THE LAST MONTREAL STRIP SPELLING BEE – SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE STRIPS

WARNING: There may be nudity in this show.

The game is played a lot like strip poker, but it's a spelling bee, and it's played in front of a live audience of hooters, hollerers and hecklers who want to see some smart and sexy skin!

Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Mainline Theatre
3997 Blvd. St-Laurent
(Just south of Duluth - look for the sign above a doorway with flames painted on it!)
Bee from 9 to midnight
$20 (Fringe fee and taxes are included)

(Contestants do not pay cover and get a free drink!)

Please note that we must cap our number of strip-spellers at 7 to ensure an expedient and entertaining evening.

Regretfully, The Mainline is not wheelchair-accessible, as it is up a steep flight of 14 stairs.
18+

We always encourage contestants and audience members to wear something unusual. A good rule of thumb is to wear the thing you normally feel you don't have any occasion to wear. Any contestant who comes dressed in costume, whether half-assed or high-end, will be looked upon more favourably by the judges. As this is our FINAL edition, come suited up in whatever that means to you!

WHY THIS IS THE LAST ONE: For 17 years, the Mainline Theatre has been our home. Its beating heart has been a pulse of encouragement, and its soul and staff have been our body, its blood and its booze. Unfortunately, the Mainline Theatre is closing at the end of June, so this will be our Last Strip Spelling Bee here. We are sad and heartbroken about it all, and while its true that other venues could accomodate an event of this type, this is our last Montreal Strip Spelling Bee for now and maybe ever. I love making odd events but convincing venues to host them is exhausting. People who know the event love it but people who hear about it for the first time are deeply skeptical. So we're not saying goodbye forever just for the foreseeable. And we thank you SO MUCH for your attendance, love, support and bravery for the last 17 years! Especially you brave & beautiful spellers! Come witness the ultimate contest between the cerebral & the sexy one final time...you pervs.

To be alerted to future Strip Spelling Bees in your area, please consider joining our Facebook GROUP, where future events are posted. We will refrain from needless posts to reduce your notification spams: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SherwinsQuirkyEvents/

If you want to support these events in a tangible, monthly, monetary way, consider donating to our Patreon! There you can also eavesdrop on the secret creative life of these events' creator: https://www.patreon.com/sherwinevents

Hosted by Joe Catman.
Co-hosted by La Regulatrice.

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COVID SAFETY
So, we are living in a very strange and precarious time. Part of our production staff for this event suffers from long covid, so we are asking folks to mask up like it's 2020. There will be lots of masks available at the door but we urge you to bring your own.

 Feeling sick? Stay home, please.

 Masks will need to be worn by attendees for the entire time. There will be a bar, and drinks will be available, and you can lower the mask to drink, but then the mask must go back on in-between sips.

 Spellers must wear masks while they are sitting, but when they get up on stage, they may remove their masks. Masks must, however, be put on again.

 The host and co-host of the event will not be wearing masks while they are on stage.

 If you're reading this and this sounds like something that you don't want to do, or won't respect, please stay home.

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 OFFICIAL RULES 

One by one, participants are asked to spell a word. If they get it right, they sit down. If they get it wrong, they must striptease A THIRD of their clothing off, and that is considered their first "strike". When they misspell a second word, that is their second strike and they must striptease ANOTHER third off. A third and final strike requires that they strip down to their comfort level.
After three strikes, a participant is out of the competition. But they should take heart – because while they may have lost, the audience has most certainly won.

Both the winner of the Bee and the Best Striptease of the night win prize packs containing:

(a) The E-Z-PURR: A CD with over an hour of cats purring! and

(b) You Are a Cat! A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style book from the POV of a housecat named Holden Catfield!

and (c) a special hand drawn portrait on wood of a random stranger you have never met ever.

While the Best Speller of the night will be chosen through purely quantitative means, Best Stripper is chosen in a more qualitative manner by our Secret Judge whom we have embedded in the audience. As with all things, if you compete in COSTUME, the Secret Judge will look more favourably in your direction.

All striptease spellers do not pay cover.

Anyone can drop out of the competition at any time AFTER the completion of the SECOND round.
This is a queer, senior and trans-friendly event. We have a NO BOOING policy strictly in effect. No photos are allowed except by our host, who will talk to each of the contestants and ask if this is okay when they sign-up. Our goal is to have everyone feel safe, secure and comfortable enough to strip and spell.

Regarding the No Photos Rule - we ALSO have a SNITCH POLICY. If you are a member of the audience and you witness someone taking a surreptitious photo, BY ALL MEANS, interrupt the proceedings, come up to one of the hosts - SNITCH on the guilty party, and once they have been dealt with, you will be rewarded with a free drink.

We thank you for your patronage and understanding.

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HOW TO HELP US!
Sometimes, after an event, we get kind folks coming up to us asking us how they can help out with future quirky events. We are so grateful for your kindness and enthusiasm! But perhaps the Most Helpful Thing You Can Do is a thing that doesn't feel like very much help, but which is IN FACT the Most Helpful Thing You Can Do - and that's to INVITE FRIENDS WHO YOU THINK MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS EVENT!

Also share the event page on your Facebook Wall and let your friends know about it. That's it. It takes a few seconds, but is incredibly helpful. Seriously. Collectively, you all know thousands & thousands of people we have never met. If you could spread the word about quirky events, that helps us out manifestly and improves greatly the chances of quirky events continuing to happen! We survive on word of mouth.

 Copyright 2025 Joe Catman AKA Sherwin Sullivan Tjia