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Urban Planner: April 13, 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].
Alias Dance Project presents The First LP. (Back row L–R) Sarah Yu, Gita Harris, Lauren Cook, Andrea Spaziani; (front row L–R) Geordan Coupland, Meghan Cafferky. Photo courtesy of E. S. Cheah.
In today’s Urban Planner: a fun-filled night to raise awareness about prostate cancer in black communities, a play about science, two dance shows, and an evening of book readings from great authors, including Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud.
FUNDRAISER: Everyone can agree that prostate cancer is no laughing matter. However, Sway Magazine is putting on a night full of laughter and entertainment called Santé Soirée in support of this great cause. The benefit aims to break down barriers surrounding prostate cancer in black communities by bringing together some of Canada’s hottest performers. Juno Award–winning artist Divine Brown and comedian Trixx will co-host, and the evening will feature performances from a variety of artists. Caribbean-fusion food and complimentary cocktails are sure to keep the crowd happy at the beginning of the night. Ticket prices include a donation to Prostate Cancer Canada and a subscription to Sway Magazine. Embassy Nightclub (117 Peter Street), 7:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m., $20.
SCIENCE: Were you a Bill Nye the Science Guy fan growing up? If so, you may want to visit “Let Newton Be!” a dramatization of the life and times of Sir Isaac Newton presented by the University of Toronto Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, along with the Department of Physics. Drawing on the writings of Newton and his contemporaries, the play sets the war between science and religion as the background for Newton’s personal struggles. Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West), 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., $15–$25.
ARTS: Tonight, Alias Dance Project opens its first full-length presentation with The First LP, a contemporary dance show featuring projects by some of Canada’s best choreographers, including Heidi Strauss, Apolonia Velasquez, Solid State Breakdance, Troy Feldman AKA BBoy Whiplash, Valerie Calam, Meghan Cafferky, and Geordan Coupland. The presentation will feature group pieces as well as solos combining urban hip-hop dance styles—breakdance, popping and house—with contemporary forms. Lower Ossington Theatre (100A Ossington Avenue), 8:00 p.m., $20 (for tickets, call 416-204-1082).
ARTS: Hosted by Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Series, Canadian contemporary dance artist Louise Lecavalier returns to Toronto with the debut of her new company, Fou Glorieux. Lecavalier brings a program of duets, Children and A Few Minutes of Lock, to the Fleck Dance Theatre, April 13 through April 16, her first performances on a Toronto stage since 1999. Tickets are available online. Fleck Dance Theatre (207 Queens Quay West), 7:30 p.m., April 13–16, $15–$45 (discounts available for students and arts workers).
LITERATURE: The Authors at Harbourfront Centre series consistently features a lineup of award-winning authors and literary stars, and this week is no exception. Giller Prize–winning author Johanna Skibsrud will read from The Sentimentalists, and the evening will also feature Suzanne Desrochers reading from Bride of New France, and Antanas Sileika relating passages from Underground.
Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West), 7:30 p.m., $10 (or FREE for members, students, and youths 24 and under).