Getting “discovered” while sipping your skinny latte outside the Eaton Centre just got a little bit harder. One of the world’s top modeling agencies, Ford Models, has announced that it will be shuttering its Toronto branch by the end of January. The move came as a surprise to many. And while the loss may be a short-term boon for some competing agencies, Ford’s shutdown is a hit to Toronto’s hard-won identity as a fashion capital.
Arriving in Canada back in 1995, the New York agency brought with it an exceptional pedigree. Ford’s reputation helped put Toronto on the world’s style radar.
In 1999, just four years later, Robin Kay, current president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada, started putting Toronto Fashion Week together. The event was touted as truly putting Toronto on the map, building on the reputation Ford Models (and many other talented individuals) helped it achieve by showcasing local designers and talent in an unprecedented way.
Toronto had finally made it, or so we thought.
In recent years, it has become increasingly hard for homegrown talent to nab high-profile stage time during Fashion Week, so much so that unofficial events have sprung up to ensure Canadians are put front and centre. Perhaps that’s why Toronto Fashion Week — officially World MasterCard Fashion Week — doesn’t even have “Toronto” in its name.
Ford Models’ pullout doesn’t exactly spell disaster for the city, but coupled with Toronto’s history of marginalizing its own talent, we may be seeing the origins of a troubling identity crisis that could face the local fashion industry in the years to come.
For the past four years, Naked Fridays has been a safe haven for new comics of all kinds to cut their teeth on Toronto’s comedy scene. The show, held in The John Candy Box Theatre, also features the rotating cast of the Naked Fridays Players, a troupe auditioned from the community to do eight-week runs performing sketch exclusively for the show. We chatted with host, Ben Johnson, and producer, Josh Murray, about the show, its players and why Fridays are naked.
So how did Naked Fridays start? Josh: Naked Fridays started from a group discussion of 12-15 people in The Second City Training Centre community that wanted to do a weekly show, and that group slowly became a smaller and smaller group as the weeks went on. After six weeks, there were really only four people still around who showed the drive to make this show a success. They were me, The Second City Training Centre General Manager Erin Conway, Chris New and the original host of the show, Stephen Kew. Now we’re 125+ shows in and we have a solid audience week in and week out and even better, a really funny show. Ben: Most of the time.
Why “naked?” What’s naked about Fridays? Ben: The show is called Naked Fridays because it presents comedy stripped down to its bare essentials. The Second City Training Centre has made some improvements to our space, but essentially it’s just a little wooden stage in a dark room in a basement — and it’s fucking awesome. I mean, we can give [the performers] some lights, Chris can play the piano for you, but ultimately it all comes down to your act. It’s bare bones. Also, sometimes, when there are a lot of other shows happening in the city on Friday night, I’ll be honest, our audience has been pretty bare, too.
Walk us through a typical Naked Fridays show. What can we expect? Ben: The show is always a little different. We try to stick to a format where I do a monologue, then we have music or stand-up opening and an improv act closing with the Players doing sketch in the middle, but even sticking to that format can mean totally different shows each week. That’s the beauty of our show. You don’t know what you're going to see. Ninety-nine per cent of the time — be it a guy with guitar, an improv duo, a magician, some sketch; whatever — it is a fucking awesome show. But I actually love the one per cent that is just horrendously shitty, too. With comedy like this, often made up on the spot, or occasionally booking an act we’ve never heard of because we need to fill a spot, things can get really, really bad. But that’s the beauty of comedy. It’s risk, it’s scary and sometimes it’s shitty. Mostly it’s not though, I promise! In short, if you come to our show, expect a good time. And expect dick jokes. I make a lot of dick jokes.
Tell us about the Naked Fridays Players. Ben: The Naked Fridays Players was an idea of mine for changing things up a bit. I decided to tweak the show’s format a bit and, instead of having three acts each week, opted to have our own troupe that would provide new sketch comedy each week. I happened to mention this idea to veteran improviser Kevin Matviw over beers one night and he expressed an interest in directing the troupe for our show. We auditioned people and put together a troupe and the rest, as they say, is history. Josh: The Players are pretty unique in the Toronto comedy scene. They put up brand new sketch comedy every single week — stuff that’s been written just that same week. And then we run auditions and run an entirely new troupe every eight weeks. Ben: Yeah, it’s pretty awesome actually. I think we originally intended to have Kevin stay on as the director, but he got a job on a boat, and since then we've been rotating directors, too.
What’s one of the most outrageous sketches that’s ever been performed? Josh: We’ve seen a lot. A lot. We showed some videos that definitely bordered on tasteless. I think to pick one would be completely unfair to those sick fuckers who really pushed the envelope. Ben: Yeah. It always a little outrageous. I mean, we have a recurring segment called “Guess that Meat” where we feed meat to blindfolded members of the audience; we like to play “is that Bieber or a lesbian;” we’ve had guests take their tops off… Josh: But we have never seen actual nudity at Naked Fridays. Here's hoping, 2013.
Who would be your ideal guest performer? Ben: Well, part of our mandate is to provide a space to up-and-comers, so our ideal guest is a face-meltingly hilarious comic no one has ever seen before. Josh: We’re looking for stars of the future. We want to offer people a place to really get off the ground. It’s a stage for the people who don't have a stage yet. Our first real show had two up-and-comers who are now on The Second City Mainstage, so we got to be doing something right. Ben: Also, if that guy who played Enos on The Dukes of Hazzard wants to do comedy, he would be my ideal guest performer.
Why is Naked Fridays an important part of the Toronto comedy scene? Ben: Well, we’re sort of intrinsically tied to The Second City Training Centre community, so we definitely exist as an important place for people new to the scene to cut their teeth on a stage, if they want to. And we offer a sort of uniquely non-judgmental space for comedy. But it’s also a space where veterans feel comfortable stopping by or sending us an email to ask for some stage time if they want to try something new or just want to play. It’s a unique space where people taking classes at The Second City might get a chance to open for veterans and everyone is supported by Chris, one of the best musical directors in the city by far, and the audience gets to see it all. Most importantly, the audience is supportive as hell, so it’s always a good time.
Is there anything new being added to the show in 2013? Josh: Every show is new. We have usually one newcomer that hasn’t done a lot around the city, so you never know what to expect. We’re also growing the Naked Fridays Players franchise. We’re on our fourth installment and the current cast is dynamite, writing edgy and hilarious sketches week in and week out. Ben: And there will be more dick jokes.
Who’s up this Friday night? Ben: Not me, actually. I’m taking a night off. We’ve got guest co-hosts! Josh: Mark and Mickey MacDonald are guest-hosting and choosing their own guests and, without divulging too much, there will be some musical puppets. It’s going to be a good one. Not to be missed.
Year started: 2009 Members: Ben Johnson (host), Chris New (musical director), Josh Murray (producer), Andrew Haggith (director). The current Naked Fridays Players cast include Maddox Campbell, Paul Kingston, Monique Marion, Sam Roulston, Eric Minch and Chelsea Szarka. Influences: David Letterman, The Conan O’Brien Show, Ed Sullivan, The Kids in The Hall, Miles Davis, your mother. Next show:The John Candy Box Theatre, 70 Peter St., Lower Level. Every Friday, 9 p.m.
By now, the holidays are but a distant memory, much to everyone’s despair. The effects, however, may not be. Fresh has been blending up healthful cocktails of vitamins, minerals and raw enzymes since ’99. We’re told that following New Year’s, the most popular selection is the so-called Detoxifier ($5.50), for obvious reasons.
The concoction blends kale, spinach, parsley, celery and apple, giving imbibers an instant energy boost. Those in need of some additional assistance can pump up the green bevvy with added supplements like chyawanprash (an ayurvedic boost to the immune system), milk thistle (which helps the liver) or spirulina (which helps rid the body of both mental and physical fatigue). And the real strugglers may wish to tack on a shot of superfood E3Live at the end — the combo is bound to fix just about everything.
With city council reaching the halfway point of its term and the threat of a byelection looming overhead, now more than ever North York needs to take a hard look at the way business is conducted at Toronto City Hall.
Last month, council hit an all-time low with elected officials on the attack, slinging insults and accusations. Some say this was a preview of what a mayoral race would look like. With the 2013 budget process in full swing — a challenging and divisive process to begin with — I expect we will see more of the same at council later this month. What I have heard from North York residents is that they are tired of watching elected representatives not working in a professional and pragmatic way.
It is extremely unfortunate that we are even being forced to consider a costly and potentially unproductive byelection for Toronto's top job. Council still must decide on what is the best way to move forward.
Whatever the outcome, we must all step up and do the job we were sent here to do. This includes representing our residents, working with our fellow councillors and improving city services and their associated costs.
We have to get past the unproductive behaviour that has dominated at City Hall and demand a much higher standard from all of city council.
These are unique times and there are unique opportunities for change. Instead of using this opportunity to score political points, we should be focusing our efforts to support Toronto businesses and residents and help our great city reach its potential.
Toronto’s theatre scene is moving on up to the east side with today’s news that the nomadic theatre company, Crow’s Theatre, will be setting up a permanent 200-seat theatre in the base of a new Leslieville condo tower. Yes, a condo tower. Here’s why the new performing arts facility (which is scheduled to open in 2015) is an awesome thing for Toronto.
It’s the Crow’s Theatre first real home. Though the innovative theatre company (producer of such hits as High Life and I, Claudia) has been around for 30 years, like most contemporary theatre companies, it had been using space as needed. Its new Leslieville theatre will be the first space that Crow actually owns.
It’s expanding the permanency of Toronto’s theatre scene. The Crow’s new space joins the new theatre boom that includes Daniels Spectrum, which opened this fall, and the new home to Native Earth Performing Arts, and The Theatre Centre will move to a permanent location next fall. Take that, arts funding cuts.
It’s the first theatre east of the Don Valley. With 1.3 million Torontonians living on “the other side” of the DVP, it’s only fair that those east enders finally have easy access to some quality theatre.
It’s in a condo. Sure, the location of the new digs might seem a bit odd, but with three venues for cultural and neighbourhood programming (think food markets and weddings) along with soundproof walls, the new theatre is a match made in community heaven.
It’s opening just in time for the Pan Am Games. So theatre goers can be rest assured that their artsy palettes will be sated in a sea of summer sports mania.
When I heard that a new play was going to be presented by the very gifted Hannah Moscovitch, my ears perked up like a rabbit’s. She is Canada’s most talented playwright of the past few years (East of Berlin, The Russian Play, The Children’s Republic), and I treasure her work. Having seen her latest play, This is War, the day after it opened, I cannot heartily recommend it, as I have all of her others. In fact, I can hardly recommend it at all.
True, Moscovitch has become respected for her writing in the CBC radio war drama series Afghanada, which I have admittedly not followed. And seeing that the director is my former student at York University, the usually inspired Richard Rose (who is also Tarragon’s artistic director), I was counting the hours until the curtain rose.
But driving home from the Tarragon Theatre, which has witnessed so many brilliant works over its decades-long tenure as one of this country’s major presenters of superior, original Canadian drama, I kept thinking sad thoughts: “Well, Tennessee Williams rarely reached the heights he achieved with A Streetcar Named Desire. And most of Edward Albee’s plays since the early Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? were pretty dreary and uninspired…”
Still, the superior set and costume designer, Camellia Koo, has done something striking: we enter through camouflage netting, making us feel as if we are present with these four soldiers during their deadly military work in that thankless, unwinnable war in Afghanistan. But in spite of the always-excellent Ari Cohen, and the stunningly-beautiful and gifted Lisa Berry (the actors who play the other two soldiers, Ian Lake and Sergio Di Zio, are also fine), the writing was unable to build my interest in these confused, obscene and angry soldiers.
Their predicament is relatively simple: they hate this war, they miss their homes and they find themselves shooting children by mistake. Canada’s war in Afghanistan was hardly pleasant, with the stifling heat, generally ungrateful locals and cloudy reasons for fighting for it.
There are occasionally some bright moments (how could there not be, in a play by Hannah Moscovitch?), such as several scenes re-enacted from different soldiers’ points of view, the sharp repetition of dialogue and the way the individual soldiers often stare straight into the eyes of the audience as they speak, as if being interrogated after their service was over.
Moscovitch continues to be one of our most promising young playwrights. But I sense that This is War will not be listed among her major achievements. It just didn’t work for me.
This is War, Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. 416-531-1827. Now – Feb. 3
Allan Gould is Post City Magazines’ theatre critic. He has a PhD in English and Theatre from York University and has written over 40 books. His writing has appeared in Toronto Life, Chatelaine, enRoute, Canadian Business, Good Times and the Financial Post. He is married, with two children. Aside from his family, his major passions are theatre and film, because they enrich life with pleasure and meaning.
Since early last year, we had been anticipating the opening of NoNo’s Pastaria at 1442 Dundas West. A project from chef-owner Mani Binelli, the concept was supposed to be a cozy hole-in-the-wall with a rotating selection of pastas and other Italian fare. But in the process of working on the space, Binelli decided he wanted to switch things up a bit.
“The NoNo’s concept was decided before I found the space,” he says. “And the space has evolved and turned into more than that.”
The upcoming restaurant is now called The Guild, and according to Binelli, it’s going to have a bit more of an edge. Expect modern cooking techniques, such as sous vide and liquid nitrogen, taking place in an appropriate Dundas West setting.
Binelli, who cut his teeth at Centro and has worked in a slew of other high-end restaurants, says that the space is essentially ready to go; he’s just waiting on inspections and the ever-elusive liquor licence.
Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition: Born Ruffians drop a new single, Joel Plaskett gets an award and The Strumbellas take up residency at The Dakota Tavern.
Nothing cures the Monday blahs quite like brand spanking new music. Today’s docket includes a debut song from Born Ruffians. “With Her Shadow” is a shift from the upbeat, fast-paced pop we’re used to, and instead moves towards mellow and darkly thoughtful electro. If this edginess is any indication of their forthcoming record, we’re looking forward to it.
Maritime king of pop rock Joel Plaskett was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal last week. The prize honours Canadians who have made significant contributions to our nation’s culture and community — and Plaskett sure has. He has more than 20 years in the music biz, having made stellar albums with his ’90s rock band Thrush Hermit, and he’s received nods from the Juno Awards and the Polaris Music Prize. Forget beer and poutine, Joel Plaskett is one of our country’s greatest exports.
Beloved local folksters The Strumbellas recently announced their residency at The Dakota Tavern for the month of January. That means that every Tuesday night this month you’ll be able to stomp your feet along to twangy, banjo-driven, hook-heavy goodness. Tomorrow night kicks off the series with special guests Tin Star Orphans at the city’s quintessential country hangout.
Moms and dads rejoice! The days of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb” are over. Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Rush will put an end to traditional nighttime songs and instead offer your mini metal-heads a soothing version of classic rock ballads. The album was created by Lisa Roth, sister to David Lee (Van Halen). Previous albums have included songs from bands such as Metallica, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. Parents can proudly crank the record out of their minivan speakers when it’s released on Jan. 29. Preview the songs here, and check out a totally relaxing rendition of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” below.
When Catl decided to name their latest album Soon This Will All Be Gone, they were likely hinting at something. Exclaim! reports that the local blues rock outfit will be going on an indefinite hiatus, but not before a final farewell at the Horseshoe Tavern on Jan. 19.
And in other baby rocker news, Toronto’s New Year’s first born belongs to Casey LaForet, member of alt-country band Elliott Brood. We’re hoping that baby Wynn — born at exactly midnight on Jan. 1, 2013 — takes after his pops.
I am happy to announce that a new and innovative pilot project is underway in Ward 25! Many residents have written or spoken to me about the unsightly graffiti spread across the Mt. Pleasant Road overpass’ support columns.
The overpass stretches across Alexander Muir Park, a popular dog walking spot, and the graffiti really takes away from the natural, ravine-like setting.
A resident of the ward recently approached city staff with a creative idea to help combat the graffiti, and I am very happy to inform residents that we have adopted the idea and the pilot project is now underway!
The graffiti has been removed and a local artist painted large picture frames in its place. Our goal now is not only to keep the graffiti contained to the area within the picture frames, but to encourage other local artists to contribute meaningful, artistic work — the kind of works that add vibrancy to our streets and public squares.
If the pilot is successful and graffiti-related vandalism can be reduced, the city will also save money by reducing cleanup costs.
City staff will be monitoring the project to ensure any and all work is community appropriate. Should the project be deemed unsuccessful for whatever reason, we will remove the frames.
If you happen to be in Alexander Muir Park in the coming weeks, please let me know what you think about this pilot project by sending me an e-mail, at [email protected], or by contacting my office at 416-395-6408. You can also contact city staff directly by e-mail at [email protected].
Friday Restaurant Recap rounds up the week’s Toronto restaurant news. In this edition: a Brazilian steakhouse for Richmond Hill, an Iberian-Asian restaurant opens on Avenue Road and a classic U.S. diner prepares to open its first downtown Toronto location.
Opening soon
A new Brazilian steakhouse known as Touro Churrascaria is set to open this spring in the space formerly occupied by Nava in Richmond Hill. [Touro Churrascaria]
According to Twitter, Buonanotte, an Italian restaurant from Montreal, is taking reservations at its new Toronto location for this Friday and Saturday. [Twitter]
America’s favourite diner, Denny’s, is apparently opening a downtown location soon at Bay and Dundas. We can imagine the eye rolls, but hey, you can’t knock the trademark Grand Slam breakfast until you’ve tried it… right? [Denny’s]
Dyne, a new restaurant on Avenue Road, debuts today, offering a mix of Iberian and Asian foodstuffs, including a $325 feast featuring rib eye steak, foie gras and butter-poached lobster. [Dyne]
Newly opened
Husband and wife Leif Kravis and Donna Ashley have opened Karelia Kitchen, a new Scandinavian smokehouse and café, in Bloordale. [Read our post here]
The Pantry, a uniquely Irish shop and deli, has opened in the east end. [Toronto Star]
Another popular Asian restaurant from the West Coast has invaded Toronto. Zakkushi is now open for business on Carlton Street, specializing in yakitori and other tapas-style foods. [Zakkushi]
The team behind Great Burger Kitchen and McGugan’s have opened a third spot along Gerrard Street in the form of rustic Italian restaurant Aprilé Bambina Cucina. [Toronto Life]
Change-ups
One of College Street’s newest additions, Hapa Izakaya, is undergoing renovations and will be closed until Jan. 9.
Nuit and Jeff Regular have abruptly left Khao San Road. They will be focusing their efforts on the second location of Sukhohai and the new Sabai Sabai Kitchen. [Now Magazine]
Once you’ve seen one pair of black winter gloves, you think you’ve seen them all, right? Not so with these knitted wool and sheep leather gloves from J. Lindeberg. The Swedish king of cool knows a thing or two about looking good in a snowstorm, which must be why these Normann gloves give off an aura of biker swagger.
The contrasting leather and wool panels offer the best of both worlds; the wool provides the warmth your average hand warmers could only dream of, and the leather provides both grip and style. Lined with warm wool and acrylic lining throughout, the gloves also have an adjustable wrist strap to ensure a snug fit.
I am involved in a wide range of difficult decisions on the City of Toronto: Budget Advisory Committee. We must present a balanced budget while being mindful with property taxes, fees and service charges. Despite this constraint, I am firmly committed to ensuring that the arts and literature receive the funds necessary to thrive in our city.
Ward 10 produces some of the city’s most creative minds, whose works appear on canvas, across the stage and in books. I pledged my support for funding North York's only major theatre, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, which receives $1.6 million in subsidies.
2013 marks 10 years since the city first committed to increasing arts funding to $25 per person. It is time to finally reach this target. With the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision to uphold the billboard tax, revenues upwards of $10 million per year will be sent into a city reserve fund. It is also time to reverse the unfair flow of funds that head downtown, and give suburban communities their share.
I have been working with city departments, including recreation, economic development and arts groups, to revitalize the space at the Herbert Carnegie Centennial Centre and adjacent Centennial Library. Our goal is to build onto these two great facilities to create a hub including a stage, business incubator and new public space promoting the arts.
Cities face tough choices. But great cities are always defined by the support they give to the arts.
Though we must always be careful with how we dispense taxpayer funds, a vibrant cultural community must be supported with a strong political commitment.
