ARTS
Ur Room: students open up their home to showcase Toronto’s emerging artists
The art world is cutthroat. As any young artist will tell you, it can be difficult to break into an industry where everyone seems to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Not only is it hard to gain exposure for your work, it can also be ...
The Strand Picks Their Pop Culture Faves
It’s been a fantastic year for music and television. Here’s what The Strand enjoyed the most. TV [Light spoilers ahead]: Amanda Ghazale Aziz: You’re the Worst—Coming off a cynical debut season, the second season of You’re the Worst took an even darker turn, but that’s where I had found it to ...
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival
Since 2001, the start of the new year has always marked a special period for Canadian cinema. Founded in 2001 by TIFF, Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival celebrates the best Canadian films (both short and feature-length), and this year marks its 15th anniversary. In a world dominated by Hollywood films, ...
Overwhelmed with love: Mountain and the Wood release show reflects a music scene in the GTA that is driven by young musicians, and the support of the community
The Helson Art Gallery in Georgetown, Ontario was dressed in unusual décor on the evening of January 2nd, 2016, when about 70 chairs filled the gallery space to face the on-site grand piano. Stringed instruments—including several guitars, a violin, viola, and mandolin—contributed to the visual backdrop of a special night ...
Review: Blue Neighbourhood
Since its beginning, YouTube has been an informal audition space for aspiring artists. In the age of Internet celebrity, those of vlogger fame have reversed the usual process by debuting their music in the peak of their online careers. One of them is Troye Sivan, a 20-year-old Australian with over ...
Beeba Boys Star Ali Momen talks Acting, ISIS, and B.C. Gang Wars withThe Strand
“We all want to be gangsters,” says Ali Moman of his new movie , which loosely chronicles the life of infamous 1990s Indian-Canadian gangster Bindy Johal. “I mean you listen to hip-hop,” Momen continues. “Everyone wants to be like ‘I’m a gangster… you’re a gangster…’” Moman portrays Nep in Beeba ...
The Bob gives Victoria College 143 Years of Hilarity
Friday, November 27 marked the opening night of the 143rd production of The Bob at the Isabel Bader Theatre, which runs out of Victoria College and is one of Canada’s longest-running comedy sketches. Some of the University of Toronto’s most famous alumni, including Margaret Atwood and Lester B. Pearson, have ...
Strand Sessions: Beasts of No Nation
Cary Fukunaga’s newest film, Beasts of No Nation, released through Netflix this past October, follows Agu, a child soldier from an unnamed west-African country, through the trials of civil war. Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel of the same name (which itself was based on an Afrobeat album by Fela ...
Legally Blonde brightens Hart House theatre: Director Cierra Walker and actor Olivia Lewis share their experiences working on the show
UC Follies’ production of Legally Blonde opened this past weekend, and I had the privilege of seeing the musical on opening night. It can be difficult to critique a show, especially on opening night, when there are often little hiccups, which are usually smoothed over by the end of the ...
Review: Adorable Comedy Night
On the night of November 20, I ventured inside the Cat’s Eye to see the hopeful start of the student-run comedy show, Adorable.