Summerworks is Toronto’s indie theatre and arts festival and is now in its 20th year. We’ve picked two of the best plays of the 42 featured in this year’s programming: Theory, which questions how to remain progressive when progress becomes dangerous, and is showing August 5-15 at the Lower Ossington Theatre, and All of Him, an interactive, live biography of a jovial father with a dark past, being performed from August 6-15 at the Passe Muraille Backspace. For the full schedule, visit the Summerworks website.

(Photo of Nader was taken by Andre Guerette)

Adam does people-watching better than the rest of us, cleverly snapping candid photographs that look artfully staged. His photos are touching, human portraits that cause the viewer to think about the story behind the person who a moment ago was just another face on the street. Adam also helped install Kate McGrann’s “I Miss You” chain link embroidery that is on view and well loved by everyone who goes to Trinity Bellwoods Park. View more of Adam’s work at Inconduit.

Dyeni Waboso and Weyni Mengesha, from The Africa Trilogy, a trio of plays premiering at this year’s Luminato Festival, talk to us about breaking down the misconceptions that Africans and Westerners have about each others’ cultures, and about how these misconceptions have shaped the modern world. Get tickets to the show, which runs from June 10-20, here.

Polydactyl Hearts Collective

Featured in Episode 9

This Guelph-based multimedia collective is comprised of a six-piece orchestra playing haunting instrumental scores, and a guy with a Playstation controller who conducts the sequence of projected paintings, which, along with the lyrics, direct the narrative. The music and the art keep pace with each other and tell the story of a rapidly transforming world in which basic social structures begin to unravel as urban spaces morph over time. The PHC were commissioned by Wavelength to create a new piece that premiered April 3rd  at the Images Festival.

Japanther

Featured in Episode 9

For their show at Whippersnapper on March 11, for which they cancelled their scheduled CMW gig, Ian Vanek and Matt Reilly played inside a cardboard fort, which lasted all of 45 seconds before it was crashed into and destroyed by the sweaty horde of thrashing fans. Their new album, Rock ‘n’ Roll Ice Cream, makes you want to spray paint “Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30” in blood on the walls of your dad’s office. Japanther play each show as if it’s their last, with balls to the wall intensity, gritty vocals channeled through telephone microphones, and guaranteed killer bruises to show for it.

The Sketchersons

Featured in Episode 9

This fourteen piece (at present) comedy troupe won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Sketch Troupe in 2007, and is nominated each year. Each member is an active on the scene comedian, working in stand up, on the stage, and in television. They are opening their own theatre this spring, so keep checking the website to find out the location of the next season of weekly live stage show Sunday Night Live. Until then, watch their videos on Funny or Die.

Tibi Tibi Neuspiel

Featured in Episode 9

Finding a likeness of the Virgin Mary on your grilled cheese is fine and all, but it’s getting a little stale. Tibi Tibi Neuspiel is bringing something new to the table with his “Assassination Sandwiches,” which are portraits of famous people on beeswax toast, archival in concept and form, and widely regarded as the greatest thing since sliced bread. All terrible puns aside, Tibi’s artwork is genuinely funny, absurd, thought-provoking, and so masterfully crafted that it will cause you to second guess your sanity. View examples of his work on his website.

Devon Ostrom

Featured in Episode 8 + Episode 4

Devon is a Toronto based curator and artist whose craft work and organizing skills are the driving force behind many of the projects that we are currently excited about in Toronto. Some of his efforts include the Manifesto Festival, H.Y.P.E at the AGO, which featured emerging graffiti artists, and the Beautiful City Billboard Fee (BCBF) campaign. Visit Devon’s personal website to find out more and support the Beautiful City campaign online.

One Reed Theatre

Featured in Episode 8

“Little Iliad is a conversation between two people, two old friends – one a writer, one a soldier – who together attempt an unlikely re-telling of a lost Homeric tale. The play is about real war and mythical war – how both shape us, and how both can be survived.” This work-in-progress is produced as a collaboration by One Reed Theatre, where Frank Cox O’Connell and Evan Webber are co-director and writer/performer, respectively, and the performance will be shown at the Harbourfront Centre’s Free Fall Festival from March 25-28.

Rob Hawke

Featured in Episode 8

Gemini award-nominated actor and comedian Rob Hawke has performed his one man show “Norm Vs. Cancer”, which is based on his personal experience of surviving thyroid cancer, to international acclaim. Rob is also working on a collaboration with the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care with the  University Health Network which helps to unite artists, designer with patients and doctors and encourage them to find solutions to make health care better. to To find out more, visit Rob’s website.

Featured in Episode 8

Heidi Ackerman’s two loves are design and the environment, and her daring, avant-garde fashion designs make sustainable look sexy. Her designs are regularly featured in high end fashion editorials, such as Zink Magazine, and she will be showcasing her latest collection at Toronto Alternative Fashion Week on April 23rd. You can also check out more of designs and where to see them on her blog.

Nirvana the Band the Show

Featured in Episode 7

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol are the stars and creators of the independent online comedy series Nirvana the Band the Show. The show follows Matt and Jay as they hilariously try to pursue a show at the Rivoli in Toronto. They just released their complete 1st season on DVD in December. Read more about the show here.

Team Macho

Featured in Episode 7

The five man illustration and fine arts collective Team Macho have spent the better part of the last decade banging out witty, often ironic, and highly imaginative artworks for galleries and publications in Canada and abroad. The Team is comprised of Chris Buchan, Jacob Whibley, Lauchie Reid, Nick Aoki and Stephen Appleby-Barr.

Featured in Episode 7

LIVE AT SHOW AND TELL GALLERY

Headed by the booming soulful voice of beautiful Alanna Stuart,this 6 piece synth-pop outfit inspires some serious 80’s nostalgia, with an original mix of electronic dance beats and indie rock. The Band includes Alanna Stuart, Joseph Shabason, Mary Cobham, Jer Little, Kieran Adams, and Dafydd Hughes. Check out their website for touring information or click here to purchase their five song EP:

Show & Tell Gallery

Featured in Episode 7

Simon Cole established Show & Tell Gallery in downtown Toronto in the summer of 2008 as a vessel for marginalized and often disregarded artists to showcase their work. Offering a comfortable environment for collectors both new and established to discover new artistic talents, Show & Tell Gallery introduces an exciting roster of emerging and seasoned artists from across North America, Europe, and Asia. Check out the gallery website for more information about artists and upcoming exhibitions.

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Tessar Lo

Featured in Episode 7

Indonesian born and Toronto based, Tessar Lo often uses mixed media to create whimsical, thought provoking paintings that delve into the universal constants of humanity. His works offer the viewer a calming look in to the human soul. Check out Tessar’s personal website here.

Amanda Nedham

Featured in Episode 6

Amanda Nedham has a degree in printmaking from OCAD. She creates large scale intricate drawings around sometimes dark subject matter; her most recent exhibition at LE Gallery in Toronto featured intricately drawn torture machines and mummies. Amanda acts as both an artist and anthropologist, guiding the viewer through detailed artistic work that explores heavily researched historical events.