Imagine 450 people simultaneously silently dancing to music on their headphones on a subway train in Toronto- or seeing a Dinosaur Rights Protest outside of the Royal Ontario Museum. For Improv in Toronto, an urban prank group, these are “missions” the group creates to have fun while positively affecting others who experience the event.
Improv in Toronto is a collective effort run by a team of volunteers. It was started in January 2008 through the inspiration of Improv Everywhere, an improv group based in New York that creates pre-planned out-of-the-ordinary scenes in the public.
Improv in Toronto runs the same way. Each member contributes ideas and helps plan the events (called “missions” by the group), which are organized through the internet. The members of Improv in Toronto are then notified of the event and how to participate by email, Facebook, or the Improv in Toronto website. After the mission, pictures or videos are posted on the Improv in Toronto website to document the comedy that was created.
“Our missions are a fun source of entertainment for those who participate, those who happen to see the event in action, and those who read our website. We get satisfaction from coming up with an awesome idea and making it come to life.”, says Cole Banning, the leader of the group.
This past summer, Improv in Toronto fabricated a red carpet on Bloor Street, creating a spectacle with pseudo celebrities and their fake fans, while holding up traffic in the process.
“We teamed up with another organization that helped finance the event. We were able to get a real red carpet, security guards, models, and more, to create an amazingly realistic (yet fake) red carpet. Having the extra funds for a mission, isn’t something we often have the pleasure of.” , says Banning.
Other past events have included a giant Where’s Waldo hunt in the Eaton Centre, the annual Subway Dance Party and No Pants Subway Rides.
Most of the missions have been successful, but due to their highly-unstable nature where anything can happen, some missions have been stopped half-way.
“Every mission we head into, we fully understand the high chance of failure. So far, we have been very lucky though, with nothing going too badly. Our worst issue so far, would probably be when we were kicked off of the subway during our subway dance party. We were told that the train was shaking, and were causing a danger. Luckily we were only kicked off near the very end, so the mission was not cut too short.”, says Banning.
Despite the commotions and mischief this group publicly creates, there are many positive aspects towards the different projects.
“[Improv in Toronto] does something really weird that does not happen in society today. It finds people from all over the Greater Toronto Area through the internet and convinces them to step out of their normal life and join something bigger than any one person. Along the way, you get to meet tons of really cool people who you normally would not have even had the chance to meet.”, says Banning.
The collaborative efforts and the shared experiences through the missions pull people together and provide a way to make new friends.
Banning adds, “After almost every mission, a large group of us who were previously strangers, head out for something to eat and talk about our post mission thoughts.”
In a day and age where many people feel disconnected and isolated from others, Improv in Toronto is the perfect medium to brightening lives and connecting people. The group aims to bring a smile to strangers’ faces through the strange circumstances they create by taking the seriousness out of their lives during those moments.
Banning states, “Often times people get into a grind in life, of sleeping, eating, working, studying, et cetera, but do not realise the situation they are in. Take a look at your own life, and try to have some fun, do something weird, and smile.”
For information on how to participate in Improv in Toronto and their up-coming events, please visit: www.ImprovinToronto.com
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thousand Foot Krutch- Welcome to the Masquerade CD Review
TFK rock harder than ever in their newest album: Welcome to the Masquerade. With metal, and pop influences, this melodic rock trio from Ontario have produced a mix of different sounds for this album. Notable tracks are “Welcome to the Masquerade”, “Look Away”, “Forward Motion” and “Already Home”. “Welcome to the Masquerade”, the first full song on the album and title track, is a solid rock anthem filled with gritty guitar hooks and authentic death growls. Scattered throughout the song are melodic guitar undertones that are pivotally placed before the explosion of sound during the chorus, which make for a unique sound that isn’t quite metal, but still rocks hard. “Look Away”, a catchy soft-pop ballad, incorporates a string orchestra, piano, acoustic guitars and looping harmonic vocals. It is a beautiful song, but seems more fitting for Trevor McNevan (lead singer)’s side project, FM static- a pop-punk band. The song is however, a welcome break from the distorted guitars, strong sounds and heavy percussion throughout the whole album. Rounding out the album is “Forward Motion”, an impeccable balance of percussion, rising vocals and interweaving guitars; the middle ground between the hard rock songs and soft ballads in this album. “Smack Down”, is yet another rock anthem, reminiscent of the earlier TFK circa their Phenomenon album and structured by clapping and stomping, similar to Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. Welcome to the Masquerade comes roaring in like a lion and simmers out like a lamb. The last track, “Already Home” is similar to “Look Away”, and could be written off as overkill to the end of the album. The song is a sweet-sounding melody that is almost too perfect, enveloping the listener with overwhelming, warm tones at the chorus that sound like the overture to a teenage TV drama.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Bluff's Shut Down, Rex Moves in
Last February, the student union-owned restaurant, Bluff’s, was shut down with much controversy. In early fall of this year, a new restaurant, named Rex’s Den, after the school mascot, will open in its place.
The old restaurant, Bluff’s, was closed up due to financial problems among other reasons, according to Zuhair Syed, the president of the SCSU. “A lot of students were complaining about a number of issues; like the cost of food, the speed of service, the hours of operation, the lack of events, the cost of booking events and the fact that there was no games room”.
Bluff’s has tried many tactics to improve its customer base. Throughout the five years that it has been in service, the restaurant has changed menus and swapped managers with no improvement in business.
Back in the winter, the SCSU loaned $30,000 to Bluff’s after the initial $140,000 from the union was used up. However, it wasn’t enough to keep the restaurant running. Instead of supporting a business that was running a deficit for five years, the executives of the SCSU decided to close the restaurant and increase their own paycheques. In defence, the SCSU stated that the decision was voted on by the Annual General Meeting of Members and that the SCSU union is one of the lowest paid student unions in the country.
Despite those two facts, the salary increase incited a great uproar within the student body, including a sit-in at the Bluff’s restaurant where Syed and a number of SCSU executives answered students’ questions.
“We answered everything that we could, and I got the impression that many students were content after their questions were answered” says Syed, of the sit-in. “There was a protest, but these things happen, if you lose your job tomorrow, you’d be upset, and that’s natural. We’re trying to explain to them [the students] that at the end of the day, it’s important to evaluate what direction the restaurant is moving in.”
Now that the dust has settled, the SCSU is hoping that Rex’s Den will be a success. The business plan of the new restaurant is based on suggestions from students. “Not a single suggestion that a student has made was not included in that business plan”, says Syed.
Rex’s Den will be a pub-style restaurant where students can hang-out and socialize. There will be a consistent menu of regular pub foods, such as nachos or chicken wings, but there will also be a change of menus every once in a while that includes cultural foods.
“There’s a lot of cultural diversity on campus, so we have to cater to those students. We’re going to keep the staple foods, but at the same time, we’re going to change the menu all the time. Some of the ideas that we have on the table are maybe monthly cultural foods” says Syed. “We want to offer Mediterranean food, Indian food, Caribbean food, all sorts of things.”
While the new business plan seems very ambitious, Syed assures that the new General Manager of Rex’s Den, Amir Vahidy, is capable to run the restaurant and deal with the constant menu changes. Vahidy has previous experience managing several successful restaurants. Syed wants to make clear that while the student union owns the restaurant, it does not manage its affairs.
Hopefully, where Bluff’s has failed, Rex’s Den will not. “We’re just optimistic that we can make this happen and make it big” says Syed, of the new restaurant. He envisions the pub to be a busy place where students can get away from their studies and enjoy campus events.
“If you go to any campus in Canada, you’ll pretty much have at least one restaurant or pub where students enjoy, have a good time, take a break from your studies, and meet new people. We’re missing a big part of campus life without a place to hang-out.”
The old restaurant, Bluff’s, was closed up due to financial problems among other reasons, according to Zuhair Syed, the president of the SCSU. “A lot of students were complaining about a number of issues; like the cost of food, the speed of service, the hours of operation, the lack of events, the cost of booking events and the fact that there was no games room”.
Bluff’s has tried many tactics to improve its customer base. Throughout the five years that it has been in service, the restaurant has changed menus and swapped managers with no improvement in business.
Back in the winter, the SCSU loaned $30,000 to Bluff’s after the initial $140,000 from the union was used up. However, it wasn’t enough to keep the restaurant running. Instead of supporting a business that was running a deficit for five years, the executives of the SCSU decided to close the restaurant and increase their own paycheques. In defence, the SCSU stated that the decision was voted on by the Annual General Meeting of Members and that the SCSU union is one of the lowest paid student unions in the country.
Despite those two facts, the salary increase incited a great uproar within the student body, including a sit-in at the Bluff’s restaurant where Syed and a number of SCSU executives answered students’ questions.
“We answered everything that we could, and I got the impression that many students were content after their questions were answered” says Syed, of the sit-in. “There was a protest, but these things happen, if you lose your job tomorrow, you’d be upset, and that’s natural. We’re trying to explain to them [the students] that at the end of the day, it’s important to evaluate what direction the restaurant is moving in.”
Now that the dust has settled, the SCSU is hoping that Rex’s Den will be a success. The business plan of the new restaurant is based on suggestions from students. “Not a single suggestion that a student has made was not included in that business plan”, says Syed.
Rex’s Den will be a pub-style restaurant where students can hang-out and socialize. There will be a consistent menu of regular pub foods, such as nachos or chicken wings, but there will also be a change of menus every once in a while that includes cultural foods.
“There’s a lot of cultural diversity on campus, so we have to cater to those students. We’re going to keep the staple foods, but at the same time, we’re going to change the menu all the time. Some of the ideas that we have on the table are maybe monthly cultural foods” says Syed. “We want to offer Mediterranean food, Indian food, Caribbean food, all sorts of things.”
While the new business plan seems very ambitious, Syed assures that the new General Manager of Rex’s Den, Amir Vahidy, is capable to run the restaurant and deal with the constant menu changes. Vahidy has previous experience managing several successful restaurants. Syed wants to make clear that while the student union owns the restaurant, it does not manage its affairs.
Hopefully, where Bluff’s has failed, Rex’s Den will not. “We’re just optimistic that we can make this happen and make it big” says Syed, of the new restaurant. He envisions the pub to be a busy place where students can get away from their studies and enjoy campus events.
“If you go to any campus in Canada, you’ll pretty much have at least one restaurant or pub where students enjoy, have a good time, take a break from your studies, and meet new people. We’re missing a big part of campus life without a place to hang-out.”
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Stratford Festival: Theatre for Fanatics (and First Timers)
177 days, 126 actors, 14 plays, 4 theatres, one BIG collection of entertainment.
The Stratford Festival is an annual festival of theatre that runs from April to November in Stratford, Ontario. Started in 1952 by Tom Patterson, a resident of Stratford, the main intent of the festival was to encourage economic activity in his town.
The festival is dedicated to mostly performing plays by Shakespeare because the famous playwright was born in an English town, also named Stratford. This year, the Shakespearean repertoire features Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The festival also has a nice mix of contemporary pieces such as West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, both starring leading actor Chilina Kennedy.
“They’re both really different characters so it’s great to flip between the two shows. Yesterday I had a double [bill], so I started off with[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the] Forum, and that was a nice light way to start the day- it’s a comedy- and then I switched over to the more serious side of West Side Story”, explains Kennedy.
West Side Story, the biggest hit of the festival this year has been selling out consistently for the run of the show. The story is written as a musical set in 1960 Manhattan. Kennedy and her co-star, Paul Nolan play star-crossed lovers in a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet.
Getting the role of Maria was not an easy task. Kennedy had originally auditioned only for the character of Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, but the director asked her to also audition for the part of Maria. Kennedy was called back five times to audition before winning the prestigious role.
After her parts were confirmed, Kennedy spent six weeks of six-day work weeks preparing for the show. She exclaims, “I love rehearsing! I love putting something together and discovering a character from the beginning until the time you put it on stage. And then you keep growing. A run is really interesting if you keep it open to grow within the show.”
Other plays that are running at the festival include The Importance of Being Earnest, Three Sisters, Cyrano de Bergerac and Bartholomew Fair, to name a few.
Students can purchase discounted tickets for $29. Regular price for seats usually range from $29-$111, depending on the play and the date of the performance. Visit www.stratfordfestival.ca for more deals and information.
The Stratford Festival is an annual festival of theatre that runs from April to November in Stratford, Ontario. Started in 1952 by Tom Patterson, a resident of Stratford, the main intent of the festival was to encourage economic activity in his town.
The festival is dedicated to mostly performing plays by Shakespeare because the famous playwright was born in an English town, also named Stratford. This year, the Shakespearean repertoire features Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The festival also has a nice mix of contemporary pieces such as West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, both starring leading actor Chilina Kennedy.
“They’re both really different characters so it’s great to flip between the two shows. Yesterday I had a double [bill], so I started off with[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the] Forum, and that was a nice light way to start the day- it’s a comedy- and then I switched over to the more serious side of West Side Story”, explains Kennedy.
West Side Story, the biggest hit of the festival this year has been selling out consistently for the run of the show. The story is written as a musical set in 1960 Manhattan. Kennedy and her co-star, Paul Nolan play star-crossed lovers in a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet.
Getting the role of Maria was not an easy task. Kennedy had originally auditioned only for the character of Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, but the director asked her to also audition for the part of Maria. Kennedy was called back five times to audition before winning the prestigious role.
After her parts were confirmed, Kennedy spent six weeks of six-day work weeks preparing for the show. She exclaims, “I love rehearsing! I love putting something together and discovering a character from the beginning until the time you put it on stage. And then you keep growing. A run is really interesting if you keep it open to grow within the show.”
Other plays that are running at the festival include The Importance of Being Earnest, Three Sisters, Cyrano de Bergerac and Bartholomew Fair, to name a few.
Students can purchase discounted tickets for $29. Regular price for seats usually range from $29-$111, depending on the play and the date of the performance. Visit www.stratfordfestival.ca for more deals and information.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Winterlicious
Every February for the past seven years, Winterlicious, a two-week long reduced-priced dining event takes place at participating Toronto restaurants.
For many people, this is an opportunity to experience fine dining for a fraction of the normal price. Lunch prices range from $15-30, while dinner prices are $25-$45 for a three-course meal.
Started in 2003, Winterlicious spawned out of the annual award-winning WinterCity celebrations. It was initiated by Toronto Special Events to promote Toronto’s hospitality industry, showcase Toronto’s diverse cuisine, restaurants, and chefs, and also to create an incentive for tourists and residents to dine out to generate the local economy.
From the organizers’ point of view, things are looking good. “Response has been tremendous from both the restaurants and the consumer. Winterlicious has grown from 36 restaurants in 2003 to 150 restaurants in 2009”, says Eirine Papaioannou, the Partnership Supervisor in the Cultural Services Department for the City of Toronto.
However, is the popularity of the event too much of a good thing?
Toronto Life Magazine compares the dining event to a sporting competition. Writer Catherine Hayday writes “we recommend treating [Winterlicious] less like a relaxing evening and more like a two-week sport with such events as ‘spot the regular dish on the Winterlicious menus’ and ‘dodge the filler’”.
With so many people racing with you to book a reservation the popular restaurants, participating in Winterlicious could feel stressful and unpleasant. The restaurants are usually very busy, and sometimes, they cannot handle the extra business, thus leading to a less-than-enjoyable dining experience for the patron. “I had a reservation for 9:15 at Atelier Thuet last night and didn't get seated at a proper table until around 10:30.” says one restaurant goer.
According to Vicky Peters, a writer for the Torontoist, a popular blog about goings and happenings in Toronto; most restaurant staff hate Winterlicious because of the extra work they have to do. The increased volume of the customers makes it very hard to keep track of orders, and it becomes a burden to the wait staff.
Food quality is also compromised, the lower cost of the prix-fixe menu forces restaurants to serve smaller portions and use lower grade product so that the restaurant’s budget will be met.
“It really depends on where you go.” says Robin Hung, a university student who likes the deals during this event. He recalls having a positive experience at one restaurant, but was disappointed at another during the Winterlicious event last year.
However, despite such mixed reviews, and the extra weight on staff, Vijay Karumanchi, the restaurant owner of 5th Element, a Mediterranean restaurant, says that his restaurant would participate in Winterlicious “again and again”. “We get exposure to people. Once they take part in it, they want to come back.”
For many people, this is an opportunity to experience fine dining for a fraction of the normal price. Lunch prices range from $15-30, while dinner prices are $25-$45 for a three-course meal.
Started in 2003, Winterlicious spawned out of the annual award-winning WinterCity celebrations. It was initiated by Toronto Special Events to promote Toronto’s hospitality industry, showcase Toronto’s diverse cuisine, restaurants, and chefs, and also to create an incentive for tourists and residents to dine out to generate the local economy.
From the organizers’ point of view, things are looking good. “Response has been tremendous from both the restaurants and the consumer. Winterlicious has grown from 36 restaurants in 2003 to 150 restaurants in 2009”, says Eirine Papaioannou, the Partnership Supervisor in the Cultural Services Department for the City of Toronto.
However, is the popularity of the event too much of a good thing?
Toronto Life Magazine compares the dining event to a sporting competition. Writer Catherine Hayday writes “we recommend treating [Winterlicious] less like a relaxing evening and more like a two-week sport with such events as ‘spot the regular dish on the Winterlicious menus’ and ‘dodge the filler’”.
With so many people racing with you to book a reservation the popular restaurants, participating in Winterlicious could feel stressful and unpleasant. The restaurants are usually very busy, and sometimes, they cannot handle the extra business, thus leading to a less-than-enjoyable dining experience for the patron. “I had a reservation for 9:15 at Atelier Thuet last night and didn't get seated at a proper table until around 10:30.” says one restaurant goer.
According to Vicky Peters, a writer for the Torontoist, a popular blog about goings and happenings in Toronto; most restaurant staff hate Winterlicious because of the extra work they have to do. The increased volume of the customers makes it very hard to keep track of orders, and it becomes a burden to the wait staff.
Food quality is also compromised, the lower cost of the prix-fixe menu forces restaurants to serve smaller portions and use lower grade product so that the restaurant’s budget will be met.
“It really depends on where you go.” says Robin Hung, a university student who likes the deals during this event. He recalls having a positive experience at one restaurant, but was disappointed at another during the Winterlicious event last year.
However, despite such mixed reviews, and the extra weight on staff, Vijay Karumanchi, the restaurant owner of 5th Element, a Mediterranean restaurant, says that his restaurant would participate in Winterlicious “again and again”. “We get exposure to people. Once they take part in it, they want to come back.”
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fashion Effects
Clothes. We wear them every day; they are an expression of our identities and they keep us warm, but other than that, what we wear doesn't really affect us. Or does it?
Eco fashion, which uses sustainable materials ie: Organic Cotton, became a huge hit around two years ago with the emergence of cloth shopping bags with labels such as "This bag is not plastic" or "This bag is green". However, it looks like this trend is here to stay as more and more designers are switching to organic/earth-friendly materials.
A goal for Michelle Lynn Johnson, a local designer, is to work towards using organic materials for her line of clothing. A seasoned veteran of the retail industry, she started out in 2002, making jewelry to sell on the corner of Queen St. W and Spadina. Now, she has her own store on the same street (Queen West), in the ever-popular Black Market Warehouse. Her company, The Fairies Pyjamas, specializes in quality fairly-traded ethical clothing, another growing trend.
She travels to Nepal and India every winter to source fabrics and to spend time with Fair Trade Manufacturers, making sure the working conditions are ethical. "With the Fair Trade manufacturing facility that I work with these workers are paid a fair wage, are on regular shifts of 8hours, have clean washrooms, a fire exit, safety checks on machinery, to progress in the career, all their children go to school and can learn English, and it is a wonderful positive complex that everyone works in. That makes me feel excellent about creating jobs, designing clothes and selling them with confidence to like-minded people."
Caterina Mazzotta, designer and owner of Kali Clothing, a Toronto-based street wear company has been using sweat-shop free materials for all of her designs. She has also worked with organic cotton and bamboo materials. Her next project involves recycled fabrics."I'm really excited about working with this new fabric! [It] is just as soft and durable, [and is] made from cotton fabric scraps from factories that are sorted by colour, then mulched into a new cotton fiber. Plastic bottles are then used to create a poly yarn and the two are weaved together making a totally new fabric!"
With so much enthusiasm from the designers, one can only hope that the rest of the world catches on to this eco-trend. By spending money on eco-friendly and ethical clothing, consumers are telling corporations that they care where their clothes come from and how they're made.
Johnson sums this up quite well: "The change in this world will only come from us making change."
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