What to do in Toronto this weekend: March 3 to 5

Toronto has a lot going on this weekend. Here’s a sampling of what’s on.

AGO’s Friday night Copy Shop

The Art Gallery of Ontario will be hosting a copy shop event every Friday night throughout March for visitors to try their hand at risography, a printing technique established in 1980 described as “screen printing with all the looks and (in)convenience of an office copier.” The method produces vivid colours, which other printers cannot, and specific textures.

In partnership with Colour Code, an independent print and publishing studio in Toronto, the event is designed so visitors can create drawings, design collages from scratch or bring their own photos for a collage then run them through a risograph printer to produce multiple copies of their work.

“There’s going to be an exchange table where people can share or trade some of their prints. So you can leave some prints or grab some new prints,” said Sarah Febbraro, youth programs curator at the AGO, who organized these copy shop events.

“Everything’s digital now. So I think it’s really special to be able to make something by hand and to print it on-site and be able to trade it. That’s very nostalgic,” said Febbraro. “This kind of feels old school.”

The event is free with general admission as well as free for visitors 25 and under, Indigenous people, AGO members and annual pass holders. General admission to the gallery is $25.

“New World Beat” at the Revue Cinema

On Saturday at 7p.m., the Revue Cinema in Roncesvalles debuts the first episode of the new docu-series “New World Beat,” which offers an alternative vision of Toronto’s music scene, one that goes beyond Drake and the Weeknd to celebrate the eclectic underground and the communities that nourish it. Hosted by the jazz and R&B singer Lydia Persaud, the six-part series features interviews with and performances by 18 rising musicians, including singer-songwriter Kyla Charter, rapper DijahSB and multidisciplinary artist James Baley.

“It was really important to capture how musicians actually talk, how they actually think and feel,” series director and executive producer Michael Tobin said. “On one hand, (the series) is about these people and their stories and playing awesome music. On the other, it’s a metaphor for what is happening in a cracked and broken city.”

The screening will feature key cast and crew. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest

Described as an “après-brew-ski party,” Steam Whistle Brewing’s Winter Craft Beer Festival is back this Saturday at the Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd., to say goodbye to winter. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and attendees can expect wineries, distillery cider, non-alcoholic vendors, food stations and trucks, campfires, games and more. The venue is encouraging Torontonians to gather their “pals, retro ski gear, long johns, and all the flannel you can get your mitts on.”

There are 500 early bird tickets available at $30, advanced tickets are going for $35, and tickets at the gate will cost $40. All dollar amounts are before taxes and fees.

“Anima Animus” at the National Ballet of Canada

At the National Ballet of Canada, “Anima Animus” is premiering on Friday on a triple bill with work by Rena Butler and George Balanchine’s “Symphony in C.”

Created by British choreographer David Dawson, “Anima Animus” is a contemporary ballet that features 10 dancers in black and white costumes designed by former principal dancer Yumiko Takeshima. The music is Italian composer Ezio Bosso’s Violin Concerto No 1.

The ballet will be onstage until March 23, 2023. Ticket prices vary from $70 to $250.

Optik

Friday also marks the opening of a gyroscope display at Yonge-Dundas Square: Optik. The installations will transform one of Toronto’s common public realms into a playful space. Torontonians can experience and interact with the various pieces of art, as the installation mixes multisensory elements such as sound, light and touch to create a variety of sounds and colour.

Created by design studio the Urban Conga, in conjunction with Montreal artist and designer Serge Maheu, Optik aims to “offer a unique opportunity for our visitors to reimagine their surroundings … by using the forms to refract and reflect the vibrant, ever-changing displays and screens.”

The display is free to attend and will remain up until April 2, 2023.

Concerts and Shows

Montreal-based hip-hop and electronic group Busty and the Bass are playing at the Drake Underground on Friday and Saturday. The award-winning musical “Hamilton” will be performed at Princess of Wales Theatre this weekend. Candlelight Concerts is playing a tribute to Coldplay at the Metropolitan Community Church on Friday. On the same night, popular techno duo Kasablanca will be spinning at CODA. On Sunday, singer Paolo Nutini will be performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Ana Pereira is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @anabpereiraa

SHARE: