My name is Monica Berenyi, and I'll be your guide in Toronto. With my help, you will be able to experience Toronto’s perplexing energy force. As Toronto is built upon multiple identities and emigration waves, this place awaits the daring, exotic, and the untamed. Any creative type will be content here. Ok, here are some of the things you can do in Toronto. Contactme for more!
First off all: Tim Horton’s coffee: people in navy blue business suits, and one of the tallest buildings in the world.
Act now!
I'm going to put you in touch with some very interesting people this week. One of them is Sarah Dodd, an inspiring and prominent actress in Toronto’s thriving contemporary theatre scene. She is widely regarded for her masterful ability to apply the traditional theatre canon in a fresh context. Her loyalty to the growth of Toronto’s contemporary theatre scene is evident by her continuous presence in both experimental and controversial productions. As such, she has commanded lead roles at Toronto’s most acclaimed contemporary theatre venues: Tarragon Theatre, CanStage, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Toronto Fringe Festival. Sarah is also an active young mom. You will have to chance to see Sarah at a rehearsal and talk with her afterwards about new and experimental theatre in Canada.
Dare to be on-air
Another great personality within Toronto's cultural scene is Sook-Yin Lee. A first generation Chinese-Canadian, Lee first garnered national attention as the lead singer of the influential Vancouver alternative band Bob's Your Uncle. She subsequently released several solo albums, performed in a wide range of theatre, film, and television projects, and in 1995 became a VJ for national music video network ‘MuchMusic’. She continues to perform original works and covers in Toronto’s underground music scene. Lee has always been openly bi-sexual and is a public advocate for the enhancement of human rights and freedoms in Canada. Today you will listen to programs from Lee's CBC radio show "Definitely Not The Opera” if you dare…
Ballet
If you are interested in ballet and other forms of performance art, your meeting with Bengt Jorgen might be one you will never forget. In his projects, Jorgen challenges the traditional conventions of classical ballet with a modern twist. He has provided the Toronto dance community with a recognizable and critical platform for the presentation of avant-garde works, and continues to nurture local talent. As the founder of a small innovative ballet company, dedicated to the development and presentation of new Canadian choreography, Jorgen has made an important contribution to the creative evolution of Canadian dance and in particular, to Toronto’s dance world. Jorgen will introduce you to The Group of Seven Nutcracker, an experimental work born from the collaboration with the renowned McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Cultural real estate
Furthermore you have to stop by at the Artscape Wychwood Barns Project. This project was started to provide available workspace for Toronto’s underground artists in the old historic Toronto Transit Commission’s repair barns. Currently there are 12 non-for-profit organizations, 15 artist's studios, and 26 artist live/work spaces listed in the building. Through the AWB Project, art, culture, and creativity are stimulated under the umbrella of a public-friendly enterprise. Visiting the project and their inventors, Artscape, you will dive into one of the most inspiring creative networks Toronto has to offer.
Sounds interesting
You should meet the Canadian giant of sound composition: Mychael Danna. He is recognized as one of the most original voices in Canadian sound. He is also known for combining non-Western sound sources with orchestral and electronic minimalism in the world of film music and sound installation works. His true brilliance is revealed in the unique way that he has introduced new audiences — including young people and more traditional audiences for orchestral music — to the joys of exploring sound composition, both musically and in the unusual venues where he sets his performances. This is your chance to learn how to be innovative, original, and still successful in contemporary music.
Make your way over to Toronto's historic Kensington Market, and stop to sample some locally made delicacies from an array of organic bakeries. Be sure to pick up some Canadian maple syrup for your friends back home.
Don’t Go
Yonge Street
Ferry Docks
Eaton’s Center
CN-tower
Try at Night
- Tranzac Club (local legendary watering hole)
- Rivoli (Canadian grassroots bands meet urban legends)
- Mod Club Theatre (famous British independent music nights)
For Energy
- Aunties and Uncles (best brunch in Toronto for those on an artist’s budget)
- Alternative Grounds (complete organic meals in an inspiring place)
- Café Bernate (for the local Torontonian intelligentsia)
To Rest
- Drake Hotel
- Gladstone Hotel (every room is designed by a local artist)
- Beaconsfield Bed and Breakfast (operated by a painter and an actress)
Prices
1 pint of Canadian beer: $ 4.50
1 metro ticket $ 2.75
Canadian drip coffee (don’t!): $1.50
Service Tax: 15%
