EVENTS

Table d'Hôte Theatre: Mizushōbai

October 10 - 22nd, 2023
Segal Centre for Performing Arts

The world premiere of Julie Tamiko Manning's Mizushōbai (The Water Trade)
Directed by Yvette Nolan

Mizushōbai (The Water Trade) explores the life of Kiyoko Tanaka-Goto, a Japanese picture-bride turned ‘underground’ businesswoman in 1930’s British Columbia. It delves into her history, not as a clichéd dragon-lady madam (although at times, perhaps she is), nor as a dutiful daughter (although at times, perhaps she is), nor as a submissive and sexualized female Asian body (although at times, perhaps she is), but as a valuable member of Canadian society who had to fight against expectation, and for autonomy and recognition every step of the way.

Mizushōbai was developed in collaboration with Playwrights' Workshop Montréal.

Director/Mise en scène: Yvette Nolan
Starring/Avec: Yoshie Bancroft, Hanako Brierley, Brenda Kamino, Katelyn Morishita, and Dawn Obokata | Set/scénographie: Jawon Kang, Costumes: Mayumi Ide-Bergeron, Lighting/éclairage: Zoe Roux, Sound/son: Christine ML Lee, Stage Management/régie: Chad Dembski, Graphic Design/graphisme: AJ Korkidakis, Production Management and Technical Direction/Directeur de production/technique: Andrew Scriver, Dramaturgy/dramaturgie: Emma Tibaldo

Click here for more information!

Théâtre aux Écuries & Nervous Hunter: Bonnes Bonnes

11 au 22 avril, 2023
Théâtre aux Écuries, 7285 Rue Chabot, Montréal, QC H2E 2K7

Trois femmes d’origine chinoise discutent de la création d’une nouvelle pièce librement inspirée d’un classique du théâtre français : Les Bonnes de Jean Genet. Elles évoquent leur désir d’être blanches, la colonisation de leur esprit, la télévision chinoise, la sauce chili, les cheveux blonds, les rituels chinois et les best-sellers Mange Prie Aime et Crazy Rich Asians. Elles discutent de l’évolution de leurs sentiments quant à leur identité chinoise; de la honte à la fierté en passant par une profonde inquiétude, en particulier dans un monde où la puissance financière et politique de la Chine ne cesse de croître. C’est aussi un gros doigt d’honneur à tous ceux et celles qui se moquaient de l’odeur de leurs lunchs à l’école.

Texte Sophie Gee et Tamara Nguyen | Mise en scène Sophie Gee | Éclairages Nine Desbaillet | Projections Amelia Scott | Costumes Jessica Poirier-Chang | Décors Maryanna Chan | Conception sonore Christine ML Lee | Distribution Sophie Gee, Charo Foo Tai Wei et Meilie Ng

Cliquez ici pour plus d'information!

Centaur Theatre: At the Beginning of Time

February 21 – March 12, 2023
Centaur Theatre Company, 453 Saint François-Xavier, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2T1 

At the Beginning of Time: An autobiographical story of a gay man in his late 50’s who thought his life was settled only to be thrown into a new world where he has to reimagine everything. This is Steve Galluccio’s most personal play since Mambo Italiano.

Written by Steve Galluccio | Directed by Peter Hinton-Davis | Set and Costume Design Michael Gianfrancesco | Lighting Design Andrea Lundy | Sound Design Troy Slocum | Assistant Director Adam Capriolo | Assistant Sound Designer Christine ML Lee | Stage Manager Melanie St-Jacques | Assistant Stage Manager Elyse Quesnel

Click here for more information!

Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal: Bonnes Bonnes

January 13th, 2023 - 7:30pm
Maison de la culture Plateau-Mont-Royal
465 avenue Mont-Royal E, Montréal, QC, Canada

Sortie de résidence - entrée libre.

Charo Foo Tai Wei, Sophie Gee et Meilie Ng, trois comédiennes d’origine chinoise, discutent de la création d’une nouvelle pièce librement inspirée de Les Bonnes de Jean Genet. Elles évoquent leur désir d’être blanches, la colonisation de leur esprit, la télévision chinoise, la sauce chili, les cheveux blonds, les rituels chinois et les best-sellers Mange Prie Aime et Crazy Rich Asians. Les autrices Sophie Gee et Tamara Nguyen abordent ici l’évolution de leurs sentiments quant à leur identité chinoise; de la honte à la fierté en passant par une profonde inquiétude, en particulier dans un monde où la puissance financière et politique de la Chine ne cesse de croître. 

Texte Sophie Gee et Tamara Nguyen | Mise en scène Sophie Gee | Éclairages Nine Desbaillet | Projections Amelia Scott | Costumes Jessica Poirier-Chang | Décors Maryanna Chan | Conception sonore Christine ML Lee | Distribution Sophie Gee, Charo Foo Tai Wei et Meilie Ng

Cliquez ici pour plus d'information!

Tapestry Briefs: Les shorts qui chantent

October 27 to 30th, 2022
Spadina Theatre at l'Alliance Française, 24 Spadina Rd, Toronto, ON M5R 2S7

Tapestry Briefs are back! Tapestry Opera is bringing you all-new provocative opera shorts with a bilingual twist, presented in Tapestry’s beautiful, tragic and absurd style. Developed in Tapestry’s LIBLAB Bilingue 2022, in partnership with Musique 3 Femmes, with support from Opéra de Montréal.

Click here for more information!

LibLab Bilingue at Tapestry Opera 

Showcase on July 21st, 2022
Ernest Balmer Studio, Tapestry Opera - 9 Trinity St #316, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4

Tapestry Opera’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LIBLAB) is Canada’s flagship opera creation intensive. It brings established and emerging artists together to experiment and form lasting collaborations. 

For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Producers around the world agree that forming artistic partnerships between composers and playwrights is the single greatest challenge facing the development of new opera and music theatre. LIBLAB is Tapestry’s response to this challenge.

Initiated in 1995, the laboratory is a workshop for composers and writers to meet, discuss ideas and explore the collaborative process. Like creator speed-dating, Tapestry’s LIBLAB provides artists with the opportunity to work with several partners in a short period of time.

The program attracts participants from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom amongst others. LIBLAB is the model for the English National Opera Studio’s All-in Opera, as well as Pacific Opera Victoria’s Composer-Librettist Workshop.

Librettists:
Maria Reva
Matthew Jocelyn
Nathalie Boisvert
Christine Lee

Composers:
Romain Camiolo
Laurence Jobidon
Ivan Barbotin
Joseph Glaser
Adam Scime

Singers:
Ellen Wieser
Bruno Roy
Kristin Hoff
Marcel D'Entremont

Music Directors:
Carol-Anne Fraser
Greg Oh

Dramaturgs:
Michael Mori
Tim Albery

SOUND DESIGN for Theatre: "Psycho 6"

June 10 to 23, 2022
Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI), 3680 Jeanne-Mance Street, Montreal, QC
Tickets: $22-30

Psycho 6 weaves theatre, physical movement, dance and rap into a riveting story over a gripping soundtrack.

“I have dreams too. Like most of you. If I get to 25.”

Youth gangs, pimping and the prison system; how does a music-loving teenager transform into a budding bandit and onto to a full-fledged criminal? Psycho 6 takes a deep, poignant look into how specific socio-economic factors affect youth across cultures and social classes. There will be post-show talkbacks after Sunday matinees. Psycho 6 was developed in Teesri Duniya Theatre’s Fireworks Playwrights’ Program.

Psycho 6 by Oliver Koomsatira, produced by Teesri Duniya Theatre Company.
Director: Liz Valdez
Set and Light Design: Zoe Roux
Costume Design: Nalo Soyini
Sound Design: Christine ML Lee
Assistant Director: Al Tom
Stage manager: Elyse Quesnel
Production manager: Masha Mariia Bashmakova
Technical Director: James Douglas
Publicist: Janis Kirshner

Purchase your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/psycho-6-tickets-308446049437

"Just A Note" (workshop reading) at St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival 2022

June 11 - 19, 2022
Length: 45mins
Le Ministère : 4521 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2T 1R2

Who has never lied to her parents? In "Just a Note" , Leah almost gets away with it, pursuing her passion in music at McGill University without her family knowing... Until her mom shows up at her doorstep with a bowl of black bean noodles! This surprise visit turns into a permanent problem when her mom moves in with her - Leah must now find a way to graduate without her mom finding out that she lied about being in med school..!

Kalianore productions is proud to present the workshop reading of Just a Note, a gentle and funny musical based on lived experience about identity, immigration and mother and daughter relationships. It premieres at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival from June 11th to 19th at Le Ministère (venue #8)!

Tickets (service fess already included): $7.25 - accessible | $15.25 - general
Available for purchase at www.montrealfringe.ca  |  514-849-FEST (3378)
Click here to purchase tickets!

SHOWTIMES
Saturday June 11, 15h45
Sunday June 12, 19h45
Tuesday June 14, 18h00
Thursday June 16, 17h15
Saturday June 18, 13h
Sunday June 19, 19h45

CREATIVE TEAM
Composer, Librettist, Lyricist, Musical Director. Christine ML Lee
Director. Sophie Gee
Actress, performing Leah. Alyssa Yeung
Actress, performing Mother. Kayo Yasuhara

ADMIN TEAM
Brittany Chiu
Elaine Lam

Other Artistic Collaborators

Workshop Dramaturg: Lezlie Wade
Workshop Actors: Heeyun Park, Julie Tamiko Manning
Workshop Director: Al Tom
Workshop Musical Director: Ben Kwong

Cultural Dramaturg: Derek Chan (vAct)
Mentor: Jesse Stong (Playwrights' Workshop Montreal)
Mentor: Joel Klein (Association for Opera in Canada)

Thank you to the Montreal Musical Theatre Writers: Jonathan Monro, Douglas Price, Joanna Gosse, Sara Wunch Eric Elliot Lee, Cynthia Chalifour, Kenny Stein, Virginie Daigle, Graham Isaak, Alisha Ruiss

Thank you to Trevor Barrette, June Park, Elise Moser, Alexis Diamond, Marie Barlizo, Nick Carpenter, Olivia Woods.

Just A Note was originally developed in 2019-2020 in the following programs: Young Creators' Unit at Playwrights' Workshop Montréal with Jesse Stong and the Canadian Musical Theatre Writers' Collective Workshop with Jonathan Monro.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for the development of this musical.

MUSIC for "The Midnight Shift" at the Korean Film Festival

Saturday, May 28th, 2022 at 1PM EST
McCord Museum
Montreal, Quebec
Tired and overworked, a frustrated employee attempts to leave for the night. Then, everything starts to shift...

I am so excited to have composed the music to the animation film "The Midnight Shift" by Fanny Lord Bouricer and Maggie Zeng, with sound design by Malte Leander. The film will be screening at the Concordia Film Festival in the Mel Hoppenheim Selection.  

Click here for more information!

MUSIC for "The Midnight Shift" at the Concordia Film Festival 

Saturday, May 7th, 2022 at 5PM EST
Sir George Williams University Alumni Auditorium (H-110)
Montreal, Quebec
FREE

Tired and overworked, a frustrated employee attempts to leave for the night. Then, everything starts to shift...

I am so excited to have composed the music to the animation film "The Midnight Shift" by Fanny Lord Bouricer and Maggie Zeng, with sound design by Malte Leander. The film will be screening at the Concordia Film Festival in the Mel Hoppenheim Selection.  

Click here for more information!

POETRY for Choir Music: "Deux/Two Solitudes"

Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 7:30PM MDT
St Andrew's United Church - Edmonton, Alberta

The Bridges concert features new music from Andrew Balfour, Marie-Claire Saindon and Nicholas Ryan Kelly, sung by the Chronos Vocal Ensemble. This will be the premiere of the choir piece  "Deux/Two Solitudes" composed by Marie-Claire Saindon, for which Christine ML Lee wrote the poetry/lyrics. 

Our title points at bringing people together, connecting disparate things, and overcoming divides. 

Included are three commission premieres, each a setting of contemporary poetry. This performance will also feature our 2021 Composition Competition winner, Edward Enman’s All the love that lies beneath, from a trilogy of pieces inspired by lullabies sung to the composer’s daughter.

The program features a total of three pieces by Andrew Balfour. You may have heard his Vision Chant already earlier in our season; we will also perform his striking Anthem for a doomed youth on a WWI poem by Wilfred Owen, and the premiere of Gaze upon the trees on a text by elder, writer and activist Dr. Duke Redbird.

This powerful concert’s themes include empathy and understanding, prayer (especially in a time of pain or war), and shared humanity. 

Register for the concert:
https://chronosvocalensemble.com/product/bridges/

POETRY: LCP New Member Reading

Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7:30PM EST (online)

The League of Canadian Poets presents LCP New Member Reading | Quebec Members! Featuring: Christine ML Lee, Claire Sherwood, David Bradford, Eva Halus, Hugh Thomas, Jason Camlot, Jessi MacEachern, Sharon Lax, Simon Brown. Hosted by Quebec Regional Representative Carolyne Van der Meer. For more information on the reading, click here!

Register for the event here (free):
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdO6sqj4qE9yLPcWImHLnFYug7PjT5rep

SOUND DESIGN for Theatre: LIVE VIRTUAL EXPERIMENTS

Thursday, February 24th, 2022 at 7PM EST (online)

Associated Designers' of Canada invites you to its fourth LiVE virtual presentation on February 24th at 7PM EST! 

Featuring Christine Lee, Wladimiro Woyno Rodriguez, Jasmine Persaud, and Gaspar Morey Klapsing, this fourth group of experimenters will show us what they have been learning and playing with for the last few weeks. They will be presenting their piece "Quadrinity" which features using Leap Motion, Touch Designer and Ableton Live. The presentation will be followed by Q+A to expand the live performance community’s knowledge around digital creation methods and ideologies.  For more information on the event, click here!

Register for the event here (free) and watch the archived video here: https://www.levelup.designers.ca/livevirtualexperiments

MUSIC: "Out of the Coarse Light"

Composed  by Christine ML Lee
Performers: Pep (Piano and Erhu Project)
Nicole Ge Li, erhu and Corey Hamm, piano
Composer Mentor: Edward Top

This performance is a part of the Elliot Weisgarber Workshops, a project of the Canadian Music Centre in BC. www.musiccentrebc.ca/video/
Available online (free): https://vimeo.com/604304641 

SOUND DESIGN for FILM: "Ritual-Spective 迴融 0.2"

July to  August 2021 and December 4th, 2021 (in-person screening)

presented by Vancouver Powell Street Festival
Available online (free): https://powellstreetfestival.com/programs/ritual-spective/ 

 “Ritual-Spective 迴融” is an online experimental media art project. In this iteration, the co-artistic creators Kazuma Glen Motomura & Sammy Chien integrates their parents’ visual art work (by Sally Motomura 本村紗里 & Jackson Chien 簡志雄) with dance-technology, creating an audiovisual/film that is is joined by Vietnamese film editor Hân Phạm, sound designer/composer Christine ML Lee, musicians Alcvin Ryūzen Ramos , Anny Lin, John Nguyen, Gonu Kim and creative collaborator Caroline MacCaull + more artists from the Chimerik 似不像 team.  

Kazuma Glen Motomura, Berlin/Tokyo based Japanese and South African experimental dance artist, and Sammy Chien 簡上翔, Vancouver/Taipei based Taiwanese-Canadian interdisciplinary media artist, investigate the intergenerational dialogue on artistic, cultural and spiritual legacy. They enter a ritual of listening, learning and processing the past to honour it and then to re-integrate the discoveries into the here and now.   

Both artists are children of immigrant artists, dancing through a spiritual poem that delineates the impermanence of lineage, enrichment of absence and the invisible divisions that connects us in a deeper layer. This research phase examines the Japanese divine architecture, kanji characters and personal memories that embeds a sense of lineage, ancestry and legacy in relation with the complex world of colonialism, sociopolitical division and the spiritual nature of humanism. 

MUSIC for Dance: "Summer Swish"

July 11th & 16th, 2021  at 7:30 pm EST

presented by Joussour Théâtre
July 11th: Patro-Villeray - 7355 Ave Christophe-Colomb, Montréal, QC, Canada
Tickets: https://lepointdevente.com/tickets/10f210711001
July 16th: Parc Nicolas Tillemont - Avenue des Érables, Montréal, QC, Canada
Tickets: https://lepointdevente.com/tickets/10f210716001

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵

Dans Summer Swish, les interprètes sont guidés par la musique. Décorées de lumières délicates rappelant des lucioles, elles mettent en lumière une nouvelle perspective de leur environnement extérieur. Tout en douceur, le mouvement des danseuses les met en contact, créant un espace intime dans les environs concrets de la ville. Traçant un chemin avec des corps sculpturaux, les interprètes invitent les spectateurs dans une nuit d’été sans fin. Les quatre danseuses partagent une réflexion collective et s'inspirent des éléments naturels pour générer différentes qualités de mouvement qui créent une constellation en constante évolution. Summer Swish est un jeu de perception et les états corporels, suggérant la possibilité de la vie dans des environnements urbains.

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲́𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘀 : As They Strike Collective (Stefania Skoryna and Chloe Hart)

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲̀𝘁𝗲𝘀 : Stéphanie Boulay, Lorena Salinas, Camille Trudel-Vigeant et Jenna Beaudoin

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 : Christine ML Lee

"holding waterways" at St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival 2021

June 1 - 30, 2021 *** EXTENDED TO JUNE 30TH ***
Digital Fringe Show - Video on demand
Length: 25mins

Holding Waterways is a poetic, visual and musical spoken word journey that explores Daughter’s decisions, regrets and expectations. Her life is intricately linked to her relationship with Mother. Her emotions funnel into a fluid state and she questions: “What is self-acceptance?” Like waterways held in her palms, the answer flows.

Poet, Composer & Director : Christine ML Lee
Production Mentor: Trevor Barrette
Creative Consultant: Debora Friedmann
Dramaturg: Kateryn L. McReynolds

Tickets: $8 - accessible | $15 - general
Available for purchase at www.montrealfringe.ca  |  514-849-FEST (3378)
Click here to purchase tickets!

Don't want to watch alone? Click here to register for the June 12th 7PM EST Watch Party!

FILM POEM: "lines"  at Freefalling Monthly

May 28, 2021 at 8PM EST

lines is a video poem created in response to loss and grief presented as part of the Freefalling Monthly series.

music & poetry created and performed by Christine ML Lee
filming and video editing by Christine ML Lee

Click here to view the video (Youtube)

MUSICAL THEATRE: "Inconvenient Dragons" at CMTWC Showcase

May 14, 2021 at 7PM EST

The Canadian Musical Theatre Writers' Collective (CMTWC) proudly presents the 1st year's 10-mins Musical Showcase! Hosted on Youtube, you can tune in from anywhere. "Inconvenient Dragons" is a 10-mins musical that follows the story of a teenage knight named Rebecca in a fantasy realm filled with dragons, warlocks, and mythical creatures. She doesn't want to be a knight, but that's all her father wants for her! How will this end?!

Book & Lyrics by Steven Greenwood
Music by Christine ML Lee

POETRY: Poetry reading at April Dreaming - Arts Series with Jerry Weinstein & Sharon Lax 

April 15, 2021 - 5PM EST
Facebook Event page
In Christine's Words: I'll be sharing my poems "I quit my job" and "Feeling out of control".

Event Information: Hosted by Sharon Lax and Jerry Weinstein, this event will feature the following artists:
Louise Dessertine, musician
Martha Tremblay-Vilao, poet
Cora Siré, novelist & poet
David Meadow, musician
Christine Lee, poet
Su J. Sokol, novelist
Suha Kudsieh, poet

POETRY: "a safe place // light moonwalk" at YES Montreal Connecting Creative Youth Through The Arts

March 1st to 30th, 2021
Virtual Poetry Exhibition
Connecting Creative Youth Through The Arts
Curated by YES Employment + Entrepreneurship
"a safe place // light moonwalk" (2019)

The Connecting Creative Youth Virtual Gallery showcases original works by 26 talented emerging artists from across Quebec. The gallery has been designed to increase visibility for local artists, and be a place where all visitors can find something to enjoy. To view an artist’s work, click on any image, read their bio, and visit their website through the link at the top; we also recommend you enter the "Guided Tour" for a smooth viewing experience.

 A project by YES Employment + Entrepreneurship, With support from the Government of Canada

THEATRE: Fempocalypse - Presented by the Young Innovators at Nightwood Theatre

March 8th to 13th, 2021
Fempocalypse: Facebook Event page
In Christine's words: Hi! I'm proud to be presenting Fempocalypse with my fellow Young Innovators!

Event Information: Fempocalypse is an annual fundraiser produced by the folks in Nightwood Theatre's Young Innovators Program in honour of International Women's Day. All proceeds generated from this event will benefit Anduhyaun Inc., the oldest Indigenous women’s shelter in Canada and a transitional housing facility for women and children fleeing violence. Anduhyaun Inc. is a not-for-profit, charitable agency founded to respond to the needs of Toronto's Indigenous women. It was first established in 1973 as a hostel. Over the last four decades, Anduhyaun Inc. has expanded to create culturally-inclusive, safe spaces for women and their children at various stages of life.

This year the Fempocalypse fundraiser will be comprised of an online silent auction, an online gallery, and a live, virtual cabaret. Please consider your pay-what-you-can donation on this page to be your 'ticket' to our gallery and live show, and we encourage you to check out all of our donated items and services in our silent auction at https://www.32auctions.com/fempocalypse2021 or donate directly here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/fempocalypse-2021-coping-and-hoping/ 

POETRY: Poetry reading at Sharon Lax's Shattered Fossils Book Launch

February 28, 2021 - 5PM EST
Facebook Event page
In Christine's Words: I'll be sharing my poem "The Music Faculty of University of Montreal"!

Event Information: Hosted by Su J Sokol, author of Cycling to Asylum, Run J Run and Zee, this is the launch of Shattered Fossils by Sharon Lax, published by Guernica Editions. A conversation and Q&A with Su and with all in attendance followed by an Open Mic.

MUSIC: LEVEL UP Symposium - LIVE DESIGN EXPERIMENT #3

February 3, 2021 - 2PM EST
Level Up Symposium by the Associated Designers of Canada
Watch the archived performance on the ADC website
In Christine's Words: So excited to be a part of this live design project alongside these amazing and talented team! I'll be creating the soundscape and performing live piano for this project! 

Event Information: Artists Christine ML Lee, Hugh Conacher, Kimira Reddy, and Sammy Chien have been given prompts and the mandate to experiment with digital forms of creation over the course of several weeks. Beginning with a presentation of the results of this digital experimentation, this event will then transition to a Q&A with the artists involved. After the Q&A the floor will be fully opened up to a round table discussion where participants can react to what they've just seen. We don't know yet what the final product of these experiments will be but we're excited to see how these artists will embrace the digital and find new, and interesting methods of creation.