1 Kaleidoscopic Collaboration
Local artists Mayumi Lake and Bob Faust display their colorful patterned prints in Elmhurst Art Museum’s Shakkei, an exhibition that includes a joint new work. Sept. 6–Jan. 4. elmhurstartmuseum.org
2 Literary Lights
The 40th Printers Row Lit Fest features 70-plus programs. Novelist Sandra Cisneros, who now lives in Mexico, returns to her native Chicago to headline. Sept. 6–7. printersrowlitfest.org
3 Blunt Instruments
Your inner teen’s dream comes true at the Miracle in Mundelein music fest, where adults can openly smoke pot legally. Headliners include hip-hoppers De La Soul, Stephen and Damian Marley (yes, Bob’s sons), and Indiana jam band Umphrey’s McGee. Sept. 6–7. themiracleconcert.com
4 Family Ties That Bind
The burden of a family business drives the drama in Ashland Avenue, a Chicago-set world premiere kicking off Goodman’s centennial season. The Office’s Jenna Fischer stars. Sept. 6–Oct. 5. goodmantheatre.org
5 Ivory Boast
Urbana’s Conrad Tao studied piano in the burbs before becoming a renowned classical performer-composer. Nova Linea Musica brings him back for a solo concert. Sept. 10. novalineamusica.org
6 Tart-Tongued Trickster
Canadian comedian and magician Lucy Darling leavens her unique act with Dorothy Parker wit and Mae West naughtiness. Sept. 17–21. thedentheatre.com
7 The Fine Print
The Pouring, Spilling, Bleeding exhibition features 80 works, more than a third of them by the late Helen Frankenthaler. The centerpiece — a suite of proofs for her lithograph Divertimento — illustrates her process. Sept. 17–Dec. 14. blockmuseum.northwestern.edu
8 The Ardor of Seville
Two years after producing the late Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein, Joffrey mounts the U.S. premiere of his Carmen, the classic tale of a Spanish love triangle. Sept. 18–28. joffrey.org
9 Bohemian Rappsody
Chicago native Anthony Rapp, of Rent and Star Trek: Discovery fame, brings his vocalist chops and raconteur charm to City Winery. Sept. 21. citywinery.com
10 Lend Them Your Ears
Two of the city’s top-notch arts teams, the Q Brothers Collective and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, collab again. In Rome Sweet Rome, a hip-hop version of Julius Caesar, the fault is not in their bars. Sept. 23–Oct. 19. chicagoshakes.com