American Theater Company suffered a major loss in May, when artistic director PJ Paparelli died at age 40 after a car accident in Scotland, just weeks after the opening of The Project(s), his acclaimed documentary-theater piece about public housing in Chicago. ATC is dedicating its 2015—’16 season to the writer-director’s legacy, but don’t expect a […]
Tag: Fall Preview 2015
Posted inArts & Culture
Wyatt Cenac talks gentrification in Lincoln Park
For Wyatt Cenac, the best stand-up material comes from stepping out of his front door, heading down the familiar way, and observing the hypergentrifying world around him. On last year’s Netflix-released comedy special Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn the former Daily Show With Jon Stewart correspondent settles into a pair of shows at Park Slope’s Union Hall […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mexican sauce is boss at Feria del Mole
Little Village’s Feria del Mole, now in its tenth year of celebrating the traditional Mexican sauce in all its varieties, originally started as part of Universidad Popular’s Women’s Empowerment Program. About 20 women, mostly Mexican immigrants, had a weekly support group focused on developing their self-esteem, and the only thing they all thought they were […]
Posted inMusic
Pitchfork Festival class of 2015 returns to Chicago
Remember Pitchfork? The three-day blowout is just a few months past, but some of the festival’s best acts are already returning to Chicago. As with the three stages at Pitchfork, October 8 presents fans with a choice between three festival alums: piano balladeer Tobias Jesso Jr. at the Empty Bottle, beat master DJ Jamie XX […]
Posted inArts & Culture
History buff Sarah Vowell looks at the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a young French marquis who fought in it
You can’t beat Sarah Vowell for quirky chronicles of American history’s dark side. Her previous books include Assassination Vacation, in which she road trips to places where U.S. presidents were offed while in office. Her radio stories for This American Life include a retracing of the Trail of Tears. Now the contributor to Salon, McSweeney’s, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Daily Show enters the Trevor Noah era
It’s basically impossible to imagine The Daily Show without Jon Stewart, which is probably part of the reason people have reacted so poorly to Trevor Noah becoming his successor. OK, that and the fact that he’s practically an unknown. And then there were his tweets—unfunny at best, offensive at worst—that were used as evidence of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Baker Miller General becomes Lincoln Square’s neighborhood grocer
Former BANG BANG PIE SHOP owners Dave and Megan Miller have spent the last year milling flour and baking breads and pastries (as well as making more substantial dishes) at Baker Miller Bakery & Millhouse, which they opened last September in Lincoln Square. Now, less than a mile west of the bakery, they’re opening Baker […]
Posted inFilm
The artist and filmmaker Stuart Sherman gets a retrospective at Chicago Filmmakers
Chicago Filmmakers presents a compilation of 16mm and 8mm short films by Stuart Sherman, a multitalented artist who emerged on the New York scene in the mid-70s. He wrote plays and essays, did public performance art, and made more than 40 imaginative, singular short films and videos, most of which are featured during this retrospective, […]
Posted inFilm
Creed molds Rocky into an African-American story
Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed debut feature Fruitvale Station (2013) dramatized the real-life police killing of Oscar Grant, a young African-American man, at the title subway stop hours after San Franciscans rang in the year 2009. Given the heightened consciousness of police violence against African-Americans, Fruitvale Station seems more timely now than when it came out, yet […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Stephanie Izard tries Chinese at Duck Duck Goat
Celebrity chef Stephanie Izard will try her hand at Chinese at her Boka group collaboration Duck Duck Goat, slated to open in November in the West Loop. For Izard it’s home cooking, conjuring early aromatic memories of making moo shu pork with her late mother. Brave ingredients and bold flavors have been Izard’s calling card […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fall TV offers up a super(hero) lineup
Though the relatively weak box office numbers for Ant-Man (its $57 million opening weekend was Marvel’s second-lowest ever) and Fantastic Four ($42 million total) suggest that superheroes have hit their saturation point, that memo never made it to television. The fall TV lineup is bloated with special powers and comic adaptations, some new, some older, […]
Posted inMusic
Shoegaze legends Ride jump on the reunion bandwagon
It’s uncanny the reunions that have taken place across the pond since shoegazing trailblazers My Bloody Valentine re-formed in 2007 (the same year as Scotland’s the Jesus and Mary Chain, who predate the movement but possess many of the genre’s sonic attributes). Swervedriver, Slowdive, and most recently Ride are all working the reunion circuit. Ride’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Chances Dances turns ten, grows up, and celebrates with a multimedia exhibit
Chances Dances launched a decade ago as a queer dance party with a focus on inclusivity. It’s now evolved into a multifaceted collective that not only hosts well-DJed parties (a transcendent remix of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” comes to mind) but also awards microgrants to artists and supports Chicago’s LGBTIQ communities in myriad ways. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Get FOBABed at the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beers
According to Reader Beer and Metal columnist Philip Montoro, “Not remembering shit is a common side effect of FOBAB.” That’s because a lot of the assertive beers poured at the annual Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer have been brewed to withstand the time they’ll spend languishing in repurposed liquor barrels prior to pouring. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
SAIC’s sesquicentennial alumni show features work by Jeff Koons, Tony Tasset, Chris Ware, and more
In celebration of its 150th academic year, the School of the Art Institute is pulling out the big guns. This fall’s alumni exhibition, “Civilization and Its Discontents,” curated by SAIC faculty members and brothers Scott Reeder and Tyson Reeder, features work by notable graduates from the past 30 years, including Jeff Koons, Tony Tasset, Rashid […]