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Vancouver folk-pop sisters bring fresh sound to packed new-music festival
The Essential Guide to 3 Months of Toronto Festivals & Fun!
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By DANIEL HARTMANN
Toronto is about to come alive over the next few months with countless street parties, free shows and music festivals; with so much going on, it can be hard to make plans.
Here’s NEXT’s guide for must see shows and what free events are worth a visit.
Lavender Wild
June 4 (Echo Beach)
To celebrate Pride month, Echo Beach is hosting a day-long celebration of queerness with local artists, drag shows and a lineup of talented 2SLGBTQ+ performers. Indie pop sensation Girl In Red headlines a bill full of international and domestic acts — Canadian standouts include up-andcoming Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Jade Lemac and underground icon DJ/ rapper Myst Milano.
Canadian Music Week
June 5–10 (various locations)
Part music industry conference and part festival, Canadian Music Week has been presenting showcases, decoding the music industry and giving out awards for 41 years. The 2023 headliners include historic hip hop group
The Lox, rap mogul/national treasure Kardinall Of shal and Montreal-born pop star Charlotte Cardin. The sixday-long festival includes shows at venues across downtown Toronto, with over 250+ performers. The purchase of a wristband (priced around $50) grants access to most showcases, allowing festival-goers to ow from one venue to another, depending on their personal taste. With shows happening everywhere — from El Mocambo to History — and over 200 live acts, it will be hard to miss the festivities.
Do West Fest
June 9–11, (various locations around Dundas Street West)
A three-day event held in the West End with arts, live music, food and drink. The neighbourhood of Little Portugal comes to life with live entertainment, an array of talented buskers and art vendors selling their handmade wares. Several talented performers will take the stage during the festival, including Cuban jazz piano master Danae Olano. The fest is always fun, with plenty of licensed patios, a few block parties and a palpable feeling of community. Also, Do West Fest is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so expect
June 23–July 2 (Downtown Toronto)
This four-day-long Indigenous music festival takes place during National Indigenous History Month and includes a roster of highly acclaimed and talented Indigenous musicians. Some standout performers include the renowned Inuk country singer Susan Aglukark and conscious rapper Drmngnow.
For 36 years, the Toronto Jazz Festival has brought some of the biggest names in jazz and R&B to downtown Toronto. This year, jazz legends Herbie Hancock and George Benson headline a stacked bill. The lineup is a healthy mix of rising contemporary acts and icons; in the middle of that Venn diagram is BadBadNotGood, the critically acclaimed hip hop jazz quartet consisting of four Toronto natives — their hometown performance is sure to excite. Other than a few exceptions, all the live shows are free; Torontonians can enjoy live performances from rising Canadian stars like LOONY or Haviah Mighty in the downtown core at no expense.
Tiesto
Veld
Aug. 4–6 (Downsview Park)
Canada’s foremost electronic music festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. And with performances from Above &
Beyond, RezzMau5 and Tiesto, it is sure to be a nonstop party. Held on the green elds of Downsview Park, the three-day event will offer a mix of electronic dance, house, U.K. hip hop and grime. For those wanting to dance all day to booming bass while enjoying the summer heat, Veld is the answer.
Hot In Here
June 24 (Downsview Park)
Nelly hosts a one-day throwback hip hop and R&B festival with an impressive roster of 2000s stars, including himself, Akon, Ne-Yo and Ja Rule. Throw on a big chain, a vintage jersey and a bucket hat, and soak in the nostalgia.
Afrofest
July 7–9 (Woodbine Park)
The largest free African music festival in North America, Afrofest has celebrated African culture and music for 35 years. This year it is a three-day festival in Woodbine Park, featuring international and local acts including South African pop duo Ma kizolo and Tanzanian singer Ali Kiba. Expect a wide range of musical genres, including afrobeat, reggae, Afropop, rumand many more.
Sept. 9–11 (Ontario Place)
Rolling Loud promises to be a nal blowout before the seasons change, with performances from some of the most famous hip hop artists in the world in front of an amped-up crowd. The headliners include Dave, Future, Wizkid, Lil Uzi Vert, Roddy Rich and Migos — so expect it to be loud and hectic.
July 6–30
One of Canada’s most celebrated jazz festivals, the month-long fair attracts nearly a million attendees yearly. This celebration of all things jazz will take over Queen Street East all of July, bringing food trucks, art displays and a cavalcade of talented performers. This year, the festival has ve different shows taking place throughout the month. Here is what to expect from each event:
Sounds of Leslieville & Riverside
July 6–9 (Jimmie Simpson Park)
A diverse mix of bands hit the stage at Jimmie Simpson Park for three days. Enjoy the tunes in the laidback neighbourhood of Leslieville.
Salsa On the Beach
July 14–16 (Woodbine Park)
In this celebration of Latin music and culture, Woodbine Park will host three days of salsa, merengue and cumbia music. Be prepared to dance.
TD Weekend Main Stage
July 20–23 (Woodbine Park)
This four-day event kicks off with a ’90s dance party before transitioning to several nights of live performances from several talented Canadian performers — including rising Montreal rapper Zack Zoya
Streetfest
July 27–29 (Queen Street E)
Streetfest shuts down Queen Street East for a street party with food trucks, vendors and great bands.
There are also plenty of exciting concerts in Toronto this summer; here are a few standouts.
Sampa The Great (Axxis, June 12)
Haviah Mighty opens for this rescheduled hip hop extravaganza, gotta be “great” right?
Descendents And Circle Jerks
(History, June 22)
There will be some tight denim vests in the crowd as these original punks snarl again.
Shania Twain (Budweiser, June 23)
She’s back in the fall, but why wait to see Canada’s Queen?
Bryson Tiller
(History, June 26 & 27)
Kentucky rapper makes his own personal history with two nights at History.
boygenius
(Budweiser, June 21)
The indie supergroup of our dreams with Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker on tour together.
Stevie Nicks
(Budweiser, June 27)
The real Daisy Jones tours solo.
Sparks (Danforth Music Hall, July 3)
You thought they were British too, right? These L.A. veteran art rockers might be bigger than ever.
YUNGBLUD
(History, July 4)
Indie pop powerhouse exploded like a rocket on the scene and his energy is still interplanetary.
Billy Talent, Cyprus Hill, Cancer Bats, Omgm (Budweiser, July 8)
Canada’s friendliest punks host a one-day trip through their record collection — live — as the band presents a lineup of personal faves.
Beyonce (Rogers Centre, July 9)
Queen B in the summertime — tickets please!
Amyl and the Sniffers (Danforth Music Hall, July 20)
It might be sunny outside, but the Danny will feel dark and dank — in a good way — when Amyl and her punk-rock sniffers descend on Greektown.
Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Too $Hort & More (Budweiser, July 26)
A fun summer rap show with everyone’s two favourite stoners.
Ice Cube (CNE Bandshell, July 28)
Get sweet sounds with your suds as Ice Cube brings some vintage beats to the Festival of Beer.
Madonna (Scotiabank Arena, Aug. 13 & 14)
The Queen of Pop graces the city for two nights only.
Alvvays & Alex G (Budweiser, Aug. 28)
An elite lo- indie-pop double billing.
North by Northeast (NXNE) continues its full-on return to the clubs, presenting close to 300 acts in 22 venues from June 13 through 18. The best deal is a full-festival wristband for only $25, allowing admission to every show and over 60 showcases for about the price of a big beer at Scotiabank Arena. The festival has expanded its strategic showcase partnerships to include The State of Tennessee, the Government of France, the cities of Memphis, Brampton and Kitchener, as well as Manifesto, Humber College, Universal Music and Pop Montreal, among others.
There’s an NXNE HQ — NXHQ if you will — setting up in the It’s Ok space at 468 Queen St. W.(at Queen and Augusta), which will serve as a hang-out and meeting place for visiting musicians. It’s also a venue at night with some of NXNE’s best showcases. Indie 88 will be broadcasting from the HQ throughout the festival.
In addition to presenting a City of Memphis showcase Saturday night at NXHQ, the State of Tennessee is hosting free outdoor shows Thursday through Sunday in Liberty Village at the Little Tennessee NXNE stage, just south of Lamport Stadium. There will be featuring country and R&B acts from the state as well as BBQ, crazy Tennessee treats like Moon Pies and good ole Southern bourbon.
The festival kicks off Tuesday night, June 13, at the Bovine with most clubs starting programming on Wednesday, June 14. Tennessee is also hosting a free launch party at the Drake that night with priority admission for NXNE pass holders. The launch party will feature free food and Tennessee bands on every oor of the Drake, from the Underground to the Sky Lounge rooftop patio.
All NXNE showcases begin at 8 pm — except the Bovine (too early for them).The last sets begin at midnight except — you guessed it —the Bovine, whose last sets start
All sets are strictly 40 minutes, with 20-minute change-overs so that all shows start on the hour. NXNE strictly adheres to its schedule to encourage club-hopping.
Here’re some other tips for navigating Canada’s biggest club crawl. 10 NXNE acts you can’t miss.
3
Monarch Tavern
Wed., June 14, 10 pm, with MBG, Borito and Pillow Fite
Genre: Pop-rock
Sound: Insightful lyrics driven by pop power, great melodies and sister harmony — not afraid to be funny.
If you like: Taylor Swift, Tegan and Sara, Caroline Polachek
Best track: 18
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)
Next: playing NXNE, Wed., June 14 Monarch Tavern, 10 pm, with MBG, Borito, Pillow Fite
Identical twins Alanna and Brianne Fionn, who perform under their last name, have gone from a budding folk duo to a full-on pop powerhouse. This evolution, they say, is natural and not unlike the changes Tegan and Sara — the singing sisters also from Vancouver to whom Fionn is routinely compared — went through. When the duo rst started busking at 12 in Vancouver’s Granville Market — quickly scoring paying gigs in clubs, community events and restaurants — right away people would declare, “You’re just like Tegan and Sara” when they spotted the identical twins singing.
“It’s cool, twins got to unite you know,” says Alanna over a Zoom call, ahead of their June NXNE gig, from the B.C. apartment they share. “There aren’t a lot of twin acts out there; we’ve got to stick together.”
“Tegan and Sara started in 1998, the year we were born,” notes Brianne and they both acknowledge they draw inspiration from the longevity and path of Tegan and Sara’s career.
“When you’re a sibling band, especially twins — and I’m sure Tegan and Sara got this — when you start, it’s so focused on just singing together so you start with the most basic, which is acoustic. We were straight up country at the beginning, a country duo.”
After some pre-pandemic touring, the pair grew a little dissatis ed with the limited palette of acoustic play. “Too many people sitting at our shows,” Alanna notes.
“I love making people dance because we were so used to playing to sit-down audiences for a long time. It just brings a lot more energy to a performance.”
This desire saw the pair add a drummer and tapes to their shows.
What emerges early speaking with Fionn is how quietly determined they are. Once they decided to “go electric,” they spent the pandemic learning new instruments, Alanna went from playing mandolin to electric bass while Brianne spent her days mastering a new electric guitar.
It’s a transition they have made masterfully. Their new album, I Might Start Smoking, is out June 9 — they are promoting it at their NXNE gig on Wed., June 14 at the Monarch Tavern — and it’s packed with radio-ready hits that would seem destined to top the charts.
The sisters have had an eye on careers in music since adolescence, no doubt inspired by their musician parents. Their father originally came to Canada playing in an Irish Showband performing classic tunes from his homeland; he and his bandmates wore matching green suits and toured this new country on a green tour bus. An ongoing gig at the Blarney Stone pub in Vancouver eventually lead to a lifelong commitment to B.C., where Dad abandoned show tunes for a law career, marrying their music-teaching mother along the way.
Both sisters are songwriters, producing consistently well-written material.
I ask who inspired them to be songwriters and on one of the rare times on our call, they answer as one.
“Taylor Swift.” And it shows. Their material is consistently intimate and insightful yet driven by catchy hooks and memorable melodies, all supported by sister-powered harmonies.
“I feel like that’s every girl of our generation’s inspiration, but yeah, Taylor Swift,” emphasizes Alanna. “She’s such a great songwriter and she inspired us to pick up guitars and start writing. She was writing songs about things that were relevant to us at that age and we grew up with her, and her music continues to be relevant. As she’s been growing, we’ve been growing.
“We just love storytelling songs and nice little visuals and details, a song that has a lot of authenticity and tells a clear story; and she de nitely knows how to do that very well.”
But the two sisters didn’t just wish to become singers. They had a plan and, as 12-year-olds, started sending their songs to the Nashville Songwriters Association who gives free feedback to budding songwriters — who knew? (The group also operates the legendary Bluebird Café, famous for its jam sessions and musical collaborations.)
Not content to simply pore over their feedback from pros, their mother agreed to spend vacations in Nashville, driving the sisters from B.C. to Tennessee to spend weeks at a time performing at any open mic that would have them and working with professionals whenever they could get their time.
“We did that for a couple of years,” says Allana. “I feel like it was a really good introduction to our understanding of song structure; learning structure is really important because then you can break it in a way that works.”
Songwriting sisters learned cra chasing Nashville open mics as teenagers
Weren’t they intimidated in a gritty U.S. city, barely teenagers, spending time with seasoned professionals?
“Honestly, it felt very comfortable there,” says Brianne. “People are very kind and open in the songwriting community, and we were like a couple of babies.”
The seasoned pros were, no doubt, impressed by the sisters’ work ethic and songwriting skills to match their compelling vocals.
Now, fully committed to their pop-powered path, Fionn are hitting festivals to promote their new album. They played Austin’s SXSW a few months ago — their rst festival gig — and feel playing the Texas fest’s sister event in Canada is the perfect one-two.
“Excited we get to play both for sure,” says Alanna, describing SXSW as “probably the coolest thing I’ve been to.”
“Exposing your music to new audiences in a different place is always good. The hope is that out of a crowd, you can at least gain a couple of fans that will stick with you along the way.”
“It’s nice to go somewhere where you don’t know a soul in the audience,” says Brianne, noting the pair have played a lot in their hometown and are now enjoying the scrutiny of performing for strangers.
I ask if their upcoming NXNE gig is their rst Toronto show. Turns out, they’ve played here once before, opening for Royal Wood.
“Where?”
“Massey Hall.”
Of course, their rst local gig was at this hallowed hall — as teenagers. Exceptions don’t seem exceptional for this talented tandem, who seem likely to be the next big thing launched out of Canada.
4. The Garrys (Regina, SK)
Monarch Tavern, Fri., June 16, 10 pm
Another sister act, The Garrys pump up clever and irresistible surf tunes by way of Saskatchewan.
5. We Are Domi (Prague, Czechia)
Bar Cathedral, Wed., June 14, midnight
Dreamy Euro pop from synth masters who once played Eurovision.
6. Zeroscape (Toronto)
Bovine, Fri., June 16, midnight
Ever heard of reggae punk-rock? We hadn’t either until listening to this stunning band. “Get up, stand up” — no, seriously, get the fuck up.
7. Jordan Occasionally (Memphis, TN)
It’s Ok, Sat., June 17, 8 pm, also Little Tennessee, Sat June 17., 6 pm Lush neo-soul and R&B from Tennessee.
8. We Demand Parachutes (Boston, MA)
Garrison, Sat., June 17, midnight
Fun, hook-happy indie rock from Massachusetts/ Live shows look like a blast.
9. Sade Awele (Toronto & Lagos) Jean Darlene, Thurs., June 15, 10 pm
Erykah Badu meets Lauryn Hill as this Nigerian-Canadian artist deftly blends Afrobeat, jazz and more. Worth going just to check out the amazing venue.
10. St. Arnaud (Edmonton, AB) Horseshoe Tavern, Thurs., June 15, 9 pm
Alberta indie darling St. Arnaud brings upbeat, wise, inviting and fresh pop-infused sound.
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Okay, we’re very, very pumped about the upcoming Barbie movie, but there are other amazing lm choices this summer. From festivals to rst run, superheroes and super-cool rep house series, check out our summer movie preview.
Barbie
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: July 21
Genre: Comedy
Why you should watch: Perhaps the most anticipated lm of the year is Greta Gerwig’s candy-coloured Barbie. The plot follows the famous doll as she starts to suspect there is something wrong with her perfect world. Inspired by the musicals of Jacques Demy and boasting one of the most elaborate promotional rollouts in recent memory, this tongue-in-cheek feminist fantasy is the lm to see this summer.
Toronto Arab Film Festival
What: Film Festival
Where: Various locations
When: June 1–4
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: The rst weekend of June, catch the fourth edition of the Toronto Arab Film Festival, screening nearly 30 lms, including the French-language animated lm, Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo and The Desert Rocker, a documentary about the pioneering musician, Hasna El Becharia.
Across the Spider-Verse
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 2
Genre: Family
Why you should watch: Five years after the surprising critical hit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — which felt like a breath of fresh air for those who were feeling some superhero fatigue — we get the highly anticipated sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. As the nearly indistinguishable title suggests, this followup will see Miles Morales hopping throughout the multiverse to save, well, the Multiverse from destructive supervillain The Spot. Continued next page »
Inside Out Film Festival
What: Film festival
Where: Various locations
When: Now–June 4
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: Catch the last weekend of the Inside Out Film Festival, showcasing queer lms from around the world. The festival has already screened buzzy titles like Passages and I Used to Be Funny, but you still have the chance to see Georgia Oakley’s debut feature, Blue Jean, about a teacher living in a repressive, Thatcher-era England. Don’t miss the closing gala lm, Glitter and Doom, an Indigo Girls jukebox musical about a musician and a runaway who fall in love. And if you still want more from the seminal folk-rock duo, check out Alexandria Bombach’s documentary about the Indigo Girls, It’s Only Life After All.
Full Moon’s Eve
What: Movies
Where: Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave.
When: June 3 & 4
Genre: Horror
Why you should watch: In honour of the full moon, the Revue Cinema has planned a slate of werewolf movies, from rarities like Wolf Guy, a Japanese ’70s exploitation lm, to classics like Joe Dante’s The Howling and the mid-aughts’ Wes Craven lm Cursed. It’s presented by Drunken Cinema, so expect games and audience participation.
The Flash
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 16
Genre: Superhero
Why you should watch: DC’s The Flash comes at the tail end of an unsteady era for Batman, Superman and the rest of the Justice League, which never quite found its footing.
The fact that The Flash is reaching theatres is itself a surprise since DC lms have been plagued by cancellations and personnel shakeups.
Plus, the lm’s star, Ezra Miller, has been making headlines for their erratic (to say the least) behaviour.
Will curiosity bring the crowds? Are there enough die-hard Flash fans to save the franchise?
The Idol
What: Limited series
Where: HBO Max, episodes released weekly
When: June 4
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: Controversy abounds with Sam Levinson’s new HBO Max (now simply: Max) series
The Idol. Spearheaded by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and co-starring nepo-baby-denier Lily Rose Depp, the limited series has been plagued by a director switch that required the show to be almost entirely re-shot, rumours of a dysfunctional set and some pearl-clutching over the series’s supposed sexual content. We will have to see if The Idol will be well-received by audiences, but it will certainly be talked about.
Past Lives
What: Movie
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W.
When: June 8
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: A24’s understated new drama, Past Lives, begins a run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Directed by Korean-Canadian playwright Celine Song, the lm is about two childhood friends reuniting after years apart; one is married and has a life in New York but has always wondered if they were destined to be together.
Based on a True Story
What: Miniseries
Where: Peacock, 8 episodes
When: June 8
Genre: Comedy thriller
Why you should watch: Based on a True Story, Peacock’s new streaming series, starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, is about a stereotypical true crime fan who stumbles on a real serial killer and decides to exploit her proximity for nancial gain. The series turns the true crime genre on its head (well, maybe turns it a few degrees past the similar 2021 series, Only Murders in the Building).
What: Miniseries
Where: Apple+, 10 episodes
When: June 9
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: A Fincher-esque procedural set in New York City in 1979 about a man accused of a murder he may not have committed. Partly inspired by a real criminal case (if you don’t want the ending spoiled, don’t look up the source material), the series stars Tom Holland as Danny Sullivan and Amanda Seyfried as the investigator charged with unravelling the story.
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
What: Film festival
Where: Various locations
When: June 11 & 12
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: The Toronto Jewish Film Festival returns with a slate of documentaries, comedies and dramas. Some highlights include: The Accusation by Yvan Attal, a tense French courtroom drama about a young man who is accused of sexual assault; the TIFF 2022 lm Valeria Is Getting Married, which follows a Ukrainian woman who has travelled to Israel as a “mail order bride”; Other People’s Children, a dramedy about a woman who nds family in an unexpected way; and 1341 Frames of Love and War, a documentary of the acclaimed photojournalist Micah Bar-Am.
Pop Japan: World of Anime
What: Movie series
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox,
When: June 11
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: TIFF Cinematheque’s spring series Pop Japan: World of Anime, includes classics of the genre like Paprika, Perfect Blue and My Neighbour Totoro. Don’t miss the trippy Mind Game (2004) on June 11, accompanied by a virtual Q&A with director Masaaki Yuasa.
Flamin’ Hot
What: Movie
Where: Disney+
When: June 9
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: The new Flamin’ Hot Cheetos movie is not, as I pictured, a children’s movie in the vein of The Emoji Movie in which talking Frito-Lay snacks go on adventures. Instead, it’s another entry into the current trend of lms about products (from Air to Blackberry to Barbie). Eva Longoria’s debut lm is about the janitor at Frito-Lays who invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.
The Important Cinema Club: Masterpiece Classics
What: Movie series
Where: Fox Theatre,
When: June 13
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: Another in the ongoing screening series brought to you by The Important Cinema Club Podcast. Hosted by the East End’s Fox Theatre, the series highlights “Masterpiece Classics” (a term used liberally, but not insincerely). On June 13, catch the chaotic 1941 comedy, Hellzapoppin’, which claims that “Any resemblance between “Hellzapoppin’ and a motion picture is purely coincidental.”
Elemental
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 16
Genre: Family
Why you should watch: The lustre has perhaps come off the once unassailable Pixar studios. Excitement for its outings seems to have dimmed from Onward through to Soul. Can the new entry, Elemental, in which the elements are living creatures coexisting in a city — a plot that feels a little too reminiscent of Inside Out (2015) — reignite the spark?
The Blackening
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 16
Genre: Horror
Why you should watch: If you’re looking for something completely different, check out Blackening, a selfaware horror-comedy from director Tim Story about a group of friends who travel to a cabin in the woods for a Juneteenth celebration and discover a deadly board game called The Blackening.
What: Film festival
Where: The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Crt.
When: June 17 & 18
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: The Toronto Japanese Film Festival celebrates its 12th year at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in North York. Highlights of the festival include: Three Sisters of Tenmasou Inn, a thoughtful drama by action director Ryûhei Kitamura, about three siblings that run an inn in between worlds where visitors must decide to return to their previous lives or move on and be reborn; Roleless, a quiet, existential drama, by Masahiko Sato, Yutaro Seki, Kentaro Hirase, about an ordinary man who encounters a parallel version of his own life; the anime lm Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Ramaa, a Japanese-Indian co-production based on the epic Sanskrit tale; and the drama Small, Slow, but Steady from director Sho Miyake, about a young woman with a hearing impairment who trains to be a professional boxer.
Restaurants are “like an addiction” to the cousins in last year’s break out hit The Bear says “Richie”, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach
By MICHAEL HOLLETTWith its mostly single set and a limited, recurring cast, I suggest The Bear is almost like making a play in contrast to the massive Star Wars undertaking.
Where: Disney+
What: Series, season 2, 10 episodes
When: sometime this summer, Canada; June 22, U.S.
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: Sleeper hit from last year delivers an un inching look at life in a struggling big-city restaurant, including a powerful portrayal of the complicated relationship between two male cousins running the place.
Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, known for roles as the anti-hero in The Punisher and the boyfriend on Girls, had roles on two very different hit shows in 2022: the bigbudget Andor and the year’s small production sleeper hit The Bear. He plays troubled rebel Avril Skeen on the mega-budget Andor; and he is the rage-powered cousin, Richard “Richie” Jerimovich on The Bear, the perfect counterpoint to his calm and concerned master chef cousin, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) as the two try to operate a ailing business.
“One is like a tiny little moped and the other one is like a glacier,” says Moss-Bachrach of his two shows from his Brooklyn home on a Zoom call earlier this year. “It’s wild they’re even considered the same kind of thing. They couldn’t be more different from each other.”
He says they shot the entire season of The Bear while he was on a break from shooting Andor
“It does feel like a play. A play is more about the acting; on The Bear, so much is created just on the set between the actors. I like to do plays because nobody can cut you or do anything to your work; this feels very similar.”
Moss-Bachrach raves about the show’s writers and says actors receive scripts weeks in advance, unlike many series where you can receive scripts on the set.
“We get scripts weeks, even a month before we show up in Chicago, which is a real luxury.” He says actors discuss scenes before shooting begins, allowing them to re ne the work.
“It goes very, very quickly. We shoot many, many pages a day; we don’t do many takes.”
He thinks the pace and energy with which they make the show re ect life in a restaurant and comes through to the audience.
I note The Bear captures the shared energy of teammates.
“Or a platoon,” says MossBachrach.” It’s crazy and adrenal and messy, and then they come out of it and everyone feels relieved and it’s miraculous that they made it through. They get a little bit of sleep and then go back and do it all over again. Those metaphors make a lot of sense to me.”
I ask Moss-Bachrach — who’s never worked in a restaurant, isn’t from Chicago and seems like a nice guy — how he summons Richie’s latent rage.
“Latent rage doesn’t just exist in Chicago, it’s an international phenomenon,” he says.” Without going too much into the weeds, I think that rage comes out of grief and loss and confusion and feelings of selfloathing and not knowing where you t in. I think that’s pretty human and probably inevitable for people to feel at some point in their life.
“I worry for him,” he says of his
character. “It’s kind of that thing where you speak so loudly to ll the silence so you don’t have to deal with anything. Like, take all the mirrors down in your house.”
For all the shouting and anger that Richie carries on the show, MossBachrach has a number of profoundly moving and affecting scenes where he doesn’t talk at all.
“A lot of people don’t have much sympathy for Richie, but I don’t think he’d have any sympathy if it wasn’t for those quiet moments to punctuate the other stuff.”
And what of season two?
“You saw what it was: they found money where they could have paid back their loan and, instead, they’re going to double down and try to make
a pretty ambitious restaurant. It’s like an addiction; it’s not the healthy decision, but it’s de nitely the decision to make if you want to make another season of television that’s interesting and dramatic,” laughs Moss-Bachrach.
“But it’s probably the worst thing they could possibly do.”
What: Movie series
Where: Paradise Theatre, 1006c Bloor St. W.
When: June 12–23
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: Paradise Theatre hosts a series of disco-inspired lms, including The Last Days of Disco, The Wiz and Disco Godfather. Don’t miss the stylish and gripping Eyes of Laura Mars (1978),starring Faye Dunaway as a fashion photographer who witnesses a series of murders through the eyes of the killer. It features a young Tommy Lee Jones, impeccable fashion and great scenes of ’70s New York City.
Toronto Outdoor Picture Show
What: Movie series
When: June 22–26
Where: Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd.
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: Toronto’s summer-long series of outdoor screenings, Toronto Outdoor Picture Show, is back with a sci- slate titled “Another World.” Only the rst weekend of lms at Fort York has been announced. Catch screenings of Jurassic Park (1993), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and the opening night lm, Night Raiders by Canadian director, Dani Goulet.
And Just Like That …
What: Season 2
When: June 22
Where: HBO Max, 11 episodes, released weekly
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Why you should watch: The second season of And Just Like That, is the hotly anticipated (or dreaded) follow-up to the over-the-top, tonally uneven but surprisingly addictive Sex and the City reboot. After a dramatic rst season that saw Carrie Bradshaw grappling with a great loss, the second season promises to be much lighter fare.
Toronto Outdoor Picture Show
What: Movies
Where: Various locations
When: June 22–Aug. 27
Genre: Various
Why you should watch: In Corktown Commons (155 Bayview Ave.), catch egendary documentary Paris Is Burning (July 6); the era-de ning hit The Matrix (July 20); and blockbuster Black Panther (Aug. 10). Christie Pits Park will be screening a number of Canadian lms this summer, including 2022’s Viking (July 16), this year’s Riceboy Sleep (Aug. 13) and family classics like Fantastic Mr. Fox (July 9) and The Wizard of Oz (Aug. 20). If you’re in the Humber area, check out a weekend of family-friendly screenings at Bell Manor Park, including E.T. (Aug. 17), Jumanji (Aug. 18) and Coco (Aug. 19). And don’t miss the surprise lm on closing night, Aug. 27, in Christie Pits.
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 23
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: If you’re a fan of precise framing, colour-blocking and deadpan performances, check out Wes Anderson’s latest lm, Asteroid City. Set in the American desert in 1955, the lm stars Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and seemingly every other working actor in Hollywood. The lm was well-received at Cannes and seems to be a return to form for the auteur after a slight slump with 2021’s The French Dispatch
What: Movies
Where: In theatres
When: June 23
Genre: Comedy
Why you should watch: This Jennifer Lawrence vehicle is the rst strictly comedic lm role for the notoriously picky Oscar winner. Written for her by Gene Stupnitsky (screenwriter of The Good Boys and Year One) in his directorial debut, Lawrence plays a hard-up young woman who answers an ad placed by concerned parents to help get their teenage son out of his shell. Will Lawrence’s foray into broad sex comedies be as well-received as her dramatic work?
I’m a Virgo
What: Series
Where: Prime Video, 11 episodes, released weekly
When: June 23
Genre: Comedy
Why you should watch: Boots Riley follows up his 2018 surreal indie lm, Sorry to Bother You with I’m a Virgo, an absurdist streaming series that follows a 13-foot young man as he leaves home, revealing himself to the world for the rst time.
Hijack
What: Miniseries
Where: Apple+, episodes released weekly
When: June 28
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: Idris Elba stars in this seven-part series that follows the events on a hijacked plane hour by hour as Elba’s character tries to negotiate with the hijackers and the passengers prepare to ght back. It looks like there is some political intrigue and character development — hopefully enough to maintain momentum throughout the series.
COMA
What: Movie
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox
When: June 29
Genre: Fantasy/Drama
Why you should watch: For adventurous lmgoers, longstanding Toronto-based screening series (and now production company) MDFF will screen COMA, the new lm from French director Bertrand Bonello (House of Tolerance, Nocturama). Shot during the COVID lockdown and dedicated to his teenage daughter, the lm feels unlike any other from pandemic era while perfectly capturing the absurdity, unreality and horror of the time.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: June 30
Genre: Adventure
Why you should watch: The rst lm foray for the adventure lm franchise since 2008’s disappointing Kingdom of (and the rst Indiana Jones lm to not be directed by Steven Spielberg). We will see if the recognizable name and some star power (from the returning Harrison Ford, reliable baddie Mads Mikkelsen and a somewhat inscrutable career move from Phoebe Waller-Bridge) can clear out some of the cobwebs on the franchise.
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: July 21
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: If you’re into large-scale, dead-serious historical dramas, don’t miss Christopher Nolan’s new lm about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man credited with creating the nuclear bomb. The lm is based on American Prometheus, the sprawling biography of Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Don’t skip seeing this in theatres.
Blue Crush
What: Movie
Where: Revue Theatre, 400 Roncesvalles Ave.
When: July 6
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: If you’re in the mood for a summer movie, the Revue Theatre screens the 2002 teen surfer lm Blue Crush. This unassuming early-aughts title has become a favourite for millennials who may be nostalgic for days spent watching The O.C. in their parents’ living room.
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: July 12
Genre: Action
Why you should watch: After saving the movies last summer with his mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise returns to the big screen with the new Mission: Impossible lm, Dead Reckoning Part One. After multiple COVID-related production delays, and one embarrassing leaked audio clip, Dead Reckoning is hotly anticipated and could breathe life into the cinematic experience for at least another year.
The Horror of Dolores Roach
What: Series
Where: Prime Video, 8 episodes
When: July 7
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: The Horror of Dolores Roach, is a limited series adapted from the podcast of the same name about the ravages of gentri cation. The story follows Dolores, who has just gotten out of prison and returned to her now-unrecognizable New York City neighbourhood with no money and nowhere to go and is faced with a sinister force lurking just below the streets.
Insidious: The Red Door
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: July 7
Genre: Horror
Why you should watch: If you’re looking for horror content that isn’t an allegory for society’s ills, head to the theatres for the fth entry into Blumhouse’s Insidious series. Insidious: The Red Door picks up 10 years after the second lm left off, with Josh Dalton (Patrick Wilson) driving his son to college where he’ll inevitably be revisited by some demons from the mysterious realm, the Further.
Praise Petey
What: Series
Where: Disney+
When: July 21
Genre: Animated comedy
Why you should watch: If you’re into animation for adults, catch the premiere of Praise Petey, a new animated series from Saturday Night Live alum and Girls5eva creator Anna Drezen. The show follows a New York City socialite who winds up the leader of a cult, featuring the voices of Annie Murphy, John Cho, and Christine Baranski.
Talk to Me
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: July 28
Genre: Horror
Why you should watch: A24 makes another horror outing with the Australian chiller Talk to Me, about a young woman who tries to contact her deceased mother through a thoroughly freaky party game.
Cruising
What: Movie
Where: The Paradise Theatre, 1006c Bloor St. W.
When: July 28
Genre: Crime/Drama
Why you should watch: The Paradise Theatre screens William Friedkin’s controversial Cruising (1980), an intense and campy murder mystery set in a funhouse-mirror version of New York’s 1970s gay S&M scene.
The Beanie Bubble
What: Movie
Where: Apple+
When: July 28
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Why you should watch: Directed by Damian Kulash and Kristin Gore (yes, the daughter of former vice-president Al Gore), The Beanie Bubble explores the strange moment in history when Beanie Babies were worth their weight in gold. Starring Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook and Zack Gali anakis as the inventor of the stuffed animals.
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: If you’re still thinking about last year’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, a gutting documentary about Nan Goldin and her battle against the pharmaceutical dynasty the Sackler family, you may want to catch Net ix’s new series Painkillers.It stars Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler and Taylor Kitsch and Uzo Aduba as two victims of the opioid epidemic who are trying to take the company down.
Heart of Stone
What: Movie
Where: Net ix
When: Aug. 11
Genre: Thriller
Why you should watch: If you’re fond of the star-studded, slightly forgettable action lms that Net ix puts out every year, you’re in luck! Heart of Stone is a spy thriller starring Gal Gadot and Jami Dornan, directed by Tom Harper. There are far worse ways to spend a mid-August weekend!
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: Aug. 11
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: In the follow-up to his 2022 cannibal love story, Luca Guadagnino gives us another bad romance. In this tennis drama, Zendaya plays the coach and wife of a Grand Slam champion who has been on a losing streak and must face her ex-lover on the court.
Strays
What: Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
What: Movie
Where: In theatres
When: Aug. 2
Genre: Family
Why you should watch: The rst weekend of August will reveal if there’s some juice left in the Ninja Turtles franchise with the latest entry, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The animated lm follows the teenage turtles as they try to integrate into normal society. With voice work from Seth Rogen, Ayo Edebiri and Jackie Chan.
Only Murders in the Building
What: Season 3
Where: Disney+
When: Aug. 8
Genre: Mystery
Why you should watch: you’re trying to beat the heat at home, tune in for the return of the cosy series Only Murders in the Building as it returns for its third season.
Painkillers
What: Series
Where: Net ix, 6 episodes
When: Aug. 10
Where: In theatres When: Aug. 18
Genre: Comedy
Why you should watch: August is famously a slow month for movie-going — unless you are a big fan of foulmouthed talking dogs, in which case, run to the theatres for Strays. Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Josh Gad and Isla Fisher voice a team of dogs that have united to get revenge on a dog-hating drug dealer.
Bottoms
What: Movie
Where: In theatres When: Aug. 25
Genre: Drama
Why you should watch: Finish off your summer with Bottoms, the second feature from Canadian director Emma Seligmann (Shiva Baby). The sex comedy stars Rachel Sennot (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) and Ayo
We pride ourselves on our Pride, one of the world’s biggest, part of a packed summer in the city that sees the debut of a massive Pink Floyd exhibition, the return of Luminato and one of the biggest Caribbean festivals in the world.
(
June 1–30) Various locations
We really are proud of Pride Toronto, an annual series of events that has grown to be one of the biggest and best in the world and that largely manages to be supported across broad ideological lines, where even “conservative” politicians chose to or feel obliged to participate. We’ll take it!
Spend time on the website because there are dozens of events — including parties, panels, art shows and theatre — as massive as the community itself.. The Dyke March is Sat., June 24, at1 pm. followed by outdoor DJs and afterparty. On Sun., June 25, it’s the massive Pride Parade with a 2 pm start. Cupcakke plays the Til Sunset: Beach Party in the Portlands on Sat., June 10. And so much more.
(June 7–18) Various locations
Putting the “Hi, how are ya?” in highbrow, Luminato seeks to bring highbrow to the masses with free and ticketed events offering experimental theatre, avant-garde art and, some years, environmental installations. This year’s productions include: Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, Aalaapi, and Nuit along with two long-anticipated worldvpremieres: Dragon’s Tale and Loss. Today, Luminato also features the Canadian premiere of global phenomenon The Walk (Little Amal) Little Amal is a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, who has travelled through 13 countries to 90 cities. She arrives in Toronto on June 7 and will walk across the region for ve days, looking for hope and her new home. She will be welcomed by musicians, dancers, children and elders, civic leaders, community organizers, newcomers and fellow refugees (and, possibly, you) in a journey of art and hope.
(June 17), Fort York
Enjoy a full-day celebration of National Indigenous People’s Day. This welcoming celebration features traditional dancing, drumming, giveaways, food and craft vendors, and a closing feast. Admission is free.
Mermaid Ball
(June 9) Drake Hotel
Live action The Little Mermaid left you hankering for more mermaid fun?
This underwater extravaganza takes place across all three oors of The Drake Hotel (themes include: Beach Life, Under the Sea and The Trench). Glitter and coral will adorn the Drake, and aquatic-themed costumes are recommended but not mandatory.
The Lust of Us
(June 17) Red Sandcastle Theatre
A night of burlesque, drag and music inspired by the hit show The Last of Us. Masks required. Performances by ArraKiss, CoCo LaCreme, Dante Legend, Delicia Pastiche, Dottie Champagne, El Toro, Henrietta VIII, Lacy Jane, Loretta Jean, Sweet Delilah, and musical guests Estefany Franco and Carlos Colmenares.
Boat Race Festival
(June 17 &18), Centre Island
In lieu of Game of Thrones dragons, we’ll settle for the amazing 35th year of dragon boat races at Centre Island. Over 5,000 athletes will be involved. Hope for a sunny weekend and may the best dragon (boat) win!
Art Battle TO Championship
(June 20) The Great Hall
Live painting, but talented artists create new works on the spot. And then you can bid and buy them. Watch canvases come to life right before your eyes in three 20-minute rounds. There can only be one winner.
Taste of Lawrence
(July 7–9) Lawrence Avenue East, between Warden and Birchmount
Come and celebrate Scarborough with the community’s biggest street party. Featuring three days of midway rides, food choices as diverse as the neighbourhood, tribute bands and local acts on stage, artisans and more. All for free. Wexford Heights awaits.
(June 30- July 4) Aga Khan Museum
Around the corner from the Ontario Science Centre, in what could be another “museum district” if Doug For left it alone, the Aga Khan Museum spends the Canada Day long weekend celebrating the rhythms and diversity of Canada. four days of delicious food, special programming, music from local and international artists. From magic shows and face painting to papermaking and poetry workshops, , get moving in a Bollywood workout class, and catch an unmissable lineup of evening performances featuring Salim-Sulaiman, The Halluci Nation, Balaklava Blues, Mas Aya, and Borelson.
Salsa on St. Clair Festival
(July 9 & 10) St. Clair West, from Winona to Christie “They’ll be dancing in the street” — St. Clair to be speci c, salsa to be exact. Since 2005, this neighbourhood event has grown into Canada’s biggest salsa party, with live Latin music and food, carnival rides with hundreds of thousands of your new best friends.
The Pink Floyd Exhibition
Opens Jun 16 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place. Used to be, the only way to “immerse” yourself in Pink Floyd was really good head phones and a bag of weed. A massive new exhibit is changing all that. The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, is an immersive and interactive journey through rock’s trippiest band’s rich history of music, art direction staging and more. Rare artefacts including stage props, handwritten lyrics instruments, costumes, long lost video and more are presented in a music-drenched environment. Created by Toronto’s Michael Cohl and his S2BN team
Toronto Caribbean Carnival — what everyone calls Caribana
(July 11–Aug. 5) Various locations
Toronto’s legendary Caribbean Carnival — we all call it Caribana — is as big or bigger than many on the Caribbean islands as the city becomes one big soca-fuelled, even-dancewith-a-cop-crazed frenzy of fun. The parade takes over Lakeshore, Sat., Aug. 5, and you can watch for free from the street or pay admission for a food--and-beer-garden-packed viewing area. Almost a full month of fun starts Sun., July 16, with the Junior Carnival King and Queen parade at Scarborough Town Centre and many events happening across Toronto all month.
Honda Indy Toronto
(July 14–16, race at 1 pm on July 16)
Much like the air show, polarizing the city has become part of the tradition around this annual event as Indy roars into Parkdale with a race and a weekend-long car-a-palooza celebration of all things auto. The big race is Sunday afternoon.
Brazilfest
(July 21–23) Earlscourt Park, St. Clair W. Rio comes to west St. Clair as Earlscourt Park is transformed for three days into Brazil north with a packed lineup of Brazilian music, food and more.
Something Strange One Ring Circus Wrestling and Sideshow
(July 22) Prehistoria Natural History Centre & SkullStore Oddity Shop, 1193
Weston R.
Spend an afternoon among freaks — no, seriously, they won’t be offended; it’s all part of the sideshow at Something Strange One Ring Circus, Wrestling and Sideshow event. And yes, there will be absurd sideshow shit along with wrestling and circus stuff. The weirdness begins at 2 pm, Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)
Aug 18 - Sept 4) at Exhibition Place, 210 Princes’ Blvd.
‘The Ex seems to be rebounding, crowds are back representing the diversity of the city with rides, weird food, spooky carnies, a variety of actual exhibitions, dog and skating shows but, alas, no skating dogs -- yet. They also have a packed concert line-up at the Bandshell and is usually good mix of vintage acts and some emerging talent. And there’s the air shown which you either love or hate.
Fan Expo
(Aug 24–27) Metro Toronto Convention Centre (222 Bremner Blvd.)
Four days of cosplay, comics, celebrities, gaming fantasy and fun at Fan Expo, Canada’s largest pop culture convention for fans of comics, sci- , horror, fantasy, anime, cosplay and gaming.A long weekend of geek shopping, celebrity meet-and-greets, photo ops and more. This year’s celebrity guests include: Hayden Christensen, Ethan Peck, Christina Ricci, Chevy Chase and Bonnie Wright.
Outside the city, Southern Ontario houses two hugely popular theatre festivals: the Shaw Festival (in Niagara-on-the-Lake) and the Stratford Festival (in its namesake city). Both have their origins in the classics but have since expanded to include more contemporary work, which they bring to life with vast, highly skilled acting ensembles. And though many think they only appeal to the grey-haired demographic, they’re working to change that: both have under-$30 round-trip Toronto buses and reasonably priced student tickets to boot. Here’s what’s worth making the trip for:
Richard II
May 23–Sept. 28 (Stratford).
While Stratford’s Shakespeare productions tend to leave the bard’s text pretty intact, this “revolutionary adaptation” set at Studio 54 in the late 1970s will use text from sources other than the play — always a welcome choice. And with brilliant actor Stephen Jackman-Torkoff taking on the long, owery speeches of the title king, this Jillian Keiley-directed production seems sure to excite.
Women of the Fur Trade
July 8–30 (Stratford).
Indigenous multi-hyphenate Frances Koncan’s comedy about three 19th-century women chatting about Louis Riel in the vernacular of present-day teenagers won the Toronto Fringe Best New Play Contest back in 2018. Now it’ll be on one of Canada’s most prominent stages, in a production marking the Stratford directorial debut of Canadian theatre giant Yvette Nolan. Big news on all fronts.
The Shadow of a Doubt
July 16–Oct. 15 (Shaw).
Peter Hinton-Davis is one of the country’s best directors, and he’s returning to Shaw with an intriguing project: a 1901 play by Age of Innocence author Edith Wharton that was only discovered in 2017. Gillian Gallow and Bonnie Beecher, who worked on the director’s last two Canadian Opera Company projects, will design.
The Amen Corner
July 30–Oct. 8 (Shaw).
Another work by an author better known as a novelist, this Harlem-set James Baldwin drama is getting brought to life by Shaw’s associate artistic director, Kimberley Rampersad. There’s music, too: the huge cast, many of whom are making their Festival debuts, will punctuate Baldwin’s incendiary prose with gospel choir harmonies.
Though most indoor theatres close for the summer, there’s still plenty of stuff in June. A few theatres even crank the AC and push right through to fall. Here are 10 shows to catch:
Sizwe Banzi Is Dead
May 25–June 18 (Soulpepper).
Obsidian Theatre artistic director
Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu takes on Tony-nominated South African play starring two of Canada’s brightest: Amaka Umeh and Tawiah M’Carthy.
Kelly v. Kelly
May 26–June 18 (Musical Stage Company/Canadian Stage).
Lauded musical theatre writer Britta Johnson premieres full production of new NYC-set musical at Berkeley Street Theatre. The 10-person cast includes Eva Foote, Jessica Sherman. Book by oftentimes-actor Sara Farb.
Perceptual Archaeology (or How To Travel Blind)
June 1–25 (Crow’s Theatre/Fire and Rescue Team).
Blind artist Alex Bulmer teams up with innovative director Leah Cherniak for solo show at one of Toronto’s fastest-growing theatres. Accessible for blind and sighted audiences.
Frame by Frame
June 2–11 (National Ballet of Canada).
Legendary theatre director Robert Lepage collaborates with choreographer Guillaume Côté on dance piece about Canadian experimental lmmaker Norman McLaren. Will doubtless have innovative design. At Four Seasons Centre.
Hadestown
July 5–Aug. 20 (Mirvish).
Tony-winning, Anaïs Mitchell-penned musical about Greek mythology nds its summer home at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Touring version of Rachel Chavkin’s acclaimed Broadway production.
Armadillos
June 3–24 (Factory Theatre).
New feminist play about a theatre tour from playwright Colleen Wagner. Directed by Jani Lauzon. Stars Zorana Sadiq, Paolo Santalucia, Mirabella Sundar Singh, Ryan Hollyman.
Loss
June 14–18 (Theatre Centre/ Luminato).
New Ian Kamau solo show, co-written with his father, hits Harbourfront Centre. Video, live music and storytelling combine for exploration of grief in Afro-Caribbean communities.
The Effect
July 9–30 (Coal Mine Theatre).
Immersive theatre director Mitchell Cushman tackles Canadian premiere of British play about clinical drug trial. Stars Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Aris Athanasopoulos, Leah Doz, Jordan Pettle. Set/lights by the always reliable Nick Blais.
King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild July 26–Aug. 6 (Soulpepper). Hybrid theatre-music production interweaves a present-day story with the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh. Music by Arabic-maqam fusion band Moneka Arabic Jazz. Stars Ahmed Moneka, Jesse LaVercombe.
Once the chaotic free-for-all of Fringe fades into the July air, a smaller, more curated festival arrives: SummerWorks, which runs from Aug 3 to 13. Though they haven’t yet dropped this year’s programming, the city-spanning festival likes to spotlight the artistic process: alongside fully-developed works, they present experimental labs of work in-progress. With this comes a big emphasis on community and artist-audience dialogue. On top of more conventionally rendered theatre, SummerWorks’s programming tends to include a sprinkling of visual art, performance art, and digital performance. The variety is always enlivening — and lots of it is free.
Detroit: Music of the Motor City
Aug. 9–20 (Soulpepper).
Frank Cox-O’Connell, Travis Knights and Andrew Penner link the musical history of Detroit to its industrial history. Will be better than you think — this team knows how to put together an exciting theatrical concert.
Generally short, scrappy, and accessible, outdoor theatre is a genre unto itself. Lie back on a blanket, watch the sun set, and sip wine from a snuck-in water bottle at shows from these theatre companies with outdoor offerings:
Shakespeare in the Ruff
Based out of the east end’s Withrow Park, this collectively led company mixes creative audacity with accessibility. Their next show, Richard Three (Aug 17-Sep 3), re ects that blend: director Patricia Allison is taking a multiverse approach, drawing an innovative link between a hyper-popular contemporary form and a Shakespeare history play, itself the popular entertainment of its day. Ruff tickets are free/PWYC.
For the last 40 summers, CanStage has brought cheap, high-quality theatre to the High Park amphitheatre. This year, the centrepiece of their outdoor slate is a 90-minute, Jamie Robinson-directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream (July 21-Sep 3). Shorter-running dance and music pieces will ll out the programming.
Guild Festival Theatre
The annual Toronto Fringe Festival (July 5-16) is the city’s largest, most wide-ranging theatre festival. This year, 103 shows will be presented at over a dozen indoor venues around the city. The shows are picked by lottery, so anyone with an idea and luck can participate, and they range from musicals to drama to dance to standup comedy and beyond. Tickets tend to be around $13, with all the cash going to the artists. And the Tranzac Club POSTSCRIPT patio is returning this year — head there for post-show drinks and free community events.
The best way to do Fringe is to grab a physical program and pick things at random. But since the full schedule won’t be out until June 14, here are some shows to get excited about:
Killing Time: A Game Show Musical (Mixtape Projects)
Mixtape Projects has already mounted two productions of this ultra-fun satirical musical about a murder on the set of a game show. The rst garnered them three Dora Award nominations, including Best Direction for company leader Margot Greve. The second, at the Hamilton Fringe, was unfortunately cut short due to COVID-19. This next Fringe attempt will hopefully go more smoothly and produce a big hit.
Over the last two years, a front company has been producing exciting, small-scale work by artists like Kole Durnford both here and in Alberta. They’re now expanding, and recently announced their rst full season
of work, which includes this movement-heavy play by Katarina Fiallos that explores the complex process of recovering from sexual assault.
CAEZUS
(Theatrum Pompeii)
Nam Nguyen’s meta-theatrical food musical A Perfect Bowl of Pho was the blockbuster hit of last Fringe, and he’s back this year as the lyricist of this “industrial hip-hop concert” about Julius Caesar’s nal days. With music by Maksym Chupov-Ryabtsev, it promises to be startlingly contemporary and just plain fun.
The Will of a Woman (Dead Heart Productions)
Pre-pandemic, a key part of Fringe was the “site-speci c” section of the program, which included shows done in unconventional performance
spaces around the city. For the rst time since 2019, that category is back, and accomplished playwright Steven Elliott Jackson (of last year’s Fringe hit The Garden of Alla) is using the opportunity to premiere this immersive new play at the historic Spadina House.
This growing company is nestled away in Scarborough’s Guild Park & Gardens, where they inhabit a stage with ornate, Greek-inspired architecture. In addition to some programming for young audiences, they’re doing two plays about trios: the satirical Three Men in a Boat (July 27-Aug 13), and The Drowning Girls (Aug 17-27), which is about three murderous brides. One of the best parts about outdoor theatre is how much of it there is, so other companies to watch out for include Clay & Paper Theatre, Dusk Dances, Shakespeare in Action, Driftwood Theatre Group, Common Boots Theatre, and Panoply Theatre Collective.
Laugh don’t go on summer holiday, if fact, Toronto is packed with sizzling comedy options during the city’s hottest season.
Kurtis Conner Live
Danforth Music Hall, June 2 Internet sensation and Toronto native Kurtis Conner takes his rst solo comedy tour home with a pair of shows at the Danforth. With over 4 million YouTube subscribers, Conner brings clever and forwardthinking commentary on internet culture to stand-up.
Daniel Sloss, Can’t Massey Hall, July 22
For those who can nd the light in dark comedy, Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss’s 12th solo show, Can’t, will highlight of the season. Offering his signature cynical outlook, expletives included, Sloss’s show will look for laughs digging into divisive controversies.
Theo Von, Return of the Rat
Elgin Theatre & Meridian Hall
Aug. 23–27
Best known for his podcasting, Theo Von has been performing stand-up since 2006. Blending anecdotes from his unconventional childhood in the southern U.S. with his usual social commentary, Return
of the Rat is slated to enjoy a four-night run in Toronto at two different venues.
Ben Schwartz and Friends
Massey Hall, Aug. 26
Tough enough for stand ups to pull off a successful major tour; fewer still can see sellouts for a show composed entirely of improv. For Ben Schwartz, it’s the only way he tours.
Saturday at Comedy Bar
Comedy Bar, Monthly
Saturdays at the Comedy Bar have traditionally been one of the best opportunities to get an un ltered Toronto comedy experience. Hosted the rst Saturday of every month, each lineup is a curated assembly of Canada’s; this Saturday, (June 3) for example, features all stars: Joze Piranian, Stephanie Neale, Amar Singh, Rachel Manson, and Hassan Phills.
Sunday Brunch Improv
The Second City, Weekly
In addition to the current Main stage show, The Skyline’s The Limit (4 Ns, NEXT) the Second City, hosts a weekly improv show every Sunday, with 70 minutes of free- owing performance over brunch and mimosas. Features a new cast every week
YukYuks
Weekly shows
For some sink-or-swim amateur
Ricky
Armageddon Scotiabank Arena,Aug. 10
The performer deemed most likely to call his audience “cunts” in a show, Gervais offers his take on how the world will end. Gervais calls Armageddon as his most “controversial” show yet, taking aim at “the woke generation” in a tour that is tabled to be recorded for Net ix.
comedy, Yuk Yuk’s is the place. The club has a roster of weekly shows, like Amateur Night and Rising Stars of Comedy, that are affordable entry points into this city’s comedy scene. The club also features solo shows including: Casey Corbin, Myles Morrison, and Rob Pue — and that’s just in June.
Comedy Lab Weekly shows
Comedy Lab is Toronto’s rst minority-owned comedy club and is quickly emerging as a buzz-worthy destination to experience local talent — and its diversity; and open mics are free on Thursdays and Fridays. The recurring Friday show has been headlined by Aliya Kenani, Rhoma Spencer and Sashka DC, to name a few, hosted by Clif Knight.
Every weekend you can nd dozens of events celebrating the many facets of our city’s diverse culinary scene. Some last a day, others a whole weekend, but one thing these festivals have in common is a drive to bring the whole town together over a shared love of food and drink. Whether you’re looking for a ight of Ontario’s best beers, a collection of spicy snacks or the best and brightest chefs in the city, make the most out of your summer and check out some of these can’tmiss food festivals.
Toronto Festival of Beer
#TOBeerFest, July 28–30
Bandshell Park, 200 Princes’ Blvd.
A Toronto food fest favourite, #TOBeerFest is an annual event that brings out brewers and beer lovers from across the GTA. Presented by the Beer Store, it features hundreds of different beers and eats from across the city. The cherry on top of this brew-fuelled day is the musical performances by headliners like Third Eye-Blind, Ice Cube, Ruby Waters and T-Pain. So, get your crew together and make sure to put this summer staple at the top of your to-do list.
Smorgasborg
June 24 –Sept. 9, 7 Queens Quay E.
Curated by food and cultural zeitgeist
Suresh Doss, this second annual Toronto outlet of the famed food and ea market is not one to miss. With his pulse tapped into the city’s most up-and-coming chefs and restaurants, this festival is a true who’s who of the city’s food scene. Every week, nd over 50 vendors that represent the magic of Toronto’s food and arts trendsetters.
Foodville Afro Caribbean Food Festival
July 29, Stackt Market, 28 Bathurst St. Powered by Black Owned Toronto, this day-long food fest is set to be a party for the ages. Find DJs, special guest chefs, live performances and over 30 artisan vendors across three stages at Toronto’s Stackt Market. Groove to the sounds of dancehall, r&b, afrobeats and hip hop and feast on the Afro-Caribbean avours of Toronto.
Spring into Spice Festival
June 3, Stanley Barracks Gardens
@ Hotel X Toronto, 111 Princes’ Blvd.
The Spring into Spice festival is here to spice up your life! Find 30 ethnic food vendors and local wineries at the Stanley Barracks Gardens at Hotel X on Saturday, June 3, for a day of community, wine pairings and great music. Cultivating an understanding of fare from Thailand, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, and pairing them with wine grown in our backyard, is just one of this event’s many draws.
Taste of the Danforth
Aug. 11–13, Danforth Avenue, between Broadview and Greenwood
The beloved Greektown food festival is back this year, and it’s new and improved. The Taste of the Danforth is one of the oldest-running food festivals in Toronto, and after its hiatus in 2020, it’s back with a vengeance. For its 26th year, the free street festival expects over 1.6 million attendees and hundreds of vendors serving up all the Greek treats the Danforth has to offer.
Toronto Raw Vegan Festival
June 6, , 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education
If you’re into the raw movement, this is the festival for you. Healthy Festivals Corporation puts on a huge trade show featuring the best in raw vegan food.
Do West Fest
June 9–11, Dundas Street West (from Shaw to Lansdowne)
In the heart of Little Portugal, this street festival promises the best of the west, including neighbourhood thrift markets, great food and live music.
Taste of India Food Festival
Aug. 4–5, Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W.
Get ready to eat, drink and dance at Toronto’s Taste of India. Coined as the largest Indian food utopia, this festival will be full of explosive avour with food from over 50 vendors. Dance and musical performances will be lighting up Nathan Philips Square all weekend long.
Well, all styles of beer are celebrated at the Summer Craft Beer Fest! Become an amateur Cicerone in just a few hours while you taste through the best of Canada’s craft brews.
Pan American Food & Music Festival
July 22, Nathan Philips Square, 100 Queen St. W.
The 11th annual Pan American Food Fest is Canada’s largest festival celebrating the Western Hemisphere’s food and culture. Nathan Philips Square will be buzzing with live music, vendors and diverse bites.
OssFest 2023
July 22, Ossington Street, between Dundas and Queen
We trust the Ossington BIA to throw a great street festival when the notable strip is much like a party all year round. Find all your favourite residents and some friends celebrating the food and culture Ossington has to offer.
Taste The Caribbean Food Festival
Night Market TO Presents the Halal Food Tour 2023
June 17–18, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. Night markets all over the world bring communities together after dark to celebrate the culture of the city. Highlighting the street food favourites you can nd across the globe, this halal food tour will enliven your senses and your appetite.
Taste of Italy
Little Italy, June 18 622 College St.
Little Italy transforms into one giant piazza for the Taste of Italy. Discover regional bites from across Italy, along with music, carnival rides and street vendors galore.
Wine Fest Toronto
July 7–9, 229 Richmond St. W. Sniff, swirl and sip at this epic tasting of grand proportions as it takes over Toronto’s RendezViews for a weekend of wine.
Summer Craft Beer Fest
July 13, 171 E. Liberty St.
Are you a fan of hops or do you like wheat beer? What about a nitro-stout?
July 22–23, Covered Green P west of Oakwood Ave, 1609 Eglinton Ave. W. Little Jamaica lights up for a weekend of island eats. Indulge in food and drinks from local chefs and Caribbean vibes from music and entertainment acts.
Food Truck Festival
Aug. 8, Woodbine Park, 1695 Queen St. E. Rally the crew and come hungry for Woodbine Park’s Food Truck Festival. The massive convoy of food trucks will carrel together to serve countless cuisines in the East End’s massive greenspace. Grab grub, a picnic blanket and some sunscreen for a day to remember.
Aug. 12, Canada’s Wonderland, 1 Canada’s Wonderland Dr. You don’t need to be a ride warrior to attend this food fest, but it may come in handy. Spend the day exploring Canada’s Wonderland all while devouring all of Portugal’s most iconic foods.
Aug. 19, Bathurst Street at Wilson Avenue
This is, hands down, the biggest and best Filipino food fest Toronto’s ever had. At the corner of Bathurst and Wilson, nd a collection of Pinoy treats, along with kids’ performances, entertainment and fashion shows.
mundane or ordinary,” to encourage the appreciation of the small moments in life.
The Stephen Bulger Gallery presents this collection of nature from the forests of Manitoba captured by Sarah Anne Johnson. The work is informed by Johnson’s Indigenous knowledge of nature and is meant to depict what is “felt by humans” in nature, not just what is seen.
num Opus
Visual art doesn’t hibernate for summer from the Art Gallery of Ontario’s (AGO) stream of constant new and exciting exhibits to some of the other demonstrations from Toronto’s diverse collection of galleries, summer 2023 is rich in artistic options.
Her Blood Spoke
AGO, 317 Dundas St. W., On now-Oct. 19.
scribed as a “primordial geo-queer liberation narrative.” Fastwürms uses volcanoes to tell a story of “unexpected abundance brimming with obsidian sexual potential.” The piece is a barrel sauna that serves as a high-temperature sauna and as a painting.
Fastwürms - The Field Guide to Seismic Sex
Museum of Contemporary Art, 158 Sterling Rd., June 2-July 23 Fastwürms make a second appearance, this time at Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The Kim Kozzi and Dai Skuse collaborative team will be transforming MOCA’s Lightbox into a makeshift advertisement for a ctional academic book. The Field Guide to Seismic Sex will allow viewers to not only engage with this book as passive viewers, but contribute themselves through “a form of mutual speculation and collective imagining.” It once again uses geology for its exploration of sex, using “speculation and points to the generative potentials of subterranean geological forces.”
VibraFusionLab: Haptic Voices InterAccess, 950 Dupont St., On nowJune 17.
presents a collection
Her Blood Spoke of 16 artworks by Joscelyn Gardner, Kara Springer and Alberta Whittle, all artists of Barbadian descent. The work re ects both the modern and historical experiences of Black maternity, featuring lithographs, photographs, paintings and videos, all helping to bring awareness to “the historical systems of racial and gendered violence that continue to shape our contemporary moment.”
Wolfgang Tillmans: To Look Without Fear
AGO, 317 Dundas St. W., On now-Oct. 1. This retrospective explores German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and the impact he uncompromising work has had on photograph. Featuring images of nightlife, architecture, social movements, astronomical phenomena and more. The collection highlights Tilmans’ ability to nd the extreme and beauty in every day, his love of vibrance.
Cassatt-McNicoll: Impressionists Between World
AGO, 317 Dundas St. W., May 31-Sept. 4. This exhibition features the work of two pioneering women in Impressionism, Mary Cassatt and Helen McNicoll, Impressionists Between Worlds
When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours is an exhibit showcases the over fourdecade-long career of South Asian Canadian artist Sarindar Dhaliwal and is her rst solo exhibition in the AGO. With themes of memory, identity and migra-
tion, Dhaliwal’s art features evocative imagery and severe use of colours.
TUSARNITUT!
Music Born of the Cold Royal Ontario Museum, Now until Sept. 24
This massive exhibit examines the breadth and diversity of Inuit musical expression and the connections between Inuit visual arts and two prominent musical genres: drum dancing and throat singing. Presenting over 100 sculptures, prints, drawings and installations themed around music from the 1950s to the present, this exhibition explores the fundamental role music plays in Inuit life while providing a rare opportunity to appreciate differences in style and content among artists in different regions.
ROM offers free admission for Indigenous Peoples.
Michel Dumont:
Mukwa Dodem
Paul Petro Contemporary Art, 980 Queen St. W., On now-June 24.
Queen West’s Paul Petro Contemporary Art’s rst exhibition in collaboration with Two-Spirit artist Michel Dumont. Mukwa Dodem translates to “I am bear clan,”. The exhibit features Dumont’s animal mosaics produced between 2017 and 2022. Dumont is sensitive to multiple chemicals, so the work is made with non-traditional materials like packing tape.
One Fine Day by Joan Latchford
The Cardinal Gallery, 1231 Davenport Rd., On now-June 25.
The Cardinal Gallery in Davenport Village features the diverse and moving work of photographer Joan Latchford. celebrated for her exploration of urban life through her works, capturing the reality of Toronto in the ‘60s and ‘70s. One Fine Day is a collection meant to encourage its viewers to “relish in the moment that may seem
Visit the Nicholas Metivier Gallery in King East to see this collection of images from documentary photographer and photojournalist Sebastião Salgado. Salgado’s work traverses over 100 countries, repreof nature as well as his drive to represent the socio-economic conditions of people around the world. As his latest collection, Magnum Opus represents the “culmination of his
senting his love
illustrious career” through 50 photographs that represent the nearly ve decades of impact he has had in the world of the image arts.
Fusion - Collaborative Drawings from Kinngait
Feheley Fine Arts, 65 George St., On now-June 17.
For a period of two years, artists working out of the Kinngait Studios in Nunavut created a collection of collaborative drawings on display at this downtown gallery. Featured artists include Shuvinai Ashoona, Ningiukulu Teevee, Saimaiyu Akesuk, Padloo Samayualie, Johnny Pootoogook, Ooloosie Saila and more.
Fastwürms: #VOCLANO_LOV3R
Paul Petro Contemporary Art, 980 Queen St. W., On now-June 24. Fastwürms artists’ have been creating round breaking art in Canada since 1979. , #VOLCANO_LOV3R is self-de-
Visit the InterAccess gallery to see how VibraFusionLab’s new haptic technology is being used to create an interactive hybrid-online venue. Haptic Voices is an artistic experience wholly unique, employing sounds like chants and hums from online participants and playing the sound through vibrotactile transducers in the walls of the gallery for those present.
2023 University of Toronto
Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition
Art Museum, University of Toronto Art Centre, 7 Hart House Cir., On now. This annual exhibition celebrates the artistic achievements of undergraduate visual arts students across the three U of T campuses. The work of 19 selected burgeoning artists at the Art Museum.
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
Nathan Phillips Square, July 2- 9. There’s always a wide range of art on view at the annual Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF). . Established in 1961, TOAF is Canada’s largest and longest-running annual art fair and showcases a diverse range of new and established artists, bringing together over 150,000 art lovers yearly.
A collection of artistic adventures to get you out of the house this summer.
When I grow up I want to be a namer of paint colours
Save Ontario Place — by using it. Spend the summer enjoying our unpolished gem by the lake
Of course, we are not going to allow Toronto-hating Ontario Premier Doug Ford to turn Ontario Place, the unpolished gem on our waterfront, into a foot bath for the bourgeoisie. Let them eat luffa indeed!
Cities all over the world know the value of public spaces on their waterfront; it should be obvious, but if you need proof look at Chicago or Barcelona, just two of the great cities that used waterfront redevelopment opportunities to increase public spaces, not eliminate them.
It’s important to support the actions of groups like Ontario Place for All, including attending the rally this Sunday, June 4, at noon, at Ford’s Fence — if someone hasn’t torn it down by then.
We think part of the resistance is simply to use Ontario Place like never before this summer. Occupy it! If you’re a regular, go more often — and introduce it to your friends. If you haven’t been since it was “open” — go now. Use our handy Ontario Place guide. Even after decades of neglect, it’s a beauty. Imagine if Ford took even a portion of the cash he wants to spend building unnecessary parking and used it to revitalize the space instead. It can happen — he’s backed down before.
Our Guide is to the western islands, where Ford wants to build Fort Sweat, The Sauna-torium, The Concrete Schvitz House.
How to get there:
Easy to bike to, tons of parking for cars in the massive CNE lots and the TTC routes that get 10–15 minutes from the western gates are: 29, 63, 504C, 509, 511.
POINTS OF INTEREST:
1. West Entrance: This is the only way to access West Island now that the access point between Trillium Park and West Island has been closed by the Ford Fence. Steep grade.
2. The Commons: The site of many a festival, including recent TIFF screenings, is a great place to get together with friends! Lots of seating and 365-day washrooms.
3. Lookout Point: An incredible view of Lake Ontario awaits, complete with a reservable repit and Muskoka chairs!
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
4. Ontario Place Beach: Toronto’s only pebble beach. People swim at this beach, which is one of the cleanest in Toronto. Perfect landing place if Ford tries to keep fencing us out.
5. Temple Bell: Designed by renowned Ontario architect Raymond Moriyama — he designed the Science
Centre — the Temple Bell is visited every New Year by the National Association of Japanese Canadians.
6 & 7.: Moose Hollow and Cedar Cove are two relaxing places lled with mature trees that Ford wants to cut down. A lovely place to read a book. You can also rent the Cedar Cove re pit.
8. The Ford Fence: This infamous piece of scrap is a reminder of a hopefully failed attempt to steal our public space.
