FILM | Trigger at the Open Roof Film Festival
The Open Roof Film Festival, which features films every Thursday on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Brewery, showcases Kingston native Bruce McDonald's 2010 rock and roll movie Trigger tonight. This film, set in Toronto, follows rockers Kat and Vic, played by Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright, as they reunite after a decade apart to perform together once again. This entirely Canadian production features original music by Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning and, though heavy on dialogue, dedicates a fair share of screen time to the city where it takes place. Arrive early at 7:30PM for good seats and to catch the opening band Betty Burke.
Amsterdam Brewery (21 Bathurst Street) 7:30PM $15

PARTY | FUSE Summer Issue Launch Party
Celebrating its 35th year of publication, FUSE Magazine is hosting a summer issue launch party at the Feminist Art Gallery tonight. The summer issue, titled "Performing Politics," revisits three decades worth of outstanding thinkers who have shaped the alternative, politically engaged arts and culture scene in Canada. Refreshments will be served, back issues will be available for purchase and music will be provided. Visual artist Alison S. M. Kobayashi's A.S.M.K. + F.A.G. exhibit, which examines objects found in Toronto's west end, will also be on display for attendees.
Feminist Art Gallery (25 Seaforth Avenue) 6PM Free

THEATRE | Brother Andre's Heart at the Toronto Fringe Festival
Directed by Anne Meighan and written by Linda Griffiths, Brother Andre's Heart is a play about Doug and Dave, two young filmmakers who spend their days inside their Montreal apartment watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, until their neighbour Anna introduces them to her grandmother. When the grandmother takes the boys to the Mount Royal basilica to see Brother Andre's heart, they realize that their sci-fi obsession has diverted yet enthused their creative ambitions. Sure to satisfy Trekkies and thespians alike, Brother Andre's Heart premieres tonight as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running only until the end of the 11-day event.
Tarragon Theatre Extra Space (30 Bridgman Avenue) 7PM $10 at the door

ART | Sharing The Burden: Opening Reception
Former drug addict and criminal Stephan Briones has been clean for four years and is giving back to the community through a rare artistic social justice initiative that seeks to give a voice to the people who live on the fringe of society. By purchasing disposable cameras and handing them out to individuals of different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, Briones exhibit, titled Sharing The Burden: Life Visions, gathers images that tell a story about the variety of life in the city of Toronto. Tonight's opening reception will celebrate the images of Briones' photographers and include the presence of the artist. The exhibit runs until July 17th at Gallery 1313.
Gallery 1313 (1313 Queen Street West) 7PM Free

THEATRE | The Cherry Orchard
The open-air Greek Theatre in the Guild Festival Theatre will be host to Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, which opens this evening for a 3-week engagement. Directed by the Guild Festival Theatre's Artistic Director Sten Eirik, the play--which was Chekhov's last--is about an aristocratic Russian family that is preparing to auction off their estate that houses a large cherry orchard. As the family plans alternatives to selling the land, they each deal with their individual difficulties only to watch as they lose their home to a man who chops down the orchard. Playing at a Greek-inspired venue that overlooks Lake Ontario and the Scarborough Bluffs, seeing this performance in such a unique setting is worth the trek to the end of the subway line.
Guild Festival Theatre (201 Guildwood Parkway) 8PM $20

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

• Stone Diaries
• Transition Toronto Film Contest and Workshops with Film-maker Greg Greene
• Social Rejection
• The Humber Writing Centre Presents Bird Eat Bird

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Photo by cycleographer in the blogTO Flickr pool