Urban Planner: May 9, 2013

In today's Urban Planner: the ROM talks about life in 2030, a comedy classic of the silent screen plays with live piano accompaniment, and Night of the Living Dead Live continues.

By Torontoist

Nug Nahrgang, Andrew Fleming, and Darryl Hinds fight off ghouls while Gwynne Phillips looks on anxiously in Night of the Living Dead Live. Photo by David Goodfellow.

• Talks: Ever wondered what the future will look like? What will the year 2030 be like for someone who was born today? A talk at the ROM called “Life in 2030” offers the chance to “discuss the future with the people who are creating it.” The talk features a number of professors from various Toronto universities, as well as moderator Ivan Semeniuk, science correspondent for The Globe and Mail. Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queens Park), 6:30 p.m., Free. Details
• Art: Looking for a relaxing way to spend the almost-end of the week? Lost At Sea, An Evening of Magical Things offers a line-up of readings, presentations, film, and many other forms of cultural entertainment in the heart of Kensington Market. Among the highlights are readings by David Keyes (who is launching his new book I Do So Worry For All Those Lost At Sea) and Liisa Ladouceur (journalist and author), as well as a musical performance by a mystery String Quartet. Click here to see the full line-up. Augusta House (152 Augusta Avenue), 7:30 p.m., FREE. Details
• Film: If you’re looking for a twist on the movie-going experience, and perhaps eager for a taste of the ’20s, you might want to consider this screening of the 1923 silent comedy classic, “Safety Last!” (starring Harold Lloyd). The twist? You’ll get to watch it with a live piano score from composer, Robert Bruce. Take that new Great Gatsby film. St. Paul’s United Church (427 Bloor Street West), 8 p.m., $15. Details

Ongoing…

• Photography: David Kaufman’s Early Sunday Morning photography exhibit simultaneously celebrates the heritage of Toronto’s architecture, while pleading for its preservation, in the face of gentrification and condo development. The building facades and structures, rich in texture and colour, are each captured at their most beautiful—basking in the light of early morning. Twist Gallery (1100 Queen Street West), 11 a.m., FREE. Details
• Film: Students of Ryerson’s School of Image Arts showcase their thesis works at The Ryerson University Film Festival (RUFF). Twenty short films, varying in theme and style, will be screened over the course of two nights. Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), 7 p.m., $12 or $20 for two-night pass. Details
• Theatre: Fans of the seminal 1968 horror-film classic, Night of the Living Dead, will delight in Night of the Living Dead Live, a new theatrical production of the story. Despite a weak second act, it’s a fun black-and-white romp with some inventive deaths—and even a chipper musical number. Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace (16 Ryerson Avenue), 7:30 p.m., $20–$80. Details
• Comedy: The Toronto Comedy Brawl is in the middle of a growth spurt. Despite humble beginnings, Ian Atlas’ amateur competition has grown from 64 participants to, this year, a few hundred. The Crown and Tiger (414 College Street), 8 p.m., $5. Details
• Theatre: Life x 3 presents the tale of Henry and Sonia, who have to deal with a couple that unexpectedly shows up to dinner a day early. The best part? In this play, you get to see three different versions of the evening’s events. Directed by Andrew Lamb (My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding). Unit 102 Theatre (376 Dufferin Street), 8 p.m., $25, $20 for students, seniors, and art workers. Details
• Theatre: Falsettos, a groundbreaking and Tony Award–winning musical, comes to town for a short run, presented by The Acting Up Stage Company. The story takes us to New York City in 1979, where the Sexual Revolution is hot, AIDS is on the rise, and Marvin, a husband and father, has decided to leave his family for a man. Directed by Robert McQueen and starring Darrin Baker, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Sarah Gibbons, Michael Levinson, Eric Morin, Stephen Patterson, and Glynis Ranney. Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas Street East), 8 p.m., $39-$55. Details
• Theatre: David Yee examines life’s interconnectivity in Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave. The play follows an escort in Thailand, a housewife in Utah, and a Catholic priest in India, and how their lives are simultaneously brought together and torn apart by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Tarragon Theatre (30 Bridgman Avenue), 8 p.m., $21-$53. Details
• Theatre: Mick Gordon’s BEA tells the story of a young woman suffering from a debilitating illness that has left her bedridden for eight years. She needs someone to feed her, wash her, dress her. But she still controls her right to live or die; a decision with which she struggles. BEA features performances from Bahareh Yaraghi, Deborah Drakeford, and Brendan McMurtry-Howlett. Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street), 8 p.m., $10-$25. Details
• Theatre: Fly By Night Theatre Company has put a modern twist on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The dual love story now takes place in Toronto in 2011, against the backdrop of the federal election, as soldiers return home from Afghanistan. Proceeds from the show go to Royal Seed Needy Home, an orphanage in Ghana. Young People’s Theatre Studio Space (165 Front Street East), 8 p.m., $20, $18 for Students and Seniors. Details
• Theatre: Written and directed by Maya Rabinovitch, I Will Not Hatch! features a cast of 10 actors telling the darkly comic story of how a number of passengers react when their airplane begins losing altitude. It’s a remount of their earlier Fringe show, which sold out house and earned praise in both Toronto and Winnipeg. Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley Street), 8 p.m., $15. Details
• Theatre: If you’ve been paying attention to musical theatre news over the past two years, you know that The Book of Mormon has a passionate and devout following of fans who swear it’s the long-awaited saviour of the artform. The show won nine Tonys in 2011, the cast recording reached number three on the Billboard chart, and tickets for its Broadway run are rare and expensive. Princess of Wales Theatre (300 King Street West), 8 p.m., Prices vary. Details

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 us with all the details (including images, if you’ve got any), ideally at least a week in advance.