An indie theatre fest, the return of Long Winter and five other things to do this week
The quirky Next Stage Theatre Festival
The Fringe fest’s cold-weather cousin kicks off its 10th-anniversary edition this week with 10 eclectic plays. The Death of Mrs. Ghandi and the Beginning of New Physics stars an all-female cast as Kim Campbell, Margaret Thatcher, Malala Yousafzai and other women who “paved the way for Hillary.” In Silk Bath (pictured above), four Chinese immigrants—speaking in English, Mandarin and Cantonese—compete for cultural approval in a dystopian game show. And Blood Ties, the story of a bachelorette weekend gone wrong, was performed on the small screen by one of Tatiana Maslany’s many clones in the second season of the Toronto-shot sci-fi series Orphan Black. Wednesday, January 4 to Sunday, January 15. $10–$15. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., fringetoronto.com.
An intriguing theremin concert
The theremin—an early electronic instrument played by waving one’s hands between two antennae to produce an eerie wail—has many admirers but few virtuosi. Count the superlative Carolina Eyck among them. In Conducting the Ether, she premieres an original theremin composition. The evening also includes a piece for the karlax, another oddity that interprets body movements into sound (and would look right at home in the bridge of the starship Enterprise). Works by Maurice Ravel and Bohuslav Martinů also call for the less adventurous piano, oboe and string quartet. Saturday, January 7. $35. Music Gallery, 197 John St., newmusicconcerts.com.
The return of Long Winter
For four years, Long Winter—an all-ages art and music series founded by members of local hardcore outfit Fucked Up—has turned venues like the AGO and Galleria Mall into bustling concert halls. To kick off its fifth season, Long Winter hits the Gladstone Hotel, where noisy rockers WHIMM, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra violinist Jessica Moss and others will provide the soundtrack. Work by Daniel Rotsztain (the guy who drew all Toronto’s libraries) and a dozen more artists will be littered around the venue, and Vish Khanna will host an edition of his late-night talk show, Long Night. Friday, January 6. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., torontolongwinter.com.
Infinity, a mathematical rom-com
Is time real or just an illusion? That’s the question at the centre of playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s romantic comedy, which returns to the Tarragon after a successful run in 2015. The story follows a lovesick mathematician who unexpectedly enters an alternate timeline in which a physicist and a composer are falling for each other. Wednesday, January 4 to Sunday, January 29. $55–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.
A modern Renaissance man’s art exhibition
Few of Sky Glabush’s works look alike. The London, Ont., artist has painted realist suburban landscapes, neo-Fauvist portraits and minimalist, Rothko-esque watercolours. He’s sculpted modernist forms that could be mistaken for IKEA shelving. And he’s woven and dyed abstract textiles. This show serves a sampler, displaying Glabush’s disparate works. Saturday, January 7 to Saturday, February 4. MKG127, 1445 Dundas St. W., mkg127.com.
A four-night Moneen reunion
The Brampton-based emo rockers have kept mostly quiet since their last album, 2009’s The World I Want To Leave Behind. But, this month, they’re dusting off the distortion pedals to mark the 10th anniversary of The Red Tree, a universally adored album (at least among those who’ve heard of it), full of searing guitars and gang-vocal anthems. The boys may be entering middle age now, but their live performances are still the same sweaty, head-banging rituals. Wednesday, January 4 to Saturday, January 7. $20. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., ticketfly.com.
Sequence, two stories in one
Two unlikely stories collide in this brainy debut by Calgary playwright Arun Lakra. In one storyline, a man wins 20 straight years of double-or-nothing Super Bowl coin-toss bets. In the other, a professor races to cure a disease that’s making her go blind. Tuesday, Jan. 3 to Sunday, February 12. $30–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/culture/toronto-events-january-2017-long-winter-next-stage-moneen/&title=An indie theatre fest, the return of Long Winter and five other things to do this week&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Long-Winter-2000x3006.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_409323" align="alignnone" width="2000"] .[/caption]
The quirky Next Stage Theatre Festival
The Fringe fest’s cold-weather cousin kicks off its 10th-anniversary edition this week with 10 eclectic plays. The Death of Mrs. Ghandi and the Beginning of New Physics stars an all-female cast as Kim Campbell, Margaret Thatcher, Malala Yousafzai and other women who “paved the way for Hillary.” In Silk Bath (pictured above), four Chinese immigrants—speaking in English, Mandarin and Cantonese—compete for cultural approval in a dystopian game show. And Blood Ties, the story of a bachelorette weekend gone wrong, was performed on the small screen by one of Tatiana Maslany's many clones in the second season of the Toronto-shot sci-fi series Orphan Black. Wednesday, January 4 to Sunday, January 15. $10–$15. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., fringetoronto.com.
An intriguing theremin concert
The theremin—an early electronic instrument played by waving one’s hands between two antennae to produce an eerie wail—has many admirers but few virtuosi. Count the superlative Carolina Eyck among them. In Conducting the Ether, she premieres an original theremin composition. The evening also includes a piece for the karlax, another oddity that interprets body movements into sound (and would look right at home in the bridge of the starship Enterprise). Works by Maurice Ravel and Bohuslav Martinů also call for the less adventurous piano, oboe and string quartet. Saturday, January 7. $35. Music Gallery, 197 John St., newmusicconcerts.com.
[caption id="attachment_367994" align="alignnone" width="2000"] .[/caption]
The return of Long Winter
For four years, Long Winter—an all-ages art and music series founded by members of local hardcore outfit Fucked Up—has turned venues like the AGO and Galleria Mall into bustling concert halls. To kick off its fifth season, Long Winter hits the Gladstone Hotel, where noisy rockers WHIMM, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra violinist Jessica Moss and others will provide the soundtrack. Work by Daniel Rotsztain (the guy who drew all Toronto’s libraries) and a dozen more artists will be littered around the venue, and Vish Khanna will host an edition of his late-night talk show, Long Night. Friday, January 6. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., torontolongwinter.com.
Infinity, a mathematical rom-com
Is time real or just an illusion? That’s the question at the centre of playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s romantic comedy, which returns to the Tarragon after a successful run in 2015. The story follows a lovesick mathematician who unexpectedly enters an alternate timeline in which a physicist and a composer are falling for each other. Wednesday, January 4 to Sunday, January 29. $55–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.
A modern Renaissance man’s art exhibition
Few of Sky Glabush’s works look alike. The London, Ont., artist has painted realist suburban landscapes, neo-Fauvist portraits and minimalist, Rothko-esque watercolours. He’s sculpted modernist forms that could be mistaken for IKEA shelving. And he’s woven and dyed abstract textiles. This show serves a sampler, displaying Glabush’s disparate works. Saturday, January 7 to Saturday, February 4. MKG127, 1445 Dundas St. W., mkg127.com.
[caption id="attachment_409325" align="alignnone" width="2000"] .[/caption]
A four-night Moneen reunion
The Brampton-based emo rockers have kept mostly quiet since their last album, 2009’s The World I Want To Leave Behind. But, this month, they’re dusting off the distortion pedals to mark the 10th anniversary of The Red Tree, a universally adored album (at least among those who’ve heard of it), full of searing guitars and gang-vocal anthems. The boys may be entering middle age now, but their live performances are still the same sweaty, head-banging rituals. Wednesday, January 4 to Saturday, January 7. $20. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., ticketfly.com.
Sequence, two stories in one
Two unlikely stories collide in this brainy debut by Calgary playwright Arun Lakra. In one storyline, a man wins 20 straight years of double-or-nothing Super Bowl coin-toss bets. In the other, a professor races to cure a disease that’s making her go blind. Tuesday, Jan. 3 to Sunday, February 12. $30–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.){kind=link}