August offers up more free
live and online performances

Jazz Festival highlights, pop-up theatre in the Pointe, the Hamilton Fringe and more

Updated August 10, 2020

By Byron Toben

Yes, even during these dog days of August and despite the pandemic, there are some streamed (and even some live!) theatre and other events to keep us housebound souls amused or enlightened.

Ending today (July 30)

Montreal Jazz Festival Highlights
The annual Montreal Jazz Festival, which cleverly streamed from June 27 to 30, kept its highlights available for 30 days thereafter. It ends tonight.

Visit montrealjazzfest.com

Montreal Jazz Festival Highlights – Miles Davis

Opening or continuing in August

En Pointe
Nine live performances in August and September performed outdoors with physical distancing. Short plays written and directed by Mathieu Perron-Murphy, A.D. of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre. Bilingual. Locations to be revealed by email on the day of each show. Free but donations welcome.

Visit tableaudhote.ca

Mathieu Perron-Murphy – Image: courtesy of Tableau d’Hôte Theatre

What the Fest
Hamilton, Ontario’s annual Fringe was streamed from July 21 to 26 but is still online until August 9. Uber critic Lynn Slotkin liked Strange Bedfellows, Waiting for Mark, Sarah/Frank and Prairie Odyssey. Free.

See the full schedule at hamiltonfringe.ca

August 27 (date change from August 4) at 6:30 pm
Don Juan in Hell
A streamed reading of G.Bernard Shaw’s great one-act play within a full-length play (his Man and Superman) by the excellent New York group Bedlam Theatre. Free but donations welcome.

Visit bedlam.org

Lincoln Center at Home streams the fine musical Carousel from its wide-open plaza. It also has, on-demand, scads of chamber music and musical tributes. Also lots of jazz replays from its adjacent Dizzy’s Jazz Club and re-runs from its older film festival. Free.

Visit lincolncenter.org

Enjoy all. We welcome your comments or news of other in-house events.

Feature image: scene from Carousel courtesy of the Lincoln Center

Read 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.