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Urban Planner: March 11, 2011
Urban Planner is Torontoist’s guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every weekday morning, and in a weekend edition Friday afternoons. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to [email protected].
From left to right, Martin Julien, Keith Barker, Paula-Jean Prudat, and David Storch in Tombs of The Vanishing Indian, which opened last night at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Photo by Nir Bareket.
In today’s Urban Planner, a delight for dog lovers (no dogs allowed, though); a photographic reminder of the institutionalized injustice of this summer’s G20 arrests; a theatrical reminder of the institutionalized injustice of the twentieth century’s First Nations displacement; and the best of the Toronto Sketch Fest at Second City, for one (late) night only.
DOGS: We here at Torontoist have learned our lesson: we ignore cute dogs and puppies at our peril. So to those of you who can’t imagine anything more fun than spending the day watching show-quality pooches demonstrate skills, breeding, and just plain adorableness, you’ll want to check out the Purina National Dog Show, which opens today and runs all weekend. It’s a charity event benefiting the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation, so it’s even for a good cause. One caveat; only invited dogs will be admitted, so you’ll have to leave your own cute but unpedigreed mutt at home. International Centre (6900 Airport Road), 10 a.m–5 p.m, $6–$10.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Earlier this week, we wrote about Brett Gundlock’s new photography exhibit, Prisoners, which focuses on detainees of the G20 protests (including many who weren’t protesting). The exhibit had a private opening last night, but as of today it’s open for public viewing, and runs through the end of the month. Communication Art Gallery (209 Harbord Street), 12–8 p.m., FREE.
THEATRE: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is playing host to Native Earth and Red Diva Projects‘ co-production of Tombs of the Vanishing Indian, which opened last night. The new play reunites director Yvette Nolan and playwright Marie Clements, who last collaborated on The Unnatural and Accidental Women (also at Buddies). Nolan recently stepped down as artistic director of Native Earth; she’s focused her efforts on this show about displaced First Nations women of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street), 8 p.m., PWYC.
COMEDY: It’s awfully difficult to put into words just how and why sketch trio Falcon Powder is funny (though troupe member Kurt Smeaton has been doing a pretty good job all week). Deadpan Powerpoint is a little more self-explanatory, though anyone who hasn’t seen them can’t possibly anticipate the hilarity that can be milked from an Excel presentation. And Reverse Oreo gives you a decent idea of the troupe’s sensibilities (you can pick them out on the poster for the Facebook event). All three troupes were big winners at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival last year, and they’re getting a big encore on the Second City stage late tonight. Second City (51 Mercer Street), 11 p.m., $15.
CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK: It’s on, and it’s full of more music than you can handle. Keep an eye out at 11 a.m. every day between now and Sunday, when we’ll be publishing our list of the night’s best picks.
We originally listed the ticket price for Tombs of the Vanishing Indian as $25. In fact, tonight’s performance is PWYC.