Maj and I went to see a world-famous comedian perform in Montreal a week or so back. It was fun and funny, but he made some cringeworthy errors talking to the audience that cost him some flat deliveries and lost him some laughs. I’ve seen it a lot when American performers come to Montreal and do crowd patter, so I thought it might be worthwhile to make a quick tip list.
- Montreal is not in the US. We are very close and we’re on your North American tour, so it might seem like we’re just another US city, but we’re not. Don’t say “here” when you’re talking about the US. We have some, but not all, different stores and brands. Don’t say “our government” or “our president”. And definitely don’t tell us to vote in US elections or call our congressional representatives.
- Montreal is not in the rest of Canada. Quebec is mostly (80%) French-speaking. We have a different culture than people in Ontario or British Columbia. Canadian stereotypes don’t really apply here. We are not extremely polite and we don’t say “aboot” or “eh”. (Well, most of us.)
- Montreal is not in France. There is a lot of cultural crossover but this is a very different place. Formal connections ended around 1759. We do not use stereotypical French phrases like “Zut alors!” or “sacré bleu”! (We actually have our own hilarious and weird way of cussing.) We did not guillotine aristocrats, surrender in WWII and we do not venerate Jerry Lewis or Marcel Marceau.
- We are aware of US culture. After all, we bought tickets for a show by you, a US performer. Just because you don’t know anything about us, doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about the United States. You don’t have to explain who Shaquille O’Neal is or what Game of Thrones was about.
- The language issue is complex and exhausting and nobody wants to hear your uninformed take on it. It might be the first time you’ve thought about it, but that’s not the case for literally anyone in the audience. It’s almost definitely not going to be a novel topic to anyone.
- There are interesting local features. Really! We are worth knowing about. Lots of low-hanging fruit for making a connection. We have bagels, poutine, and smoked meat. We have a big mural of Leonard Cohen. There’s a mountain in the middle of the city with a cross that lights up when the pope dies. There’s hockey and maple syrup. It snows just an absolutely crazy amount.
- We are extremely cool. This is an easy one to miss. You are probably not going to get to another city this cool for a while. There is a great music scene. We have huge festivals. Our restaurants and bars are world class. People are cosmopolitan and sophisticated but also down to earth and a little bit hippy-dippy. Our politics are progressive beyond your wildest dreams.
Nobody has to know all this stuff, of course. But if you want to engage with an audience, we’re here, and making a little effort goes a long way.
Evan Prodromou's Blog 