All the drama: QDF Spring launch

The Quebec Drama Federation launches its quarterly calendar next week, a guide to the spring season of local theatre. To kick off the calendar and the season, the Federation’s launch party offers a preview of 15 local dramatic and musical theatre productions taking place over the next few months, including the hotly anticipated The Mahalia Jackson Musical at Segal Centre.

“It’s free, and it’s at a nice theatre, and we have free beers and free food,” says Cassandra Togneri, the Federation’s spokesperson. “Any of the companies that are in the calendar can do an excerpt, a four-minute piece or video, some kind of trailer or promotional performance for their show. It gives the public a preview of what they’re going to see.”

The QDF represents a variety of wide range of local theatre companies, ranging from independents to community theatre to educational institutions and professional companies, as well as regularly publicizing job openings, casting calls and other news for the theatrical community. Each season, the group publishes a guide to each of its representatives’ offerings, including a special dedicated insert for seasonal festivals like Fringe.

The evening will be animated by Warona Setshwaelo, Metachroma Theatre’s co-founder and a fixture on Montreal’s stages as a busy actress, and it presents a wide range of dramatic styles for any taste, with performances by troupes ranging from Centaur Theatre to Confabulation to the Montreal West Operatic Society.

For the public, the soirée offers a rare opportunity to sample what’s on offer in the city’s theatres before buying a ticket. “They discover new companies, or shows they might not know about, and it gives them an idea about what they should go see in the next three months.” ■

Monday, Feb. 25, Segal Studio (5170 Côte-Ste-Catherine), 7 p.m., free