Independent theatre in Toronto spans plenty of genres—documentary, physical, clown, musical, monologue, abstract, and so on. But one genre it always tries to steer clear of is “safe.” To many people involved in making live performances, the art form is at its best when audiences feel a little uncomfortable. And so Free Fall ’12, The [...]

Behold, music fans: some favourite shots from this past week. Rub your eyes, take a big stretch, unplug your ears, and cut off your wristband—for the 2012 Canadian Music Week has come to an end, to the sadness of our dancing feet, but much to the relief of our sleep-deprived brains. We started out the [...]

It’s once, twice, three times the CMW, and here’s what’s going on tonight. BADBADNOTGOOD Wrongbar, 12 a.m. (1279 Queen Street West) Because their name is BADBADNOTGOOD, one could be forgiven for thinking that this jazz/rap trio, born out of the Humber jazz program, are very, very bad and not at all good. Then there’s, you [...]

How were yesterday’s shows at Canadian Music Week? Allow us to recap. Ben Caplan FROM: Halifax, NS (by way of Hamilton, ON) PERFORMED: Wednesday, 5 p.m. at The CN Tower’s 360 Restaurant Pre-Show Hype: There was some significant hype for this show, since it was part of an invite-only event inside the CN Tower, and [...]

And so it begins! Canadian Music Week, which is part of the Canadian Music Festival (CMW or CMF, respectively). Aren’t we excited? Well, aren’t we? Yes, this could be the first CMW in recorded history that won’t have coat checks or cursed umbrellas hindering intrepid concertgoers, and there’s a pretty great film docket and comedy [...]

As Toronto joyfully transitions from winter to spring, art lovers begin thinking about another type of season—the festival season. Right on cue, the sprawling beast of art, creativity, and crowds that is Luminato has released information about the programming for its sixth edition, taking place this June 8 to 17. This year will be the [...]

A trip from theatre to theatre in Toronto can feel like a trip around the world. So far this season, we’ve seen stories from Africa, India, Japan, Europe, the United States, Canadian aboriginal reserves…the list goes on. But while these plays offer windows into the lives of people and places halfway around the world, theatre-goers [...]

The internet is to Social Media Week Toronto what beer is to Homer Simpson: “The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” At last week’s series of over 100 workshops, lectures, interactive art installations, and even a game of hoops, that sense of dichotomy was the feeling among entrepreneurs jazzed about their new [...]

If you haven’t rung in the new year with a show at the Next Stage Theatre Festival yet, well, you could very well be alone. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the festival is having a smashing year: ticket sales are breaking records and the quality of the shows is consistently solid. Running until Sunday, January 15, [...]

After 42 plays and more than a dozen bands, the sun set on the 2011 SummerWorks Festival this past Sunday. And with about 20,000 audience members and 1,500 to 2,000 Music Series tickets sold, the 10-day celebration of progressive theatre, dance, and music seems to have weathered the storm of losing its government funding just fine.

SummerWorks! In case you haven't seen/heard/written that word enough in the past few weeks (because we certainly have), here it is again. SummerWorks! SummerWorks is one week away! Yes, there was a government funding crisis. Yes, it's allegedly because Stephen Harper and the Sun think the festival is sympathetic towards terrorists. Yes, now artists around the country are royally pissed, sparking a potential war between the Conservatives and the Creatives fought on the stage and in the media. Allegedly. And yes, all this is important. But let's not forget the real purpose of the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, shall we? The theatre (there's lots of music too, but we'll have more on that later).

Starting tonight, the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival is unleashing 145 comedic, dramatic, solo, dance, musical, and kid's plays unto the city. And while actors, directors, and designers have 31 theatrical venues to use as their own peculiar performative playgrounds, this year it's not only theatre artists who get to have all the fun. The first ever Visual Fringe is bringing the fest's signature oddball eccentricity to the visual art scene too.