Forget The Box 2025 Wrapped
While plenty of Christmas films feature the relationship between Santa and Mrs. Claus, rarely do they feature an engaging back and forth dialogue about the family business. Which is Christmas. Their family business is Christmas. Obviously. Santa and Mrs. Claus are never really seen discussing the Nice List, or the Naughty List, maybe chatting about some elves that are excelling, demanding promotion, or lamenting about the elves that just keep fucking up. We rarely see them discussing the numbers, the kids who believe, the kids who stopped believing, the need to believe. It’s hard to find a real conversation between Santa and Mrs. Claus (who has been bestowed different names, like Carol, Carlotta, Ruth, and Annette) discussing the real details of the North Pole, the grout between the tiles, if you will. Thankfully, Forget The Box doesn’t follow suit. No, here at Forget The Box, you’ll get the nitty-gritty of arts journalism laid out for all to see. Instead of Santa, we’ve got Creative Director Andrew Jamieson, and playing the trope of Mrs. Claus is our very own Dawn McSweeney, Editor-at-Large. While it may not be in the spirit of the North Pole, and the Claus family, the FTB family, led by Andrew and Dawn, love to discuss the ups, the downs, the trials and tribulations, that come with leading Montreal’s only devoted Anglo arts magazine, covering ground level, underground, and marginalized art in our fair city. (It’s important to acknowledge the other integral member of the Editorial team at Forget The Box, Editor-in-Chief Candice Ann. She would have enjoyed being part of this conversation, if she weren’t exhausted by Andrew and Dawn’s bullshit on a daily basis.)
“We don't catch up like this enough anymore,” Dawn laughs, definitely in the same room as Andrew, and not on the phone with him, working on a document together. “Remember when we had weekly meetings in your studio? This year it feels like the site is running itself…cuz of the elves. We restructured and got elves, right?”
“The growth is unreal, I’m so grateful. It’s no secret that when we started, it was pretty much you and I, and a few other devoted folks. I mean, we had no human resources. Not a department, I’m talking about actual human resources. We did what we could with a limited budget and limited team. In 2025 we have… well, we’ve got a team. A big team. An ever-growing team. It’s fucking amazing. Our contributors are so talented. And we’ve got Candice as Editor-in-Chief now, and it’s such a relief, do you know? Anyway, there’s you, of course, and we’ve very recently expanded the core operations to include Matthew Rettino, Max Paster, and Ashlan Phoenix Grey working on fundraising and grant applications, and Shireen Aamir, who is our new Social Media Manager.”
“That makes a huge difference in how much we managed to cover this year too. I know you've got the stats.”
“You’re damn right I do.” Andrew pulls out an index card with numbers scribbled on it in the most perfect handwriting you’ve ever seen. “As of right now in 2025, we published 28 Feature Fridays, which is 28 individual artists (or bands) we’ve profiled, we’ve published 49 McSweeney’s Lists, and 52 features. Within that, we published three festival profiles, two venue profiles, and four event series profiles. Additionally, we published 30 FringeMTL reviews. I’m really, really proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. Especially Feature Friday, you know? To be able to profile 28 artists, that is exactly what we want to do, and we want to do more of it. 28 is only half the year, right?”
“We lost and regained Feature Friday this year. I was, and still am, a huge fan of the concept. What did we change? What did we fix?”
“What a fucking journey this project has been,” Andrew laughs. “Honestly, when we first started, it was such a nebulous idea. I recognized a need for us to cover individual artists (and bands), to provide that real ground-level coverage we talk about. It was a bit messy. We took a pause, and I asked Abby Stonehouse for her thoughts. Abby’s a very influential member of the FTB team, as our only Community Ambassador. She floated an idea for an in-depth self interview, and I loved it. So we revitalized the project, dividing it into four categories, different sectors, different arts. I was so thrilled at the opportunity to not only spotlight some local artists, but to get them talking about their art. That’s so important to me. I love talking about my art. Every artist should chew up every opportunity they have to talk about their art, do you know?” Andrew finally takes a breath. “Anyway, this went well for awhile, but it’s tough with volunteers. So many of the most valued contributors to FTB are volunteers. We do it because we love it. We love the arts community. But people have lives, do you know? We were publishing irregularly, so we decided to take a few weeks off, we brought some new curators into the mix, updated our outreach strategy, and now we’re proudly back, and with a whole new aesthetic created by Shireen.”
“So, it's been a helluva year, is what I'm hearing. What was your favorite FTB-related moment of 2025?” Dawn leans in; she thinks she's channeling Barbara Walters, but it's more like Cheri O’Teri doing Baba Wawa.
“You know, this one is pretty recent. We’ve obviously had a great year, but something that we’ve been waiting for, you know, we’ve been wanting for a long time to apply for some grants, to get some actual funding, not just what’s in my bank account, right? But that takes time, that takes people with knowledge. For those unaware: grant applications take work. They take a LOT of work. (Which is why crime is really a much better alternative.) Right, so we just finished a flurry of grant applications, which was a team effort guided by Matthew and Ashlan, and I think submitting those applications might be my favorite FTB moment this year. Forget The Box is poised to evolve in 2026, and I am so thankful every day that we finally have a team of generous, tireless volunteers, helping make this a reality. FTB is one of Montreal’s newest arts institutions, and we’re set to become too legit to ignore, do you know? What about you? What was your favorite FTB moment this year?”
“Ok, well mine is pretty selfish, but I got to write my one year alcohol-free essay last month, and I'd been looking forward to that for about a year. Then it ended up being my best read essay, and that was really validating for me. I was really touched by the response. My essays allow me to be really vulnerable, and at the same time conversational, and that one really let me go deep, and be accepted for it. Also the essay for my dad's 10 year death-aversay. I feel so lucky that I get to share these moments with our readers.”
“I have to say, and I don’t want this to sound condescending, but I’m really fucking proud of you. In January 2023, as we were plotting my takeover of Forget The Box, I remember the conversation. I told you that you were going to keep doing the “Shows This Week”, but we were going to call it “McSweeney’s List”, and that you’d be doing an essay. Weekly. You were, I think there was an “Uhh” sort of response, right? But that was it. After that initial skepticism, you got to work. And nearly 150 weeks later, you’ve become this essayist. You went from writing these brief, tentative entries to some exhaustive, long-winded personal essays. I mean, I’m only saying that because I edit them. Honestly, it’s great. Your essays slap. So ya, I’m really fucking proud of you. Especially as you’re approaching 150 essays. But, it’s important to mention that you’ve never taken a week off. Not once. That sort of output is wild.”
“Aww, thanks Andrew! I'm proud of me too, to be honest. I'm pretty shocked I'm pushing 150 essays in 150 weeks. It's the most dedicated writing practice I've ever had, so every week sets a new record. It's funny because I don't think I have that same level of discipline in any other aspect of my life. Just about every week I panic, and think I'm out of words, and every time, I find them.”
“I love when you tell me you don’t have an idea. I think my usual response is something like, “yes you do”, and then I list off some random shit you’ve recently talked about. I get it, though. I’m intimately familiar with the fact that when you run your mouth so much, it’s really hard to remember everything. Speaking of running my mouth: I think another additional FTB moment for me was our 2025 FringeMTL coverage this year. We reviewed another 30 fucking productions! Our team had a great time, they loved the fast schedule, and so many excellent Fringe artists were given a spotlight in a festival where it’s often hard to be seen. Honestly, I can’t wait for next year.
You’ve gone from being someone who wasn’t really much of a ‘theatre person’ to being a three-year running Fringe reviewer. What was the highlight of the festival for you this year?”
“I got to see the first performance ever of Jimmy Hogg’s Evie and Alfie, and it was incredible. Then I got to write the first review, and he posted really kind things about my writing, and that was such a wild compliment for me. I called it: they won Outstanding English Production here, and then kept that streak going across the country at other Fringe festivals. It was our biggest Fringe year too, eh? Did you have a favorite show?”
“Fuck, I saw some great productions. I mean, if you’ve read my reviews, I also saw some not-so-great productions. But overall the experience was great. I’ve got to mention MEAT FACTORY: MOMMY, which was such an amazing experience, this experimental, immersive show in a loft on St. Lau, but I think the highlight, for me, was seeing Cracks by Claire Lochmueller. This play was a gift, really. I mean, go read my review, for sure. I think it was the combination of seeing a well-written, authentic piece of theatre while in a space that I was so familiar with, a loft that had recently transitioned to a DIY theatre space. This is at 10 Pine, the Halbro Building, on the fourth floor. Studio #415. It’s actually where we’re doing Sleazy Christmas this year. The fourth annual Sleazy Christmas.”
“For a minute I thought I'd missed the first Sleazy, but fun fact, I've been to all of them. This is like one of our anniversaries now. They've all been different, and epic. For the sake of the readers who don't know, Sleazy is a kind of overarching brand for you, from scripted experiences, and story, to parties. And I love how even without saying that overtly, each of the events leans into the Sleazy vibe. Remember when we tried to make cigarette snacks with pretzels, white chocolate, and crushed Oreos, and they were an epic fail, and we just sat in your studio eating them all the night before the party? They were ugly and delicious. Totally Sleazy vibes. That was my favorite theme, actually. 1984, first Christmas at your divorced Dad’s house with his new stripper girlfriend, Crystal. You started it for fun, and now it's the most important fundraising event for Forget The Box each year.
Anyway, let's pretend I don't know all the deets, and tell me what you've whipped up this year.”
“You know, this year is a bit different. Previous years have been productions. Increasingly complicated and ambitious productions. The first year we were at Le Basement, in Saint Henri. The second year we were at Bifteck, upstairs, like you mentioned, and I brought CONCEPT, you know? We went hard on that. Last year we were at Poubelle Magnifique downtown, and I orchestrated a whole fucking retelling of A Christmas Carol. Anyway, this year is more of a mixer, right? It’s a traditional MTL loft party, with a couple performances by Sleazy Christmas vets, yourself included. It’s still an important fundraiser for FTB, but it’s also a celebration of the magazine’s most successful year yet, as well as a celebration of Montreal’s resilient art community, especially after such a difficult year.
And like you said, this is also the most integral fundraiser for Forget The Box. As an out-of-pocket operation, it’s been pretty taxing. I mean, it’s hard enough to support ourselves in this economy. But it’s important to me to do this, Forget The Box. Sleazy Christmas has always been the time of year we can actually raise any significant amount of funding, and that’s what we’re hoping for this year. Enough funding to carry us through the New Year, and into a whole new era for FTB.”
“I feel like funding also gets us credibility, which is kinda silly, but true. And credibility gets us behind more scenes, and into cooler places that are maybe off the beaten path and wouldn't come up in a vague Google search “
“You know, I’ve got another favorite FTB moment, one more. A few months ago, Tara McGowan-Ross and I had the pleasure of visiting ARCMTL, the archive, which we covered this year. Louis Rastelli gave us a guided tour of the archive, filled with physical ephemera, particularly from Montreal’s artistic community. Posters, zines, tickets, magazines, newspapers, books, tapes, CDs, VHS, vinyls, they’ve got this immense collection, I mean, I could have spent days going through it all. But a big take-away for me, after seeing so many old copies of the Montreal Mirror, after seeing glossy magazines from the 50’s focused on Montreal’s art scene, after seeing how much was once written about Montreal, about Montreal art… what we’re doing, what Forget The Box is doing, what we fucking stand for, it’s really so important. We’re not just providing a spotlight to the deserving ground level, underground, and marginalized artists of our city, we’re documenting, we’re archiving Montreal history. Arts Journalism is so important. Arts Journalism goes beyond the news cycle to discuss the culture of Montreal, its people, what they’re feeling, what they’re thinking, what they need. Fuck, I could go on, obviously. But, I just want to re-iterate. Arts Journalism is important. Do you know?”
“Yeah, so many arts outlets are really just doing timid reviews, or pay-for-play content. Nothing in depth is addressed, and there's never any challenge: someone just sees it, says they saw it, says they liked it, and next. That isn't journalism, it's just a status update. And consuming art passively is fine for, well, consumers, but having artists process and contemplate the art of others is obviously much different. Saying everything is good all the time doesn't help the artist or the consumer in the long run.”
They both get quiet, the comfortable quiet of people who have said so many words to each other that silence is cozy; people who know each other so well that all it takes is the tone on it's fine to know if it really is fine or not.
“Huh. Four winters, eh? Feels like it's been both longer and shorter than that. I feel like that's the sign of a meaningful relationship.” Dawn says.
“Look, I’ve maintained that I don’t actually have any memory of meeting you. I remember meeting you the second time, I think, but I’d be lying if I said I even remembered the time of year. I just remember it being January, I convinced you to interview Chef Molotov, and after a few drinks I had this grand idea to take over Forget The Box. And you, showing how great a friend you’d already become, pretty much responded with “Do it.” Something like that right? Honestly, can you provide any clarity? I’m not a reliable narrator.
Dawn rolls her eyes; they've been over this many times, and she figures if Andrew can't remember the event, he should at least by now remember her telling him over and over about the event. “It was July. And actually, it was July 5th, 2022, because I checked my actual notes, and that's the date. We didn't start taking shit over together for a few months. We built our forts and gathered our troops. Nah, I'm kidding. We got beautifully enmeshed, traded ideas, our writing, our opinions (sometimes viciously). We built something special before we decided to build something special together. Aww, I'm all smooshy now. I love you, homie, regardless of what the tabloids have to say. And I love this thing we're doing, and that we get to do it together. Here's to us.”
WHAT: Andrew Jamieson’s Sleazy Christmas IV (A Forget The Box Benefit)
WHERE: Studio 415 - 10 Ave des Pins Ouest #415, Montreal, QC H2W 1P9
WHEN: Saturday, December 13 @ 7-11PM
METRO: Sherbrooke (Orange) / St. Laurent (Green)
TICKETS: Showpass
