Montreal, February 20, 2007 — IETM Montréal 2007 will heat up the spring arts scene in the city from May 30 to June 3, 2007. It is with great pleasure that the organizers of the event welcome Mary Ann DeVlieg, IETM’s Secretary General, this week in Montreal. Ms. DeVlieg will meet with several Canadian IETM members, many of whom are established in Montreal. At a press conference today, she will present this 31st Plenary Meeting of the IETM (Informal European Theatre Meeting), which has recently changed its name to the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts.

With its headquarters in Brussels, the network includes over 400 arts organizations in 45 countries in Europe and elsewhere. The member organizations are engaged in innovative contemporary performance work, and are committed to cross-border artistic exchange and collaboration, as well as international touring and programming. IETM is a platform for networking and communication, the dynamic exchange of information, and the transfer of know-how. It brings together performance companies, theatre and festival programmers, resource centres, associations and governmental bodies, all of whom are actively involved in the development of contemporary live performance.

The European Commission recently named Mary Ann DeVlieg first-place winner in the Individuals category for the Mobility Prize at the close of the European Year of Workers’ Mobility (2006) for projects she initiated and helped develop (On The Move.org; Fonds Roberto Cimetta), as well as for her activities with the IETM. The mobility of artists and cultural operators will be further enhanced when, at the invitation of the network, they will gather here for IETM Montréal 2007, under the general theme of Cultural Warming. Among the issues on the IETM program, the challenges facing the new generation of artists and the broad question of cultural diversity will be the focus of the hot debates, workshops, panels, and presentations at the Pavillon Sherbrooke of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and at Place des Arts. The Foyer Jean-Gascon of Théâtre Maisonneuve is where participants will be welcomed, and will be a gathering point for them. Both Place des Arts and UQAM are partners of the event.

At the same time, participants will be able to take advantage of the excellent artistic program offered by Festival TransAmériques (May 23-June 7), one of IETM Montréal 2007’s partners. The full program will be unveiled on March 20, but the Festival has given advance notice of several productions of top international calibre: Lipsynch, the newest monumental work by Robert Lepage and Ex Machina; Frank Ketchup by Le Pont Bridge (directed by Carole Nadeau); a new creation by Daniel Léveillé Danse; and Incarnat by the Lia Rodrigues Companhia de danças. For more details: www.fta.qc.ca.

“The link with the new Festival is an exciting asset,” specifies Mary Ann DeVlieg.“I’m very proud that Montreal will host the meeting because it’s a truly culturally dynamic city. The proof is that twenty or more companies from here – we could mention the Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Les Deux Mondes, and Le Carré des Lombes --- make up the sixth largest delegation within our network.” Adds Bernard Lagacé of the Organizing Committee: “It could well be the only time that the IETM will be held outside Europe, where the majority of its members are based. So this is a unique opportunity to discover the IETM and to consolidate its links with Quebec and Canada, in the informal, convivial atmosphere that makes the network so interesting and attractive.” 

Besides Mr. Lagacé, the Organizing Committee of IETM Montréal 2007 is made up of Sherrie Johnson, Esther Charron, and Alain Paré. In April, more details will be available regarding the meeting’s program, which is currently being put together by a group of people from the performing arts milieu. IETM Montréal 2007 is open to all members, and also – on a one-time-only basis – to representatives of non-member professional organizations who are interested to know more about the network with a view to eventually joining it. For all the information: www.ietm.org (Meetings section) and www.ietmmontreal2007.org.

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