Theatre Seven cast and crew
SQUARE DEAL Twelve neighborhoods (including Logan Square, whose Illinois
Centennial Monument is pictured here, with Theatre Seven cast and crew) take
center stage in the Chicago Landmark Project. For even more affordable options, see
FREEBIES OF THE WEEK, below.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 06.01.11 through Tue 06.07.11:

1

theatre Chicago Landmark Project
Theatre Seven has commissioned 12 short plays by 12 up-and-comers (Marisa Wegrzyn, Laura Jacqmin, Brett Neveu) set at 12 Chicago-area intersections (the Loop, Logan Square, Lincoln Square). Though not $12, tickets start at a very neighborly $15.
GO: 6/2–7/10. Two programs, $15–$30 each, run in repertory. Theatre Seven at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N Lincoln. theatreseven.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: Speaking of landmarks, the preservation architect and one of our 2010 Chicagoans of the Year, Gunny Harboe, gives a talk on restoring the Rookery, 6/7 at the Unity Temple.
2

rock/pop Joe Ely
The Texas roadhouse rocker sings majestically about outlaws and wandering on songs that combine Western balladry and blues, backed by a band that adds cinematic sweep.
GO: 6/4 at 9. $20. FitzGerald’s, 6615 W Roosevelt, Berwyn. fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
3

classical Chicago Chamber Musicians
In June, the renowned ensemble launches an unprecedented archive of free chamber music: 22 years’ worth of live recordings, now available for online streaming. Those who prefer CCM in real time can catch the group playing works by Spohr and Dvorák, as well as an encore performance of Peter Lieberson’s The Coming of Light.
GO: 6/5 at 7:30: Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern U, 50 Arts Circle, Evanston. 6/6 at 7:30: Gottlieb Concert Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S Peoria. $10–$40 per concert. chicagochambermusic.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: With a little help from their friends at the Mellon Foundation, the upwardly mobile International Contemporary Ensemble presents ICElab, a bill of new works by the Chicagoan Marcos Balter, among others.
4

jazz Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee
Vandermark, Chicago’s foremost improviser, teams up with one of his musical idols for back-to-back gigs. On Wednesday, the duo forms the frontline of a quartet rounded out by the percussionist Michael Zerang and the vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz (also see “Tuesdays on the Terrace” under FREEBIES, below). Then on Thursday, a who’s who of the city’s free-jazz firmament (Berman, Bishop, Daisy, Rempis, et al) convenes as Topology to tackle Vandermark’s arrangements of McPhee’s work, with both men sitting in.
GO: 6/1 at 9:30: $10. Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia. hideoutchicago.com. 6/2 at 10: $10. Elastic, 2830 N Milwaukee. elasticarts.org

ALSO THIS WEEK: The veteran saxophonist Charles Lloyd plays with a posse of talented youngsters (Jason Moran!) at Symphony Center on 6/3.
5

festivals Do-Division Street Fest & Sidewalk Sale
Yes, this to-do, one of our favorites on this city’s annual fest calendar, includes both a family-friendly section (pony rides, face painting) and live music (the phenomenon that is Big Freedia). But never shall the twain meet.
GO: 6/4–5 noon–10. $5. Division from Ashland to Leavitt. do-divisionstreetfest.com

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Eddie Torres, cofounder of Teatro Vista and artistic director
Eddie Torres

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Teatro Vista’s cofounder and artistic director, Eddie Torres, who reteams this month with the playwright and Pulitzer finalist Kristoffer Diaz as part of Collaboraction’s 11th annual Sketchbook Festival.

“Well, I’m definitely going to Sketchbook. I go every year. If I’m not participating, I still go. Those guys are awesome. This year I’m directing a new short piece, Evolution, by Kris Diaz. He and I worked on Chad Deity together [Torres directed the world-premiere of Diaz’s Obie-winning The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity]. It’s a labor of love, working on his pieces—always a lot of fun.

“I’m also planning to hit India House, on Grand Avenue. It’s my favorite spot when I’m in that kind of mode—working, being creative. I get this chicken dish in a cream sauce with spinach.

“And I love going to Moody’s and sitting outside, so I’ll probably end up there for drinks with friends. I’m always there. I love that patio.”

GO: Two Sketchbook programs run in repertory 6/2–25 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W Division. $15 to $25 per night; $40 fest pass. collaboraction.org/evolution

FREEBIES OF THE WEEK

film The Goonies, E.T.
Like being 10 again—except with beer. As part of its 3 Penny Was Here film series, Lincoln Hall screens two of the absolute best 1980s flicks. Seriously: If you don’t like The Goonies, you can stop reading right now.
GO: 6/3 (The Goonies) and 6/4 (E.T.) at 7. Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln. lincolnhallchicago.com

rock/pop Iron & Wine
First The Goonies for free, and now this? It’s like a broke hipster’s week in heaven. Two days after his statemate Joe Ely plays Berwyn, Sam Beam rolls into town to whisper sweet melodies backed by elaborately beguiling accompaniments.
GO: 6/6 at 6:30. Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan and Washington. millenniumpark.org

festivals Street Fest Season Begins
Will it be Maypole weaving and a Hofbräu keg tapping (Maifest Chicago)? Art appraising on the South Side (57th Street Art Fair)? Or blocks of books for browsing, plus readings by the likes of Edwidge Danticat and Oscar Hijuelos (Printers Row Lit Fest)? The choice is yours, but door number 3 also gets you the chance to hear Chicago senior editor Geoffrey Johnson talking poker with the writer Jim McManus and Hadley Hemingway with the author Gioia Diliberto.
GO: Maifest: 6/2 from 5 to 9:30, 6/3 from 5 to 11, 6/4 from noon to 11, 6/5 from noon to 10. Lincoln and Leland. mayfestchicago.com. 57th Street: 6/4 from 11 to 6, 6/5 from 10 to 5. 57th and Kimbark. 57thstreetartfair.org. Printers Row: 6/4–5 from 10 to 6. Dearborn from Congress to Polk. printersrowlitfest.org

jazz Tuesdays on the Terrace
The MCA’s back patio won’t be the same without Fred Anderson, who passed away one year ago this month. But the museum’s 2011 summer of Tuesdays kicks off with an unofficial tribute to the tenor-sax giant, featuring players who honed their craft at his venerable South Side institution, the Velvet Lounge: the bassists Junius Paul in week 1 (6/7) and Tatsu Aoki in week 2 (6/14), and the vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz in week 4 (6/28).
GO: 6/7–9/27. All concerts Tue at 5:30. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago. mcachicago.org

 

Photograph: (Theatre Seven) Amanda Clifford