Urban Planner: March 5, 2013

Today: free lunchtime dance from Ballet Creole, Miranda Mulholland starts a month-long residency at Cameron House, TV Trivia Night takes on Seinfeld, and much more.

By Jessica Buck , and Steve Fisher

Sharron Matthews. Photo by Tracey Nolan.

• Dance: Spend your lunch hour with Ballet Creole and their new drum and dance production, courtesy of the Canadian Opera Company. Tounkande, which means “the gathering of people,” celebrates the cultural heritage of the Malinke people. Elements from the drummers' backgrounds are infused into the production, which combines songs, dances, and rhythms of Guinea, West Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (145 Queen Street West), 12:00 pm, FREE.
• Music: Miranda Mulholland, the redheaded "Fiddle Ninja" from Great Lake Swimmers and Belle Star, has spent the last few years between Toronto and Los Angeles, writing and recording a solo album. Now she's sharing her new tunes during a month-long residency with her band of Toronto friends: Patrick Brealey (piano), James Robertson (guitar), Burke Carroll (pedal steel), Anna Ruddick (bass), and Josh Van Tassel (drums). She plays every Tuesday in March. Cameron House (408 Queen Street West), 6:00 pm, PWYC.
• Trivia: You can never remember what to pick up from the grocery store, but you can recite every '90s sitcom line by line. Does this sound familiar? Well friend, tonight is your time to shine as the Gladstone hosts TV Trivia Night, the Seinfeld edition. Come alone, or with a team of up to six people, and get ready to answer questions to win both prizes and prestige. Special treats will be given to those who dress up. Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), 7:00 pm, FREE.
• Performing Arts: The vocal coach on Global's Canada Sings! and an international cabaret superstar, Sharron Matthews plays a two-night stand at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, where she's an artist in residence. Full Dark will showcase new songs and stories by the wisecracking diva, backed by a three-piece band. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street), 8:00 pm, $20.
• Theatre: World Stage presents Lear, a retelling of Shakespeare's tale of family, legacy, and tragedy, with Canadian legend Clare Coulter in the title role and director Philip McKee. Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West), 8:00 pm, $15-$30.
• Music: The Bourbonite Regret Society of Toronto, a rapscallion group of musicians who dabble in spirits and country-infused music, is holding its second official party. BRST members The Old Salts also happen to be celebrating the release of their Blue Collar EP. They'll be performing, along with fellow BRST member Mikey Chuck Rivers, and friends The Most Loyal and Gavin Slate. The Piston (937 Bloor Street West), 8:00 pm, $5.
• Theatre: The Canadian premiere of Ashlin Halfnight's Laws of Motion, about an accident that sparks a chain reaction of events, boasts a powerhouse ensemble assembled by Small Elephant Co-Op and director Chris Stanton, and is staged in a second-floor jam shop in Leslieville. Update, March 12: The show has now been extended to March 23—but they absolutely have to close after that. Jam Factory Company (2 Matilda Street), 8:00 pm, $23.53.
• Theatre: One of Canada's most acclaimed and prolific young playwrights, Hannah Moscovitch, has her own mini festival at Tarragon Theatre this season. It started with This is War in January, and continues into March with three one-act plays, all concerning children. Two of those three plays form the double bill now on: Little One and Other People's Children. (We've got a full review right here.) Later this month Other People's Children will continue, paired with another one-act piece called In This World. Tarragon Theatre (30 Bridgman Avenue), 8:00 pm, $13–$53.
• Music: Sunparlour Players, a Torontonian folk-rock institution, is taking over the Dakota Tavern every Tuesday in March to debut some new songs and bring new life to the older ones. They'll be joined by a different guest act every week, including Emilie Mover, Milk & Honey, Kate Rogers Band, and many more. Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington Avenue), 9:00 pm, $10.