The Weekender: Cinderella, Christy Turlington Burns and six other events on our to-do list
1. FESTIVAL OF IDEAS AND CREATION (FREE!)
CanStage’s annual Festival of Ideas and Creation is all about supporting artists and developing new works. This year’s lineup has some serious thespian credentials: director Atom Egoyan, opera director Robert Carsen and playwright Will Power. This weekend, don’t miss The Decameron: Things We Left Behind. Loosely based on Boccaccio’s collection of novellas, this new production is about four friends in a swiftly degenerating city. (Similarities to Toronto’s 2012 budget are, we’re sure, strictly coincidental.) May 9 to 21. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St., 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com/festival.
2. WEEKEND GEOFEST
Geocaching, in a nutshell, is a high-tech take on scavenger hunts: participants search for hidden clues and race to the finish line, all aided by a GPS device. This weekend-long event, hosted by the Golden Horseshoe Monthly Geocaching Club, includes a GPS 101 workshop, guided tours and a series of themed geocache hunts. It’s the perfect way to separate the kids from their Wii for a weekend. May 14 and 15. $6.50. Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Dr., 905-832-2289, trcaparks.ca.
3. THE CAKE SHOW
It feels like there are dozens of cake-related shows on TV right now, and we’re not ashamed to admit we watch them all. But as much as we love Ace of Cakes, nothing beats actual cakes, which is why we’re excited for this annual competition hosted by the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts. Funny as Duff may be, he doesn’t give us taste tests. May 15. $10.50. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., 416-440-0333, thecakeshow.com.
4. NO WOMAN, NO CRY (FREE!)
A woman dying in childbirth seems like something out of the olden days, but for far too many, there’s simply not enough access to prenatal care. Supermodel turned filmmaker Christy Turlington Burns describes the challenges expectant mothers face in her new documentary, which makes its Canadian premiere this weekend at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The screening is followed by a panel discussion featuring Turlington, Peter A. Singer, director at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, and philanthropist Mary A. Tidlund. May 13. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., mrc-nowomannocry.ca.
5. SPIRIT OF TORONTO
This annual gala is basically a high-class paean to booze—and we like it. Whiskey drinkers can taste from more than 100 single malts and premium spirits (there are tutored tastings on offer for newbies), while star Japanese bartender Yuki Yamazaki will serve up his cocktail creations. The evening will also feature live jazz and take advantage of the classiest smoker-friendly patio ever: the lower level of Roy Thomson Hall’s “cigar terrace.” May 14. $129–145. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., spiritoftoronto.ca.
6. THE ALEPH
Jorge Luis Borges is best known for his intricate, bewildering stories (think Escher in words) and his innovative use of magical realism. Borges’s 1949 short story The Aleph, about a portal-like singularity through which the entire universe can be glimpsed, provides the source material for this revival of Soulpepper’s one-man, one-act show starring Diego Matamoros and directed by Daniel Brooks. May 13–June 18. $25–$35. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill St., Bldg. 49, 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.
7. WALK TO FIGHT ARTHRITIS
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the number of Canadians currently living with arthritis is pretty high (upwards of four million). And the likelihood of developing the disease at some point during isn’t low either (85 per cent of us will likely be affected by age 70). So it only makes sense to run—or walk, if you don’t want to get too crazy—the one- or five-kilometre fundraising route, which happens in 24 communities across the country this Sunday. May 15. Glendon College, York University, 2275 Bayview Ave., walktofightarthritis.ca.
8. CINDERELLA (LA CENERENTOLA)
An operatic take on everyone’s fave fairy tale, this production of Rossini’s 1817 work gets a colourful, all-new stage treatment by the Canadian Opera Company, with a first-rate cast that includes Elizabeth DeShong in the title role and Lawrence Brownlee as her prince. To May 25. $70–$317.50. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., 416-363-8231, coc.ca.
(Images: Turlington Burns, David Shankbone; DiStefano, Michael Cooper; Matamoros; Cylla von Tiedemann)
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/the-weekender-cinderella-christy-turlington-burns-and-six-other-events-on-our-to-do-list/&title=The Weekender: Cinderella, Christy Turlington Burns and six other events on our to-do list&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/weekender-may-13-15.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_68340" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Christy Turlington Burns, Donato DiStefano in Cinderella and Diego Matamoros in The Aleph"][/caption]
1. FESTIVAL OF IDEAS AND CREATION (FREE!)
CanStage’s annual Festival of Ideas and Creation is all about supporting artists and developing new works. This year’s lineup has some serious thespian credentials: director Atom Egoyan, opera director Robert Carsen and playwright Will Power. This weekend, don’t miss The Decameron: Things We Left Behind. Loosely based on Boccaccio’s collection of novellas, this new production is about four friends in a swiftly degenerating city. (Similarities to Toronto’s 2012 budget are, we’re sure, strictly coincidental.) May 9 to 21. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St., 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com/festival.
2. WEEKEND GEOFEST
Geocaching, in a nutshell, is a high-tech take on scavenger hunts: participants search for hidden clues and race to the finish line, all aided by a GPS device. This weekend-long event, hosted by the Golden Horseshoe Monthly Geocaching Club, includes a GPS 101 workshop, guided tours and a series of themed geocache hunts. It’s the perfect way to separate the kids from their Wii for a weekend. May 14 and 15. $6.50. Kortright Centre for Conservation, 9550 Pine Valley Dr., 905-832-2289, trcaparks.ca.
3. THE CAKE SHOW
It feels like there are dozens of cake-related shows on TV right now, and we’re not ashamed to admit we watch them all. But as much as we love Ace of Cakes, nothing beats actual cakes, which is why we’re excited for this annual competition hosted by the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts. Funny as Duff may be, he doesn’t give us taste tests. May 15. $10.50. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St., 416-440-0333, thecakeshow.com.
4. NO WOMAN, NO CRY (FREE!)
A woman dying in childbirth seems like something out of the olden days, but for far too many, there’s simply not enough access to prenatal care. Supermodel turned filmmaker Christy Turlington Burns describes the challenges expectant mothers face in her new documentary, which makes its Canadian premiere this weekend at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The screening is followed by a panel discussion featuring Turlington, Peter A. Singer, director at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, and philanthropist Mary A. Tidlund. May 13. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., mrc-nowomannocry.ca.
5. SPIRIT OF TORONTO
This annual gala is basically a high-class paean to booze—and we like it. Whiskey drinkers can taste from more than 100 single malts and premium spirits (there are tutored tastings on offer for newbies), while star Japanese bartender Yuki Yamazaki will serve up his cocktail creations. The evening will also feature live jazz and take advantage of the classiest smoker-friendly patio ever: the lower level of Roy Thomson Hall’s “cigar terrace.” May 14. $129–145. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., spiritoftoronto.ca.
6. THE ALEPH
Jorge Luis Borges is best known for his intricate, bewildering stories (think Escher in words) and his innovative use of magical realism. Borges’s 1949 short story The Aleph, about a portal-like singularity through which the entire universe can be glimpsed, provides the source material for this revival of Soulpepper’s one-man, one-act show starring Diego Matamoros and directed by Daniel Brooks. May 13–June 18. $25–$35. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill St., Bldg. 49, 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.
7. WALK TO FIGHT ARTHRITIS
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the number of Canadians currently living with arthritis is pretty high (upwards of four million). And the likelihood of developing the disease at some point during isn't low either (85 per cent of us will likely be affected by age 70). So it only makes sense to run—or walk, if you don’t want to get too crazy—the one- or five-kilometre fundraising route, which happens in 24 communities across the country this Sunday. May 15. Glendon College, York University, 2275 Bayview Ave., walktofightarthritis.ca.
8. CINDERELLA (LA CENERENTOLA)
An operatic take on everyone’s fave fairy tale, this production of Rossini’s 1817 work gets a colourful, all-new stage treatment by the Canadian Opera Company, with a first-rate cast that includes Elizabeth DeShong in the title role and Lawrence Brownlee as her prince. To May 25. $70–$317.50. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., 416-363-8231, coc.ca.
(Images: Turlington Burns, David Shankbone; DiStefano, Michael Cooper; Matamoros; Cylla von Tiedemann)){kind=link}