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

Local Laughs!

Hit 'Em on the Blackside

“Hit 'Em on the Blackside” is Congo Square’s new online series featuring the company’s award-winning African American ensemble in biweekly sketch comedy webisodes. The series is directed by Anthony Irons and stars Ron Conner, Alexis J.

Roston, Tiffany Addison and Kelvin Roston Jr. Director Anthony Irons promises “gut punching, thought provoking, laugh-out-loud satire, with some deep, artistic kinda stuff thrown in for good measure.” Congo Square is excited to team up with filmmaker Malcom Banks to bring this new virtual experience to audiences. The first episode is available now on Congo Square’s Instagram and Facebook pages. The webisodes will be compiled into a full show for free viewing on the company’s website in December. The next webisodes will be released on October

23, November 6 & 20, and December 4 & 18. For more information, visit www.congosquaretheatre.org.

Race for a Cause!

Susan G. Komen Chicago Race for the Cure

The Susan G. Komen Chicago Race for the Cure will be virtual this year on October 24. Join a team or sign up as an individual to fundraise and race where you are at info-komen.org. Susan G. Komen funds more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit, while providing real-time help to those facing the disease, especially those with the fewest resources: people who are uninsured, underinsured, low-income women and men. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. Through events like the Komen Chicago Race for the

Cure®, Komen Chicago has invested more than $18.1 million in community breast health programs in five county areas and has helped contribute to the more than $988 million invested globally in research.

Historical Cinema!

“Fatma 75” screening & discussion

Banned in its country of origin until recently, "Fatma 75" (Selma Baccar, 1975, Tunisia, digital, 60 min) is the first non-fiction film made by a Tunisian woman. It is a feminist essay film that uses the figure of a young woman, a university student, to embody and expand on the political histories of significant women in Maghrebi history. Followed by a live discussion with Florence Martin, scholar of Maghrebi women's cinema, and Issrar Chamekh, PhD candidate in Northwestern's department of political science. A virtual live screening & discussion will be 7 p.m. on October 22, and will be available to watch for the following 24 hours. Learn more and RSVP for this FREE event at blockmuseum.northwestern.edu

MCA Talks!

To Commune, Between Choice And Care

This virtual event will be held October 22 at 5 p.m. and will include a discussion exploring the historical and contemporary boundaries between art and life and what we can learn to build a better union in the today. Themes discussed will be related to the Museum of Contemporary Arts' exhibitions "Alien vs. Citizen," "Just Connect" and the performance project "Chapter and Verse: The gospel of James Baldwin" by Meshell Ndegeocello. Panelists will include Ndegeocello’s collaborators, director Charlotte Braithwaite, artist Nicholas Galanin, and Chicago-based scholar Pascale Ife Williams. This presentation is organized by Interim Senior Curator January Parkos Arnall and Curatorial Assistant Marguerite Wynter with the Performance and Public Practice team. The event will be presented on Zoom and Facebook Live. Learn more at: https://mcachicago.org/Calendar/2020/10/Talk-To-Commune-Between-Choice-And-Care

Theater on Screen!

'The Wolves' at Loyola Performing Arts

Beneath the fluorescent lights of an indoor soccer field somewhere in suburban America, "The Wolves," a play by Sarah Delappe, paints a vivid picture of a group of teenage girls grappling with some of life’s biggest questions. After a new girl, #46, joins the team, they do their best to navigate the world around them. Addressing topics including belonging, adolescence, and grief, Delappe paints an intimate portrait of how teenage girls understand the world and relate to one another. Directed by Jonathan Wilson, performances are 6 p.m. Saturday, October 24 and 31, 2 p.m. Sunday, October 25 and November 1. Tickets are $5- $100, pay what you can at artsevents.luc.edu

Local Music!

The Chicago Artists Workshop

Eighth Blackbird, a four-time GRAMMY Award-winning Chicago-based contemporary classical music ensemble, debuts “The Chicago Artists Workshop” (CAW), this fall, at its production facility at 4045 N. Rockwell St. These live-streamed ticketed events will also feature limited in-person seating. Eighth Blackbird Percussionist and Artistic Director Matthew Duvall said, “In addition to showcasing the stellar artistry of artists working in a wide range of genres, we want to create work for them during a time when the performance industry is enormously threatened by COVID-19 causations. We also want the series to be defined by its extraordinary caliber and creativity.” All concerts begin at 7 p.m as follows:

● Wednesday, Oct. 20: Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman, joined by Eighth Blackbird’s Lisa Kaplan and Matthew Duvall

● Wednesday, Nov. 11: Singer songwriter Rebecca Rego

● Wednesday, Nov. 18: Three-time GRAMMY Award-nominee Justin Roberts (guitar/vocals) and Anna Steinhoff (cello)

● Tuesday, Dec. 1: Media artist, filmmaker, pianist Xuan

● Tuesday, Dec. 8: Image Award-winning poet, artist, musician, author and actor J. Ivy. Artists/dates/times are subject to change. For tickets or more information visit eighthblackbird.org.

Classical goes Virtual!

'IPO Reimagined'

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) has announced its virtual opening night concert, "IPO Reimagined," featuring 30 IPO string players performing George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” followed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade.” Since becoming IPO’s Artistic Director in 2017, Stilian Kirov has enhanced the orchestra’s performance repertoire, which often includes highlighting the incredibly diverse musical genius of American composers. IPO Reimagined allows the orchestra to carry on its three-year-old tradition of presenting an opening night concert that spotlights an American composer, while also complementing IPO’s reinvigorated attention towards equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Walker, who died in 2018, was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and his "Lyric for Strings" is one of the most frequently performed orchestral works by an American composer. “Virtual concerts are an opportunity to get to know the music on a more intimate level,” said IPO Executive Director Christina Salerno. “How often can you see a violinist’s fingerings from your seat? Or the conductor’s expression while conducting? IPO views this pandemic as a challenge to connect with more people in new ways.” The 45-minute program takes place Saturday, October 24 at 7 p.m., and is FREE to the public via livestream on IPO’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as on Palos Channel 4.

-Compiled by Kenny Adusah, Dave Hamilton, Suzanne Hanney, & Nina Rothschild