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Betroffenheit and The Audacity of Hoop: What to do in T.O. this weekend
Brad Wheeler

This article was published more than 8 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

DAYTIME

Home & Reno Show

With housing prices going through the roof, perhaps you should start thinking about, well, fixing your roof. Whether looking to increase your home’s selling price or if you just want ideas on beautifying and modernizing, a squad of contractors, suppliers and design experts will be on hand at a trade show devoted to living-space improvements. As well, Family Day activities occupy the youngins on Monday, allowing parents to tap experts on such things as storage solutions and home organization.

To Feb. 15. $10 to $15 (children under 12, free). International Centre, 6900 Airport Rd., Mississauga, gtahomeandrenoshow.com.

NIGHTTIME

Betroffenheit

The dance-theatre collaboration between virtuosic Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and the writer/performer Jonathon Young is an expression of loss, trauma and addiction, but the biggest tragedy is that so many people weren’t able to see the sold-out performances when the production premiered last summer at Panamania. A four-night run offers a second chance to witness what The Globe’s Martha Schabas described as a “stunning testament to what can happen when life turns into art.”

Feb. 18 to 21. $24 to $99. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E., 416-368-3110 or canadianstage.com.

FREE

The Besnard Lakes

Scientists this week revealed they’d heard and recorded the sound of black holes colliding a billion light-years away, a ripple in spacetime that confirmed important ideas from Einstein. Either that, or it was the new album from the Besnard Lakes that the scientists came across. A Coliseum Complex Museum, the Montreal space-rock adventurers fifth full-length effort, soars lushly and grandly, with tunefulness that steers the machine. Groundbreaking? No, but Einstein knew (and you should know) that everything is relative.

Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m. Free (with non-perishable donation to the Covenant House). Tiny Record Shop, 804 Queen St. E., 416-479-4363.

OUT OF TOWN

On Paper

Everything looks good “on paper,” a starting point not only for ideas but for art. To illustrate the manner in which Canada’s story has been shaped by first drawings, an elucidating exhibition offers up such important things as an Emily Carr diary and sketchbook from 1903 and the complete series of Clarence Gagnon’s original illustrations for Louis Hémon’s classic Canadian novel, Maria Chapdelaine. Rounding things out are rarely seen drawings by Arthur Lismer of Group of Seven members that lend a frisky perspective on those artists.

To May 1. $15 to $18. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Ave., Kleinburg, Ont., 888-213-1121 or mcmichael.com.

ONE TIME ONLY

The Audacity of Hoop

The splashy events surrounding this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game put the hoop in hoopla, but amid all the hard-court excitement a more thoughtful affair happens at a bookstore. There the author Alexander Wolff will discuss The Audacity of Hoop, his elegant series of essays on Barack Obama, something of a baller-in-chief. Basketball was the President’s first love, and it is argued by Mr. Wolff that the sport influenced the former’s character and enthused his ambitions. Was he an all-star? No, but no one can argue that man doesn’t have game.

Feb. 13, 3 p.m. Free. Ben McNally Books, 366 Bay St., 416-361-0032.