Not even performances from acclaimed musicians like Diana Krall and a healthy dose of optimism could save the nascent BlackCreek Summer Music Festival from stiffing performers. Sure, one obvious explanation for the festival’s malfeasance is that noted financial fraudster Garth Drabinsky provided the artistic direction while out on bail. But it’s really more complicated than that. The Toronto Star reports that the festival was also bogged down by poor ticket sales and crummy weather. Now performers and businesses claim the festival owes them over $100,000 in late payments. A spokesperson for the festival attributed the late payments to poor ticket sales, complications with a credit card–processing company and trouble with financing. “Art festivals take time to become mainstays,” he said. Yes, that’s true. It’s just too bad most creditors don’t take payment in the form of, um, time. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »
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Apparently, there are some ceremonial events Rob Ford will attend and there are some ceremonial events Rob Ford won’t attend. The former includes gay festivals in Toronto, while the latter includes ostensibly straight athletic events in Mexico. In other words, the mayor confirmed on Friday that he would, indeed, show up to the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, where he’ll take part in a sort-of torch-passing ceremony between the current host and Toronto, which is hosting the games in 2015. Ford’s decision was a bit of a nail-biter—he hadn’t confirmed his attendance as of late last week, and snubbing a major event like this certainly wouldn’t be out of character. Then again, the Pan Am Games should feature less glitter than the Pride Parade, so Ford can rest easy. And in typical Fordian fashion, he’ll be paying for the trip out with his own money. Read the entire story [Globe and Mail] »
The Weekender: Nuit Blanche, Spring Awakening and six other items on our to-do list
The Weekender: Nuit Blanche, Spring Awakening and the High Park Harvest Festival
1. NUIT BLANCHE (FREE)
We wish good luck to those who aim to see all there is to see at this year’s sundown–to–sun-up contemporary arts fest, but for those who are a little less ambitious more realistic, we offer our picks from the 134 installations on the schedule: The Feast of Trimalchio, a video installation that reimagines Petronius’s Satyricon (Zone A); The Heart Machine by Christine Irving, an interactive sculpture that shoots fire (Zone B); and TIFF Movie Studio Playhouse, which allows visitors to create film shorts that will be projected on the Lightbox atrium wall (Zone C). October 1. Various locations, scotiabanknuitblanche.ca. Check out our expanded 2011 Nuit Blanche guide »
2. SPRING AWAKENING Read the rest of this entry »
Spring Awakening is a musical take on Frank Wedekind’s controversial play of the same name, originally banned when it was written in 1892. It’s a coming-of-age tale set in small-town Germany in the late 1800s and follows a group of teens as they discover their own sexuality. Due to adult themes, we do not recommend bringing your children. To October 8. $45–$60. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave., 416-915-6747, lowerossingtontheatre.com.
Venice vs. TIFF fashion showdown, Madonna edition
Her Royal Majesty the Queen of Pop—that’s right, ladies and gentlemen, Madonna—screened her second directorial feature at both the Venice and Toronto film festivals this year, and, of course, walked the red carpet at each one. Her film, W.E., goes back and forth in time, exploring a pair of relationships: Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward VIII’s affair in wartime England and a contemporary romance between a married woman and a Russian-American security guard. While the movie juxtaposes the two love stories, we’d rather juxtapose Madonna’s outfit choices. Madge was black-tie ready in Venice with a custom-made floor-length grey gown covered in red butterflies by Italian designer Vionnet. In Toronto, Madonna went with a classic but much more pared-down look: a black Tom Ford dress with lace overlay (offset by her dramatic red lips). For our part, we prefer her ensemble for the Toronto screening: clean lines and a lack of insects just works. What do you think?
Loading ...(Images: Madonna at Venice—Ian Gavan/ Getty Images Entertainment/ Getty Images; Madonna at TIFF—Christopher Drost)
Today in Toronto: Southside Shuffle, Vegetarian Food Festival and more
Southside Shuffle This 13-year-old festival once again takes over Memorial Park, even colonizing nearby Lakeshore Road for Street Shuffle (Sept. 10), which will see the street, patios and doorsteps transformed into performance spaces. Find out more »
Vegetarian Food Festival Herbivores, omnivores and even carnivores are sure to find something to tickle their taste buds at the largest vegetarian fair in North America. Find out more »
¡Patria o Libertad! This show—named, ironically, after a Chilean authoritarian group from the ’70s—uses video to investigate the meaning of patriotism and its often ugly manifestations on the world stage. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: Nagata Shachu, Fan Expo Canada and more
Axé Capoeira Capoeira, a Brazilian dance form, looks like the love child of breakdancing and mixed martial arts. This Toronto outpost has been teaching and demonstrating catch-your-breath moves since 2006, showcasing flips, spins and a kaleidoscope of limbs set to an irresistible beat. Find out more »
Fan Expo Canada Fan boys and girls go crazy for the behemoth of a convention honouring the best in sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming and comic books. This year’s celeb guests include John Waters, Elvira, Tom Felton (a.k.a. Harry Potter bad boy Draco Malfoy), Lee Majors and cartoonist Jeff Smith. Find out more »
Buskerfest Magicians, daredevils, acrobats and mimes (the butts of busking jokes worldwide) flog their wares streetside at this weekend-long fest. Find out more »
Nagata Shachu Taiko drummers are a perfect fit for the open air, and this Toronto troupe, with its drums, flutes, gongs and bells, seems to engage the environment rather than subdue it. Find out more »
Early Nuit Blanche announcements: art, lots of it, at night
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The program for the sixth annual Nuit Blanche (we prefer to leave out the annoying Scotiabank prefix) was announced today, giving us precisely a month and a half to physically and mentally prepare for the Oct. 1 all-nighter. This year, the nocturnal art fest will feature 134 projects from over 500 local and international artists, spread out all over the city. We’re excited to find out what some of the intriguingly vague descriptions of the pieces actually mean. (If Flightpath Toronto’s invitation to “participate in the possibilities and wonder of urban flight” is referring to anything like this, we’re there.) Check out some of this year’s just-revealed exhibitions after the jump.
Today in Toronto: ‘Da Kink in My Hair, Power of Women and more
Dance: Made in Canada Local dance giants Yvonne Ng, James Kudelka and Peggy Baker all have a hand in this biennial festival, which stages contemporary pieces from across the country. Find out more »
Power of Women Several of America’s brightest and blondest women get their Oprah on for an all-day conference promising laughter, tears and inspiration. Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Suzanne Somers and others tackle topics such as leadership, career growth and health, offering advice to ladies itching to be the best they can be. Find out more »
The Homecoming Stratford does Harold Pinter for the first time in this messy drama about a particularly screwed-up brood led by a particularly brutish patriarch (Brian Dennehy). Find out more »
’Da Kink in My Hair When ’Da Kink debuted at the Fringe in 2001, those stories—gentle, sad, uproarious—and the women telling them captivated audiences, eventually leading to a splashy Mirvish production and a television series. This month, it gets a rejig with new music and characters. Find out more »
The Weekender: Cirque du Soleil’s Totem, Britney Spears and six other items on our to-do list
The Weekender: Cirque Du Soleil, Britney Spears and Da Kink in My Hair
1. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: TOTEM
Cirque du Soleil’s latest touring show, Totem, traces the “evolution of humankind”— but don’t expect hard science. Considering the stage looks like a giant turtle and there are lots of acrobatics, pyrotechnics and seriously sparkly costumes, we’re thinking it’s more magic and high fantasy than high school biology. Aug. 10 to Oct. 9. $65–$265. Under the Grand Chapiteau, Port Lands, cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem.
2. FORTUNE COOKING FOOD FESTIVAL (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
How we feel about this annual pan-Asian food fest is how we feel about most of the summer’s food festivals: we like the musical and dance performances, but we like eating more. There’s an entire series of events entirely about dumplings! Also on our radar: the (Not) Just Desserts market, which features sweets and treats from across Asia, a Tai Chi performance, Yakudo drumming and a weekend-long Iron Chef–style competition. Aug. 12 to 14. Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.ca.
Today in Toronto: Irie Music Festival and Israel in Egypt
Irie Music Festival This family-friendly fest offers various events at Nathan Phillips Square, Yonge-Dundas Square and Queen’s Park and features world music, dance, spoken word and, of course, food. All ages. Find out more »
Israel in Egypt This Handel oratorio, which tells the famous story of how Moses led his people out of servitude in Egypt, is a magnificent canvas for the composer’s extraordinary musical scene painting. Find out more »
Today in Toronto: George S. Zimbel and the Tirgan Iranian Festival
George S. Zimbel This Montreal-based photographer has shot everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Pierre Trudeau, and his artwork sells for $2000-$10,000. Find out more »
Tirgan Iranian Festival The world’s largest Iranian fest—named after an ancient rain festival—fetes all things Persian through music, dance, art, lit and cinema. Find out more »
The Weekender: The Glass Menagerie, Blue Man Group and six other events on our to do list
Brazilfest, Gemma James Smith in The Glass Menagerie and Motorhead at Heavy T.O.
1. THE GLASS MENAGERIE
Tennessee William’s classic play about the Wingfield family —and, most notably, the introverted, figurine-obsessed Laura—was his big break, though it didn’t come until he was in his early 30s, had failed three attempts at university and suffered one mental breakdown. The play is narrated by Laura’s brother Tom, and one of its claims to fame is the fact that it’s one of the first real “memory plays,” where a main character tells the story while reflecting on the past. Actors Gemma James-Smith, Stuart Hughes, Jeff Lillico and Nancy Palk fill out Soulpepper’s cast for The Glass Menagerie. July 20 to September 10. $28–$65. Soulpepper Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill St., Bldg. 49, 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.
2. BRAZILFEST (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
This celebration of all things Brazil features everything necessary for a cultural festival: a fun lineup of singers (including rising stars Diogo Snow and Juliana Caputo Capuleto), samba and salsa dancers, a marketplace with traditional crafts on offer and—of course—plenty of good things to eat. We’re already planning our dinner of Brazilian BBQ and several caipirinhas. July 24. Earlscourt Park, brazilfest.ca.
Giorgio Mammoliti gives up the fight against Pride funding—and launches new attack on all “political” festivals
The saga of Giorgio Mammoliti’s fight against funding Pride Toronto—which began with disputes about the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and continued with the somewhat odd (some called it creepy) sight of Mammoliti videotaping the Dyke March during this year’s Pride Week—is over for now. The York West councillor says he’ll accept that the city can’t take back the money it promised Pride just because he found three examples of speech he doesn’t like.
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SummerWorks festival—home of last year’s “terrorist-glorifying” play—loses federal funding
Lwam Ghebrehariat in Homegrown. (Image: SummerWorks)
SummerWorks, the annual summertime independent theatre festival, announced yesterday on its blog that it has lost its federal funding for this year’s edition. With just 38 days until the festival begins, Heritage Canada has withdrawn its monetary support, representing a loss of about 20 per cent of the festival’s budget. In an attempt to make up the difference in a short period of time, festival artistic producer Michael Rubenfeld urged supporters online to donate $21 to help SummerWorks celebrate its 21st season of collaborative art. This all follows the controversy last year over Catherine Frid’s play Homegrown, about the life of Shareef Abdelhaleem, one of the so-called “Toronto 18.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Get set for the onslaught: the 2011 Summerlicious restaurants have been announced
Now that we’ve had a few days in a row without rainfall, it seems only fitting that Summerlicious menus were announced today. The city’s prix fixe extravaganza runs from July 8 to 24, and economical epicures can start flooding restaurant voicemail boxes with reservation requests starting June 23 (or June 21 if you’ve got an Amex card).
The ground rules for this ninth edition of the festival are the same as last year’s, with lunch menus are available for $15, $20 and $25, and dinner for $25, $35 and $45. Once again, 150 restaurants are participating. Check out our 63 best bets »
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