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Free or low-cost events as
February marches on to March

A wide variety of entertainment offerings for the end of month

By Byron Toben

Listed here are some more streamed cultural events that are available free or low cost for the last week of February.

Theatre

The Irish Repertory Theater of New York has two streamed events for your edification.

First, the theater@home winter festival continues its replay of nine popular shows from 2020 as follows:

February 23Belfast Blues – also on March 5

February 24Love, Noel – also on March 4

February 24Give Me Your Hand – also on March 6

February 25On Beckett/In Screen – also on March 7

February 26Molly Sweeney – also on March 2

February 27Touch Of The Poet – also on March 6

February 27Meet Me In St. Louis – also on March 7

February 28The Weir – also on March 3

February 28Yes! Reflections Of Molly Bloom – also on March 3

Second, on its The Show Must Go Online, a selection of 64, count’em, 64 entries available any time of song, music and recitations, arranged by the Irish Rep Theater with 20% of all voluntary donations going to the Cultural Solidarity Fund, which gives micro-grants to artists and other cultural workers.

irishrep.com

Bill Irwin On Beckett/In Screen

On Beckett/In Screen – Image: courtesy of the Irish Repertory Theater

Colleen Curran’s Kitty Calling, which produced 12 short funny episodes in 2020, its first season, continues with two more (so far) in 2021, Season Two. As before, Montreal playwright Colleen Curran concocts the snappy scripts wherein Kitty (Debra Hale) is a “pandemic do-gooder” who telephones support to housebound persons, in particular, senior Bernice (Lorna Wilson) who in Episode Two has written a book Me and Bernice (Me being her pet cat) and has hopes of having the new Biden administration endorsing it.

This reminded me of the 1988 Benjamin Franklin biography Ben and Me “written” by his pet mouse Amos. I am not sure if Bernice’s feline has a name as yet. As in earlier episodes, various male or female actors make brief Cameo appearances in these three-minute plus wonders.

facebook.com/CCKittyCalling/videos

Red Bull Theater of New York continues its revival of Jacobean plays that have current resonance with The Belles Strategem running until February 26. Written by Hannah Cowley in 1780, it is a light-hearted romantic comedy of courtship. As with all of the above, PWYC but voluntary donations are greatly appreciated.

redbulltheater.com/the-belles-stratagem

The Mint Theater of New York, which rediscovers notable lost plays, streams its Silver Lining series.

Women Without Men by Hazel Ellis running until March 21.

Katie Roche, by esteemed Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, seen in the USA only once, by Mint Theatre, running until March 28.

minttheater.org

Women Without Men Mint Theater

Women Without Men – Image: courtesy of the Mint Theater

Poetry

Centre des Arts Stanstead continues its poetry series, this time with two top-notch poets – Montreal-raised Julie Bruck and H. Nigel Thomas on Saturday, February 27 at 2 pm.

Centre des Arts Stanstead Facebook

Purim celebration

The Cummings Centre offers a Purim Celebration on February 22, in advance of the actual holiday on February 25. Apparently, registration is now full.

This holiday celebrating the prevention of mass slaughter by the evil Haman is sometimes called a Jewish Halloween. Here is a short video about Purim:

cummingscentre.org/upcoming-events

Feature image: frame from Purim in Israel video 2019Bouton S'inscrire à l'infolettre – WestmountMag.ca

More articles from Byron Toben


Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.

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