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Montreal is the place to be!

“Montreal is the place to be!” The somewhat modified line from the “Green Acres” theme describes the coming week in Montreal to a tee. For one, the Cinemania Film Festival, North America’s most acclaimed French film festival with Vermont ties, opens on Wednesday with a Woody Allen-esque comedy à la française. A classic American tragedy, with a familiar top director opens at the Centaur on Friday, while the Opera de Montréal begins a new production of one of the most universally entertaining comic operas on Saturday.

Comedy en français

Cinemania was created 15 years ago by Maidy Teitelbaum, who spends half her time at her Waitsfield home, during the depths of French-Anglo conflict in Quebec. The French weren’t allowing English subtitles on French films and Anglos like Teitelbaum were miffed. So she started a film festival.

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Dafnis Prieto at FlynnSpace

One of the major highlights of the 2006 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, standout drummer Dafnis Prieto returns to FlynnSpace on Thursday in support of his excellent new CD, “Live at Jazz Standard NYC.”

Joining Prieto in his sextet are saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum, saxophonist Felipe Lamoglia, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Yunior Terry and pianist Manuel Valera.

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‘A Haunted Night’ Saturday in Chester

CHESTER — With monsters, madmen, mysticism and magic, the Green Mountain Festival Series will kick off its 25th season in style Saturday with “A Haunted Night.”

For a quarter-century, the series has brought artists, musicians and performers to Chester and has helped Okemo Valley residents escape the doldrums of cabin fever.

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Southerly Exposure: The value of decoding the artist’s process

Why does the artist’s process fascinate? What is the mystery that exists between moment of inspiration and final brushstroke? How does a final, polished word interact with all the fragments of ideas required to fill a page?

Talking about art, its creation, inspiration and processes is of serious importance in a society. Societies where individual expression is suppressed, or access to art and its history of change is relegated to certain social tiers, is one headed for death. Or, at the least, is headed toward complete cultural stagnation and unawareness of self.

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‘Opus’ makes a string quartet riveting

BURLINGTON – When audiences watch a string quartet on stage, performing with the ultimate intimacy found in music, few imagine the soap opera it takes to get to that sublime moment – full of turmoil, drudgery, egos, and even sex and drugs. Mark Hollinger’s 2006 drama, “Opus,” tells the story of a fictional string quartet in turmoil, and not only does he get it right, he tells the tale so directly that it can fascinate someone who has never even heard a string quartet.

Vermont Stage Company, the Flynn Center’s resident professional theater company, opened its 2009-2010 season with a riveting production that packs a wallop. There is scarcely a less-than-fascinating moment in this very even production, full of the humor and drama of music-making – and life.

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‘Noises Off’ to turn on laughs in W. Rutland

Over the next two weekends, the Marble Valley Players will bring the show – and certainly much laughter – to the stage of the West Rutland Town Hall Theater.

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Did you see the best Christmas pageant?

After weeks of rehearsals, 50 schoolchildren ranging from age 5 to 17 from Rutland and the surrounding area will perform the group’s sixth annual “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” show at the Paramount Theatre this Friday and Saturday.

Students from Fair Haven, Castleton, Rutland, Shrewsbury and West Rutland and other neighboring towns will perform the popular annual show three times this weekend — at 7 p.m. Friday and at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, December 20 and 21.

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Repertory Theatre to perform Dickens classic

The jolliest holiday of the year is built around tradition, and at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland it will be no different, as the Vermont Actors’ Repertory Theatre continues its annual holiday production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

The story portraying the true meaning of Christmas will play out on the historic downtown stage Thursday and Friday evening, as core actors with ART and local actors carry on the four-year tradition.

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The ’50s all over again in Chester

CHESTER — It’s time to pull out those bobby socks and poodle skirts, because the 1950s musical comedy show “Laughing with the Legends” is kicking off the 24th season of the Green Mountain Festival Series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Green Mountain Union High School.

Proceeds from this show and others in the series are used to underwrite grants to bring arts into area classrooms. This year, the series has given out $20,000 in grants.

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