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Category: Culture

Theatre Review: The Valley

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At the Toronto premiere of Joan MacLeod’s new drama The Valley, the audience is split in two, each side sloping down to the stage with opposing perspectives. The Valley depicts Sharon (Susan Coyne), a good mother trying to protect her teenage son Connor (Colin Mercer), and a good police officer, Dan, trying to protect his community. Just as Tarragon is presenting The Valley, an inquest is examining three recent cases of fatal shootings of mentally ill people by Toronto police.

Music: The Kennedy Suite 'folk opera' with Cowboy Junkies and a few close friends

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American president John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. It is a surprising thing to create a music album and produce a so-called “folk opera” based on the assassination in Toronto, 50 years later. Luckily, the story and the music that make up The Kennedy Suite are worthy of at least this effort and could lead to more.

Ten reasons to visit the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair now

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The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is not over. I repeat, it is not over. The fair and horse show extend over two weekends and it runs until this Sunday, Nov. 10. Here are 10 good reasons to check out one of the city’s best annual events before it is too late.

Food event What's On The Table raises $280K for The Stop

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This past rain-drenched Wednesday, over 500 well-heeled patrons of food trekked out to Moss Park to attend What’s On The Table, a benefit for The Stop. The proceeds from the annual fundraiser support the Stop Community Food Centre’s anti-hunger programs. Between ticket sales, a silent and a live auction the sold-out event managed to raise $280,000 to fight urban hunger.

Theatre review: The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble

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Art isn’t always suppose to be easy. That’s my first and most powerful thought after witnessing the Factory Theatre’s latest offering The Gravitation Pull of Bernice Trimble, which opened last night. Indeed, at times the best art pokes and prods us into going somewhere deep and dark and makes us deal with it in whatever way we see fit. Hopefully, if it works, these moments are accompanied by some brief glimpse of clarity or enlightenment. And for that alone I can recommend this powerful work by playwright Beth Graham.

Online music project chronicles city's history one track at a time

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In 2004, Canadian hip hop artist k-os became world famous, with his song “Crabbuckit.” The accompanying video had him strolling down a Toronto street, the city’s iconic green and orange Beck taxicabs and fire-red TTC streetcars rolling behind him, with a guitar on hand. The song itself is Canadian music history, winning a Juno for Single of the Year, and was unique in how prominently it featured Yonge Street in the lyrics.