events
Urban Planner: January 27, 2012
In today's UP: Monologists compete for top TO bragging rights; comedic wits at The Panel Show podcast taping; Wavelength 533 features familiar faces in new bands; Bonjay DJ Songs: a Dance Party; and Design Week continues.
Bonjay are the guest DJs for the first Songs: A Dance Party of 2012. Photo by Erika Walls.
THEATRE: Y’all know how actors usually land jobs, right? They queue with a bunch of other people to get up in front of a panel and do a couple of minutes of material they think best showcases their chops. Some people actually enjoy the often humiliating audition process—and they’re the ones taking part in tonight’s Toronto Monologue Slam. Contestants will be looking to wrestle the “slam champ” belt from Kristian Bruun, the defending title holder from the first edition of the “monologue-off.” Trane Studio (964 Bathurst Street), 7 p.m., $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
COMEDY: At the Comedy Bar Festival of New Formats earlier this month, there were a few standout shows among the many duds. One of these was a current affairs style panel show featuring, among others, Picnicface‘s Evany Rosen and stand-up comic Ron Sparks. The two are both on The Panel Show tonight, joined by Deadpan Powerpoint‘s Mike Kiss; host Ned Petrie will be taping the proceedings for a podcast. Comedy Bar (945 Bloor Street West), 8 p.m., $5.
MUSIC: The Wavelength guys have their big 12th annual festival coming up next month, but they’re still busily curating one-night-only editions of the storied alternative music series, like tonight’s Wavelength 533, with bands Thieves, Giant Hand, and Holiday Rambler. (Thieves features Wayne Petti from Cuff the Duke, and Holiday Rambler boasts D. Alex Meeks, drummer for Hooded Fang.) Placebo Space (1409 Bloor Street West), doors at 8:30 p.m., $5.
PARTY: Alanna and Ian (who together are dance hall phenoms Bonjay) have the coveted spot behind the decks for the first Songs: a Dance Party of 2012. The duo are so excited to get the crowd jumping at the Young Lions Music Club event, they’ve already put together a sample mixtape of the sort of tunes they plan on playing. Sneaky Dee’s (431 College Street West), 10 p.m., $5.
DESIGN WEEK: Toronto Design Week 2012 runs from January 23–29, and has a multitude of related events under its loosely defined umbrella. The Toronto Design Offsite Festival collects many of them together on its site, including events at the Design Exchange and Gladstone Hotel; Do Design 2012 has events along Dundas Street West from January 26–29, and the week crescendos with the Interior Design Show 2012 from January 26–29. Design Edge Canada has many of the week’s highlights listed here.
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].