There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from a Wikipedia or TedTalk rabbit hole. Social media like TikTok feels more passive, with a single swipe bringing us an endless carousel of amusement. But when a question sparks your curiosity, like “Why did Target fail so catastrophically in Canada?”, you become a scholar, digging through piles and piles of information, sifting, parsing, learning. It’s the same drive that leads many of us to podcasts and documentaries on history or science. Calling it “edutainment” feels a bit reductive, but a true story can be fascinating.

The revival of The Master Plan, a Crow’s Theatre/Soulpepper joint production, is a testament to this. It is a true story, an ongoing story, and it’s a story about us, about Toronto. It is heartbreaking and hilarious. And it’s all about land use planning. But I promise you that it’s absolutely fascinating.