Rochdale: Livin' the Dream Everyone’s heard tales of Rochdale College, Toronto’s infamous free-thinking, free-spirited, tuition-free college of the 60s. Residing in an 18-storey apartment building, it was Canada largest co-op housing program and a place for artistic exploration, political discussions, and ...Read More
It's rush hour. You’re packed onto the subway like sardines in a can (with the same tinned-fish smell…). You’re doing your best not to look anyone in the eye, carefully fixating on the floor as you drown out the world ...Read More
An acronym for the term “do it yourself” that came into use during the 1950s when home improvement became a cultural focus - you know, in a life before the condo boom when people were willing to do things themselves… Often ...Read More
Last month the Paprika Festival served up some spicy dishes. Founded by Anthony Furey in 2002, Tarragon Theatre’s annual festival provides a unique opportunity for young artists to meet and be mentored by experienced playwrights. It’s actually Toronto’s only free ...Read More
It’s always a pleasure when a performer takes a risk, when an artist throws him or herself into wholeheartedly into a project. It’s moments like this that make any kind of art exciting. It’s moments like this that have the ...Read More
Pedestrian: Pe-des-tri-an (Puh-des-tree-uhn) 1. Walkers, jaywalkers, car-less wonders. Frequently mistaken for new-age hippies; this stems from the ecological aspect of their actions, though the aforementioned hippies are typically the cyclists of the city. 2. Pedestrian is a term referring to those who ...Read More
Teatree 867 Danforth @ Jones Recently the boys (in this case referring to Matt Marshall and Colin Fallowfield) and I went shopping for an upcoming Theatre Bassaris show (more on that next month). After hours of trekking through the city in ...Read More
Most theatre practitioners (and thus I assume most theatre-goers) like to drink. For most of us it’s a bit of a hobby, so naturally when Mirvish announced that they’re allowing alcohol in their theatres this season I was excited. This ...Read More
‘Tis the season where commercialism and tinsel take over the city and people who are usually sane become superficially pious and even more obnoxious. The season where society expects you to see your family, even the distant relatives you don’t ...Read More
Lately, I’ve been considering the possibilities of the universe. Put aside your skeptical post-postmodernist deconstructionist thinking, and consider. Doesn’t it seem ludicrous to assume we know all there is to know about the universe? Despite scientific developments, what we know ...Read More
Apparently we’re prudes. I’m sorry girls, it’s true. Despite being able to use the c-word in public, watch violent news without batting an eye and crack crude jokes on par with truckers, when it comes to peeing we’re positively prudes. The ...Read More
What do you do in Barrie on a Tuesday night? In a town known solely for its commuter proximity to Toronto, especially on a mid-week evening there’s not a heck of a lot going on. But just off the waterfront, ...Read More
If you want to tell the truth, the best way to do it is through comedy. If you want to make people laugh, the best way to do it is through comedy. If you want to write a play titled ...Read More
One of the best parts of Fringe is the opportunities it creates for emerging artists, particularly for the playwrights who might otherwise write for years with nowhere to stage their new scripts. Katie Alguire is one of many young artists ...Read More
Ah, the paradox of Fringe: on one hand we are finally given a willing audience for all our absurd experimental theatre (albeit for only two weeks); on the other hand, there is never enough time, money, or experience to produce ...Read More
I am not a feminist. Can I say that? Well, I’m not. I’m an equal opportunist - I don’t burn bras or hate men. In fact, I like my breasts well supported and I enjoy hetero sex on a regular ...Read More
Forgive me while I indulge in a Curran-esque personal anecdote to start my article this month… When I was little I always wanted my favorite story books to be turned into movies. I could picture them perfectly in my head, devising ...Read More
It starts with the reinvention of the body, a lone dancer becoming both horse and rider. Barefoot and strong bodied, she is the epitome of beauty and grace as the herd welcomes her. The sun rises on the prairie plane ...Read More
We are all hardwired to respond, emotionally and physically, to the cataclysmic times we are living in. Amidst global unrest, a recession, and the sickening capitalistic struggle for money and power, we are hardwired to live, to love, and to ...Read More
Photo Credit: Stephanie Loftus We* have all come to the conclusion that most “classic” theatre from the old white males’ traditional canon is boring. Overdone. Uninspired and unimaginative. But what are we replacing it with? Not that Shakespeare is likely top be ...Read More
The Bewitched was once described to me as “A syphilis-ridden carnival of death”… that alone should entice a modern (er, I mean, postmodern, or post-postmodern) audience. The fact that this show is of excellent caliber, with conservatory actors making their ...Read More
Mr. Stephen Harper was right (I’ll pause a moment to let you get over the shock…), apparently artists do throw galas, and do it quite well. Mind you, this was a gala run by “ordinary folks”, and largely attended by ...Read More
An expressionist drama about zombies and war, what more could you ask for from theatre in Toronto? For one, maybe a better audience turn-out… The best theatre that you weren’t watching last week was Banquo’s Banquet and Back Burner Productions’ portrayal ...Read More
(Photo credit: Maxime Côté) There’s something to be said about watching a play in a foreign language. Of course, had I been a good and fully literate Canadian citizen, French probably wouldn’t have been a “foreign” language (apparently it is useful ...Read More
This basement isn’t big enough for the energy it contains. It is bursting at the seams with people from all walks of life who have found their way down dark alleys and stumbled into a haven of emerging artists, I ...Read More
I first met performance artist Jeff Giles at a burger joint in North York. After realizing we both hailed from Steeltown, we sat down to discuss theatre experiences in our native city - but somehow it became a discussion about ...Read More
Need a theatre fix? Bored with 2009 already? Check out what the Toronto theatre scene has in store for you this month: Looking for a show that will impress your date? Show: Ubuntu (The Cape Town Project) Dir. Daryl Cloran Venue: Tarragon Theatre Dates: Jan. ...Read More
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you’re having a normal day, going to school or work, and then suddenly to your utter em‘bareass’ment you realize you’re only wearing underwear? I had a dream like that the other day… ...Read More
For those of you looking to enliven this nasty winter by indulging in a little more culture, Steel Bananas presents a quick and easy guide to notable upcoming theatre in Toronto. From indie to queer to classical, the city's theatre scene ...Read More
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it sometimes necessary to give the stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.” -Miss Piggy Long before there were fashion magazines and prosti-tots on TV, the Ancient Greeks strove for and celebrated beauty. ...Read More
There are two types of people in the world, those that like drafting and those that are sane. I certainly don't fall into the former category, so I'm putting away my 4H for a while and taking a break. Mainly ...Read More
I am about $20 000 in debt. That's not rare for a person my age who is attending university, but it still kind of sucks. You see, I've recently entered the terribly cyclical world of artistry and debt, in which ...Read More
