Photo: "Hotel" by flat 401, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2010... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

THEATRE | roadkill
Australian theatre companies Dancenorth and Brisbane Powerhouse present a four-night run of the intense theatrical dance work roadkill at Harbourfront this week. The production uses brutal physical theatre to tell the story of two people stranded in the Australian outback, a wilderness haunted by historical ghosts and the murderers of urban legends. The performance is both a thrilling story reminiscent of modern horror films and an examination of the paranoia and misconceptions surrounding one of the most hostile places on Earth.
Enwave Theatre, 231 Queen's Quay West, $30, 8 pm

FILM | Dust and Illusions
In 1986 a small band of California-dwelling outsiders met on a beach in San Francisco to create art, experience community, and generally "freak out." It was the very first Burning Man Festival, which has since migrated to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada and attracts an annual crowd of 58,000 people. Considered the largest counter-cultural event in the United States, each year the festival reaches new heights of creativity and incredible spectacle culminating in the burning of giant effigy. Tonight the Bloor Cinema screens Dust and Illusions, a participant-made documentary on the history of the festival, and a timely event considering Burning Man alumni the Flaming Lotus Girls are currently performing choreographed fire performances at Nathan Phillips Square as part of the WinterCity Festival.
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W., $15, $8 members, 7 pm

PARTY | Press Pass
In the age of the blogosphere everyone with an active Facebook profile is a step away from being a journalist, so even if you're stuck in the yet-to-be published phase of your writing career there's no need to feel out of place at the Press Club. The Dundas St. hole-in-the-wall with pretensions to news room charm hosts the latest installment of the journo-themed Press Pass party tonight, emceed by Toronto's answer to gonzo journalism Nadja Sayej. National Post features editor Jessica Johnston and sketch artist Rob Elliot will be on hand to document the evening for posterity. Just dress up in your most rumpled clothes, bring a pen and pad of paper, and tell everyone you write for one of those cute local Internet news outlets and you'll fit in just fine.
The Press Club, 850 Dundas St. W., 8 pm

OPERA | Otello
With its production of Carmen already underway, the Canadian Opera Company launches its second major performance of 2010 with Otello, Giuseppe Verdi's adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play. The title role will be played by American tenor Clifton Forbis, who last appeared at the Four Seasons Centre in the COC's Ring Cycle. Otello is widely considered one of the greatest operas of all time and some scholars believe it exceeds the original play in terms of emotional complexity. It's certainly louder. Runs til February 28.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., $62 - $292, check website for performance dates and times

BOOKS AND LIT | Toronto Public Libraries celebrate Black History Month
Toronto's Public Libraries commemorate Black History Month with a series of events at locations across the city that give voice to African-Canadian artists and historians. The celebrations kick off today with a talk at the North York Central Library by Governor General Award-winning author Karolyn Smardz Frost on Fred Landon, one of Canada's first chroniclers of African-Canadian history and highlights of the month-long program include discussions with author Austin C. Clarke, journalist Dalton Higgins, playwright Trey Anthony and CBC broadcaster Garvia Bailey on the current state of black writing in Canada, storytelling by Sandra Whiting, and blues performances by Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley. Runs til February 28.
Library branches across Toronto, see website for details

COMEDY | The Sean Schau
Canadians were first introduced to Sean Cullen way back in the early 1990s when as a member of Corky and the Juice Pigs, he did an incredible impression of a fat Michael Stipe, earning him considerable air time on CBC Just For Laughs specials and even a spot on MadTV. Since then he's been a perennial fixture on the Candian comedy scene, spouting gibberish and generally weirding people out with a short-lived CBC sitcom and recently writing a series of novels for young adults called Hamish X. He can hold a large audience in the palm of his hand with his spontaneous songwriting so seeing him in the intimate setting of the Comedy Bar should be a real treat. Sean does two nights the club starting tonight. Don't look him in the eye, he'll sing a song about you!
The Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., $10, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 pm

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