The piece, which features five on-stage musicians, stops in town Nov. 4–8, 8 p.m., Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. After Friday’s performance, meet the artists in an intimate Q&A session at Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts (175 Ste-Catherine W.).
by MARITES CARINO
Shakespeare as it
was intended
Working with students in Concordia’s theatre department, writer-director Paul Hopkins adapts Shakespeare’s War of the Roses tetralogy—the plays that comprise Henry IV and Henry V —recreating conditions under which an Elizabethan acting troupe would have rehearsed and performed.
For The Elizabethan Bath Project, Hopkins has trained the 14 students who’ll  play 42 roles in how to dance, fight and sing for the stage: things a troupe working in the 16th century would have known when performing their rough and tumble, no-frills show to a motley crowd.
The young actors must adapt to quick changes, no lighting and a varied audience as Hopkins condenses some 12 hours of drama into a two-part spectacle totalling a trim three hours.
Using unconventional spaces around Concordia, including (I hope they’re wearing their Elizabethan thermal hose for this one) outdoors in the field behind the Loyola Chapel, where the scheming and sword fighting concludes with a flourish.
Will it take on other aspects of a historical performance—like a filthy stage and an audience that pelts the actors with produce? “Well, the floor is pretty dirty,” Hopkins says, “...maybe tonight I’ll bring some rotten fruit.”
Until Nov. 1, info: finearts.concordia.ca
by NEIL BOYCE
Creepy puppetry
Just when you thought the art of puppetry had been exhausted, Duda Paiva shows you another side of it. A Brazil native and Dutch resident, the performer incorporates dramatic monologue and characters of foam rubber into contemporary dance—with the kind of creepy avant-garde sensibility we normally expect from Montreal artists.
Presented with the support of the Dutch embassy and labelled “marionette for  adults,” Angel is a one-man production. Having already toured the festival circuit on three continents to date, the show will play daily at 8 p.m. from Tuesday, Nov. 3 through Saturday, Nov. 7 at Théâtre La Chapelle (3700 St-Dominique).
Paiva stars in this story of a derelict’s graveyard encounter with a living angel statue. “Blood through veins of foam rubber” being the company’s watchword, Paiva not only animates the puppet but argues and even tangos with it—all the while portraying his own character’s desperate quest for both survival and transcendence.
by DAVID LEVITZ
IS IT ART?
FANG-BANGER PUMPKINS: The public has officially gone vampire mad. If you’re not into the brooding, star-crossed love of Twilight, then you’re digging the explicit Southern sexiness of True Blood.
So what better way to show off your fang-banger allegiance than with a  Twilight or True Blood pumpkin? There are a lot of expensive stencil kits out there, but pinkraygun.com has a selection of free stencils depicting everything from a lone Edward (the sombre Twilight dude), to a fang-baring True Blood-er Bill and a protective Edward with his human love, Bella. (Admittedly, there are other non-vampire stencils to be downloaded, including Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann for news fans.)
Decidedly more complicated than your average, menacing Jack-O-Lantern, these pumpkins will definitely give you the appropriate blood sucker edge over your neighbours.
Search pumpkin stencils at pinkraygun.com.
Arts hole
EERIE INTONATIONS: Articule (262 Fairmount W.) invites you to get dressed up and join them for a hair-raising night of music, dancing and prizes at Scaremins, theremins this Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. • SPOOKY HISTORY: Pointe-à-Callière (350 Place Royale) celebrates Halloween with Jack O’Lantern, a family friendly event that covers the cultural origins of the holiday and related beliefs as the children (and parents) follow Jack through an archaeological site. It’s on Oct. 31–Nov. 1 from 12:30–4:30 p.m. Free with admission.
Artistat
The number of years Rick Trembles’ column Motion Picture Purgatory—which will be feted this coming Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m., with a “slithery slideshow” and costume ball at Drawn & Quarterly (211 Bernard W.) in celebration of the launch of his second book of the same name—has appeared in the Mirror : 11
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