'The Zoo Story', Edward Albee's 1959 masterpiece, is set on a park bench in a bustling city. I've seen it a number of times over the years...but never on an actual bench in an actual park. That is, until last Friday.

Red One Theatre's free, traveling production of the play is wrapping up this weekend with performances at De Grassi Street Park tonight and at the south end of Glen Stewart Park on Friday and Saturday at 7pm.

Sadly, yes -- Pages Books on Queen Street West, a Toronto institution since 1979, has closed its doors forever.

But, of course, when one door closes another opens. Rachael Glassman, the owner's daughter (and former Pages employee) is currently producing a documentary about the venerable independent bookstore.

With all of our focus on how it closed, the story of how it opened in 1979 is just as interesting.

Pool-hopping happens every year. The weather gets hot, the civic pools close, and the young people seek the thrill of hopping fences and sneaking in for an unsanctioned cool-down.

The tragic drowning of a 16-year-old Thornhill pool-hopper last week has brought the topic back into the news. The Toronto Star wrote a piece about poolhopping on August 26th, posting an incendiary amateur video of mostly young, topless women cavorting at the Christie Pits pool after hours.

I caught up with two self-proclaimed pool-hoppers this week for their side of the story; let's call them 'Venessa' and 'Mark'. They were both at Christie Pits on the fateful night of the video; Mark even appears in the footage.

8 Girls without Boyfriends is playing tonight through this weekend at the Bread & Circus.

For Torontonians who slept through Fringe, napped through Summerworks, and dreamed through 'Dream in High Park', this may be our last shot of theatrical redemption before September breaks.

Without further ado, here are my 8 reasons to go and check it out...

Keith Hamilton, 30 years old. The Art Gallery of Ontario.

"The chances of being a successful musician in Toronto are slimmer than the chances of being a successful National Hockey League player."

Keith Hamilton doesn't mince words. If anyone should know the ratios, it's him. He's a musician, an organizer of the ever-expanding Pitter Patter music festival, and he's the talent booker for The Boat in Kensington Market.

There's a little house in Kensington Market that has hosted concerts and art shows in its backyard and kitchen for the last two years. It's called 'The Oxford Hotel' at 117 Oxford Street, and it's closing forever.

I starting spending time with one of the roommate's of the 'Oxford Hotel' last summer (it's just a name by the way; you can't stay there.) You almost have to know somebody involved to find out about a small, grassroots music venue like this one. Not to say the house hasn't seen its fair share of music fans and popular artists come through.

Timber Timbre comes to mind, who I saw play a wonderful set there in June 2008. Kimya Dawson, of the Moldy Peaches, checked in to play a show during the 2007 Toronto Film Festival, when she was in Toronto for the Juno premiere (the soundtrack is filled with her songs).