events
Urban Planner: June 11, 2012
In today's Urban Planner: A march for First Nations children, a party for Praxis, a reading from Gloria Vanderbilt, some newsmaking comedy at the Alt. Dot, and Luminato continues.
Tommy Taylor will perform an excerpt from his G20-inspired play You Should Have Stayed Home at tonight's Praxis Theatre fundraising party. Photo by Will O'Hare.
WALK: The Our Dreams Matter Too campaign has organized thousands of walks taking place across Canada today, to bring attention to the ongoing plight of First Nations children, particularly with regards to their unequal access to education and social programs. In Toronto, the flagship walk goes from Grange Park to Queen’s Park, where letters to the PMO and MPs will be collected and sent en masse to the federal government. Grange Park (meet at John and Stephanie streets), 11 a.m., FREE.
PARTY: Activist-minded company Praxis Theatre promises a wide assortment of gourmet dishes at its summer party this evening, plus projection art by Lorena Torres, a musical performance by Local 164, and an excerpt from its acclaimed G20-inspired SummerWorks production You Should Have Stayed Home, performed by playwright Tommy Taylor. 358 Wellesley Street East, 6:30 p.m., $75 (cheaper artist rates in advance.)
READING: The Authors at Harbourfront Centre series is winding up its 38th season this month with a number of special events, including tonight’s appearance by Gloria Vanderbilt. The poet, novelist, and New York Times contributor will be interviewed by the Globe and Mail‘s Siri Agrell and will read from her latest short story collection, The Things We Fear Most. Harbourfront York Quay Centre (235 Queens Quay West), 7:30 p.m., $10 (FREE for members, students, youth 25 and under with ID).
COMEDY: Debra DiGiovanni, one of Canada’s top stand-up comics, was recently smeared by a poorly researched National Post article positing that women must appear “undesirable” to succeed as comics. She’s already retorted in a radio interview, but tonight’s AltDot Comedy Lounge show is her first local set since the hatchet job. Also on the bill: Rhiannon Archer (who had an interesting email exchange with the National Post writer over the offending article), and recent Canadian Comedy Award nominees Mark Little and Dave Merheje. The Rivoli (334 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., PWYC.
LUMINATO: Toronto’s multidisciplinary arts fest is celebrating its sixth installment this summer, and though the calendar feels a bit more sparse than previous years, there’s a lot of good stuff to check out. Here are some events that look especially promising.
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].