Happy New year, theatre-goers! Yes, it is a bit late for that sentiment. Nonetheless, it is a good new year, full of new performances for you and I to go see. Let’s have a short review of the Log for this year before I dive into the topic for this post, which is Jedlicka Performing Arts Center and their new production, “A Grand Night for Singing.”

We have some interesting plays going on right now in several places. The Jackie Alexander play “The Legend of Buster Neal” is up right now at eta Creative Arts- Jackie is an award winning playwright whom eta has worked with before, namely on last year’s production of “Birthright”. Jackie’s plays are not something to miss! Also going on at the moment is Court Theatre’s new adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s classic “Invisible Man”, which is an epically proportioned performance that may catapult this text into award-winning theatre. Let’s not forget the Hyde Park Players who charm us with their homey-styled performances. Two Inge plays are going up at once with HPP- go out and support the little guys who make the real theatre world proud.

Finally, we get to Jedlicka Performing Arts Center, out on the fringe of the Weekly’s territory. JPAC is always putting up exciting productions of musicals, such as last year’s “Phantom”, which employed more gallons of fog machine liquid than actors- not to downplay the magnificence of the performance itself.

If you enjoy a large musical feeling without wanting to go downtown and paying through the nose to get it, head over to JPAC. Their current production, “A Grand Night for Singing”, is a revue of Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes, sure to give you that happy, old theatre world feel, sure to make you dance into the streets when it’s over. Here’s an interesting version of the revue, as performed at the University of Kentucky: http://youtu.be/jFpza3lVep8 . JPAC is sure to bring a similar, large musical feel to the play. S

One of the great things about JPAC is that it is located at a small college, which ensures that the students get to see quality theatre on a regular basis. Support for JPAC always feels good.

Go out and see a play before the winter comes back and snows us all in!

-Eric Shoemaker

The Log:

A Grand Night for Singing @ JPAC: Jan 13-28

Downward Facing @ Dream Theatre: Jan27-Feb20

Bittersweet Love: Two One-Act Plays- Glory in the Flower & The Strains of Triumph @ Hyde Park Players: Feb 10-12

Invisible Man @ Court Theatre: Jan12-Feb19

The Legend of Buster Neal @ eta Creative Arts: Jan12-Mar4

A Weekend of Original Workshops @ University Theater: Feb2-4

Drawer Boy @ Filament Theater: Jan19-Feb25

Courtesy of University Theatre

It has suddenly become winter- there are no leaves left on any of the trees because the cold winds blew them off one day last week, when Chicago’s weather just decided to give up and slide into frigidity. But not to worry—there’s still some time to catch the end of the autumn theatre season here on the South Side. I’m going to get out and see University Theater’s “The Homecoming” this Saturday, as many of you should.

Harold Pinter is absolutely one of the greatest of modern playwrights, and “The Homecoming” is perhaps his greatest work—therefore, it is well worth seeing. The story focuses on a family: one of the sons brings home a wife, much to the jealous rage of his brothers and father, who immediately plot his downfall…and perhaps the seduction of his bride. Strange! Yes. But full of dramatic possibility. This production is directed by Will Bishop, who directed the successful “Red Light Winter” last winter quarter with UT. We can only hope that he keeps a similarly poignant and surprising style with “The Homecoming”.

Courtesy of University Theatre

This production will be top-notch. The set looks pretty fantastic, the cast is talented. Tickets are only $6. You read that absolutely right, SIX DOLLARS! You can reserve them online by clicking on the link below in The Log.

There’s not much time left before winter strikes! Due to the holidays beginning, Thanksgiving being next Thursday already, I won’t be posting a blog. Enjoy your holiday and look for the next post coming the week of the 28^th of November.

-Eric Shoemaker

Because many shows are closing and the winter season is beginning, The Log has been updated to include shows for early next year- look forward to those while catching the final performances of shows this year!

The Log…

The Homecoming @ UT: Nov17-19

Henry V @ UT: Nov 30- Dec 3

The Violet Hour @ UT: Dec 1-3

Coriolanus @ CES: Dec 1-4

An Iliad @ Court Theatre: Nov10-Dec11

Broke-ology @ eta Creative Arts: Nov3-Dec18

It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play @ Beverly Arts Center: Dec 2-4, 9-11

A Grand Night for Singing @ JPAC: Jan 13-38

Downward Facing @ Dream Theatre: Jan27-Feb20

Bittersweet Love: Two One-Act Plays- Glory in the Flower & The Strains of Triumph @ Hyde Park Players: Feb 10-12

There is an ivy colored brick building on 5638 S. Woodlawn Avenue in Hyde Park. Once a mansion in its glory days at the turn of the century, it has now been converted into a multi-purpose space for cultural and arts events. Inside, there are brightly colored walls and hardwood floors with a variety of resources, including a radio station, artist studios, and a community museum. Rechristened as the Southside Hub of Production (SHoP) and home to a collective of artists, educators, writers, film makers and beyond, the building recently held its grand opening at the beginning of October and has hosted a slew of events since. From film screenings to workshops, exhibitions of artwork to potluck dinners, SHoP caters to a variety of interests and to people of all ages.

Here’s a glimpse of upcoming events:

• Today (Thursday), from 8:00 to 10:00 pm, Origins, an art exhibition sponsored by Beats & Pieces, a community service organization run by University of Chicago students, will feature works, poems, and performances from students and artists from Chicago at large.
• David Drake, pottery maker and poet, will make his first visit to Chicago on Friday to discuss his art and his pieces, which are now found all over the country in museums and private collections.
• For those with a soft spot for cartoon figures and eastern European history, stop by at 6:30 on Saturday for an hour and a half of animated films created in the 1960s when the Berlin Wall still stood. Entitled Grafiky Soumraku: Eastern European Animated Films, this screening includes segments from different countries and different years.

Behind the scenes, SHoP is still developing some of its facilities and working hard to continue to bring a slew of interesting programs and events to the South Side community. To that end, SHoP is seeking yearlong sponsors to support its efforts to be a cornerstone of the art community and has launched an online Kickstarter campaign, lasting for the next twelve days to raise money. Even if you can’t make it to an event, you can still be a patron of the arts by helping SHoP reach its goal of $8000. In any case, no matter what you choose to do, there is plenty to see and do almost every day for anybody who has even a remote interest in the arts or beyond.

For a complete list of events and information about supporting SHoP, visit: http://southsidehub.org/

Courtesy of the Court Theatre

Court Theatre’s “An Iliad” opened this week- Thursday, precisely! Court states, “Directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell, An Iliad illuminates an ancient classic by taking a harrowing look at the human cost of war.” Of course, we all know the story of Homer’s Iliad, but have we ever heard it from the perspective of Homer? No! And have we ever seen any one person try to take on the retelling of the entire epic by himself? No! And have we ever witnessed the double-Jeff-Award-winning-talents of Charlie Newell wrassle with Homer’s classic poetry? Well, I haven’t. It’s been a while since Court put on a classical work- since “Thyestes” in ’07-’08. In my opinion, it will be a treat to see the classical retake Court’s stage.

Here’s an Interesting Video on the design behind “An Iliad”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzyhJ7tL3pw&feature=player_embedded

In related news, UChicago’s Classical Entertainment Society (who will soon be putting up Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus”) is sponsoring a Homerathon of the Iliad! This means that, for a full 24 hour period, the Iliad will be read aloud on Court’s stage, in celebration of the opening of the play. Various players, from Classics professors to University Theater students to walk-ins (yes, people who walk in can participate) will have the opportunity to read from the perennially entertaining work. Sounds cool, eh?

Equally cool are two plays closing this week, Jedlicka’s “Wait Until Dark” and Filament’s “From the Circle”. From here until December, the darkness will get longer and the number of productions will flux- so get out and see one.

-Eric

The Log:

Wait Until Dark @ Jedlicka Performing Arts Center: Oct28-Nov12

From the Circle @ Filament Theater: Sept 30-Nov 13

An Iliad @ Court Theatre: Nov10-Dec11

Broke-ology @ eta Creative Arts: Nov3-Dec18

The Homecoming @ UT: Nov 17-19

Courtesy of UCDancers

With the UCDancers’ annual Winter Show audition tonight from 7:00-9:00pm at the Bartlet Arts Rehearsal Space (BARS), I thought I would shed some light on the UofC’s oldest dance organization.

Unlike many dance groups on campus, UCDancers focuses on contemporary and modern technique while emphasizing student choreography and improvisation. Approximately three times a week, the student organization holds free jazz/modern classes for all levels of experience. In the beginning of the fall quarter, interested students can sign up as prospective choreographers, which gives them the chance to teach one of the group’s weekly classes and possibly choreograph a routine for the Winter Show—the culmination of each and every dancer’s hard work. The event this year, titled Wanderlust, will be held March 2-4, 2012 at BARS and will feature student choreography and one professionally-choreographed piece.  But no worries—all dancers don’t have to be in the show. They can just easily take the weekly classes for some fun exercise if they don’t want too much commitment.

The always-handy YouTube provides some UCDancers back in 2009 practicing for their show:

Video courtesy of jesshester88 on YouTube

To keep up to date with UCDancers read their blog at http://ucdancers.blogspot.com/ and keep your ears open for more info on the Winter Show.

This week’s issue of the Weekly featured eta Creative Arts Foundation and the expansion project that they are running. Some supplementary material that eta provided fell by the wayside in the course of writing the article, so I want to share that with you now, in photo form.

There are some very exciting things happening at eta, as always. I fully encourage you to go over there and see what’s up.

Courtesy of eta Creative Arts

This is an artist’s rendering of eta’s new space, which will go up across the street from their current location at 7558 S. Chicago Avenue. Pretty spiffy, eh?

Courtesy of eta Creative Arts

Courtesy of eta Creative Arts

The next two pictures are of eta’s gallery space: the event, “Music Mondays”, is held on the 2nd Monday in each month and takes place in the gallery.

Courtesy of eta Creative Arts

Courtesy of eta Creative Arts

These last two pictures are production photos of “Broke-ology”, eta’s new mainstage show, the details of which are listed below in the Log. Go check it out! eta is a great venue that gives a platform for new writers and actors to show their talent in a neighborhood of the city that is in need of artists. Show your support for this mainstay of the South Side.

There are several excellent shows this week, including The Physicists and Broke-ology. Since it might be raining all weekend, it’s the perfect time to get out and see some performances. And look forward to the opening of An Iliad at Court Theatre next week!

-Eric Shoemaker

The Log

Wait Until Dark @ Jedlicka Performing Arts Center: Oct28-Nov12

From the Circle @ Filament Theater: Sept 30-Nov 13

Broke-ology @ eta Creative Arts: Nov3-Dec18

An Iliad @ Court Theatre: Nov10-Dec11

The Homecoming @ UT: Nov17-19

Courtesy of University Theatre

Halloween is in four days! Have you prepared adequately? Adequate may not be the right word- there is not amount of preparation that is too much for Halloween.

In the spirit of parading around in masks and costumes, get thee to a theater this weekend. There are several offerings in the log, including the famous play Wait Until Dark at JPAC, which always produces entertaining work- last year’s Phantom was a hit- and, of course, the too-terrifying-for-me-to-attend Audience Annihilated at Dream Theater. Today, I want to focus on University Theater at the UofC.

This week, UT is putting up A Weekend of Workshops, short works that take anywhere from 5-45 minutes individually to run, presented in a lump sum night of fun. Next week, Durrenmatt’s The Physicists will go up, a performance that is sure to please both the intellectual and the common plebe. The story is about the antics of three physicists who are committed to a fancy asylum, in which they experience love, suffering, and plenty of booze. Presented as a slightly fantastical, light-and-sound-and-spectacle performance, The Physicists is a steal at only $6.

In other news, the Hyde Park Players are calling for auditions for their spring performances of William Inge’s Glory in the Flower and Splendor in the Grass. If you want to get involved in a production on the ground level with a warm and inviting troupe, this is for you. Information can be found on the Players’ website, http://hydeparkcommunityplayers.org.

Enjoy the spooky weather this weekend, perfect for our favorite holiday of the year…Boo!

Happy Halloween!

– Eric Shoemaker

In an attempt to make The Log more useful, I have attached hyperlinks to each of the entries. Check out these incredible performance groups and their websites for upcoming events and tickets!

The Log

A Weekend of Workshops @ University Theater: Oct 27-29

Audience Annihilated @ Dream Theater: Oct 20-31

The Physicists @ University Theater: Nov 3-5

Wait Until Dark @ Jedlicka Performing Arts Center: Oct28-Nov12

From the Circle @ Filament Theater: Sept 30-Nov 13

Broke-ology @ eta Creative Arts: Nov3-Dec18

An Iliad @ Court Theatre: Nov10-Dec11

Courtesy of MAB

Do you enjoy crowds full of sweaty and overly-excited hipsters dancing to outrageously catchy beats? Do you love charismatic performers with a wholehearted appreciation for sweaty and overly-excited hipsters dancing to their outrageously catchy beats? Do you like being one of these perspiring kids at concerts? Do you like live music? Well, if you answered “yes” to any/all of these questions and attending a Matt & Kim concert tickles your fancy, then you, my friend, are in luck. The UofC’s own Major Activities Board (MAB) is proud to welcome the pop-punk duo to campus on Saturday, November 5 for its annual Fall Quarter Show. Opening for Matt & Kim will be Squat the Condos, a band comprised entirely of UofC undergrads.

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Matt & Kim are known not only for their organic music videos that accompany their equally organic sound, but also for their insanely energetic and “physical” live shows. The video (below) for one of my favorite songs, “Yea Yeah,” demonstrates how much fun and enthusiasm they have when they play. In regards to live shows, let’s just say that at last year’s Bamboozle in New Jersey, Matt climbed one of the metal towers on the side of the stage to the song “Lean Back (Westwood Mix).” Although Mandel Hall might not be the Meadowlands, Matt & Kim will certainly bring their “huge venue” craziness and turn Mandel into what the MAB would call a “pop-punk party.”

Video from mattandkim on YouTube

To help them in this festive mission is Squat the Condos. I can’t write about them as I have written about Matt & Kim since, frankly….I just discovered them. But thanks to the songs on their MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/squatthecondos) and YouTube videos of their performances, I have already become a fan. The song “Pretending” (below) is currently stuck in my head. This past March, Squat the Condos released their first EP, We Should Be Together. For an unsigned band to open for none other than Matt & Kim is pretty impressive.

Squat_the_Condos_-_Pretending

Ok so now that you’re excited. Here’s what you have to do:

• STEP 1: Buy a ticket. Advanced tickets go on sale on weekdays starting tomorrow, October 24, from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Reynolds Club. They are $5 for students with UCID, $10 for faculty members. Tickets bought the day of the event will be $5 more for students and faculty. Customers are only allowed two tickets per student ID.
• STEP 2: Check out both artists. You don’t want to be that person at the show who clearly doesn’t know anything about either band. Check out Matt & Kim (http://mattandkimmusic.com/) and Squat the Condos (http://squatthecondos.bandcamp.com/) at their respective websites.
• STEP 3: Show up. The concert is on Saturday, November 5 at Mandel Hall. Starts at 8:00 p.m., ends around 11:00 p.m., and doors open at 7:00 p.m. The earlier you are, the better.

Do you love stand-up comedy? Do you tell jokes in the mirror while your roommate is gone? Do you just like laughing over a cup of coffee? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then don’t miss The Coffee Shop Comedy Show. ORCSA is hosting the event for all of the burgeoning comedians on the UChicago campus, as well as anyone who wants to stop by for a laugh.

In the past, ORCSA has hosted comedy nights headlining professional talent, but this time the spotlight’s open for the taking. There’s no experience necessary, so if you’ve been secretly dreaming about landing a spot on Comedy Central one day, now’s the time to start practicing your routine in front of someone other than a showerhead.

The event will be held in open mic format at Hallowed Grounds Coffee Shop on the second floor of Reynolds Club, so it will be super casual. And if you’re still nervous, you can always relax afterwards with a nice cup of coffee. The show will be on Tuesday, November 1st at 7pm, and it is definitely not one to be missed!

Hallowed Grounds, Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave. For more information, e-mail suzannawsso@uchicago.edu

It’s time to christen the Chicago Weekly blog anew, and inaugurate a new flock of dedicated reporters, just begging to give the South Side of Chicago the news it deserves.

This reporter’s Manifest Statement: To provide South Siders with a taste of what their backyard offers in the forms of performing arts and entertainment; to entice others to experience the beauty of theater and it’s dramatic take on the living that we do every day; to ask other South Siders to inform on events occurring on our turf; and to generally entertain with wild notions of what “performance” can be.

Let’s kick things off right with a great example of strikingly odd performance art: Dream Theatre’s Audience Annihilated Part One: Women Only Train, tagline: “All that happens, happens to YOU!” Sounds pretty terrifying with just the title, but get the premise—one to four audience members will play the lead role in a horror play, themed as “the most unexpected horror experience you will ever witness.” When buying tickets, one has the option of buying a “lead role” ticket or an “Observation Gallery” ticket. Personally, I will only be observing. But I cannot imagine making it through the Halloween season without taking a trip to Dream Theatre to see this, surely, unique event, in which the actors attempt to terrify and generally scar the audience members who ask for it.

Video from no4thwall on YouTube

Here’s a short promo clip for the production. The Dream Theatre’s website also has ticket information and an online ticket sales booth. Tickets are only $13, which sounds like a steal to me—would you rather pay to walk passively through a haunted house, or be the center of attention in a play fully prepared to make you scream and shiver?

That being said, some of us (myself included) are a bit less… courageous in the face of almost certain terror, and would prefer to watch others be scared, or act scared, or act in general. This brings me to the final addition to this blog: The Log (for lack of a better term). This is the final portion in which I will list South Side events and performances going up or running in the near future. If you are aware of a performance going on south of Roosevelt that you’d like to tell South Siders about, be sure to let us know.

Watch for weekly updates to The Log and this CW blog series from yours truly. Now get out and enjoy some of these fall performances!

-Eric Shoemaker

The Log

eta Creative Arts Foundation’s Flow: September 15-October 23

Jedlicka Performing Arts Center’s Wait Until Dark: October 28-November 12

Dream Theatre’s Audience Annihilated Part One: Women Only Train: October 20-31

Filament Theater’s From the Circle: September 30-November 13

The Hyde Park Community Players’ An Evening of Classic Horror and Suspense in the Old Time Radio Tradition: October 21 & 22

Courtesy HHW

Just in time for the holidays, the Henry Hendricks Weddington School of the Performing Arts arts will be holding a special Thank You performance downtown this Tuesday December 21st.

HHW is a school without walls dedicated to three branches of performing arts: music, theater, and dance.  High quality instruction and talented performers make HHW groups some of the best in the city.  Jean Hendricks and the directors of HHW originally intended for the performance to be a fundraiser. After considering the immense contributions and support from the community, the group decided it would be most appropriate to use the event as a thank-you to their supporters. You can read more about HHW in our past coverage here.

Come and show your support and witness the talent of young Chicago performers, interact with the community, and nosh on some homemade goodies– either way, you will be in for a treat.

Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 East Randolph Street, 5th floor.  December 21st, Tuesday 6:00-7:30 p.m. Free. Please RSVP at (312) 772-3449 or (312) 772-3449

Tickets are still available for Redmoon Theater’s final production of “Hunchback” tonight at 8 pm at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel. The Chicago-based company’s production, based on the Victor Hugo novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” features puppetry, masking, and a towering set that has been designed specifically for the chapel, with a score composed by jazz artist Michael Zerang. Tickets are $20 at the door, $10 for students and seniors.

This year’s Chicago Humanities Festival, which begins today, is devoted to a topic everyone can relate to: laughter. The kick-off begins appropriately on the South Side (where the roots of improv grow deep).  Here’s the breakdown:

• Tim and Tom: A Comedy in Black and White will take place from 2-3pm today at the DuSable Museum of African American History at 740 East 56th Place. Tim Reid was a Dupont Marketing Manager, and Tom Dressen was an insurance salesman when they met in 1968.  They were at a Junior Chamber of Commerce meeting in Chicago and decided to form a comedy duo, Tim and Tom. Through the increasingly tumultuous ’60s, they were the first (and only) black and white comedy duo. Here, they’ll reflect on their time together through an exciting period in Chicago’s history.

• From 4:30-5:30 PM at the International House at 1414 East 59th Street, An Incomplete History of Comedy in Hyde Park will feature Anne Libera, executive artistic director of The Second City Training Centers, and Sheldon Patinkin, founding member of The Second City and chair emeritus of the Columbia College Chicago Theater Department as they take the audience through the history of Hyde Park’s role in comedy.Chicago comedy might bring up associations with the impov group Second City, but Hyde Park was actually a pivotal place for the development of improvisational comedy. Second City itself came out of a comedy group at the University of Chicago in the 1950s. The evolution and development of Second City included the Compass Players, with Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, Wait Until Dark), Elaine May (Primary Colors, the Birdcage), and Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Charlie Wilson’s War), and has concluded with the current form of improv we see today.

From the People's Atlas of Chicago project; AREA Chicago

A panel discussion on arts and activism in the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit will be held simultaneously from all three cities, linked via the internet this Thursday. In Chicago, Little Black Pearl in Kenwood is hosting the event. The event is part of the “Arts and Activism in the Midwest” series, which is part of the Chicago Calling Arts Festival, which is itself part of Chicago Artists Month. In Chicago, the panel is Lindsay Obermeyer, Carol Ng-He, Jennifer Karmin, Dan Godston, and at least one other artist. That may seem like a big panel already, but keep in mind St. Louis and Detroit also have four to five panelists each. It should be interesting to see how a 15-panelist, three-location discussion can take place without collapsing into chaos, let alone be productive. Still, they must know what they’re doing.

October 1, 7-9pm
Little Black Pearl
1060 East 47th Street