saturday13
The Macy’s Day of Music at Symphony Center includes a 2 PM concert by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Branford Marsalis, a 6 PM set outside on Michigan Avenue by punk-rock marching band Mucca Pazza, and an 8 PM screening of the seminal 1922 vampire silent Nosferatu with live accompaniment by Tortoise. a 2-10 PM, 220 S. Michigan, 312-294-3000 or cso.org. F
sunday14
This afternoon the Double Door hosts its first Beer & Gear Sale–the bar serves the suds and the public brings the gear. Sellers must register: e-mail joelle@doubledoor.com with your name, age, and what all you’re looking to unload. There’s also a $10 seller fee. a 12-6 PM, 1572 N. Milwaukee, 773-489-3160, free to browse.
monday15
The Musicians at Work series continues with the Greening of Music, which covers eco-friendly distribution and packaging as well as ways artists can reduce their environmental impact on tour and in the studio. a 6 PM, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630. F –Areif Sless-Kitain
thursday11
Help fight obesity by eating: feast of the senses offers food, wine, and art at a fund-raiser for the Organic School Project, which seeks to make Chicago-area children healthier eaters. Twenty River North art galleries will host local wineries, breweries, and chefs including Michael Kornick, Gale Gand, and Paul Kahan. a 6-8:30 PM, Gruen Galleries (and other River North galleries), 226 W. Superior, 312-337-6262, $60.
saturday13
The Chicago Foodways Roundtable hosts a talk on learning to cook in 1898: a chicago culinary memoir, presented by editor Ellen F. Steinberg and author Eleanor Hudera Hanson. Part cookbook, part biography, the book recounts the efforts of a young Jewish housewife in Chicago at the turn of the century to educate herself about cooking, nutrition, and health. a 10 AM, Kendall College, 900 N. Branch, 847-432-8255, $2.
Alphabet Jell-O, a Rice Krispie treat shaped like a high heel–anything’s possible at the Roosevelt branch library’s tasteful reading: edible books and afternoon tea. All ages are invited to create an edible “book,” which can be any food-based concoction inspired by a favorite novel, story, or poem. Participants won’t get to taste their favorites, but they can vote on them over tea and cookies. Register in advance to submit a design. a 1-3 PM, Chicago Public Library, Roosevelt branch, 1101 W. Taylor, 312-746-5656. F
monday15
The weeklong Royster with the oyster festival at Shaw’s Crab House continues through Friday, featuring live blues, fresh cold-water oysters on the half shell ($11.95 a dozen, $6.50 for a half), and oyster-slurping contests nightly at 6 PM. Winners are eligible to participate in Friday’s Grand Slurp-Off. For other oyster festival events, see our blog The Food Chain at chicagoreader.com. a 21 E. Hubbard, 312-527-2722, and 1900 E. Higgins, Schaumburg, 847-517-2722. F
–Julia Thiel
thursday11
Bailiwick Repertory hawks costumes and props from productions like Animal Farm, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Jerry Springer–The Opera at its HALLOWEEN COSTUME AND RUMMAGE SALE. It also–ho!–promises costumes from the nude revue Naked Boys Singing. a Through Sat 10/13, noon-8 PM, Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-883-1090, $3.
saturday13
Incurable Theater’s PUPPETRY MECHANICS WORKSHOP–HISTORY, DESIGN AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION includes a demonstration of their stage work. It’s part of their Behind the Shadow exhibit of puppets, props, masks, and other handiwork up through 10/14. a 1 PM, Reversible Eye Gallery, 1103 N. California, 773-635-0135, reservations required. F
sunday14
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater becomes a movie house again with a screening of the 1920 silent The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. It’s part of the MOVIE NIGHT AT THE BIOGRAPH series, which matches movies to current stage productions, in this case the swashbuckler The Defiant Muse. a 6:30 PM, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, 773-871-3000 or victorygardens.org, $5.
monday15
Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play: A Cycle in Three Parts depicts reenactments of the life and death of Christ in Elizabethan England, Nazi Germany, and post-Vietnam North Dakota. It’s the subject of this evening’s panel discussion with religious leaders and scholars on the intersection of religion and politics, MYTH OF SEPARATION: POLITICS, RELIGION, AND SECULAR SPACE, which kicks off Context, the Goodman’s series of forums exploring its productions’ larger themes. a 6:30 PM, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, reservations required. F
friday12
As part of the Around the Coyote Fall Arts Festival, the 1955 movie version of Nelson Algren’s The Man With the Golden Arm will be projected at the Nelson Algren Triangle in Wicker Park. The audio will be broadcast by FM transmission, with pocket radios available at the screening. a 8 PM, intersection of Damen, Division, and Milwaukee. F
sunday14
A screening of Bill Siegel and Sam Green’s Oscar-nominated documentary The Weather Underground will be followed by a discussion with Siegel and former Weather Underground members Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. a 1:30 PM, Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark, 312-642-4600, free with museum admission ($12-$14).
monday15
The filmmakers behind Last Best Hope, a new documentary about U.S. pilots shot down over Nazi-occupied Belgium and sheltered by the Belgian resistance, screen the movie and take part in a discussion afterward. a 6 PM, Pritzker Military Library, 610 N. Fairbanks, 312-587-0234. F –J.R. Jones
thursday11
The people behind the hit shows pHrenzy and pHamily are offering an eight-week improv course that starts tonight. In the first class, Level One pHundamentals, they promise to get you “thinking faster.” a Through 11/29, 7-10 PM, pH Training Center, Gill Park, 825 W. Sheridan, 773-732-5450, $150.
friday12
Annoyance Theatre celebrates its 20th birthday this weekend. Tonight’s program includes the group’s latest musical, Love Is Dead (8 PM); and Splatter Theater (10 PM), a remounting of its first show (see Theater); followed by a special midnight alumni improv show featuring Mark Sutton, Joe Bill, and Faith Soloway. a Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, 773-561-4665, $15 each production, $10 for the improv.
wednesday17
Jim Belushi talks about Chicago’s influence on his life and work as part of the Chicago Treasures lecture series. Janet Davies moderates. a Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark, 312-642-4600, $12-$14.
friday12
Kris Lenzo, who began dancing in his 40s after losing most of both legs at 19, serves on the panel Taboos, Disabled Citizens, and Global Contexts, connected with showings of the films Phoenix Rising and Invitation to the Dance–Body and Taboo. a 7 PM, Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630. F
saturday13
Dance and Dollars: What’s It Worth to You? If your answer is “priceless,” you may want to check out choreographer Asimina Chremos’s workshop/discussion on the value artists assign their work. a 2:30-5:30 PM, Link’s Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, 773-281-0824, $25.
wednesday17
Just in time for Halloween: get the willies from the Wilis, as the Joffrey presents its first-ever Giselle. a 7:30 PM, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, 312-902-1500, $25-$140. –Laura Molzahn
tuesday16
For a critique of your work by the Bucktown Writers’ Group bring up to five double-spaced pages, as well as copies for the critics. a 7 PM, Bucktown-Wicker Park branch library, 1701 N. Milwaukee, 312-744-6022. F
wednesday17
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs releases its study group report Chicago’s Global Future, intended to “help chart Chicago’s course in the age of globalization,” at a luncheon. Business attire and advance registration required. a Noon, Chicago Club, Burnham Room, 81 E. Van Buren, 312-726-3860. F
Poet Sonia Sanchez is the “Giant’s Day Honoree” at the 17th annual Gwendolyn Brooks Conference on Black Literature and Creative Writing, starting today. For registration and information, visit csu.edu. a Through Sat 10/20, Chicago State University, 9501 S. King Dr., 773-995-3750, $40-$160. –Jerome Ludwig