To be, or not to be
KEVIN O’DAY’S HAMLET MAKES ITS NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT THIS FRIDAY AND WE CAN HARDLY WAIT Story by Nina Cherry Photo by Bruce Zinger How are we influenced by our parents? American-born choreographer Kevin O’Day asked himself this question repeatedly as he began to create the choreography for his first story-ballet, Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet. For O’Day,...
Home
SOULPEPPER STAGES ALMOST FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE Words by Rebecca Poynton-Murray Images by Cylla von Tiedemann Whether a regular attendee or a first timer to the theatre, you will undoubtedly have certain expectancies and some awareness of what is in store. So it is refreshing to settle down to Soulpepper’s staging of the rarely produced, ‘Home’. A...
The Annex Quartet
CLASSICAL MUSIC FROM A NEW GENERATION OF PLAYERS Story by Odessa Paloma Parker It’s no doubt that many of us could relate to Saturday mornings spent studying some kind of musical pursuit. Tinkering away at the piano, plucking at a violin, yelping through a choral piece. For most of us, the endeavor was fleeting, and...
Kollar Clothing
EMERGING BRAND TAKES SOPHISTICATED STREETWEAR TO THE NEXT LEVEL Story by D’Loraine Miranda Photos provided by Kollar Clothing If you ask David Kollar, Founder and Creative Director of Kollar Clothing, what he aims to bring to the Toronto menswear scene, his answer is simple: sophisticated streetwear. As a newcomer to the scene, Kollar...
Bïzune Gallery Series
20 LOCAL ARTISTS SHOW IN POP-UP EXHIBIT Story by Rebecca Poynton-Murray You’ve heard of pop up boutiques, now it’s time for a pop up art gallery! The event space at 452 Richmond Street West will temporarily host Bïzune Gallery Series, a collaborative collection of up and coming artists new to the Toronto scene. With over...
Sketchiest Sketch Show
TORONTO SKETCH COMEDY FESTIVAL CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE YOUR STOMACH ACHE WITH LAUGHTER Story by Nina Cherry Saturday night at the Comedy Bar, three award-winning troupes will be performing in The Sketchiest Sketch Show to raise money for next year’s SketchFest Awards. Hosting the evening, Approximately 3 Peters plan to bust out the old mustaches and...
Keita Morimoto
THE EYES HAVE IT IN THESE MESMERIZING IMAGES Story by Mariam Magsi Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, Keita Morimoto is an artist currently painting in Toronto. Morimoto’s work is illusionistic with a three dimensional feel. His primary subjects are women, and as you scan his work, the first feature to jump out...
Semele
HANDEL’S MYTHOLOGICAL OPERA GETS AN EASTERN TOUCH Words Kate Fane Images courtesy of Chris Hutcheson You can’t talk about Semele without mentioning the temple. That is, the 450-year-old Ming Dynasty ancestral temple that director Zhang Huan discovered and transported to the stage from a small town west of Shanghai. Clearly, one can’t fault this production for...
Walnut Studios Spring Show and Sale
CELEBRATE SPRING THIS WEEKEND WITH LOCAL ARTISTS Words by Rebecca Poynton-Murray If you’re looking for something to do on this promised warm weekend, stroll down to the fourth year of Walnut Studios ‘Spring Renewal’ art exhibit. Located in an old industrial warehouse space, over 40 local Toronto artists will be showcasing their latest pieces. From paintings,...
Bootleg Film Festival
GUTSY FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO CANADA Story by Nina Cherry Photos provided by the Bootleg Film Festival Started in a basement in Glasgow, Scotland, the Bootleg Film Festival makes it’s North American debut this weekend at the Tranzac in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. The festival was founded by British filmmaker Tom Wilton in 2008. He wanted to...
CONTACT Top 5
SCOTIABANK CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL POINTS THE LENS OUTWARD AS IT EXPLORES THIS YEAR’S THEME: PUBLIC Story by Nina Cherry The 2012 Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival has arrived, this year featuring more than 1,000 artists at more than 130 venues across Toronto. Are you excited? Because we are pumped! This year’s festival theme is “Public”. The...
Two and a Quarter
VISIT THE LOMOGRAPHY GALLERY STORE THIS MAY FOR NOSTALGIA AT ITS BEST Story by Kate Fane While the majority of the artists on display at 2012’s CONTACT Festival have relied heavily on digital processes to develop their images, one group of young photographers have bucked the trend by choosing to look back to classic analogue...
Works of Genius
THE AGO PRESENTS MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEÉ NATIONAL PICASSO Picasso's Portrait de Dora Maar Story by Nina Cherry Between now and August 26 you have only one thing to do: go and see the Picasso exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Musée National Picasso is renovating, so 147 pieces from Pablo Picasso’s personal collection are...
Love The Design
EAST END TREASURE TROVE CELEBRATES THEIR FIRST ANNIVERSARY Story by Rebecca Poynton-Murray Photos courtesy of Love The Design On Tuesday, May 1st, guests were invited on an ‘Urban Journey’ down Queen Street East, in order to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Love The Design. With fifteen years of graphic design experience behind her,...
Avril Loreti
UPDATE YOUR DÉCOR WITH HER SENSATIONAL DESIGNS Story by Kate Gadiyeva Images provided by Avril Loreti Avril Loreti has the sweetest designs for your home. Bright, quirky and upbeat, they’ll put a smile on your face when you walk in to any room. If you are looking for a perfect hostess gift look...
A Florentine Double Bill
SEE OPERA AT ITS BEST IN GIANNI SCHICCHI Story by Megan Leahy Photo by Michael Cooper Gianni Schicchi shows the Canadian Opera Company at its best, serving to remind Torontonians we are lucky to have international-caliber opera performed in our own backyards. Pucinni’s comedic opera is one half of the Florentine double bill, alongside Zemlinsky’s...
Sara Guindon
FROM THE PIN PALS TO HER OWN SOLO PROJECTS, THIS ILLUSTRATOR MAKES HER MARK Story by Odessa Paloma Parker Sara Guindon’s work may look familiar; the unique personalities she depicts in her illustrations are half of the charm of Pin Pals – the remarkable, retro-esque accessories and art objects found at craft events...
Vida Flamenca!
THE SCANNURA FAMILY SPREAD THEIR PASSION FOR FLAMENCO Story by Kate Fane Flamenco. Even the word itself conveys the exotic sensuality of the famous style of music and dance. Originating in the 16th century from impoverished and oppressed communities in southern Spain, flamenco has become both an important component of Spanish culture as well as...
You Can’t Take It With You
FAMILY MATTERS IN SOULPEPPER’S LATEST PRODUCTION Story by Odessa Paloma Parker Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann We can probably all relate to moments of embarrassment felt by virtue of pure proximity to our parents and family members. The personal peccadilloes we grew up around eventually grow on us, but if exposed to the...
Citizens
AN INTIMATE LOOK AT SOME OF TORONTO’S BEST Story by Nina Cherry Photo courtesy of Natalie Castellino The delightful Natalie Castellino has spent the last year taking portraits of 20 incredible Torontonians: Aleksandar Antonijevic, Edward Burtynsky, Roberta Bondar, Anita Clarke, Schuster Gindin, Debra Goldblatt, Susur Lee, Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, Gail McInnes, Phyllis Novak, Luis Pacheco,...
Hot Docs 2012
WE KNOW A LIST OF OVER 189 FILMS CAN BE DAUNTING, SO HERE ARE OUR TOP FIVE PICKS FOR THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL. Story by Nina Cherry Images courtesy of Hot Docs Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Director: Alison Klayman Run time: 91 Rating: PG Subtitled Hot Doc’s Official Selection and opening this year’s festival, this internationally...
Riverdance Performs its Final Show in Toronto
THOUGH OFTEN RELEGATED TO POP-CULTURE PUNCH LINE, RIVERDANCE STILL HAS THE ABILITY TO AWE Story by Kate Fane As of last week, Riverdance has left Toronto. The Irish-dancing phenomenon, which has toured the world several times over since its creation in 1994, bowed to its final Toronto audience after a three-day, four-show performance...
|FAT| 2012 – Fashion Art Toronto Opens Tonight
Story by Megan Leahy Today marks the opening of Fashion Art Toronto, an event that spans five days in celebration of alternative fashion as art. Last week we met up with Executive Director, Vanja Vasic, who started the festival back in 2005 in her second year of Fashion Design at Ryerson University. Now in its eighth...
Bloom
GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE JEWELLERY ARTS GRADUATE SHOW Story by Nina Cherry Photos provided by George Brown College From now until May 6, the Centre Shop in the Harbourfront Centre is showcasing and selling the pieces from students in the George Brown College Jewellery Arts program. During Friday night’s reception all eyes were on the eight...
City of Craft
GET ARTSY THIS SPRING WITH CRAFTS, MUSIC, AND MUSIC Story by Nina Cherry City of Craft is ready to shake you out of your winter blues with its first ever Spring Edition. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 21 at Trinity St. Paul’s United Church more than 40 vendors will be...
Cappriccio! Painting the Music
PAINTER LAVINIA VOICU INTERPRETS MUSIC BY THE AMICI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE LIVE ON STAGE Story by Nina Cherry The relationship between music and art will be centre stage on April 22 at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Literally. Artist Lavinia Voicu will paint Janacek’s “Cappriccio” while it is performed by the Amici Chamber Ensemble....
The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits
CURRENT EXHIBIT AT THE BATA SHOE MUSEUM IS THE BEE’S KNEES Story by Nina Cherry Photos provided by The Bata Shoe Museum Swoon alert: The Bata Shoe Museum is bringing the 1920s back to life. From now until June, take in their stunning exhibit, The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits. Gaze...
