Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  DANCING IN THE DARK WITH THE QUEEN’S REPRESENTATIVE Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada is the closest thing to Royality in Canada except maybe for Drake. So it with some pomp and circumstance that she paid a visit to the Famous PEOPLE Players, in Etobicoke on Tuesday afternoon. Arriving at the Evans Avenue dinner theatre, she brought with her a sense of pomp and ceremony. As a piper played, the audience stood and cheered, TV cameras rolled, and the Governor General responded with a royal-like wave. Mary Simon ( left ) attended the Famous PEOPLE Players theatre to watch a dress rehearsal of the company’s new play, meet with the cast and crew, and enjoy tea with the standing-room-only audience. This visit was particularly special as the Famous PEOPLE Players are celebrating their 50th anniversary next month. The black light musical company has been a beacon of inclusion and integration for half a century, making it one of the longest-running...

  What came first, the Chicken or the Dog? In the case of Canadian art expert Chris Finn and myself, it was the pigeon. It was 1970—way back in my second year at the University of Windsor. I picked up a gig to pose for a sculpture class for a whole semester. I needed the money. The class of about 12 undergraduate Fine Arts students had a choice: sculpt me or a live pigeon (I lied about the chicken). Everyone picked me. Only Chris Finn picked the bird. Probably a wise choice. The next year, my wife and I moved to Toronto. I got my degree in Journalism and didn’t see Chris again until I got some part-time work at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. It was 1999, and I kept the gig for 16 years. Small world—Chris was the resident expert there on Canadian Art. I promoted a number of shows he was involved in. No end of fun, no end of pigeon jokes. I moved on and took on some work with the Brampton Art Gallery after that. Chris eventually retired from the McMichael and moved back to hi...

MEDIA ALERT For Immediate Release The Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada To Take Tea With Famous PEOPLE Players Famous People Players OTTAWA, Ontario (May 9th) — Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, is set to partake in a delightful afternoon tea with the renowned Famous People Players on May 28th in Etobicoke. This special occasion coincides with an anniversary luncheon and the dress rehearsal of the Players' latest production, "Believe in Magic!", commemorating the esteemed theatre company's 50th anniversary. Event Details: • Date: May 28th • Time: Tea Luncheon at 12.:30 PM • Location: Dine and Dream Theatre, 343 Evans Ave, Etobicoke, ON This unique visit will provide Her Excellency with the opportunity to meet the exceptional cast members, dedicated volunteers, high school students, educators, and trailblazers in the theatre community. As a key figure in raising awareness of significant issues and r...

  OCPA will sing for you supper (err your brunch) By Stephen Weir. The Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes (OCPA) is kicking off the 2014 summer carnival season with a delectable meal and captivating live music to complement the feast. It all begins at noon on Sunday, May 19th, at Scarborough’s Spade Bar & Lounge and Calypso bar located at 3580 McNicoll Avenue. OCPA’s second annual "Fun Raising" Brunch will be hosted at an establishment renowned for its Caribbean cuisine and passion for live Calypso music. The $35 meal will be served from 12 pm to 3 pm. The official launch will take place a month after this week’s Brunch. OCPA performers will be part of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival Launch on June 15th at the Scarborough Town Center. Earlier this week, OCPA distributed a poster detailing all the events the Calypsonians plan to host this summer. This poster includes all ten events scheduled by OCPA and is expected to be posted online on the OCPA website (...

Costume Creators Unveil "A New Hope" for Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2024 By Stephen Weir, Photo by Anthony Berot Costume Creators Cultural Art showcased its much-anticipated "A New Hope" costume collection on Sunday, May 5th, in preparation for the upcoming Toronto Caribbean Carnival. The event, held at Mystic Resto & Lounge on Kennedy Rd South in Brampton, drew enthusiastic participants eager to join the festivities of the July 20th junior carnival parade and the August 3rd Grand Parade along the Lakeshore. The evening was a spectacle of colour and creativity as models of all ages graced the Mystic stage, showcasing this year's vibrant designs brightly coloured festival. From elaborate ensembles for adults to whimsical costumes for children, Costume Creators left no stone unturned in ensuring a memorable experience for carnival-goers. "A New Hope" received rave reviews from attendees, with many expressing admiration for Costume Creators founders W...

 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (story available for reprint and /or film work contact the author at stephe@stephenweir.com) The evil that befell us after diving the Salem Express annoying the guardian of the Egyptian pyramid FARSIDE CARTOON BY STEPHEN WEIR © The thing about worn-out tropes and stale-dated figures of speech, is that life doesn't get any better when you drop one of these oft repeated yawn bombs. Might even make life worse. Yeah, there are always a few exceptions. I’ll give you that if you are ambling through an orchard, it is useful to remember that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Heed the word or you may soon be wearing a Granny Smith crown on your head. "The only old-fashioned meme that I pay any attention to these days is the Mummy’s Curse," I whispered to the young secret agent who was lying beside me under my wobbly desk. "You know, the curse is that death or misfortune will fall upon those who disturb a pharaoh’s tomb...

  Carnival Nationz Saturday Night Launch by Stephen Weir Photos by Gilbert Medina They won last year. Can they do it again? Judging by last Saturday night’s costume launch, Carnival Nationz has a good shot at the Band of the Year title when they hit the road at the August 3rd 2024 Grande Parade. Band leader Curtis Eustace told the Caribbean Camera that about 1,000 people came out to the Tam Heather Curling Club to watch the late-night costume show. To say that the presentation was out of this world is not far from the truth – the theme this year is The Metaverse. No worries, while computers and AI make up the metaverse, the models on stage at the launch looked very human in their brand new skimpy costumes. With the carnival’s perennial launch host SKF and CHUM FM morning host Jamar egging on the crowd to scream, the section models kept the hall rocking till almost 3 am as they danced down the catwalk nonstop. This year, Carnival Nationz will have 11 sections on the road during the ...

Louis Saldana’s One Two Grand Parade Costume Punch by Stephen Weir Early last week, Louis Saldenah promised the Caribbean Camera that he was planning to put on a “HUGE Launch Party” on Saturday night. When the doors opened at his 2024 costume launch at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet & Convention Hall in Scarborough, it was obvious he had kept his word (and then some). SECTION TAKE A BOW AT SATURDAY'S COSTUME “We had approximately 1,100 people attend our costume launch last Saturday night,” Saldenah told the Caribbean Camera. And Saldenah hasn’t stopped thinking big. Tonight (Thursday), Part Two hits the boards with the official opening of the Saldenah Mas Camp in Scarborough. This year, Saldenah Carnival has over 15 sections, and most had males and females showing their stuff at Saturday night’s event. The theme for the evening was Sky High, so it was fitting that the models who came flying were, for the most part, bedecked in colourful feathers. KING COSMOS ON STAGE (RIGHT) There...