Seems like it's just bad news piled upon bad news for the city's small theatres this fall... - First, falling closely on the heels of the closings of the Tim Sims Playhouse and the Poor Alex, Artword Theatre is told to vacate the premises of 75 Portland St by March (Hello condos!); - Then, the Great Hall at Dovercourt and Queen went on sale, putting the Theatre Centre's future in doubt (Hello condos?); - Now,......

T.J. Dawe all sold out? Too hot to brave the notoriously AC-free Glen Morris? Or maybe you just have a peckish hour to kill between shows? If your Fringing is confined to the central axis of Bloor and Brunswick (the Tranzac, aka Fringe HQ; Poor Alex; Royal St. George’s; and several BYOVs), it’s impossible to walk three feet without falling mouth first into good eats, but patrons of slightly farther flung venues might occasionally feel......

This week's weeklies point us to few concerts of musical and cultural import, namely, the Over The Top Fest. Torontoist would just like to emphasize this: The music kicks off tonight with found-sound bad boys The Books at the Abbas-Mo (464 Spadina), New York Times favourites Mice Parade at the Poor Alex (296 Brunswick), and By Divine Right headlining at Sneaks (431 College). The rest of the weekend includes MC Paul Barman, Amy Millan, Republic......

Perhaps you've seen those sneaky ads for Virgin Mobile on the subway lately? You know, the ones that masquerade as public service ads about STDs and implore you to visit www.curethecatch.ca? Well, Catch 23 has absolutely nothing to do with those irritating advertisements! No siree, Catch 23 is a weekly improv competition that takes place at Clinton's Tavern (corner of Clinton and Bloor) every Monday night. This week is an extra-special one for the funnymen......

Sketch comedy troupe Better than Shakespeare may not really be superior to our man Shakes, but they are damn funny. This Montreal-based quintet rocked the Tim Sims Playhouse this fall and now they're back again Friday and Saturday at the Poor Alex. Torontoist e-mailed ringleader Dan Beirne (who used to write the Waiting for Nathan column at tangmonkey) to ask a few pertinent questions about the dark, dry stylings of BTS. How long has......

For the past two and a half months, actress Hilary Doyle has been playing Matt Damon in Matt & Ben, which is closing for good this Sunday at the Poor Alex. The little off-Broadway play that could has been a surprise success in its Toronto incarnation this fall, playing to solid houses and being extended twice. Last week, National Post theatre critic Robert Cushman wrote of this celebrity-hilarity that it is "still the best in......

There are three plays currently on stage in Toronto where actors play the roles of actual celebrities. According to the rule of three, that means it is officially a trend. We've got Matt & Ben, over at the Poor Alex, where comediennes Jane Spence and Hilary Doyle act like actor Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, catering to the young folks who love to love-hate their fav celebs. Then, there's The Rat Pack at the......