BY MATT HARRISON

Moss (F******) Park
“I want to write f******-up plays about f****** people in a f******-up world!” — that’s George F. Walker speaking to the Ottawa Citizen back in May about being a playwright. In his latest, dark comedic offering — Moss Park — Walker remains true to his aims by delivering a play about a young couple with a baby who struggle to “make ends meet” though they have “no prospects and no money.” One last stab at “making it” involves a “money-making” scheme by Bobby that collides with Tina’s “dreams of home sweet home.” Moss Park launched earlier this week, and runs until February 8 at the Great Canadian Theatre Co. Show times are Thursday, Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets from $15. Special pay-what-you-can matinee on Sunday, January 25 at 2 p.m.
GCTC is at 1233 Wellington St. W.

Photos Celebrate ‘Beauty’ in DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been decimated by decades-old civil war, with women in particular suffering from widespread sexual violence — in fact, the eastern part of the country has been dubbed the “rape capital of the world.” Amidst all of this brutality — a grassroots movement of Congolese women working in communities to support survivors of sexual violence. This is the subject of the photographic work by celebrated war photographer Pete Muller (TIME, New York Times), which is being launched on Thursday, January 22 at the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO). The exhibit, Beauty in the Middle: Women of Congo Speak Out, features intimate photos and videos that “tell the story of the conflict and how sexual violence has impacted women – both activists and survivors.” The event will feature guest speaker Julienne Lusenge, founder and director of the Fond pour les Femmes Congolaises. It will include music, hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar. You will also have a chance to bid on stunning prints from the exhibit during a live auction, and buy handcrafted items made by women in the DRC. Tickets for the event are $45, but only $15 for non-waged and students. The vernissage on Thursday takes place at SAW Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. More info, visit here. The exhibit is up until February 6.
SAW Gallery is at 67 Nicholas St.

Tom Thomson’s ‘Forgotten’ Brother (FREE!)
Must’ve sucked — at least a little — that your younger brother got all the fame and you were largely forgotten … well, not entirely forgotten, because a new exhibit opening Thursday, January 22 at the Ottawa Art Gallery looks at the ‘forgotten’ Thomson: George, Tom Thomson‘s older brother. George’s work in Two Roads Diverged in a Wood is explored through Toronto-based artist Jon Sasaki, whose art pays homage to the ‘other Thomson’ using different lighting techniques.
In Home Away from Home, Aboriginal narratives  — so often neglected or negated — are inserted into moments in Canadian history. This exhibit includes the work of Gerald McMaster, Barry Ace, Rosalie Favell, Ron Noganosh, Jane Ash Poitras, and Jeff Thomas.
Making the familiar seem strange, disorientating, and alien seems to be the intent behind Andrew Wright‘s photographic work in Pretty Lofty and Heavy All At Once. In this exhibit, the artist’s works demonstrate a deliberate re-orientation of the camera in order to alter our normal perceptions of the ordinary.
All three exhibits are are part of the Ottawa Art Gallery’s vernissage on Thursday. It’s free. All three exhibits will be open until May.
The OAG is at 2 Daly Ave.

Rideau Hall Winter Wonderland (FREE!)
Winterlude is still a week away… but in a sort of unofficial lead-up to the annual winter festival, Rideau Hall is hosting a free weekend event that apparently inaugurates the “Year of Sport” in Canada… (Honestly, who’s job is it to determine what this “Year” will be? — oh, it’s the guy who lives at Rideau Hall. Makes sense.). Regardless of Saturday, January 24‘s ‘loftier goals’, the afternoon will involve Nordic-like sports for the entire family: dog sledding, kick sledding (smaller sled where you ‘kick’ back and propel the sled forward — no dogs), a giant ski race (a race between giants on skis or a really big ski race?!?), horse-drawn wagon rides, skating on the historic outdoor rink, pelting a poor snowman with snowballs (fear not, the snowman signed a waiver), snow soccer juggling (okay, now they’re just making stuff up)… plus tours of the residence, and hot beverages & snacks…
The Winter Celebration starts at 12:30 p.m. and goes until 4 p.m. Participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item and an item of winter clothing for the Ottawa Food Bank and the Snowsuit Fund.
Rideau Hall is at 1 Sussex Dr.