THEATRE | Toronto Fringe Festival
Toronto's largest official celebration of theatre, The Fringe Festival, kicks off today. Over 150 different theatrical "creations" will have their moment to shine between today and the 15th of July. This is a great event, as it not only boosts the city's profile in the arts world at large, but the arts economy within TO, as well--The Fringe boasts over 90,000 audience members every year. A wide variety of genres are represented in a range of venues, from the traditional to the experimental. A few different options are S. Bear Bergman's sex comedy, The Virginity Lost & Found, the musical It's My Show starring George Westerholm, and Johnnie Walker's family drama The Other Three Sisters.

MUSIC | Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple returns to TO tonight with a show at The Sound Academy. The talented singer/songwriter has recently released her fourth album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - quite a title! The response from critics has been unanimously positive. This is her first studio album in seven years, and rumour has it that this album was begun secretly by Apple, without any label pressure (or knowledge), and some feel this has contributed to its success.
Sound Academy (11 Polson Street) 8PM $52.50

BOOKS & LIT | Brockton Writers Series
The Brockton Writers Series is an ongoing literary series that invites writers to share their work as they network. This evening's gathering will feature Heather Birrell, Nalo Hopkinson, Perparim Kapllani, Suzanne Andrew, and S.R. Davis. This is an excellent event for those who appreciate TO literary talent and want to show support, and also for up and coming writers who want to get to know the "lay of the land" in the city's writing community.
Full of Beans Coffee House & Roastery (1348 Dundas Street West) 7PM PWYC

MUSIC | The Young with Rituals and Breeze
The edgy, Austin-based band The Young hit Parts & Labour tonight as part of the tour for their latest release, Dub Egg, which came out a few months ago. These guys just got scooped up by Matador Records after outgrowing the smaller, NYC-based boutique indie label, Mexican Summer. They will be joined by TO's own Rituals and Breeze.
The Shop under Parts & Labour (1566 Queen Street West) 10PM $8

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

The Untold City Presents "Three Years": A Live Visuals Retrospective
Neighbourhood Watch I

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 Jared Krause in the blogTO Flickr pool