events
Urban Planner: September 22, 2011
In today's Urban Planner: Parents rally against a proposal to cut daycare services; a dance group searches for the path between life and death; NYC's famous urban renewal project is the subject of a lecture here; a back-to-school charity event offers food, wine, and music; and Tennessee Williams gets a theatrical tribute.
Dance-theatre work "from thine eyes" opens tonight. Photo by Scarlet O'Neill.
BUDGET CUTS: As Rob Ford continues to hunt for every last drop of the city’s “gravy,” a group of Toronto parents and citizens who are worried about losing spots in City-run daycares have come up with a solution: open a daycare in the mayor’s office! Stop the Cuts is organizing a morning rally to save existing facilities and invites parents to bring their children for “snack and circle time” with Uncle Ford. Nathan Phillips Square, near the doors to City Hall (100 Queen Street West), 9:30 a.m.–11 a.m., FREE.
ENVIRONMENT: Turning forgotten urbanized regions into renewed public spaces has long been on the agenda of environmentalists. So the huge popularity that New York City’s High Line, which just finished this year, comes as no surprise. Patrick Cullina, a former vice-president of the High Line project, will stop by the Toronto Botanical Garden’s lecture series for a talk on what it took to bring this park to life. TBG’s Floral Hall (777 Lawrence Avenue East), 6:30 p.m., $20 (tickets sold at door only).
DANCE: “Lift the veil from thine eyes.” This Quran passage inspired the title of DanceWorks’ latest performance piece, from thine eyes. Set in the space between the living and the dead, its characters search for the truth in themselves, unable to make the passage to the next life until they can remove the “blindfold” that keeps them chained to their own reality. Harbourfront Centre (231 Queens Quay West), runs September 22 to 24, 8 p.m., ticket prices vary.
CHARITY: The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse is welcoming the return of the school year with a night of treats, Niagara wine, and local music. In addition, there will also be a Victorian-era lecture in the old classroom and a silent auction. All proceeds from the event go to the Send A Kid To School project, which provides free educational programming for local children. Enoch Turner Schoolhouse (106 Trinity Street), 6 p.m.–9 p.m., $40.
THEATRE: Naming a play HIS GREATNESS (in all caps no less) can invite certain expectations. Luckily, Daniel MacIvor’s tale about the playwright Tennessee Williams has been delivering on all fronts, scooping up much acclaim and awards in the process. Now hitting Toronto, the play explores Williams’ 1980 visit to Vancouver for the premiere of his play The Red Devil Battery Sign. Factory Studio Theatre, (125 Bathurst Street), runs September 22 to October 23, times and ticket prices vary.
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].