Montréal's most prestigious centre for the performing
arts is the Place des Arts, 175 rue Ste-Catherine ouest
(information tel 285-4200, tickets tel 842-2112,
www.pdarts.com ), a five-hall complex with a comprehensive
year-round programme of dance, music and theatre. The Théâtre de
Verdure in Parc Lafontaine is an outdoor theatre with a summer-long
programme of free plays, ballets and concerts. Another eclectic
venue is the Théâtre St-Denis, 1594 St-Denis (tel 849-4211), which
presents blockbuster musicals and other shows. The Saidye Bronfman
Centre, 5170 chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine (tel 739-2301),
contains an exhibition centre and a three-hundred-seater venue for
English (or Yiddish) music, dance, film and theatre.
The city's foremost French-language theatre is the
Théâtre du Rideau Vert, 4664 St-Denis (tel 845-0267), which gives
prominence to Québec playwrights, while the Théâtre du Nouveau
Monde, 84 Ste-Catherine est (tel 866-8667), presents a mix of
contemporary and classic plays in French. Montréal's main
English-language theatre is the Centaur Theatre, housed in the
former stock exchange at 453 St-François-Xavier (tel 288-3161).
Montréal has more than ten excellent dance troupes from
the internationally acclaimed Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens (tel
849-8681) and Ballets Classiques de Montréal to the avant-garde
LaLaLa Human Steps and Tangente, who perform at various times at
the Place des Arts, Théâtre de Verdue and during the festivals. The
continent's premier contemporary dance festival is the Festival
International de Nouvelle Danse , held at various city
locations on odd-numbered years from late September to early
October.
There are two well-known orchestras based in the city,
the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (tel 842-9951) and the
Orchestre Métropolitain (tel 598-0870), each of whom holds regular
concerts at Place des Arts and the Basilique Notre-Dame. The city
also has a programme of free summer concerts in various city parks
(information tel 842-3402). L'Opéra de Montréal (tel 985-2258)
produces five bilingually subtitled productions a year at Place des
Arts.
Films in English, usually the latest releases from the
US, can be caught at most cinemas. Central ones include Centre
Eaton, 705 rue Ste-Catherine ouest; the ornate Egyptian, 1455 rue
Peel; the subterranean Faubourg, 1616 rue Ste-Catherine ouest; and
the wide-screened and armchaired Paramount, 977 rue Ste-Catherine
ouest. The city's only English rep cinema is the Cinema du Parc,
3575 ave du Parc (tel 281-1900 for listings). For Québécois
film-makers, check out the Cinémathèque Québécoise, 335 boul de
Maisonneuve est (Tues-Sun 11am-9pm), which has screening and
exhibition programmes that bring together the history, events and
future of cinema, TV and new media; Ex-Centris, 3536 boul
St-Laurent has a penchant for alternative French film. Call
849-FILM for films and times or check the weeklies - make sure to
verify that the English film you want to see is playing in v.o.
(version originale), not v.f. (version français); the latter means
it's dubbed.