Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni. ✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Cast of A Bronzeville Nutcracker. Photo by: Claude-Aline Nazaire.
A Bronzeville Nutcracker, presented by The Willingham Project, is returning for another holiday season. Choreographed by dancer and artistic director Lisa Johnson-Willingham, this modern spin on the classic holiday tale follows Peggy, a child growing up in Chicago's Bronzeville community, who, through a magical journey, learns the true meaning of the holidays and family traditions via a cast of characters including "Kutie Patootie," the Candy Cane Kids, and the Jingle Bell Rockers.
Catch A Bronzeville Nutcracker at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 S. King Dr., Saturdays, December 4 and 11 at 7:30pm, and Sundays, December 5 and 12 at 3pm. Tickets are $20-$25 and can be reserved online. For more information, contact 773-269-9147.
Chicago's Adele Givens is definitely one of the most well-known stand-up comediennes in the business. In addition to being one-fourth of the history-making, all-female comedy tour and film ensemble, Queens of Comedy, alongside fellow comediennes Mo'Nique, Sommore, and Laura Hayes, Givens has also enjoyed success on the small screen as host of HBO's "Def Comedy Jam," as well as numerous guest-starring roles on popular sitcoms including "The Hughleys" "Tracey Takes On," and "The Steve Harvey Show."
With a comedy career full of highs, why did Givens not only stop doing comedy, but also consider giving it up altogether?
It's the mid-nineteenth century, Normandy, France. Claude Monet is still just a young boy with dreams of being a singer when one day, he happens upon a swirling cluster of water lilies. Maybe he doesn't realize it then, but the moment marks him in an indelible way.
Jump 130 years later. Ben Spencer is an average American kid, growing up on a steady diet of cartoons and action figures. He, too, doesn't realize the impression that will inspire him years down the road, how He-Man, Thundercats, and Go-Bots are shaping his sensibilities.
The point here is that, at times, part of the enigmatic process of creating art is a reflection of the culture one grows up in. Claude Monet grew up to create a series of water lily paintings; Ben Spencer just recently designed his first toy, Galaxxor, a figure that blends Spencer's love of early-80s toys with his own design aesthetics. Yet the gap between the two sensibilities-French Impressionism and toy design--and how they are perceived as art couldn't be wider.
Award-winning playwright and actor Daniel Beaty'sTearing Down the Walls is the second production in the ETA Creative Arts Theater's 2010-2011 season. Directed by Kemati J. Porter and Anthony Brooks, the play, opening next week, tells the story of a 30 year-old virgin who, during one night, lets her guard down and becomes involved in a steamy affair that changes her life forever.
Tearing Down the Walls opens Thursday, Dec. 9 at 8pm and runs through February 2011 at ETA Creative Arts Theater, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Show times are 8pm Thursdays through Saturdays; Sundays at 3pm. Take advantage of the special 40th season rate of $10 for all seats through December 19; regular tickets are $10-$30. No performances are scheduled December 20-31. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 773-752-3955.
Kate Bush is not a recluse as much as she is an artist who understands the importance of patience (and perhaps perfectionism) when creating music. Her work ethic is counter to contemporary music trends where a new record must be released each year to sustain an increasingly finicky international audience. This great span of time between albums has subsequently helped sustain an entrenched cult fan base whose devotion is now heard through musicians such as British chanteuse Bat For Lashes, Icelandic gem Bjork, Tori Amos, as well as newer singers like Lia Ices or Glasser.
It is in the interest of Bush's local fanbase that writer Joe Erbentraut (along with promoter Joshua Wulbert) created "A Tribute to Kate Bush," an evening dedicated to Ms. Bush, as well as the numerous singers whose aesthetics are closely related to or influenced by her work.
The idea for the evening originated organically. One bout of procrastination a few months ago led Erbentraut to his vinyl collection which includes many albums by the singer. He then mentioned the idea to Wulbert, a DJ and promoter for the monthly "gothy, dark, and swirly" party Procession, held at Late Bar.
"In recent memory, I've heard of tribute nights to Bjork, Robyn, Annie Lennox and Fleetwood Mac, and thought Kate more than deserved the same here in Chicago," Erbentraut said. The event is not only unique to Chicago; it is also unique across many cities nationally, as Bush's fan base has, only recently, begun to celebrate her truly unique sound.
Tomorrow at 9:30 pm, there will be a tribute to Les Paul on WTTW Channel 11. Jeff Beck is the main host, along with other musicians who are going to play various Les Paul songs.
Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking for Marina City. As part of the celebration, a 19-minute promo reel, This is Marina City, was digitized and presented. It's now online in two parts:
This seems nerdy, but interesting: A Klingon Christmas Carol is a major twist on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol because it's being performed totally in the Klingon language.
Yes, it sounds weird, but is fascinating. And don't worry if you don't understand Klingon; they will provide English subtitles.
You can see it at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N Lincoln Ave (2 blocks south of Fullerton Ave) in Chicago.
The schedule is: Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm through Sunday, December 19, 2010.
This Monday, November 29 at 7:30pm is "Pay-With-Your-Can" Night. Bring in one non-perishable food item and you get $10 off. If you bring three items, you don't have to pay.
You can get a lot more info about A Klingon Christmas Carol at CBTheatre.org.
There's a name I want all of you to know. He's a supporting actor in the new Edward (Glory, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Defiance) Zwick dramedy Love and Other Drugs (adapted from the book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy), and his name is Josh Gad. Now, I don't know the man personally, never met him, interviewed him, etc.-- I'm sure he's a lovely man. I kinda recognized him from being in The Rocker, 21, and a recent episode of "Bored to Death," but that's it. In Love and Other Drugs he has one of the highest-profile roles of his career as Josh, the brother of Jake Gyllenhaal's pharmaceutical-rep character, Jamie. Here's why you should know him: because he nearly single-handedly destroys what is an otherwise really wonderful film about relationships in the face of medical adversity.
Pictured: (in the background) Pat King (Nick), Marsha Harman (Mercy) and Joel Ewing (Abel) in the foreground.
Photo by Tom McGrath of TCMcG Photography.
Tucked away in a cozy, Christmas-y back room at Lincoln Park pizzeria Ranalli's, Redeemers-- a site-specific one-act-- delivers an intimate, occasionally delightful story of inter-office politics gone terribly wrong. The story is told to us by the three colleagues who started it all by means of a sort of desperate, ill-prepared confession.
New Leaf Theatre's current production of Redeemers, written by Bilal Dardai and directed by Jessica Hutchinson, opens subtly as audience members (of which the room can fit only about a dozen) gradually realize there are actors sitting amongst them, who are acting. The actors in this case are Pat King and Joel Ewing (playing Nick and Abel, respectively). They're not doing much at first, per se, but the way they kind of glare at each other from across the room and exchange sporadic quips and insights as they sip their drinks is just perfect.
Christopher Piatt hosts The Paper Machete at Ricochets.
The atmosphere at The Paper Machete, a free weekly live magazine at Ricochets, is like sitting in the rec room of your best friend's house, if your best friend was an emcee with a microphone and a weekly lineup of writer/performer guests who talk about everything from local politics to the latest movie releases. Roughly a third of last week's audience was comprised of either performers or friends of performers, which added to the laid-back vibe. I shared a table with a stranger, and ordered my first beer just before the show started at 3pm, which seemed early for beer-- but it's getting dark early, so I can justify it.
The show is hosted by former Time Out Chicago theater editor Christopher Piatt (pronounced pie-it), who began the series in January of this year along with his co-producer Ali Weiss, and business manager Maggie Boyaris. Last week's lineup included: theater legend Sheldon Patinkin, who told the audience about the first time the words "fuck" and "shit" were uttered on the Second City stage; Neo-Futurists Dana Slickman and Rachel Claff, who reminded us that the world is not our living room; writer/performer Patrick Gill, who I'm pretty sure convinced me that I need to go see Cher's new movie, Burlesque; 848's Kelly Kleiman, who told us why everything sucks, and that the word "nepotism" is closely related, if you will, to the word "nephew"; comedian Adam Guerino gave us his take on the recent media focus on potentially gay children that was kind of started by that woman whose son dressed as Daphne for Halloween; manicurist and celebrity star-fucker Marlena Biscotti (a.k.a. Kristin Studard) told us what it's like to make love to Prince; writer and editor Jonathan Messinger took on citizen journalism; and musical guest Lili-Anne Brown ended the show with some gorgeous vocals.
As the temperature plunged and the winds kicked up in the Loop just past 5pm on Saturday, Nov. 20, a gathering of more than 100 people stood outside the Thompson Center, candles in hand, under a large teal, pink and white flag while 14 names were read aloud.
The names belonged to the 14 known individuals murdered last year in the U.S. due to their gender identity or expression. While these peoples' lives may have included happy moments like birthdays and first kisses, parties and joyrides, this night their entire existences were condensed into only a few short sentences describing each of their lives' tragic final moments: Strangled. Stabbed. Punched repeatedly and grabbed by the neck. Shot in the chest.
If you've walked through the front doors of the Art Institute recently, you've seen a bright and interesting new temporary exhibit; in fact, there was no way you could have missed it. The entire Grand Staircase is lit up like a giant Lite-Brite, and will remain so until May 1, thanks to an eye-catching and decidedly political installation by Jitish Kallat, entitled Public Notice 3.
The installation, which was unveiled on September 11 of this year, presents the text of a speech given at the Art Institute on that date in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda. The speech, which was presented in conjunction with the World's Fair, is a plea for religious tolerance and respect; Kallat reproduces the words in the colors of the Homeland Security alert system, not-so-subtly alluding to the politics of religious fanaticism that have been so present in world events since September 11, 2001.
The Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, an African and African-American dance company dedicated to providing audiences with performances that are "designed to invigorate, enliven, and celebrate the collective human spirit," kicks off its 34th annual fall concert season with "Dancing in the Spirit."
"Dancing in the Spirit" is composed of three different performances including Gye Nyame ("omnipotence of God"), a new work by acclaimed New York choreographer Ronald K. Brown and Pearl, a combination of two works by legendary dancer and choreographer Dr. Pearl Primus, including A Negro Speaks of Rivers (an interpretation of the Langston Hughes poem) and Hard Time Blues. In addition, the show will include Sounds of Sabar, a musical arrangement by Muntu's Aly M'Baye and a djembe drum talk entitled, Djalli Wasso Tam-Tam.
"Dancing in the Spirit" will be performed at the Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside (at the corner of 72nd & S. South Chicago Ave). Shows are Thursday, Dec. 2 and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5 (show times vary); tickets are $8-$27.50. For more information, contact 773-241-6086.
Over the years, filmmaker and director Tyler Perry has received the brunt of harsh criticism for both his television shows and films; however, none of his work has been critiqued and analyzed as intensely as his latest film, For Colored Girls.
For Colored Girls, Perry's big screen adaptation of author Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, has been the subject of intense discussion among the film and entertainment world. Numerous websites, including Shadow and Act, a blog dedicated to "cinema of the African Diaspora," have featured a number of entries about the film.
And what is perhaps most notable of all the scrutiny is that Oprah didn't promote the film on her show, especially since she is a close friend of Perry's.
In collaboration with Change It Up, a challenge organized by the City of Chicago's Department of Environment that asks property owners and their tenants to improve their environmental impact, two creative and concerned artists take the fore by designing window installations with materials that have been diverted from the waste-stream. Indo is Crystal Grover and Linsey Burritt and you can see their latest creative collaboration in the storefront window of 445 North Wells.
I always feel compelled to mention at some point in my reviews of any Harry Potter film that my sole exposure to this material is the film franchise. I've had access to the books for years, but once I realized that most of the movies were going to be works of quality, I thought they should be able to stand on their own with no prior knowledge cluttering my brain and filling in gaps that the book would plug. If I got lost or confused, then the movies failed me on a cinematic level. So far, that hasn't happened to any real degree. And while I fully intend on reading the books after the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits theaters, the only way I'm prepping for wrapping up my years-long journey with Harry, Ron, and Hermione is by doing a marathon of all the films that came before leading up to seeing the final chapter.
The first part of Deathly Hallows is exquisite and exists on a plane that none of the other films have so far. And that plane is maturity and all the pain and responsibility that entails. Gone are the confines of Hogwarts, which I don't think is ever seen outside of flashbacks and visions. This is not a film about school children any longer. The reality for Harry Potter is that a legion of evildoers want to murder him, and these killers will accept any level of collateral damage to make that happen. An early scene in Deathly Hallows is exquisite shows shows Voldemort (the splendid Ralph Fiennes) prowling around a table of his minions, setting the stage for what is to come and the lengths that they must go to to get Harry. The scene reminded me of the one from The Untouchables, where Robert DeNiro's Al Capone walks around behind his lieutenants with violence in his eyes. The danger is exponentially more palpable in this Harry Potter story than in any of the others.
Though the festival isn't until January, tickets for the Tenth Annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Fest go on sale tomorrow at noon. Claim your seat early and be rewarded with a discounted ticket price for your early bird ways. The festival, which runs from January 6 to January 16, will feature 129 groups, a Sketch Fest record. The shows will take place at Stage773, which is now under the management of Festival director Brian Posen, so he promises many encouraging new changes, including, but not limited to, cheaper beer prices.
The festival's performance dates and times are: Thursdays at 8 and 9:30pm, Fridays at 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11pm, Saturdays at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11pm, and Sundays at 2:30, 4, 5:30, and 7pm. (Sunday, January 9 also features a 1pm performance.) Tickets are $14 each and go on sale Friday, Nov. 19 at noon; tickets purchased by December 31 will be discounted to $12.50. Tickets can be purchased at www.Stage773.com, by phone at 773-327-5252, and in person at the box office. All performances will take place at the recently acquired and soon-to-be renovated Stage773 building, located at 1225 W. Belmont.
Sparkling Christmas tree ornaments, nativity characters, sock monkeys and fake vomit have popped up on Montrose Avenue at Hazel Holiday Store.
The pop-up shop is owner David Vail's spin-off of Hazel, a charming Ravenswood gift shop. Offering seasonal décor and children's toys, the holiday pop-up opened Nov. 1 just a few doors west of the original boutique. Vail is getting ready to open a fashion boutique next spring and thought a pop-up, the catchy name for a short-term sales space, was a great way to make use of otherwise unused space.
"We're not trying to bring people in from the Gold Coast," Vail told me. "It's more for our existing customers." Hazel can get crowded during the holiday shopping season, so the additional space makes the store more comfortable.
Temporary space makes sense not only for seasonal retail, but also for artists, fashion designers and restaurateurs to market themselves and reach new audiences. The pop-up idea is not new -- artisans have long embraced the low-overhead and mobility of festivals and markets -- but pop-ups in Chicago have morphed into more individualized and substantive forms. After Target popped-up in Chicago with its Bullseye Bazaar in 2009, with behemoths like Carson Pirie Scott and Calvin Klein following suit, independent businesses are trying it out for themselves.
Conan O'Brien has returned to television and is back among the so-called "late night wars" with his new show, "Conan," that premiered on TBS on November 8. For the most part, he is pretty much the same (although seemingly a bit more relaxed); however, so far, according to some reviewers, the show in general is lukewarm, but is on a slow boil to being "hot."
According to comedian and "Conan" staff writer Deon Cole, one surefire way to get hot is to reach out to a more culturally diverse audience with a commercial about the show, targeted to at least one demographic--see Cole's "commercial" here:
Here's some good TV: the documentary Typeface is going to be on WTTW Channel 11 tomorrow, November 18 at 9 pm, and will be rebroadcast on Friday, November 19 at 3 pm, and on Sunday, November 21, at 4 am.
If you are interested in design, traditional methods, creativity, and history, then check it out. It's refreshing to see something being made independently of a computer.
And if you want to participate in a live chat with the director, Justine Nagan, go right here, where there's also an email reminder that you can sign up for. The chat will take place on Friday, November 19 at 2 pm, just before the 3 o'clock rebroadcast.
Stephanie Dean is focused on food. Her photography is informed by Dutch Still Life painting and she uses the same sort of tools as they did to raise questions about the state of our food supply today.
HS2 dancers Yarinet Restrepo, Nicholas Korkos, and Katie Scherman in "Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure."
Let's be honest--the options in children's dance programs aren't exactly plentiful, rarely extending beyond annual performances of the Nutcracker. While Nutcracker has become a favorite family tradition for many Chicagoans each holiday season, any additional dance productions for children offered throughout the year are a welcome surprise. Perhaps this is why there's been such excitement brewing for Hubbard Street 2's upcoming production of "Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure." The December 4 performance, based on the beloved children's book, presents dance to children in an accessible, interactive way.
The 60-minute program, choreographed by Terence Marling and Robyn Mineko Williams, and set to music by indie rocker Andrew Bird, garnered positive attention in the Washington Post following its Nov. 13 premiere at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater. The Post described "the melodies and movements" as "wide-eyed" and the "liquid dance a la Harold..., confident and lovely."
HS2 will present "Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure" at 3 pm on December 4 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Tickets to the program, which is sponsored by Target, are only $5 each, and may be purchased online at harristheaterchicago.org or by phone at 312-334-7777.
Rebekah Ward-Hays (right, front) and cast. Photo by Timmy Samuel
There are people whose sense of identity is validated by their possessions. Most of us, actually, are defined by them to a certain extent. That's what display cases and bumper stickers are for. In times of uncertainty we can be comforted by our collections. Conversely, it can be very upsetting to lose them.
The play opens with a statuesque redheaded woman (Avery, played by Rebekah Ward-Hays) boisterously auctioning off a man's suit-- hat, shoes and all. "He couldn't have gotten too far without his shoes," she proclaims. Soon thereafter we learn that the suit belongs to Avery's late father, and that she killed him, left town, and left the rest of her family behind to pick up the pieces.
Jennifer Hudson's next project, Winnie, where she stars as Winnie Mandela, the wife of former South African leader Nelson Mandela, is finally complete. Winnie, scheduled for release in 2011, will instead focus more on the back story of her relationship with Mr. Mandela than on the negative publicity that surrounded her over the years. Check out the trailer here:
The Chicago Human Rhythms Project (CHRP) will conclude its 20th season during Thanksgiving weekend performances at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St. Audiences can view four different programs in the "Global Rhythms" series, November 26-28. Additionally, when you purchase a ticket to any of these performances, you'll be giving back to Chicago area non-profits through the Thanks 4 Giving program. You will receive a ten percent discount just by mentioning an area non-profit when purchasing your ticket. Plus, CHRP will donate 50 percent of the revenue from your ticket purchase to the organization you mention.
"Global Rhythms" features an ecclectic mix of performers, such as CHRP's BAM!, Step Afrika!, Diabolus in Musica, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, and more. For a full listing of performers at each show, visit CHRP. Performances take place Nov. 26 at 8pm, Nov. 27 at 3 pm and 8 pm, and Nov. 28 at 3 pm. Tickets are $15-55 and are available by calling 312-334-7777 or visiting harristheaterchicago.org.
Wow, I checked out the site of the upcoming cop show "The Chicago Code," and it looks like it's actually made here -- imagine that! Not a soundstage or exterior set in Toronto, LA or New York, so you might see them shooting around town now, because it doesn't premiere until Feb. 7.
Unfortunately and weirdly (since it would help their publicity efforts, and you'd think they'd want to spread the word around even more), they don't allow embedding of their video, so you'll have to go to their site to see it, where you can read all about the show as well.
The Renegade Performance Group, a dance company "dedicated to creating an atmosphere that will facilitate dialogue compelled by the human experience," presents its world premiere of Project: CO-OP, a dance performance whose mission is to enlighten the audience about the "absurdity of perfection." Choreographed by co-artistic director Andre Zachery from Chicago's South Side, Project: CO-OP will feature a combination of various dance styles including contemporary, modern and hip-hop.
Catch Renegade Performance Group's Project: CO-OP at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19-20 at 8pm. Tickets are $25 general admission, $15 students. For more information, call 312-337-6543 or visit www.renegadepg.com.
RPG's Andre M. Zachery in Project: CO-OP; Photo by Rachel Neville.
If ever there was a film pairing between director Tony Scott and actor Denzel Washington (the two have made five films together), you might think that the runaway-train thriller Unstoppable would be that movie. Scott is best known stylistically for a rapid-fire editing technique and basically never being able to keep his camera still. Even the films of his I like (Crimson Tide, True Romance, Man on Fire, Domino) seem like all kinds of overkill. Since Scott does mostly action films, his style doesn't always seem inappropriate, but Unstoppable is only about half an action film and even that half is confined to two, fast-moving trains on the same track going in the same direction. Here's the problem with Unstoppable: it tells us right off the bat that it's based on a true story, which I'll accept. I bet the true story is actually kind of interesting. What Scott has done is loaded this "true-life" plot with jet fuel and thrown a match on it, resulting in a film that feels fake when it wants so desperately to come across as authentic.
Greg Proops is making the Chicago media rounds because of his show at Zanies, and something interesting happened during his appearance on WGN today: showing news footage while he's talking.
Around the 30 second mark, he talks about a cruise ship, and exactly at the point when he says the word "Spam", they cut to news footage from KGTV in San Diego. It's so well-timed, it's as if he's part of the WGN show, and he's doing a segment for them. So were they interviewing him, or did they integrate him as one of their own for today's show?
Starting tonight at 8pm, Calisthenics for Shrapnel, by Robbie Q. Telfer and Marty McConnell, creates an opportunity for artists and audiences to "work out" their dis-functions with society by assessing the divisions of colors (race), collars (class) and pants (gender/sexuality).
The show will run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through January at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, Suite 207, on a biweekly basis. Tickets for general admission are $15 and for students are $10. For information please click here or call 773-281-0824.
It's a dream come true for 12-year-olds: take Super Mario Brothers and combine it with nudity. Throw in a locked door and it's a pre-teen wonderland that most greasy-haired guys can only dream of. Boobs and Goombas is (thankfully) not just for sticky-fingered boys, it's a fantastic new show that has been playing to cheering crowds at the Gorilla Tango Theater. Set to run only through October, the show has been such a hit that (lucky for you!) November and December dates have been added.
I wasn't expecting to love Boobs and Goombas as much as I did. I was ready for a standard cabaret style burlesque show made up of rotating performances that have little to do with each other (besides the Nintendo theme) with a host acting as ringleader introducing the lovely ladies- a fun show but also nothing really new either. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Boobs and Goombas is actually an original play with a plot propelling forward amongst the pasties.
Of course you do. Since 1942, the Little Golden Books series has been a part of the lives of millions of American children. A Special Collections exhibit currently running at the Harold Washington Library showcases a favorite element of these famous little books: their artwork.
With 60 works of original illustration stretching from the 1940s to the present, Golden Legacy: Original Artwork from 65 Years of Golden Books offers a smile-inducing combination of nostalgia and creativity. Works from perennial classics like Poky Little Puppy (1942, illustrated by Gustaf Tenngren) steal no spotlight from more modern gems like Dan Yaccarino's Mother Goose (2003), and some early work, like Alice and Martin Proverson's illustrations for The Color Kittens (1949) looks positively modern. Keep your eyes peeled for my personal favorite piece, a triptych from Richard Scarry's I Am a Bunny.
For those of us looking not only for a good deal this holiday season, but also that perfectly unique gift, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Holiday Art Sale may be just the solution. Affordable gifts (and lots of items to treat yourself with as well) from over 120 artists, will pack the SAIC ballroom, starting on November 18th when the art sale opens with its Preview Party. Each year, SAIC students create and sell original artwork to the public at the annual Holiday Art Sale- students take home 85% of sales made through their work. It's a great opportunity to check out what the up and coming artists of Chicago have to offer- and snag some of their work before it's worth your whole holiday bonus check.
SAIC's Holiday Art Sale is free and open to the public on November 19 and 20. Tickets to the preview party on November 18 can be purchased here.
Trans Form is a brave and honest expression of what it means to be a transgender individual. The one-woman show, written and performed by Rebecca Kling and presented by New Suit Theatre, explores the confusing reality of living in a body that feels all wrong, and the frustration of living in a world that perpetually fails to understand.
Nathan Robbel is the artistic director of The Right Brain Project. Halfshut, the final installment of his three-part collaboration with playwright and former Gapers Block A/C writer, Randall Colburn, is being presented now through December 4. I interviewed Robbel via email today about his work.
What inspired you to collaborate with Randall Colburn on this project for a whole season instead of a single play? How did the projects come into fruition?
It was really Hesperia that drew me to Randall. The play really spoke to me and I was inspired by the aesthetic I saw as a possibility to carry his words. We knew we wanted it to go up in the summer, and at the time, we had nothing for our winter 2010 slot. Randall shared Pretty Penny with me, and even though it was in an early draft, I loved elements of it tremendously. When he was hip to workshopping it, we set out to make it happen. Because the themes of the two shows were similar, it just felt natural to turn the season into a trilogy of sorts. Randall and I tossed around a few ideas to take the themes of Pretty Penny and Hesperia to a different level, and we began working on Halfshut in early summer.
Four Lions follows the foibles of four would-be British jihadists in this new comedy by Chris Morris. It's the first release from Drafthouse Films, Austin's Alamo Drafthouse's new distribution arm. The film opens at Piper's Alley on Nov. 12, but Steve at the Movies is hosting a special free preview screening this Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7pm. All you have to do to get on the list is send an email to fourlionschicago@aintitcoolmail.com with the subject line "FOUR LIONS SCREENING," and include your name and whether you'll be bringing a guest in the body of the email. Steve will be overbooking the screening, so be sure to arrive early to ensure your seat!
Fear No Art's host Elysabeth Alfano heats things up with glass artist and lighting designer Sharon Gilbert and paperweight artist Melissa Ayotte at Talisman Glass Studio in her latest webisode.
When I was leaving the screening of Todd Phillips' (Road Trip; Old School; Starsky & Hutch; The Hangover) latest comedy opus Due Date, I heard a fellow audience member utter the immortal and highly quotable statement, "It had its moments." I concur...only I think that person's comment was meant as more of a ho-hum evaluation than if I had said it. Truth be told, Due Date has quite a collection of moments that are at times tasteless, hysterical, shocking and occasionally moving. And while the episodic nature of the film (whose screenplay is credited to Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel and Phillips) results in big laughs and even bigger groans at times, I'm not sure Due Date really holds together as a cohesive unit. What it reminds me of is the difference between a stand-up comic who tells joke after joke after joke versus one who tells very funny stories. This movie is like two guys roasting each other, as opposed to a Patton Oswalt or Louis C.K. doing what they do best on stage. One isn't necessarily funnier than the other, but at the end of the latter, you feel a little more satisfied as a human being.
One of the cultural institutions I have often overlooked has been the Instituto Cervantes, or the Cervantes Institute. Upon arriving at the opening of Women & Women, a traveling show featuring 5 female photographers, I quickly realized how much I was actually missing. It is odd for me to have not frequented the Instituto Cervantes, as both an artist and a Spaniard, I could have been influenced by a culture I am proud to be connected to, but if I were to be honest, know very little about.
Chicago-based artist Jason Lazarus has started an archive of photographs deemed "too hard to keep," and he's looking for submissions from the public. Submissions may include photos of friends, family, pets, places/objects that are too painful to view again. If you've got photos to send him, be they digital or analog, click here for submission details.
Peanut Gallery is currently accepting submissions for their next show, Facebook. If you have art dealing with issues like privacy on the internet, relationships sabotaged by social networking, or portraits of other people's cats that have their own FB pages, now is your chance to show it. Or, consider this an opportunity to make something new. All mediums accepted by all people, though the show is curated so send stuff you're proud of. Send jpegs to peanutgallerychicago@gmail.com by November 15. Send questions there, too. While you're at it, why not follow Peanut Gallery on Facebook?
RNCDC's Brandon DiCriscio (left) and Jeff Wolfe in "Forbidden Boundariies."
Photo by Erika Dufour.
On November 13, River North Chicago Dance Company will celebrate its 21st birthday in a one-night engagement at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Dr. The program will feature the world premier of Sidra Bell's "Risoluta," with an original score composed by her father, jazz pianist and composer Dennis Bell. RNCDC's November engagement will feature additional works from the company's repertoire including Robert Battle's "Three," RNCDC Artistic Director Frank Chaves' "Forbidden Boundaries" and a revival of Chaves' 1994 sensual duet "Fixe."
Tickets to the Harris Theater fall engagement are $30-$65 and are currently on sale at harristheaterchicago.org or by phone at 312-334-7777. For an additional $10,
guests can enjoy cake and champagne in celebration of RNCDC's 21st birthday during intermission in the Harris Theater's private lounge on the 2nd floor.
The incredibly excellent show, "The Good Wife", will not be on tonight because of election coverage. It's ironic because the show is currently focusing on its own election drama in The Chi. In case you're going through withdrawal, here's some behind-the-scenes footage of the show.
At one point, Chicago was actually a pioneer of creative television programming, and you can find out all about it this month at the Chicago History Museum. They're going to feature the history of Chicago TV in a series of seminars, retro TV shows, and a tour. It looks like a very interesting bunch of activities, and you can find out more information right here, and get more details and contact information at their site.
Paula Treichler just got back from her high-school reunion. "If I would have been braver, I would have taken surveys," she says. Treichler is a researcher and professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And she apparently finds the condom-use of her graduating class of 1960 important. While most of us probably haven't considered the history and meaning of rubbers, Treichler has made her life's work from studying the history and future of condoms.
On Saturday, Nov. 6, you can hear her talk at the Chicago Humanities Festival, where according to the website, listeners are invited to "use the condom as a prism to reconsider the history of sexuality and its representations, including cartoons, jokes, lore, legends, and references to pop culture."
Here, Treichler gives us a history of the condom in the United States — from sexual prohibition to the gendering of birth control to the condom backlash when AIDS first broke. And of course, predictions on the future of "gentleman's rubber products."
As the temperature plunged and the winds kicked up in the Loop just past 5pm on Saturday, Nov. 20, a gathering of more than 100 people stood outside the Thompson Center, candles in hand, under a large teal, pink and white flag while 14 names were read aloud.
