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A Place to Call Home
The Massey Centre sits neatly tucked into the corner of a no-exit street along Broadview Avenue in East York. It is made up of two buildings: one, an antique split-level home turned main office and the other, a large brick building with glass doors and a keypad requiring a code for entry. They are a fitting combination of the centre’s historic roots and modern-day innovations.
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Art of the Danforth
Revitalizing the community with an art walk By Katie McHale WHAT IS IT? Art of the Danforth is an art walk planned for April 23-May 2. One objective of the event is to “pretty up the community” by displaying art around the neighbourhoods of the Danforth, including Danforth Avenue between Greenwood and Woodbine, and Jones and Main. Another goal is to get different members of the community involved in the event. Existing work might be displayed, along with approved ideas for work created specifically for Art of the Danforth. The art might be displayed in empty storefront windows, on walls of existing stores, in parkettes, or in existing…
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Jeremy Smith
By Julia Chanter Great ideas frequently come from academics in fine research institutions, but rarely are such ideas as entertaining and innovative as the Driftwood Theatre Company. The idea took root when Jeremy Smith asked himself a question that haunts many scholars during theatre history lectures at Queen’s University: what on earth am I going to do this summer? Jeremy came up with the following solution: get some friends together, produce A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Kingston’s City Park, and see what happens. With the help of a few of his fellow students and a single microphone, he successfully produced Shakespeare’s comedy for local critics of all ages. Remarkably, the…
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Alice Klein
By Rachel Horner The importance and influence of NOW Magazine on Toronto’s cultural and political landscape is a testament to co-founder Alice Klein’s ambition. Since helping to establish the ever-popular weekly newspaper, Toronto’s first free alternative press, Klein has steadily built a name for herself as a social activist, media mogul, and filmmaker. Born in New York City, Alice Klein came to Toronto with her parents who had fled wartime Europe. She became involved in politics and social justice causes at an early age, eventually graduating with a degree in social history from the University of Toronto. Klein was first published in 1971 — a leftist and feminist piece entitled…
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The Capitalization of Death
How the funeral industry profits from grief By Cynthia Lessard “I think we should make a guest list,” my mother said. We were sitting in our customary seats next to each other, she on the faded sofa and I on the matching loveseat, separated by a coffee table where we usually place our drinks. “You girls will be there obviously. Colleen, Shar, Peggy. I don’t know about Phil. My brother Terry definitely not…” “A guest list?” I asked. “Should I hire a bouncer too?” We laughed, both fans of black humour. The event we were planning was her funeral. My mother (my best friend) was diagnosed with stage two breast…
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Keeping it Wheel: Life in the Bike Lane
By Rachel Horner Cycling in Toronto has exploded as the choice alternative to motorized transit. Although getting around by bike has always been the perfect compliment to an eco-friendly, economical, and healthy lifestyle, it is only since the wild fluctuation of gas prices that motorists have sat up and taken notice of the bicycle and the increasing number of cyclists on the city’s roads. When I was a child, I’d spend every waking moment on my bike. When puberty struck, the bicycle became a source of social awkwardness and a hindrance to looking cool. The echoes of the taunts about my helmet haunted me from bike rack to door step.…
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The Jon Dore Magazine Interview
By Jason Rhyno Aside from his wonderfully wicked humour, what we love about Jon Dore is that he has fully staffed The Jon Dore Television Show with his friends and fellow comedians. The award-winning, Gemini-nominated show is equal parts satirical shock and sheer honesty, and the fact that he makes a point of hiring and working with his friends is, to steal a line from Jon, “rad to the boner.” Did you study comedy? I took a kindergarten stand-up comedy class when I was five. I did a TV Broadcasting course at Algonquin College in Ottawa. That’s around the same time I started doing stand-up. How old are you now?…
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Make Your Own Wine—On a Budget
Local Fermentations encourages wine lovers to bottle their own during economic hard times. By Jenna Williams Small Place, Big Taste At the Danforth shop Fermentations, wine connoisseurs and up-and-comers can find and create something that is just right for them. The experience is fast, fun, and easy; satisfaction is guaranteed. Visitors can make anything from beer to wine to coolers. Wine, however, is Fermentations’ specialty. Owner Charles Fajgenbaum received a Grand Master Winemaker award in 2007, and has won other awards for his Baco Noir, Vidal, and Riesling wines. The store is a five-time winner of NOW Magazine‘s annual reader poll for Toronto’s best wine and beer-making shop, and it…
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The Music Hall’s Encore
Since renovations in 2005, the Danforth Music Hall proves successful as a venue for the community By Marguerite Weir The Music Hall on Danforth Avenue has become a lively venue for great performances in Toronto since being renovated by local businessman Glyn Laverick. Ticket sales for the Music Hall started in 1919 when John and Julia Allen began opening their chain of theatres across Canada. The Music Hall, formerly known as The Allen, was among the first of ten theatres to open in Toronto after World War One. Described as “Canada’s first super-suburban photography palace,” the design was very simple, with few embellishments for the purpose of keeping the patrons…
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Spreading the Wealth
Will the Danforth’s East End Ever Blossom? By Chantal Arseneault-Lewis The Danforth is an area cheap jerseys known for its progressive politics, its focus on organic and holistic living and its tightly bonded communities. Greektown on the Danforth was wholesale jerseys established in 1972 as a commercial and tourist destination. Greektown proper stretches between Broadview and Donlands subway stations with its centre at Chester Avenue. The area is undeniably prosperous and businesses get an annual economic boost when over one million people visit the Danforth’s stores and restaurants during the Taste of the Danforth summer festival. However, the same success and longevity has not been experienced for those businesses situated…
