SummerWorks ||| Toronto's indie theatre and arts festival ||| August 6-16

SummerWalks Walking Tours

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This year, SummerWorks is offering three distinct walking tours of the neighbourhood that hosts our festival and cradles three of our city’s most important theatre venues: Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille & The Theatre Centre.

Through these “SummerWalks,” we invite you to get to know more about the larger community and see a familiar landscape from new perspectives! Three charming guides offer their unique takes on the area, doing what they do best – telling you stories.

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, August 8, 9, 15 and 16

Times: Each tour runs twice daily; departure times are listed by tour, below.

Location: All tours depart from the Factory Theatre Courtyard; end points are listed by tour, below.

Length of walk: max 75 minutes

Price: $5 (same day only – box office located at the Factory Theatre Courtyard)

THE TOURS:

Love Letters to Queen West

Actor Dana Puddicombe takes you on a tour of Queen West sharing stories from people who live in and love the neighbourhood. Artists hungry for cheap rent and a creative playground made this otherwise sketchy neighbourhood hip in the 80s, and the area has been ever evolving since. The changes have challenged the identity of an area fueled by art and music, and plagued by the effects of a growing city. Created by collecting love letters from strangers (and not so strangers), this tour examines the reality of life in this neighbourhood for the people who love it.

SEND IN YOUR LOVE LETTER!

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, August 8, 9, 15 and 16
Start times: 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm
Ends: Factory Theatre Courtyard

A Length of Chain
Queen Street was once a quiet country road. In the 1790s it was called “Lot” Street because it was where your “lot” of land fronted. And who are you? You would be a loyal member of the new colonial administration of Upper Canada. Together with his daughter Molly, Bruce Beaton will measure out how the land along Queen Street, from Bathurst to Dovercourt, was originally surveyed. They will also look at who was given this land. These Park Lots were 660 feet across the front (or 10 lengths of chain) and 6,600 feet deep (100 lengths of chain or the distance from Queen to Bloor). A strolling effort at urban archaeology with specific focus on the first English layer.

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, August 8, 9, 15 and 16
Start times: 1:15 pm & 3:15 pm
Ends: Theatre Centre

Lola Lita
“My life is like a soap opera. If you only knew...”
Take a personal tour with Byron Abalos through Queen West as seen through the eyes of one of its long-time residents, his grandmother. Lola Lita is a great grandmother, former kindergarten teacher, Philippines WWII survivor, Days of Our Lives fan and perhaps the most loved person in the Greater Toronto Area.

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, August 8, 9, 15 and 16
Start times: 1:30 pm & 3:30 pm
Ends: Factory Theatre Courtyard

Photos by Nicolett Jakab. www.nicolettjakab.com

FEEDBACK:

LOVE LETTERS TO QUEEN WEST: "Dana is very enthusiastic and she definitely translated this to us, the walkers. She did her homework and shared many facts and ideas about this neighbourhood. Thanks Dana!"

LOVE LETTERS TO QUEEN WEST: "Love Letters... was wonderful! Dana was informative and fun. I love the idea of the love letters. I think it is an idea to be repeated. Having lived in the area from 1984–1993, it was 'memory lane' but also so much information I did not know. Dana was fantastic and an excellent speaker."

LOLA LITA: "Lola Lita was great. It was personal but also a wonderful insight into the diverse community. I was often brought to tears by Byron's stories of Lita's life. I would run the same walk next year again. A great idea for future walks might be to focus on other interesting people as well. Byron was clear, informative, engaging & personal."

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