Culture is not completely put on hold at the start of the year, despite the closure of theaters and cinemas. Museums and libraries are indeed continuing their activities, while cinemas are forced to reinvent themselves by offering films online. A few virtual shows are also offered here and there.
Illusionist Luc Langevin, among others, will give two performances this month of his digital show Interconnected, which can be seen live on the artist’s website, for a contribution of $ 25 and a good Internet connection.
These online performances of January 8 and 15 have been scheduled for a long time, but let’s say they come at the right time, since “face-to-face” shows are banned until further notice.
“This is not a recording of a show on stage, insists the illusionist in an interview with the Duty. It is really a spectacle that I imagined during the first months of the pandemic and whose magic tricks were specially designed for the virtual. The magic happens right in people’s mailboxes. There is even magic happening in people. These are really tricks that I couldn’t do on stage. “
Holders of “premium” tickets are guaranteed an interactive experience with him. For the shows planned this week and next week, all the places have already found takers. But those who decide to go live will still get their money’s worth, promises Luc Langevin, who presents Interconnected in the cottages for a year now.
“Even after the pandemic, there will still be an interest in this kind of shows specially designed for the virtual, predicts the scientist by training. I realize that this show allowed me to reach a new audience. An audience that didn’t come to see me on stage, because it was too expensive, or because it was too complicated to find a babysitter. The virtual formula is also perfect for families, because it allows children to watch part of the show and then leave, rather than sitting for more than an hour in a room. “
Museums as refuges
For families, museums will also be one of the few valves to containment. In fact, admission to the McCord Museum is free until January 19. Pandemic requires, however, visitors must reserve their place online before going to one of the museums that are still open.
“We have reduced our capacity to less than 40%. We are concerned about protecting the public and our employees. We want to remain a safe place to avoid transmission, ”says Marie-Josée Robitaille, Director of Communications and Marketing at Pointe-à-Callière.
This show allowed me to reach a new audience. An audience that didn’t come to see me on stage, because it was too expensive, or because it was too complicated to find a babysitter.
In addition to the sanitary rules which have been strengthened, the facilities remain the same in this museum. In addition to the permanent remains, the museum presents the exhibitions Make way for the circus!, devoted to the history of circus art, and Italian-style Montreal, which relates to the finish, at the beginning of the XXe century, of the first immigrants from Italy.
Other museums, however, have decided to close their doors as a precaution. This is the case for the Biodôme, the Biosphere, the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden and the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium.
Libraries and cinemas
Libraries remain open, but measures have been tightened considerably. At the Grande Bibliothèque, closing time has returned to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Seating has been removed in order to enforce social distancing, while on-site activities are canceled until at least January 9.
As for the cinemas, they remain closed. However, some establishments are relying on online rentals to get through this difficult period. The Beaubien Cinema just announced at the end of December the posting of new films on its site, including Drunken birds, the Quebec feature film which has just been excluded from the Oscar race for best foreign film.
The documentary Prayer for a mitten lost, by Jean-François Lesage, is also one of the new features that will be added to the site, just like Black Box and My Zoe.