→ A Late Quartet opens Nov. 30 at Cineplex Odeon
Christopher Walken plays Peter Mitchell, a cellist in a string quartet that is celebrating their 25th season together. However, all is not well. Mitchell is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and announces that this season will be his last. Mitchell’s announcement causes a ripple effect through the group and suppressed emotions, egos, and passions are suddenly unleashed, threatening to derail the quartet’s years of friendship and collaboration. Also starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mark Ivanir, Catherine Keener and Imogen Poots, the film is structured around Beethoven’s Opus 131, the seven movements of which reflect the group’s tumultuous journey.
→ Concordia University’s department of theatre presents Peleus and Thetis
Peleus and Thetis was born of a five-year partnership and student exchange program between Concordia University and the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing. A combination of Western theatre practice and the Chinese opera style of Jing Ju, Peleus and Thetis relates the Greek myth of the marriage of Peleus to the sea-nymph, Thetis. The play uses the intricate costuming, ornate language and spectacular acrobatic, fighting and dancing artistry of Jing Ju to make a connection between the western understanding of theatrical form and the modes of performance inherent in the Chinese opera style.
The show opens Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. and runs until Dec. 2 in the D.B. Clarke Theatre, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. For more information visit finearts.concordia.ca
→ An Ode to the Penny: art gala and exhibition
In March, the Conservative government announced that it would cease production of the penny this fall. In order to commemorate the end of the penny, the Café des Finances has partnered with Espace Verre and Concordia University students to commission eight pieces of penny-inspired art. The collection was unveiled on Nov. 15 at the Café des Finances and visitors to the cafe are invited to vote for their favorite piece of art. On Nov. 29, a winner will be announced and awarded $1,000, $250 of which will go to the charity of their choice. The second place winner will receive $500, $100 of which will go to the artist’s charity.
The Gala takes place Nov. 29 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., but there’s still plenty of time to vote. Visit Café des Finances, located at 1141 boul. de Maisonneuve W.
→ Blown Up: gaming and war exhibit at Le MAI
Vicky Moufawad-Paul, guest curator at Le MAI gallery, is using projects by three artists to examine the misrepresentation of present-day wars in video games. Blown Up: gaming and war features work by artists Wafaa Bilal, Harun Farocki and Mohammed Mohsen. Wafaa Bilal’s piece, The Night of Bush Capturing: A Virtual Jihadi, is based on an American-made game in which the goal is to hunt and kill Saddam Hussein. Bilal has modified the piece into a work of self-fiction in order to denounce hateful stereotyping of Arab culture. Mohammad Mohsen’s piece, Weak, is a video game which explores the architecture of gaming and the ways in which games that feature present-day wars were a source of pleasure and political anxiety for Middle-Eastern players. Immersion, by Berlin artist Harun Farocki, uses virtual reality exposure therapy, a tool used in the therapy of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, to give visitors the sense that they are soldiers with the goal of maintaining the stability of a governing system.
Blown Up: gaming and war runs until Dec. 15 at Le MAI gallery, 3680 Jeanne-Mance St., #103. For more information visit m-a-i.qc.ca
