Amour Toujours: Exploring Real and Imagined Histories of Cinéma L’Amour through Toy Theatre
Thu April 24 @ 19:00 - 20:30
A near-universal experience for any Montrealer walking up Boulevard St. Laurent is glancing at the yellow and red marquee of Cinéma L’Amour, the last adult cinema in Canada. Museum of Jewish Montreal micrograntee Jen Jack will be sharing an ongoing toy theatre and research project that explores an alternative history of the site of Cinéma L’Amour.
On April 24th, Jen will be sharing an in-progress puppet performance on real and imagined histories of the site of Cinéma L’Amour, which was at one point a Yiddish vaudeville theatre. Accompanied by casual conversation, this evening’s event aims to be an opportunity for sharing and reflecting on how this space has historically affected Montrealers of all walks of life, and remains relevant to this day.
Grounded in an excavation of the history of Montréal’s movie theatres and the arc of public entertainment on the Main, Jen’s work draws upon the mythology of the theatre and the history of Montréal’s Jewish quarter to fabricate an imaginative and informative presentation on the many lives of this theatre and its environs. Merging myth, fact, and experimental puppet performance, Amour Toujours: Real and Imagined Histories of Cinéma L’Amour invites a curious audience to explore the multilayered past of a Montreal landmark.
Doors open at 7:00pm. Performance begins at 7:20pm. A discussion and Q&A will follow.
Admission is free and space is very limited, due to the intimate nature of this style of performance. Advanced registration is encouraged.
Click here to reserve your spot in advance.
Jen Jack is an emerging scenographer, puppeteer, and aspiring cultural worker. Driven by a curiosity about the built environment, their creative work often centres on cycles present in urban space, which they explore through modes of mapping, puppetry and site-specific performance. Holding a BFA in Design for the Theatre from Concordia University, Jen has worked as a coordinator for various Montréal-based arts initiatives, including the Art Matters Festival, Café Concret, and Contra Montréal. Notable theatre projects include Ten Sentences: On the Life Of Robert Walser (Great Small Works, 2024) presented at the Festival de Casteliers in 2024 and Grief (Jessica Carmichael, 2023). Born and raised in Albany, NY, Jen has lived in Montreal since 2018.
Accessibility: Please note that the upper floors of our building are currently not accessible to visitors with limited mobility. This event will take place on the ground floor, which is accessible via ramp from our main entrance.
Photo Credit: Please applaud with hands only. Gelatin silver photographic print. c. 1912. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. Accessed online March 28, 2025.
This event is a part of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s 2025 Microgrant Program for Creative or Cultural Exploration, made possible with support by the Azrieli Foundation, the Betty Averbach Foundation, and CANVAS.