Urban Planner: September 30, 2008

MUSIC: Tonight's No Shame music showcase is over at the Silver Dollar Room, and will serve as a Pop Montréal preview for those lucky enough to attend the festival this weekend (and presumably as some sort of compensation for those who are not). Toronto favourite the Rural Alberta Advantage will be playing, along with the similarly indie pop groups Hooded Fang and Mt. Royal. The Silver Dollar Room (486 Spadina Avenue), 9 p.m., $7.

LECTURE: Contemporary artist ORLAN is currently the third artist-in-residence in OCAD's Nomadic Residents program. The multi-faceted performer and artist will be giving a free public lecture tonight at OCAD about art history since the 1960s. Ontario College of Art and Design Auditorium (100 McCaul Street), 6:30 p.m., FREE.

WORDS: The Art Bar Poetry Series returns tonight to Clinton's Tavern. Tonight's edition of the weekly poetry-only reading series features three poets: Globe and Mail columnist R.M. Vaughan will celebrate the release of his new poetry book, Troubled; Marilyn Gear Pilling will be reading from her 2007 poetry book, Cleavage: A Life in Breasts; and Eric Miller will be there to promote his new release, The Day in Moss. Clinton's (693 Bloor Street West), 8 p.m., FREE (with optional donation).

THEATRE: Today marks the opening of Theatre Passe Muraille's forty-first Season. To kick things off, Gemini Award–winning comedian Andy Jones will be performing his one-man show, An Evening with Uncle Val, from tonight until October 19. Jones is best known for his theatrical and televised work with comedy troupe CODCO. Theatre Passe Muraille Main Space (16 Ryerson Avenue), $15.

Photo of the Rural Alberta Advantage by Marc Hodges from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.