Sometime this spring, city councillors will approve of a plan to revitalize a neglected area in Toronto’s east end. They just don’t know it yet. “It’s going to happen,” says Rachel Conduit. “It’s just going to be a lot of work. But I believe in my perseverance.” Conduit—whose surname rather aptly derives from the Latin [...]

Up until the morning of July 31, 2010, Catherine Frid's Homegrown was just another one of the 42 plays produced by The SummerWorks Theatre Festival that year. But mere days before the show was to open, it was thrust into the media's spotlight under the headline "Sympathy for the Devil." Suddenly, Homegrown was no longer just a developing piece about a woman's relationship with an accused terrorist associated with the Toronto 18—it became the city's symbol for the battle between artists and Conservative politics. This past Friday, almost a year later, an event to recuperate the losses of SummerWorks's unanticipated denial of government funding (commonly believed to be in direct response to the play itself), made Homegrown all of Canada's.

Tonight is going to be a good one: start off your evening at the Toronto Wine and Spirit Festival; soak up the atmosphere at the first night of a weekly outdoor film and music festival; check out the final show of a trio of Second City cast members, and witness one of the most talked-about fundraising events in Toronto. Amongst all that, Luminato events offer up even more fun.

In today’s Urban Planner: eat some more Italian food with the excuse that it’s Italy’s 150th birthday; check out some dramatic shots of Toronto burlesque performers; appreciate your urban forest; and see an artist’s interpretation of online dating profile pics.

In today’s Urban Planner: support the hungry in Toronto by satisfying your own hunger; learn about the economics of happiness; check out some off-beat comedy; and rock the nerd look at the Garrison.

In today’s Urban Planner: Schmooze with poets, show off your mad English skills, see some trashy short films, and test your knowledge of bar trivia.

In this edition of Weekend Planner: help out the library by expanding your own, experience the best Parkdale has to offer, get acquainted with the next generation of theatre artists, agitate on behalf of social assistance, or get a super-early headstart on Toronto Beer Week.

As the unofficial fansite of Roncesvalles' favourite success story (and one of the oldest operating movie theatres in this country), Torontoist is pleased to tell you about another exciting event being staged by the good folks at the Revue Film Society. This time, money will be going towards brand-new educational initiatives the theatre aims to have up and running in early 2008, including a film school for neighborhood kids. This particular event, starting at...

This what a bioterrorist looks like, according to the FBI. Dr. Steven Kurtz (right) is a Professor of Art at SUNY Buffalo and member of Critical Art Ensemble (CAE), an art and theatre collective co-founded by Kurtz and his late wife, Hope. In May 2004, the Kurtzes were preparing a piece called Free Range Grains, which allowed participants to test food for the presence of genetically modified organisms, when Hope died of heart failure...