Fringe favourites and World Cup fever: Check out these July events

The University of Toronto's campuses may quiet down over the summer months, but Toronto itself livens up with festivals and events happening almost daily across the city.

Footy fanatics and theatre buffs will find plenty to do this July. Here are just a few of the goings-on – on and off campus – this month:

The Toronto Fringe Festival begins Wednesday with over 159 plays at 44 venues around the city. U of T has been a long-time host of Fringe performances and this year is no exception. See what’s in store at some of the university’s Fringe venues, including the George Ignatieff Theatre, Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, and the Robert Gill Theatre.

July 4

If you’re into boundary-pushing theatre in unusual locations, add The Queen’s Eulogy to your Fringe must-see list. The play, created and written by U of T alumna Rachel Ganz, is being performed by a dumpster behind U of T’s St. Hilda’s residence – using its unique setting to tell the story about a woman’s escape from her “trashy” marriage. The play runs until July 15.

The Bata Shoe Museum is host to a Grimm-style retelling of There was an old woman who lived in a shoe for the Fringe play Mrs. Mama’s House, created by U of T alumnus Nathaniel Kinghan. Performances are almost daily until July 15.

July 5

Catch Her., a one-woman show by U of T staff member Deborah Shaw, plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse until July 15. The play will take you back to Toronto in 1954 when a woman is finally ready to confront memories of her past. 

July 6

U of T alumni-led group Theatre By Committee is back with another Fringe play – this time about a pop princess turned guru. Wagon Play takes place at the Majlis Arts Garden near Trinity Bellwoods Park, and runs until July 15.

July 7

There’s less than a month left to see the work of Governor General Award-winning artist Robert Fones at U of T’s Art Centre. Signs| Forms | Narratives, which runs until July 21, features some of Fones’s most influential work from bold paintings to photographic sculptures.  

July 11

U of T students, staff and faculty are invited to bring their kids who are in grades 4 to 8 on an interplanetary adventure where they can look through a telescope to spot planets and stars or get a close-up view of the Toronto skyline.

Interested in learning about User Experience (UX) design? Gerstein Library’s MADLab is hosting a free introductory session that provides an overview of the field and information on how to access Robarts Library’s UX Lab.  

July 12  

From “toxic masculinity” to defining manliness – what it means to be a man in today’s culture is a constant source of debate and discussion. A student-run philosophy group invites you to join the conversation at a Philosophy Café, held at the Madison Pub. 

July 15

If you’re mad about soccer, cheer on your national team at World Cup screenings at the Hart House Reading Room. Hart House will be hosting a viewing party for the final with bar service, food and drinks.

July 27

Grad students are encouraged to take a break from the books and join fellow mortals in High Park to watch a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.