ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Author Talk!

Virtual Author Reading: 'Dear Black Girl' by Tamara Winfrey Harris

In "Dear Black Girl," Winfrey Harris organizes a selection of letters, providing "a balm for the wounds of anti-black-girlness" and modeling how black women can nurture future generations. Each chapter ends with a prompt encouraging girls to write a letter to themselves, teaching the art of self-love and self-nurturing. Winfrey Harris's "The Sisters Are Alright" explores how black women must often fight and stumble their way into alrightness after adulthood. "Dear Black Girl" continues this work by delivering pro-black, feminist, LGBTQ+ positive, and body-positive messages for black women-to-be--and for the girl who still lives inside every black woman who still needs reminding sometimes that she is alright. Join this free virtual author reading on February 23 at 6 p.m. Register at www.crowdcast.io/e/dearblackgirl/register

Dancing as Art!

'Interim Avoidance'

The dancers of The Joffrey Ballet have found themselves all dressed up with nowhere to perform. Six dancers emerge in a void, unsure of their purpose. A beam of red light beckons them like a stage manager on opening night, offering a moment of respite from their collective solitude. Never ones to give up an opportunity, they launch into the movements and shapes for which they have trained for so long. A determination to bring joy, to excite, to spark inspiration with dance, the performers urge us all to remember that even in the darkest times, loneliness is nothing more than an "Interim Avoidance." The project "Interim Avoidance" seeks to provide a sense of closeness during the waning days of the pandemic. It is the inaugural work by the Chicago-based production company Action Lines, in partnership with The Joffrey Ballet. The exhibit is open to the public through April 30. Visit 150mediastream.com for viewing hours and more information.

Save the Earth from Home!

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster with Bill Gates

In this urgent, authoritative book, “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet’s slide toward certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. Gates joins Chicago Humanities Festival on February 25 at 7 p.m. for a conversation about the solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need to save the planet. Tickets are $36 and include a copy of the book at semcoop.com/bill-gates-event-book-ticket

Streaming Theater!

'Where did we sit on the bus?'

Jeff Award-winner Brian Quijada's “W.here Did We Sit on the Bus?,” directed by Chay Yew, returns for a two-week streaming engagement! Co-presented with Geva Theatre Center in New York, this electric one-man show is pulsing with Latin rhythms, rap, hip-hop, spoken word, and live looping. Originally recorded during its performance run in spring 2017 as part of VG's "Up Close and Personal series," “W.here Did We Sit on the Bus?” made its world premiere in 2016 at Teatro Vista and won multiple Jeff Awards, including Best Solo Performance and Best Sound Design. During a third grade lesson on the Civil Rights movement and Rosa Parks, a Latino boy raises his hand to ask, “W.here did we sit on the bus?” and his teacher can’t answer the question. This autobiographical production examines what it means to be Latino through the eyes of a child, turned teenager, turned adult. The show is available for streaming starting February 22 to March 7. Streams are $30 for the general public and $10 for students. Visit victorygardens.org for booking and more information.

At One with Nature!

Virtual Winter Tree ID Walk

Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter – learn about city trees throughout the seasons with Openlands. Participants will virtually explore the trees of beautiful and historic Garfield Park. Register at https://garfieldconservatory.org/event/virtual-tree-id-walk-winter/. Interested children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required to send the link. The program is free but donations are appreciated to offset programming costs. All donations will be split 50/50 between the non-profit educational organization Openlands and Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. Registration closes at 10 a.m. February 26. Automated live captioning is available.

Shakespeare's Bloodiest Play!

Macbeth and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605

To many modern audiences, “Macbeth” is about personal ambition and revenge. Yet Shakespeare’s tragedy also engages directly, though subtly, with the politics of Elizabethan England—and especially the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which a group of English Catholics conspired to blow up Parliament and kill King James I. In this virtual program on February 23 at 4 p.m., actress Erin Sloan will speak with members of the Shakespeare Project of Chicago about how the real-life events of the Gunpowder Plot and the figure of conspirator Guy Fawkes wove their way into Shakespeare’s bloodiest play. The event hosted by the Newberry Library is free, but registration is required. Reserve your spot at www.newberry.org/programs-and-events

Stand-out Architecture

Historic Tours of the Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre, designed by famed architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, opened on Dec. 9, 1889, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975. Historic Tours take patrons behind the scenes to view it as few do. The tour includes legendary accounts of how and why the theatre was built; stories of the many artists who graced its historic stage; and a closer look at the brilliant 24-karat gold-leafed ceiling arches, hundreds of Sullivan’s beautifully restored intricate stencil patterns, the stained glass muses at the entrance, and murals by Charles Holloway and Albert Fleury. Visit tickets.auditoriumtheatre.org to book a socially-distanced tour until May 24 for $15.