Author: cpgrisold

As seen on that catchy Heineken commercial…

The 2011 Canadian Stage Dream in High Park

High Park Amphitheatre
June 28 to September 4, Tuesday to Sunday at 8pm.
Gate opens at 6pm.

Join us for an evening of enchanting outdoor theatre under the stars!

Regarded as one of Toronto’s favourite summer traditions, the 29th annual Canadian Stage Dream in High Park will feature William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Winter’s Tale: a classic play of two fairytale worlds brought to life with magic, mystery and music.

Directed by acclaimed outdoor theatre director Estelle Shook, this high-energy and celebratory story of kings, queens, shipwrecks and statues is the perfect diversion for the whole family.

The production will feature a well-known and diverse cast of established Canadian actors, up-and-coming talent and quadruple-threat performers who can act, dance, sing and play a variety of instruments. Cast members include John Blackwood, Jasmine Chen, Sean Dixon, Charlotte Gowdy, David Jansen, George Masswohl, Kelly McIntosh, Meilie Ng, Thomas Olajide, Nicole Robert, Jovanni Sy, Sanjay Talwar. Original music composed by Toronto-based artist John Millard with set and costume design by Denyse Karn and lighting design by Jason Hand.

Bring a picnic and relax on the hill with your family and friends. Food, beverages and blankets are available for purchase.

The Winter’s Tale Cast and Creative Team (pdf)
About The Winter’s Tale (pdf)

Admission

This general-admission event is $20 suggested minimum donation.
Please note: Advanced booking is only available to Canadian Stage Donors.

Getting to the High Park Amphitheatre

High Park is located in Toronto’s west end, stretching from Bloor Street West in the north to The Queensway in the south and from Parkside Drive in the east to Ellis Avenue in the west.

The Amphitheatre is located just east of the Grenadier Restaurant, almost in the centre of the park. See Dream in High Park map (pdf).

If you’re not within walking distance of the park, you can get there in 3 ways:
• By TTC transit
• By car
• By bike

Rain Cancellation

Cancellations due to rain and/or lightning are assessed at 8 pm. If the show cannot carry on safely without the endangerment of cast or audience members, the show will be cancelled and you can request a voucher for complimentary admission to another performance.

More info on our Dream in High Park cancellation policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question we haven’t answered on this page, check out our Dream in High Park FAQ Page.

Volunteer at the Dream

For more information, click here.

Above fr: www.canadianstage.com

Rørbye. View from the Artist’s Window. (1825)

Unfortunately I was unable to make my way down to New York City to see this exhibit, which saddens me greatly, being an avid lover of windows in paintings. And until I saw this exhibit advertised in The New York Times back in March, I thought I was the only one! Imagine, being in a museum of art, surrounded by other window-painting lovers. All marvelling at the depth and distance and daydreaming they project. Sigh. Did I mention how much missing this saddens me? However, it appears there’s a catalogue available from The Met Store, that I shall no doubt be purchasing as soon as possible. Not the same as going in person, but what can you do? Except SIGH.

Nonetheless, here’s the press release taken from www.metmuseum.org with all the details of the show. Maybe it will travel! A girl can dream.

Rooms with a View, First Exhibition to Focus on Motif of the Open Window in 19th Century Art
April 5–July 4, 2011
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City

During the Romantic era, the open window appeared either as the sole subject or the main feature in many pictures of interiors that were filled with a poetic play of light and perceptible silence. Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 5 through July 4, 2011, is the first exhibition to focus on this motif as captured by German, Danish, French, and Russian artists around 1810–20. Works in the exhibition range from the initial appearance of the motif in two sepia drawings of about 1805–06 by Caspar David Friedrich to paintings of luminous empty rooms from the late 1840s by Adolph Menzel. The show features 31 oil paintings and 26 works on paper, and consists mostly of generous loans from museums in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, and the United States.

The exhibition is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and The Isaacson-Draper Foundation.

In 1805–06, the important German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) created two sepia drawings that became greatly influential showing views outside the windows of his studio in Dresden. In Friedrich’s treatment of the open window, the Romantics recognized a potent symbol for the experience of standing on the threshold between an interior and the outside world. The motif’s juxtaposition of the very close and the far away became a metaphor for unfulfilled longing, a sentiment first expressed by the Romantic poet Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg, 1772–1802), who wrote: “Everything at a distance turns into poetry: distant mountains, distant people, distant events: all become Romantic.” Like Friedrich, other Romantic artists were drawn to the view from the window for its symbolic power, and not simply for the beauty of the landscape itself. For them, the rectangular or square shape of the canvas echoed perfectly the window as a view of the world.

Rooms with a View features the two seminal Friedrich images—shown for the first time in this country– as well as works by some 40 other artists, mostly from Northern Europe, including Carl Gustav Carus, Johan Christian Dahl, Georg Friedrich Kersting, Léon Cogniet, Wilhelm Bendz, and Adolph Menzel, among others. Many of the artists are little known on these shores, their works unseen until now.

The works in the exhibition are in distinct groupings: austere hushed rooms with contemplative figures reading, sewing, or writing; studios with artists at work; and windows as sole motif. The mood in these pictures can shift from early Romantic severity to Biedermeier coziness to poetic Realism, yet they all share a distinct absence of the anecdote and narration that characterized earlier genre painting.

Kersting. Before the Mirror. (1827)

Exhibition Overview

Rooms with a View begins with a gallery of works depicting rooms with figures. The vogue for pictures of bare rooms that reflect their sitters’ frugal lifestyles coincides with the Napoleonic Wars of 1803–15 and their aftermath, when daily life in both Germany and Denmark had turned grim. Ironically, this period coincided with the “golden age” of Danish painting, characterized by visual poetry in the works of Wilhelm Bendz (1804–1832) and Emilius Bærentzen (1799–1868), who celebrated modest family life and gatherings. Similarly, none of the upheaval of the time is reflected in the works of the German artist Georg Friedrich Kersting (1785–1847), who countered outward chaos with idyllically ordered interiors. Sober attention to detail marks these 19th-century interiors, in which silence and light become the main subjects. Figures are seen from the back or in lost profile as they sit at a window to read, write, sew, or, as in Friedrich’s iconic Woman at the Window (1822), gaze through it.

Friedrich. Woman at the Window. (1822)

Artists’ studios are featured in the next gallery of the exhibition. Depictions of artists in their studios have a long tradition, especially in the interiors of 17th–century Dutch genre painting. The moods created in 17th–century and early 19th–century pictures are quite different, however, as is the treatment of the window. In the earlier pictures, windows are most often shown in an oblique, foreshortened view, and as sources of light, without views. By contrast, in the 19th–century pictures, windows usually run parallel to the picture plane, with views seen through them. Some of the works featured in this section are a painting of Caspar David Friedrich in his austere Dresden studio as portrayed by Georg Friedrich Kersting, his admiring younger colleague, canvases by French artists showing unidentified female artists working in elegant drawings, rooms overlooking picturesque Parisian views, as well as pictures by their male colleagues, who could compete for the prestigious Prix de Rome, which allowed them to spend five years as pensionnaires at the Académie de France in the Villa Medici in Rome.

Alt. View from the Artist’s Studio in the Alservorstadt toward Dornbach. (1836)

The two Caspar David Friedrich sepia drawings of 1805-06 that inaugurated the Romantic motif of the open window are highlighted in the next gallery devoted to works on paper. Unlike the stark balance between the darkened interior and the pale landscape rendered in these views, the artists who followed Friedrich created gentler versions of the motif. Their windows open onto flat plains in Sweden, parks in German spas, or rooftops in Copenhagen, and artist’s studios overlook houses in Dresden or Turin, bucolic Vienna suburbs, or Roman cityscapes saturated with light.

Rooms with a View concludes with a gallery of paintings of open windows and empty rooms. For artists, the enduring attraction of this subject lies in its purely visual appeal: echoing the rectangular or square shape of the canvas, the window view turns into a “picture within a picture.” Even a barren landscape, when framed in a window, can be transformed into an enthralling scene. Some artists recorded actual sites—Copenhagen’s harbor, the river Elbe near Dresden, the Bay of Naples—while others invented, or even largely blocked, the views from their studios or painted them in the chill of moonlight. Highlights of this section include View of Pillnitz Castle (1823) by Johann Christian Dahl (1788–1857) and four paintings by the German Realist Adolph Menzel (1815– 1905). Created between 1845 and 1851, Menzel’s pictures are devoted to the effects of light in mostly empty rooms, such as his bedroom in daylight with a view of expanding Berlin outside the window, his sitting room with closed shutters at twilight, and the building’s staircase at night.

Menzel never exhibited these small works during his lifetime, regarding them as mere experiments, and they were discovered only after his death.

Curatorial Credits

Rooms with a View is organized by Sabine Rewald, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Curator in the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum.

Catalogue and Related Programs

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue written by Sabine Rewald and published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press. It is on sale in the Museum’s bookshops (softcover, $30). [Editor’s note: YAY!]

The catalogue is made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

An audio tour, part of the Museum’s Audio Guide Program, is available for rental ($7, $6 for Members, $5 for children under 12).

The Audio Guide is sponsored by Bloomberg.

A variety of educational programs accompany the exhibition including gallery talks, Drop-in Drawing sessions, and a Sunday at the Met lecture program followed by a musical presentation on May 22.

The exhibition and its related programs are featured on the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org.

Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and Longo’s presents Free Flicks – Six in the City every Tuesday night on the WestJet Stage.

Enjoy a free movie under the stars, by the water, and appreciate the unique lakefront position of our world-class city. Anything by the harbourfront seems better. Especially in summer.

Here’s the line-up:

July 5th | 9pm – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
July 12th | 9pm – Annie Hall
July 19th | 8:45pm – Paris je t’aime
July 26th | 9pm – Amal
August 2nd | 9pm – Lost in Translation
August 9th | 9pm – Audience Choice TBD – check back for update

Someone should make an “I heart Toronto” film and screen that under the stars, by the water.

This is why I love my city.

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This is Part 2 of 3 in my series on “A Star-Studded Wine Tour of Niagara” with iYellow Wine Club. To catch up on the first part, click here.

Château des Charmes

Our first vineyard stop on the tour was Château des Charmes, a family-run estate, started in 1978 by the infamous Paul Bosc (the godfather of Ontario wine). It is situated on the St. David’s Bench and the Paul Bosc Estate Bench in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winery bottles around 75,000 cases (or one million bottles) of wine per year. This may sound like a lot, but compared to mega-vineyards Jackson-Triggs or Peller Estates, this ranks Château des Charmes a mid-sized vineyard. The difference being J-T and PE use Canadian-International blends, whereas CdC uses only estate grapes.

Mike Weir Wine is made by Château des Charmes. Profits from the sale of these wines go to The Mike Weir Foundation, dedicated to advancing the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children. MWW currently offers five wines:

2008 Chardonnay
2008 Cabernet Merlot
2008 Pinot Noir
2009 Sauvignon Blanc
2009 Rose
2007 Sparkling Brut

And we were graciously poured every one of them.

Upon arrival we were offered a flute of Brut (ha) to cleanse the palate. An easy-drinking sparkler, it was neither offensive nor outstanding. In the tasting room, the Sauvignon Blanc was poured first. Resembling a New Zealand SB, there were notes of citrus and limestone, with a distinct grapefruit scent. It was not too acidic, and had a vanilla aftertaste. The Chardonnay followed, oaked for 5-6 months, but otherwise aged in stainless. Much strong bouquet than the SB, with a mild buttery aftertaste. Most Chardonnays are aged in oak not stainless, and boast a much more prominent butter quality. (Chardonnay is often paired with popcorn; a decadent version of which, as recommended by MWW’s Director of Sales, Melodie Grant-O’Rourke, would be to melt a splash of truffle oil into your popcorn butter. Yup.)

The 2009 Rosé was both peachy in colour and in scent. With a sharp, crisp taste, it was not sweet as you would expect from a typical rosé, and I think it would pair nicely with a pork chop in brandy cream sauce (pour exemple). It had a very clean aftertaste. Up next was the Pinot Noir, one of my favourite varietals, and even moreso now that I have heard the Niagara winemakers refer to it as the “heartbreak grape” (how tragically wonderful! sigh!) due to its delicacy and capability of spoiling if growing conditions are not perfect (a.k.a. the moon and the stars are not in perfect alignment). Mike Weir’s version was relatively disappointing. Aged only in French oak, the body had brick-tone edges and a ruby centre, with a bouquet of caramelized cherries. However, the flavour fell flat. Dry on the tongue, it was distinctly pinot with a nutty aftertaste, but ultimately dull. Shame. (Guess that’s why they call it the blues– I mean, the heartbreaker!)

The 2008 Cabernet Merlot had an offensive nose after sniffing the delicate pinot, and I understood why Ange recommended we not take deep inhales. Black cherry, chocolate (with chilies), herbs on the nose; it would pair well with rosemary lamb.

Melodie surprised the group with a sixth taste – a 2008 Riesling in an un-labelled bottle. Made from 13-year-old vines, this was its first public tasting. (iYellow members get V.I.P. treatment!) Available in May, the Riesling had petrol on the nose, a sweet off-dry flavour, but Ange hit the nail on the head when she said it was a bit sulphuric, most likely from bottle shock (I don’t mean the movie but the shock wine gets from going from barrel to bottle, typical in riesling and chardonnay, it does settle after a week or so). It will probably be great by the time it arrives on the LCBO shelves.

After we finished the tastings, we wandered down to the shop. I was trying to decide which bottle to pick up (Ange encourages members to support the vineyards by actually buying their products, not just tasting them), when I saw a bottle of 2007 Equuleus. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot, and aged for one year in French oak barrels, it is ready to drink now but will continue to develop in the bottle for 5-10 years. I own a bottle of 2005 Equuleus but had never actually tried the wine before. (Judging a wine on its label sometimes works out in your favour.) It was AMAZING. Bold red, spicy, layered (you can tell it’s a blend of varietals), with a deep bouquet. I picked up a bottle of the ’07 to store in my wine cabinet until about 2017. (My cabinet is only stocked with 5-10-yr saver wines. I keep the table wine on the table. Or in my recycle bin, since the bottles are quickly emptied.)

Diamond Estate Wines

Our next stop was the 20 Bees Winery, owned by Diamond Estates, to taste their line of Dan Aykroyd wines. Far from being as impressive as Château des Charmes’ magificent mansion (reminiscent of French estates), 20 Bees’ property includes as MASSIVE industrial grey processing plant and a matching mini-me TRAILER.

As someone who judges a book by its cover (and wine by its label, as it were), I have to admit I scoffed upon arrival at 20 Bees. But then I saw IT. The vineyard that changed my opinion on Canadian wine: Lakeview Cellars!

Back in 2008, my friend J and I stumbled upon a bottle of 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon that had been stored upright in a box for about two years. In a room that faced east and filled with sunlight half the day, clearly fluctuating the temperature. We didn’t expect much from the wine; neither of us being a fan of Canadian wines, but also because of the careless way in which the wine had been stored. (No respect I tells you!)

And then we poured it. And it was brown. BROWN! If you know wine, you will be squealing with joy at the thought of this. A brown cab sauv means it is OLD and it is going to taste AMAZING. And it did. I think it should have been drunk the year prior because I could tell it was past its prime, and I always say the only thing worse than opening a bottle too soon, is opening it too late. Quelle tragédie! Luckily it was still so amazing that even past its prime I knew it was about to change my life. From that moment on, I no longer considered Canadian wine to be only cheap plonk, but a CONTENDER.

So, with this new excitement about the vineyard, I followed our group into the processing facility, accompanied by two of the winemakers (Tom Green and Scott McGregor), for a tasting of Dan Aykroyd Wines.

Dan joined the Diamond Estates family in 2005 as the distribution rights owner of Patron Tequila. With and extensive wine collection at home, and a reputation as a wine lover, Dan was approached by Diamond Estates to create his own line. Dan has a say in the products at every stage, and he stays true to his mandate of taking the “snobbery” out of wine. Even some of the corks say “Made with 100% Snob-Free Grapes.” Dan Aykroyd’s wines come in two series: Discovery, and Signature. The Signature Collection are only available online or at the vineyard, not in the LCBO. (Why oh why Ontario insists on keeping our goods away from us is beyond me.) The winemakers also said that because of the VQA/ICB distinction in the LCBO, a lot of consumers are intimidated by the VQA label, and maybe the store needs a basic CANADIAN WINE section in addition to the VQAs and International-Canadian Blends. Especially when you are making easy-drinking wines for the amateur epicure, as a lot of the “stars” we visited prefer to do.

The first Dan Aykroyd wine we tasted was the Signature 2007 Fumé Blanc Reserve. Smelled like rubber. Tasted like eau de icewine. Had a good aftertaste, especially when I ate a piece of mozzarella with it. Dan Aykroyd’s easy-drinking wines are in the Discovery series. These wines are meant for the average consumer – quality wine at an affordable price. Next up was the Discovery 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Very fruity, with a nose of guava and gooseberry, plus a vanilla finish on the palate. A bit too sharp for my tastes. Then we tasted the Discovery 2008 Merlot. It had a weak colour on the edges, but brick red in centre. Just by the sight, I could tell it was going to taste the same as it looked: thin but with a nice aftertaste. The bouquet was spicy like a cab, but softer and easier. Would probably be nice with a BBQ ostrich steak.

Another Signature series was next: the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. It is not yet available, and hasn’t even been priced. Much darker in colour than the Merlot, its purple juice gave off notes of plum and black pepper. Clearly a higher-end product than the Merlot, I would definitely decant it for a while before serving. The flavour became more complex with every sip. I would drink it with sauteed portobellos or wild boar osso bucco or venison stew. (Can you tell I love game meat?)

If I were to purchase a Dan Aykroyd wine, it would have been the Cab Sauv Reserve, but alas it was not yet for sale. And also, I absolutely HAD to pick up a bottle of 1998 Baco Noir Reserve from the Lakeview Cellars line-up. And then winemaker Tom Green sneakily tricked me into tasting the “port-style” 2005 Vintage Starboard. Okay so maybe it wasn’t that sneaky of him since I was already at the tasting counter. (We can’t call our ports “ports” in Canada because, like Champagne, the name refers to a region not a varietal.) The Starboard was delicious. So of course I had to get that too. *shaking fist at good taste*

A Star-Studded Wine Tour of Niagara continues in Part Three…