ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time.

To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations of things to do at home and why you love them to: Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org

Months of Entertainment!

Steppenwolf NOW

Steppenwolf NOW is a new virtual programming stream featuring six breakthrough stories written by America’s most talented voices, spotlighting the nation’s premier ensemble theatre. Offering an innovative slate of immersive and visual experiences, radio plays, bite-sized programming and episodic work, all six productions are crafted specifically for the virtual platform. Become a virtual member for just $75 and stream content wherever you are, whenever you want. With a virtual membership purchase, you can stream all Steppenwolf NOW content through August 31. But hurry—the sooner you become a virtual member, the quicker you’ll get access to the new content once it’s released at www.steppenwolf.org. Here is the full lineup of Steppenwolf NOW virtual productions:

A FILMED PLAY: "What Is Left, Burns" by James Ijames, now streaming. Two poets separated by age and distance engage in a video call rendezvous after 15 years. Keith, a distinguished poet and professor of literature is moving towards retirement after a recent divorce from his wife. Ronnie, his younger former lover and mentee, has a New York Times-bestselling book and a burgeoning career ahead of him. The two men wade through the connection they once had as they struggle with the desires that still bind them.

A TWO-ACT RADIO PLAY: "Wally World" by Isaac Gómez, now streaming. It’s Christmas Eve and a group of Wally World employees are about to lose it. On the one day of the year the megadepartment superstore is supposed to close its doors, tensions between co-workers threaten to destroy more than their holiday cheer. Their manager Andy is doing everything in her power to keep her store in line and her employees in check. But can she be everything at once: caring, efficient, protective, firm and kind? Wally World is a festive, poignant examination of finding magic in the mundane, as 10 employees do all they can to find purpose in a place that has never seen purpose in them.

AN ILLUSTRATED SHORT PLAY: "Red Folder" by ensemble member Rajiv Joseph, now streaming. The red folder belongs to a first grader. It is the source of all his woes. Years later, he seeks vengeance.

A FILMED PLAY: "Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!" by Vivian J.O. Barnes, streaming in February. A Royal Wedding is looming. The Duchess and the Soon-to-be-Duchess are meeting face-to-face for the first time to go over everything you ever needed to know to become a duchess. There are rules. There’s a way of doing things. Remember, everybody is watching. And you don’t want to know what happens if you step out of line. "Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!" looks at the hidden costs of being the “luckiest girl in the world.”

A FILMED PLAY: "Where We Stand" by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, streaming in April. What does community mean? And what do we owe to one another? W.hen a man who has been shunned by his town makes a deal on behalf of it with a mysterious stranger, he must stand before his community to ask for forgiveness in hopes that they might answer these enduring questions as they determine his fate. Through poetic verse and music, this work challenges our capacity to forgive and our ideas of mercy and who might deserve it.

A FILMED PLAY: "Ages of the Moon" by Sam Shepard, streaming in June. Byron and Ames are old friends, reunited by mutual desperation on a hot summer day. As day turns into night and the bourbon keeps flowing, they sit, reflect and bicker about 50 years of love, friendship and their rivalry.

Make It!

Take Care with Art After Dark: Making a Scroll

Unroll a scroll on a new year from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 20 with a guided art-making session and discussion. Led by Kathryn Fitzgerald, lead museum educator at the Smart Museum, this virtual gathering mixes art-making and conversation, inspired by the Smart’s exhibition "Take Care." You’ll reflect on the past year and consider plans for the coming one as you engage with Mary Frank’s work in the exhibition. Join in from home for an evening of art exploration and creative drawing within a supportive, caring community. The event is FREE, but to help build a community of participants, capacity is limited and advanced registration is required at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu

Art History!

Art Deco Gods and Goddesses

Art Deco epitomized the exuberance of the Roaring 20s, but it also included motifs from ancient times. See how images of Greek gods and goddesses added art and meaning to many of Chicago’s most beautiful Art Deco buildings at this virtual program. Images of classical deities are often used to identify a building’s purpose. This virtual program will showcase gods and goddesses that identify a post office, an electrical substation, a musicians’ union and more than one bank. In each example, the gravitas and familiarity of the classical deities complement the gaiety and novelty of Art Deco, making the building both identifiable and easy to love. The event will be at noon on January 13. Tickets are $8 for general public, free for CAC members and students, at architecture.org; click on Live Events Calendar.

Shop from Home!

Wicker Park Farmers Market Winter Market

The nonprofit Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce announces the return of Wicker Park Farmers Market Winter Market, on the W.hat’s Good app and website for the first time. Operated under social distancing guidelines, the Market offers weekly ordering available Monday through Friday for contactless pick-ups every Sunday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. from behind the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce office at 1414 N. Ashland Ave. The Market is currently scheduled to run through April; for updates on the closing date visit www.wickerparkfarmersmarket.com. All vendors will continue being plastic-free. Weekly ordering will open every Monday morning at 8 a.m. and close on Friday at midnight. Orders will be packaged in a sanitized environment with market staff wearing gloves and masks at all times. Each customer will be given a designated one-hour window to pick up orders, with more detailed instructions sent out with every order placed. Delivery options will be offered in the near future. The Market’s current vendor lineup includes Fehr Bros., Having Fons, Jacobson Family Farm, Joe's Blues, Jacobson Family Farm, Le Master Family Kitchen, Letizia's Natural Bakery, Nutmeg’s Spreads, Sfera Sicilian Street Food, Soap Junkii, Tamales Express, Tomato Bliss, Tinyshop Grocer, Tortello, and Westside Bee Boyz. For the latest updates on vendors, visit www.wickerparkfarmersmarket.com and follow on social media (@wickerpark_farmersmarket).

Improv Hijinks!

ComedySportz Chicago: Virtually Live!

Get ready to laugh in your living room! ComedySportz now comes to you four times a weekend on its brand new Twitch channel! Two teams virtually take each other on for your laughs, chats, and emojis. The classic games you love with new twists. Players come to you live from their living rooms to provide the perfect end to your stressful week. All matches end with the insanely intense Six Things Face-off, made popular by online audiences. FREE on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at twitch.tv/csznchicago

-Compiled by Dave Hamilton & Suzanne Hanney