Opening September 11, 2010, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Playful Pursuits: Chinese Traditional Toys and Games. The exhibition showcases an astounding range of toys, games and pastimes from the 1st century AD right up to modern times, which have fascinated the Chinese, adults and children alike. Featuring approximately 140 artifacts, many never-before-seen objects from the ROM’s renowned Chinese collections, Playful Pursuits presents a unique glimpse into the culture of this ancient and multifaceted nation. Presented as a companion exhibition to The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, on display until January 2, 2011, Playful Pursuits is displayed in the Herman Herzog Levy Gallery until May 1, 2011. Both exhibitions vibrantly bring history to life to entertain and inform visitors of all ages.

Saturday September 25; 12-4pm. With the support of the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, the Bata Shoe Museum is offering a demonstration of traditional Tibetan boot making along with a special one-day exhibition of Tibetan footwear from the Museum’s collection. Visitors can also join one of two scheduled guided tours through the Museum. COST: Included with regular Museum admission: $14 adult; $12 senior; $8 students; $5 children (5 - 17 years); Children under 5 are free; Family passes are also available. Free for Museum members. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 416-979-7799 or www.batashoemuseum.ca.

This fall sees the world premiere of the exhibition El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa, presented by the Institute of Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The exhibition is a 40-year career retrospective of Ghanaian visual artist El Anatsui and will be his first solo exhibition in Canada. El Anatsui is the centrepiece of the Museum’s upcoming Season of Africa, an offering of exhibitions, new permanent installations, and a series of public programs and events inspired by African art and culture. El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You about Africa will be on display in the Roloff Beny Gallery on Level 4 of the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal from October 2, 2010 to January 2, 2011. “The ICC is thrilled to present the striking work of world-renowned artist El Anatsui and to offer a robust schedule of engaging public events that will enlighten participants about the multi-faceted, cultural gem that is Africa,” said Francisco Alvarez, Managing Director, ICC .

Wines of Chile and the Trade Commission of Chile (ProChile) are pleased to present their annual celebration of wine, food, music and culture - the Chilean Wine and Food Festival in Toronto this coming October. We are hosting this event at a new venue, the Royal Ontario Museum in Peter F. Bronfman hall. Approximately 150 wines will be available for tasting from 30 wineries who will be traveling from Chile to Toronto for this exciting event. Many of the wines will be featured in Canada for the first time. The days activities include a special tasting for the trade and media as well as one for consumers. Peter F. Bronfman Hall is located on the second level. Guests can enter through the main doors on Queen’s Park and access the second level from either the north or south staircases or the elevator. Our trade event is free for professionals in the business of buying, selling or promoting wine including journalists, LCBO staff, licensees, sommeliers and educators. Our consumer event is ticketed and is set at the price of $65.00 and includes all wine sampling and food. For more information guests are invited to visit www.winesofchile.org. Guests will be treated to a truly rare cultural experience as they discover, taste and learn about the world of Chilean wine. In a casual relaxed setting, guests will enjoy catered fare and meet with representatives from the wineries as they sample from an array of red and white varietals. In compliance with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, (DFAIT) regulations, we are donating any proceeds from our Festival to our charitable partner the Royal Ontario Museum.

CANADIAN PREMIERE of the award-winning Irish play from the internationally celebrated Enda Walsh. Trapped in the years that have passed since their halcyon days at The New Electric Ballroom, three sisters in a remote fishing village are still obsessed by darker memories of something resembling romance. Starring: Rosemary Dunsmore, Sarah Dodd, Cathy Murphy, and Christopher Stanton. Directed by: Autumn Smith. Designers: Dora Nominated Lindsay Anne Black, Laird MacDonald, and Christopher Stanton with famed Canadian Fashion Designer Rosemarie Umetsu. Box office number: 416.531.1827.

This amazing new exhibition traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythological creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond. It includes eye-popping models, paintings, and textiles, along with other cultural objects from around the world ranging from shadow puppets to Japanese armour. For many centuries, humans around the world have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, music, and works of art. Today these creatures, which were sometimes inspired by fossils or living animals, continue to delight us. The exhibition reveals the relationship between nature and legend throughout history from Pliny the Elder, who, in 77 c.e., asserted that mermaids were “no fabulous tale,” to the current sightings of Scotland’s renowned but unsubstantiated Loch Ness Monster.

With over 80 dancers and hundreds of lavish costumes and sets, DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER is a spectacular full-length dance-drama. Using both classical ballet and traditional Chinese dance, it's based on one of the most important novels in China's literature. This extravagant performance tells of a love triangle set in an ancient and aristocratic feudal family. Show tickets as low as $28. Box office: 416-872-2262.

Simon Winchester’s talk, based on his best-selling book, highlights the nearly unbelievable story of the life and achievements of Noel Terrence Joseph Montgomery Needham. As recently as half a century ago, China, The Warrior Emperor Director’s Signature Series Page 3 of 4 May 6, 2010 now accepted as the unchallenged leader of the future world, was dismissed as a country of little importance, little relevance, and merely a vast enigma on the periphery of human civilization. One man is largely responsible for a profound change in the world's evaluation of the country: an eccentric English chemist, Joseph Needham. Needham, by way of an illicit mid-life love affair with a Chinese woman, became one of the most knowledgeable students of China in all history, as well as a lifetime champion of the Middle Kingdom. Needham’s passion led him in many strange directions, but his most lasting legacy was to be a vast book on Chinese science. Still in print, it remains the lengthiest English-language book ever written about China. Simon Winchester is a journalist, broadcaster, and bestselling author of 20 books, including The Professor and the Madman, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and The Map that Changed the World. His current New York Times bestseller The Man Who Loved China is the remarkable story of Joseph Needham. He contributes to a number of American and British magazines and journals, including Harper’s, The Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Spectator, Granta, the New York Times and the Atlantic Monthly. Winchester’s next book, Atlantic: A Biography of the Ocean, is due to be published in October 2010. For additional information, email programs@rom.on.ca or call 416.586.5797. To register for these talks or other programs: www.rom.on.ca/terracottaarmy/en/programs.

Rogers Centre is pleased to once again host His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. In today's modern world, science and technology play a vital role in bringing unprecedented material comfort to the lives of human beings. However, the basic human problems of suffering, fear and tension still remain and from part of our daily lives. His Holiness will share his personal outlook on how we may bring about peace not only on a personal level but at the community and world wide level. Tickets can be purchased by calling 416-870-8000 or visiting the Ticketmaster website.