THEATRE | A Really Bad Play
When a star-studded cast abandons a show at the eleventh hour leaving the terrible-at-directing writer and director to utilize his amateur understudies to fill their roles, A Really Bad Play happens. This satirical and hilarious play has its world premiere at The Pia Bouman School Theatre tonight following excellent reviews during workshop performances with pivotal(arts) theatre company in March of last year. Featuring upcoming Toronto actors like Shawn Ahmed, Ryan Allen, Jessie Gabe and Trevor Small as well as an appearance by A Really Bad Play writer and director Daniel Stolfi, this is guaranteed to be a really, really good play.
The Pia Bouman School "Scotia Bank" Theatre (6 Noble Street) 8:30PM $15 advance, $20 at the door

IDEAS | #hatch
Idea circles seem to be in the frosty Toronto air these days so why are you keeping yours inside? #hatch returns tonight for its second edition where the public is invited to join together and pitch their ideas about everything and anything to the people in exchange for feedback. Once all the ideas have been pitched, the gathering will be divided into groups where attendees can choose which ideas they'd like to contribute to and subgroup discussions will be held. It's simple and it's amusing with an opportunity to contribute to an idea that just might hatch into a bigger plan.
Supermarket Restaurant and Bar (268 Augusta Avenue) 6PM Free

MEDIA | Paul Hoffert Lecture: McLuhan, Media & Music
York University Digital Media Professor as well as accomplished composer and performer Paul Hoffert offers a public lecture tonight about the ties between Marshall McLuhan's media theories and the modern day performance venues of current performers. Arguing that the concert halls, recording studios, mobile phones, video games and recording software of today are mediums that do impact the message, this Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Chair of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada will entertain the audience with his presentation while building a convincing thesis about the nature of contemporary composition.
Walter Hall, Faculty of Music (80 Queen's Park) 8PM Free

VISUAL ARTS | Hennessy Youngman's Art Thoughtz
New York-based artist Jayson Musson enters the doors of the Drake tonight for a screening and artist talk that is presented by C Magazine and Mercer Union as part of initiatives to educate in the visual arts. Musson, also known as Hennessy Youngman, is the brains behind Art Thoughtz, a video series that aims to interview and educate fringe artists for their own advancement in creative fields from an opinionated, youthful tone that often borders on satire. Musson's resume includes lectures at MoMA and solo exhibits across Europe and North America but tonight's Toronto presentation will stick to a simple Q&A session following the premiere of his latest Art Thoughtz video.
The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West) 7PM $8 general, $5 student

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR:

• Joe Levano
• Soundstreams Encore January Event

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Photo by ardenstreet in the blogTO Flickr pool