Urban Planner is Torontoist’s daily guide to what’s on in Toronto, published every morning. If you have an event you’d like considered, email all of its details—as well as images, if you’ve got any—to events@torontoist.com.
Photo of Louis Laberge-Coté, who is nominated for Outstanding Performance in Radiant. Courtesy of DW Communications.
AWARDS: It was December of 1978 when the first ever Dora Mavor Moore Awards were handed out to deserving theatre artists and plays. After thirty-one years (and twenty-nine more award shows) they are still honouring some of Toronto’s best art on a stage, with more than two hundred theatre, dance, and opera productions up for consideration. Tonight, the CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi will host the thirtieth Dora Awards, handing out statues within five major divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Theatre for Young Audience, Dance, and Opera. If you’re looking to learn more about the history behind the Dora Awards, the Doras have created a book to be handed out during a pre-party at the Rosewater Supper Club. Following its launch tonight, The Doras: 30 Years of Theatre, Dance, and Opera in Toronto will be for sale at TheatreBooks. Look for Torontoist’s coverage of the winners within the next week. Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre (189 Yonge Street), 8 p.m., $60.
DESIGN: The Québécois have always seemed to have exquisite taste in fashion, food, and architecture, so it’s no surprise that Quebec design is stepping into the spotlight with the Design Exchange’s “Quebec in Design – 75 years of works from the collection of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.” The show is a collaboration between the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Centre de design de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, and it will feature both an overview of the history of design in Quebec and a showcase of some of the most exciting design work from contemparary artists such as Cédric Sportes and François Dallegret. Design Exchange (234 Bay Street), 9 p.m., FREE.
ART: Youth is fleeting, wasted on the young and fickle, and the only thing you can use to capture it is a camera. This is exactly what a batch of artists have done for a rotating summer-long exhibit at the Drake. The artworks featured in “Friends Forever” explore a romanticized version of youth, with pieces from former VICE photo editor Tim Barber (someone who should know a lot about photographing reckless youth) and Brazilian photographer Marcelo Gomes with his Toronto debut. “Friends Forever” will be displayed throughout the hotel in the Drake’s Public_Spaces. The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West), all summer long, FREE.
MUSIC: Kool and the Gang may be best remembered for getting their “Jungle Boogie” on (whatever that means…), but they’ve been steadily making albums and evolving their sound since they first appeared in the late ’60s. Today, they’ll bring their particular brand of jazz-infused R&B to the main stage of the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival. They’ll be joined by blues singer/songwriter, former Chairman Of The Board member, and Hamilton native Harrison Kennedy. Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen Street West) 8 p.m., $55.
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