The series of cross-Canada performances, dubbed the "Wrecking Ball," had been organized to draw attention to of the $45 million in arts funding cuts recently made by the federal Conservatives.
Events were planned for Toronto, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Corner Brook, Nfld. Celebrated playwright Judith Thompson, writer Michael Turner (Hard Core Logo) and media personality Bill Richardson were among those who contributed material.
In Ottawa, artists gathered outside of a gallery to protest against the government.
"I think it's absolutely stupid," said Ottawa artist Russell Yuristy, 72. "Art brings in money and I can't believe they (the government) are that stupid, but I'm kind of glad because it won't help them to get a majority."
He said arts funding has been a big issue during the election campaign and the protests are bound to have some effect on voters.
Poet and writer Jessica Ruano said the arts are a "very important" part of society and vital to the fabric of any city.
"I was disheartened by Stephen Harper's comments that artists just spend their time going to fancy galas which I think is a very limited perspective on what the arts are," she said.
Outside Calgary's City Hall, artists and their supporters held signs asking motorists to honk for their cause. One protester was dressed up as a clown and stood beside a skeleton holding a sign reading "starving artist."
The political theatre collided with the dramatic in Vancouver, where many of the West Coast city's stage actors - such as Alex Ferguson and Kevin McNulty - gathered to denounce the cuts.
Monologues picking apart Prime Minister Stephen Harper's dismissal of "elites" and "gay-las" and a quote-identification contest called "Machiavelli or Stephen Harper?" kept the 500-strong audience in stitches.
Proceeds from the Wrecking Ball events will go to the Department of Culture, a national group of volunteers dedicated to promoting the arts and aiming to undermine Conservative chances in swing ridings in the upcoming federal election.
More events are planned for later this week, including a concert in Toronto on Thursday featuring Dave Bidini (Rheostatics), Jason Collett (Broken Social Scene,) Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies), The Skydiggers and Ian Tamblyn.
Harper raised the ire of the arts community when he dismissed their complaints about the recent cuts.
"I think when ordinary working people come home, turn on the TV and see a gala of a bunch of people, you know, at a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough when they know those subsidies have actually gone up - I'm not sure that's something that resonates with ordinary people," Harper said at a campaign stop in Saskatchewan last month.
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