Toronto’s Fringe Festival is upon us once again, and several Beach playwrights and performers are participating. The Fringe takes place July 1 through 12 at several venues downtown, and its always fun to stroll around and take in two or three usually one-hour performances. It’s live theatre at its best, and sometimes an opportunity to catch rising stars in an intimate setting.
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Musician and performer Frank Wilks is reprising his wildly popular one-man show called I Am Not Neil Young, at Holy Joe’s, 651 Queen St. W. After its sold-out run at The Black Swan, Wilks has been showcasing I Am Not Neil Young at various Fringe Festivals across Canada. It won Patron’s Pick at the Windsor Fringe, as well as Critic’s Choice at the Hamilton Fringe.
Directed by Don Lamoreux, the musical stars Wilks who tells the story of his stint in Buffalo Springfield Revisited, a band starring original members Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin, who continues to perform under the Buffalo Springfield moniker long after Neil Young and Steven Stills left the group.
For more information visit the website www.iamnotneilyoung.com. I Am Not Neil Young: the Musical runs July 1-5 and 7-12 at Holy Joe’s.
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Young Beach actor Carleigh Beverly is starring in The Keeper’s Secret. Carleigh attended St. Denis School, and then moved on to the National Ballet School, and the Etobicoke School of the Arts. She has done work in various television commercials, and will be appearing in a TV series on the Family Channel in the fall (stay tuned).
The Keeper’s Secret is a dark and provocative drama about the weight of the secrets that we all keep. Carleigh plays the role of Elli who has the worst secret in the whole world. The only thing that keeps her from going crazy is heroin. Elli’s mother, Katherine, and a close friend, Darren, struggle to wean her off the drug.
Written by Katie Alguire and directed by Angela Besharah, The Keeper’s Secret runs July 3-4, 6-7, 9 and 12 at the Tarragon theatre Extra Space, 30 Bridgman Ave., north of Dupont, east of Bathurst.
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Pen Pals is a hilarious comedy by Beach buddies Holm Bradwell (who’s also starring in the Bard in the Park’s Merchant of Venice) and Andrew Patterson about a couple of guys who share a small apartment, and who dream of becoming successful screenwriters. After several years of trying, the bloom is off the rose, so to speak, and the pair are reduced to petty bickering and the usual struggle to make ends meet. Then suddenly a Hollywood studio comes knocking, and the boys have one night to create a movie pitch. Can they rekindle that creative spirit?
Pen Pals is running July 3-4, 7-10 and 12 at the Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College St. 3rd. floor.
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The neighbours on Woodfield Road are close. They help each other with renovations, shovel each others’ walks, and watch over each others’ children. Now they have taken that neighbourliness to new heights by writing and producing a play for Toronto’s Fringe Festival.
Shelley Hobbs, a lawyer and hockey player, conceived of the idea of a play about a women’s hockey team, but had no idea of how to write it. Her neighbour Rob Torr, a professional actor and singer with no hockey experience at all, offered to help. Two years later the pair won a spot for their play, Hipcheck – the Musical, at the Toronto Fringe Festival.
Now the fun begins. Shelley’s wife, Joan Jamieson has experience in children’s theatre, and Robb’s wife, Stephanie Graham is a performer, choreographer and producer. And Tammy Roberts, a neighbour, is also involved creating and managing the website and promotional materials. The actors have been auditioned, the rehearsals are underway, all in anticipation of dropping the puck on July 2.
Hipcheck – the Musical tells the story of the Banshees, a recreational women’s hockey team who have to overcome a lack of stars, a distracted coach and a battle of wills on the bench if they ever hope to vie for the league championship. Follow the trials of Banshee teammates Erica, Steph, Danielle, Deb, Sue, Alice, Lucy the goalie, and William, their coach, as they take their own run at the playoffs.
Hipcheck – the Musical runs July 2-3, 5-7, 10 and 12 at The Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College St. 3rd floor.
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Ticket prices to Toronto’s Fringe Festival vary. You can buy a Five-Play pass for $40, a Frequent Fringer pass good for 10 plays for $70, or a Buddy pass for $90 which if good for 14 plays, and can be shared. Or you can pay at the door for individual performances. Tickets at the door are no more than $10 and 50% of seats are “held back’ for this type of theatregoer (come early).
You can purchase the advance tickets and passes by calling 416-966-1062, online at www.fringetoronto.com, or in person at the Fringe Box Office at 292 Brunswick Ave. (The Fringe Club). The Fringe website also has this to say about its performances:
Five Important Things to Remember When ‘Fringing’:
1. All Fringe shows start on time so be sure to set your watch to CBC time.
2. Latecomers will not be admitted into any performance. No exceptions.
3. All ticket sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges.
4. General admission seating for all performances.
5. Have fun, explore, try new things – this is the Fringe after all.
For more information about anything to do with this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival be sure to visit www.fringetoronto.com.

If you love Jazz, you’ll already know that the Danforth is rapidly becoming one of the best places to hear it in the East End. This summer the Danforth Mosaic BIA is sponsoring Mosaic Does Jazz, a special series of weekly concerts held in Robertson Parkette, the small park on the south side of Danforth, just west of Coxwell.
Everyone is welcome to attend, and admission is free. Bring a lawn chair, grab some food from local vendors and relax to some of the finest jazz in the city. All shows run rain or shine, Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. Here is a schedule:
July 1 – Autorickshaw
July 8 – Terra Hazelton
July 15 – Sultans of String
July 22 – Steve Koven Trio
July 29 – Yvette Tollar, featuring Rich Brown
August 5 – Rob McConnell Trio
August 12 – Project Rex
August 19 – Bill McBirnie with Robi Botos & Jon Maharaj
August 26 – Maria Farinha with Jongo Trio featuring Roy Patterson
September 2 – Mosaic Times featuring Carin Redman
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Mark Eisenman will be playing the Rex, 194 Queen W., July 23 and 24. Mark will be there along with members of the Mark Eisenman Quintet – Pat Labarbera, sax; John Macleod, flugelhorn; John Sumner, drums; and Steve Wallace, bass. They will be playing selections from their 2006 CD, Apparition.
And Mark’s trio (with Wallace and Sumner) will be part of the Piano Masters series at the Home Smith Bar in The Old Mill Inn, July 18. For more information visit www.jazzpiano.ca.
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Beach resident, Alison Reid, has directed the recent award winning film The Baby Formula, which opened June 19 downtown. The Baby Formula is a hilariously comedic movie about two young lesbian women who have decided to conceive each other’s baby using a new experimental technique which purports to make sperm from their own stem cells. As you can imagine, their respective families are shocked and upset when they find out that there are to be no fathers involved at any point in the pregnancies.
The Baby Formula stars Angela Vint and Megan Fahlenbock as the two mothers-to-be. Well-known Canadian actor Rosemary Dunsmore, won the ACTRA 2008 Best Female Performance Award for her role as one of the distraught mothers. The film also won the Audience Award and Best Performances for Vint and Fahlenbock at the 2009 Inside Out Film Festival, Toronto’s premiere LGBT film festival held in May.
Reid worked with Vint and Fahlenbock earlier on a short film called Succubous, about a lesbian couple trying to conceive. When she discovered that both actors were really pregnant – at the same time – Reid knew that a feature-length follow-up had to be made. Much of the film was shot at last year’s Pride Parade where, almost on cue, Angela’s water broke.
“When I read an article about some science that made it possible to create offspring from two female mice, it inspired me to make this film,” said Alison Reid. “In researching this film I spoke to stem cell experts around the world... This scientific backdrop becomes a palette for a story that is ultimately about family, and the common ground facing us all despite our diversity.”
For more on The Baby Formula, and to view a trailer, visit www.thebabyformulamovie.com. The film is running at the AMC theatres at Yonge and Dundas.
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Canada Day looks to be a big day for Beach music fans. There are two events scheduled for our country’s birthday celebrations; one in Kew Gardens, and one in Woodbine Park.
Kew Gardens will be the site of the annual Beaches Lions Club Canada Day Celebrations, from noon to 6 p.m. It’s free to the public and will include the ever-popular Beach Idol singing contest where you’ll get to vote to see who will be crowned this year’s Beach Idol. There will be plenty of other live entertainment, face painting, a kids’ carnival and much more. It’s fun for the whole family!
Then shuffle off down the street to Woodbine Park – fast becoming the ‘other Beach venue’ – to take in the Country 95.3 Country Jam. It’s free to the public as well, and your chance to hear Emerson Drive, Jason Blaine, Amanda Wilkinson, Tara Oram and the sister duo of Britt and Carly McKillip, who call themselves One More Girl.
Along with the fabulous entertainment all day, you can see the Gibson Guitar Tour Bus, play in the Family Fun Zone, and enter your band in the Big Break competition: a chance to open for the festival’s stars. And to top everything off stick around for what is being billed as the biggest fireworks show in Toronto!
For all the information visit www.country953.com.
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Life As Jazz: an improvised journey, is the name of a special worship service to be held at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, 70 Silverbirch, Sunday, July 26, at 10:30 a.m. The service features jazz pianist, and Anglican minister, Rev. Cannon Tim Elliott playing with the Brian Barlow Jazz Quartet.
For more information call St. Aidan’s at 416-691-2222.
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Let the Stones Ring Out is the name of Beach/Boardwalk poetry reading taking place Aug. 6 along the boardwalk. Everyone is welcome to come down and join the eight poets as they stroll the boardwalk reading from their works. The event starts from the shelter at the bottom of Kippendavie at 7:30 and moves on from there.
For more information call Ann Page at 416-462-35304.
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Ten Feet Tall continues to offer the best in Jazz, as part of its Sunday Jazz Matinée series, and R&B, as part of its Saturday R&B series, all through the summer.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m. each Sunday afternoon, hear the sounds of Lisa Particelli (July 12); the George Grossman Trio (July 19); and Ori Dagan (July 26).
Then Saturday evenings beginning at 9 p.m. catch Justin Bacchus (July 4); Jeanine Mackie (July 11); Aural Sects 2 (July 18); and Beerocracy (July 25).
There is no cover for any of these shows, but it is always advised to get there early – maybe enjoy a meal – as seating is limited. Ten Feet Tall is located at 1381 Danforth Ave., between Coxwell and Greenwood.
For more information call 416-778-7333, or visit www.tenfeettall.ca.