PLEASE NOTE: Events may be postponed or simply canceled. Please call ahead to make sure they are still scheduled to take place.
1 Critical Comedy
In the new iO show Satirical Race Theory, an all-star team of Black improvisers sends up contemporary discourse around politics and culture. Catch it now, before Florida lawmakers figure out how to ban it. Through July 1. ioimprov.com
2 Between the Lines
San Francisco’s Alonzo King Lines Ballet returns to the Harris Theater for the first time since 2015 with Deep River. The new evening-length piece is set to a score by jazz pianist Jason Moran that draws on Black spirituals. May 5–6. harristheaterchicago.org
3 Asian Creation
The inaugural APIDA Arts Festival highlights work by Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi or South Asian Americans. The three-day fest features both performances and hands-on workshops; most events are free but require advance registration. May 5–7. apidaarts.org
4 Design for Living
Get home decor inspo or just ogle some house porn at the Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, wherein teams of interior and landscape designers make over a stately suburban manor. The biennial event is a fundraiser for the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. May 6–June 4. lakeforestshowhouse.com
5 Storm’s A-Brewing
Playwright Joshua Allen’s Chicago-set marriage story The Last Pair of Earlies marked a deeply moving return to the stage for Raven Theatre in 2021. The October Storm, Allen’s follow-up about a multigenerational family on the South Side in the 1960s, should be on your radar. May 11–June 25. raventheatre.com
6 Toon Town
Anime Central, billed as the Midwest’s largest anime and manga convention, brings hordes of creators, retailers, and cosplaying fans of Japanese-inspired cartoons and comics to Rosemont’s Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. May 19–21. acen.org
7 Wright on Time
Frank Lloyd Wright fans can gawk at the many Oak Park houses the architect designed anytime — from the outside. But during the Wright Plus Housewalk, you can tour the interiors of three FLW residences and five other historic homes. May 20. flwright.org
8 Mole for Days
An early entry in Chicago’s summer street fair season, Pilsen’s Mole de Mayo Festival celebrates a staple sauce of Mexican cuisine. In addition to food vendors plying their mole variations, look for two music stages and a lucha libre wrestling ring. May 26–28. moledemayo.org
9 Out of the Woods
The Morton Arboretum is both the host and the materials supplier for Of the Earth, a new exhibition by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska, who creates dramatic, large-scale sculptures from reclaimed tree branches. May 26–Spring 2025. mortonarb.org
10 Sky’s the Limit
At age 21, Hunter Hayes became the youngest male solo act to top Billboard’s country songs chart with his 2012 single “Wanted.” Now he’s following the lead of former tour mate Taylor Swift, embracing a poppier vibe on his latest album, Red Sky. Check out his new direction as Hayes plays the Vic. May 30. jamusa.com