ARTS & (HOME) ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

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 you do at home and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org

You're a Winner, Baby!

Winning Works from Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Academy of Dance presents the world premiere of winning works from its 12th annual Choreographic Competition following a national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) artists. Works of Audrey Ipapo Baran, Edson Barbosa, Taylor Carrasco, and Derick McKoy Jr. will be featured. ALAANA was created to recognize talented and emerging choreographers and provide them with a platform to showcase their art. Each winning choreographer was awarded a $5,000 stipend. The four works will be performed March 18 at 7:30 p.m., March 19 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and March 20 at 2 p.m. at the Edlis Neeson Theater of the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at joffrey.org. Digital access to the in-person performance will be announced later.

Shakespeare Reimagined!

Upon This Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre

Journey to new shores with the Idle Muse Theatre Company’s production of “Upon This Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre,” a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” by Artistic Director Evan Jackson. This magical adventure follows the journey of characters as they are shipwrecked over and over again, separated from everyone and everything they ever knew, but always reaching out to find themselves again. The play runs through April 3 at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. Performances are scheduled Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10-20 at idlemuse.org.

Repurposed!

Agave!

More agave please! The Chase Gallery at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., presents the expansive group exhibition “Agave!” until April 9. The exhibition features artwork made from discarded agave leaves from mezcal production in Oaxaca, Mexico. With increased production of mezcal, discarded leaves of this “tree of wonder” are left to reabsorb back into the soil, disrupting local ecosystems and their communities. The 20 artists featured in this exhibition have responded to this crisis by creating art out of the waste, transmuting these simple agave leaves into elaborate rugs, garments, and more. In support of “Agave!,'' Epiphany has partnered with S.A.C.R.E.D to help improve the lives of rural Mexican communities where heritage agave spirits are made. A special conversation with “Agave!” co-curator and artist Kiff Slemmons will be in the sanctuary from 6-9 p.m. on

Preserving a Legacy!

Irish Genealogy Research Program: Ulster Historical Foundation

May the luck of the Irish be with you as you join the Newberry Library’s Irish Genealogy research program led by veteran genealogists Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt of the Ulster Historical Foundation, a self-funded organization that combines expertise in family history research with publication of historical and genealogical books. The program will last from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and will describe the ins and outs of genealogical research focused on the Emerald Isle and how to get started with researching emigrant ancestry from the north of Ireland. The schedule includes an introduction to Irish and Scots-Irish Family Research, information related to archives, records related to different churches, census substitutes, 18th and 19th century sources and a general Q&A. The hybrid event will be March 16 in Ruggles Hall, 60 W. Walton St., and on Zoom. Attendance is free, but advance registration is required at newberry.org.

Italy in Chicago!

Lyric Opera’s 'Tosca'

Take a trip to Italy and the romantic streets of Rome during Lyric Opera of Chicago’s presentation of “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini. The two hour and 50 minute performance is sung entirely in Italian with projected English texts. Follow the story of the irresistible and influential Floria Tosca, painter and revolutionary Mario Cavaradossi, and chief of police Baron Scarpia, as they navigate doomed love, political intrigue, murder and unbridled passion. This season's “Tosca” will make Lyric history with the first presentation of two Black artists on stage together as Tosca and Mario and the debut of Eun Sun Kim as the first Asian woman to conduct a Lyric performance. The opera runs March 12 - April 10. Tickets start at $39 at lyricopera.org.

The Magnificence of Egypt!

Art Institute of Chicago Presents: Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt

Dance like an Egyptian to the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., for “Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt,” which will be on display for the first time in 10 years. The gallery will showcase over 3,000 years of art from ancient Egypt and explore the concepts of life and afterlife from this illustrious, North African culture. The display will house over 80 objects and an audio guide exploring the cultural significance of the selected works will be available. General admission for Chicago residents is $14-$20 (free to Chicago teens age 14-17) and $19-$25 for Illinoisans and other residents. The museum is open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. Visit artic.edu for more information.

Hollywood Glamor!

Windy City Playhouse “Sons of Hollywood”

Visit Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, for a night of glitz and glam in “Sons of Hollywood” by Barry Ball and Carl Menninger and directed by David H. Bell. Relive the golden days of Hollywood in this dramatic tale of silent film stars Ramon Novarro and William Haines as they enjoy their time as Hollywood royals— but only until the Motion Picture Production Code ends its acceptance of gay stars. Forced to grapple with the new, oppressive film industry, the two men, along with their starlet friend Lucille LeSueur, must choose between love or their passion for the screen. “Sons of Hollywood” performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through April 17. Tickets are $55+ at windycityplayhouse.com.

Covid & Art!

Sheri Rush 'Chasing Light'

March 19 is the closing date for Sheri Rush’s “Chasing Light” in the Sacristy Gallery at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave. Rush is a Chicago-based artist whose practice includes photography and collage. Recent awards include a fullyfunded residency to the Pouch Cove Foundation in Newfoundland and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council for her show at the Evanston Art Center. “Chasing Light” examines the impact of COVID-19 on her artistic and emotional process and the stillness of being isolated. The museum is open by appointment only at epiphanychi.com

If it Ain't Barogue. . . .!

Music of the Baroque: Classical Heroines

These leading ladies don’t need a hero to sing. Visit the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., for a night of “Music of the Baroque: Classical Heroines” led by Nicholas Kraemer. “Classical Heroines” explores 18th century tension between the traditional operatic heroine's role as wife, girlfriend, lover and the sheer power behind the female voice. Baroque specialist Amanda Forsythe (soprano) will join Kraemer for an evening of arias and orchestral drama featuring the works of Handel, Haydn, and Purcell at 7:30 p.m. March 20. Tickets are $35+ and can be purchased at baroque.org.

-Compiled by Cora Saddler