Lollapalooza is just around the corner, but this week is just as packed as a Grant Park porta-potty line. Here’s some of what we recommend:
Mon 7/31: The Chicago steering committees of the Human Rights Campaign, Lurie Children’s Hospital, and Women & Children First read from Jazz Jennings’s I Am Jazz—the story of a young transgender girl’s journey toward self-acceptance. Hosted by Center on Halsted (3656 N. Halsted). 6:30 PM, $10 suggested donation, free for children
Mon 7/31: Pierre-Laurent Aimard is coming to the Ravinia Festival (200 Ravinia Park). The Reader’s Peter Margasak writes of Aimard, “The pianist doesn’t take Catalogue D’oiseaux lightly: in 2016 he performed the entire suite outdoors at the Aldeburgh Festival in England, breaking the work into sections reflecting the habits of local wildlife. Indoors, Aimard should prove equally adept at bringing the sound of nature to the Martin Theater.” 7 PM
Tue 8/1: Megan Stielstra, whose writing has been featured in the New York Times and Best American Essays (as well as in our latest issue), celebrates the launch of her new essay collection, The Wrong Way to Save Your Life. Appearing at Uptown Underground (4707 N. Broadway), Stielstra speaks to how she allays her cosmic fears—family, creativity, etc.—into pieces both fiercely personal and universal. 7 PM
Wed 8/2: Clickhole’s Dan Davis, Comedy Central’s Jamie Loftus, and Chapo Trap House‘s Matt Christman perform in Monkey Wrench, an evening of comedy with a leftist spin. Elastic (3429 W. Diversey) hosts, and proceeds go to the Northside Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. So, essentially, a Venmo to Bernie Sanders. 9 PM, $10
Wed 8/2: If you know every line Creed said on NBC’s The Office, you’re likely to thrive at The Office Trivia at Joe’s (940 W. Weed). Tonight’s trivia will test your Michael Scott mettle and the attention to detail from memorable (and unsettling) episodes like the fourth season’s “Dinner Party.” 7:30-10:30 PM
Through 8/23: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf: The Good Parts brings the celebrated play-turned-film back to the stage but in a condensed, SparkNotes-esque form. The Public House Theatre (3914 N. Clark) presents George and Martha’s insanely bizarre marriage, but this time only the “good” parts—like the emotional manipulation and the fake child. Wed 8 PM, $10
Thu 8/3: Don’t duck out on the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby, an annual fundraiser benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. After meeting at the Wrigley Building Plaza (400 N. Michigan), you get a rubber duck to race down the Chicago River with the possibility of collecting some major prizes, including a 2017 Chevy Equinox. 10 AM, $5
Thu 8/3: The Mikva Challenge presents Youth Power, a discussion of identity, the adolescent brain, and emotional development in teens. The panel includes Dr. Robert Sherman and Jenny Sazama at the Weinberg/Newton Gallery (300 W. Superior). 4-6 PM
For more stuff to do this week—and every day—check out our Agenda page.