Calendar for October 29, 2014

VISUAL ARTS

Science / Fiction
Chicagoans have pioneered in the fields of science and fiction, so it only makes sense that the two would eventually merge in the form of an art exhibition featuring the new work of Ryan Thompson, Kimberly Kim, Noa Dolberg, and Reuven Israel. Their pieces play with humor, forms of observation, and the natural world. The show also offers a look into studio-dwelling relics of the artists’ works and research and production materials. Watch the space come to life with “Plant on Premises,” a collage scrutinizing the clothes-cleaning industry and its relationship to indoor plants, or experience “Bad Luck, Hot Rocks,” which tells the story of wood stolen from the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. ACRE Projects, 1913 W. 17th St. Through November 10. Sundays and Mondays, noon-4pm. Free. www.acreresidency.org (Mark Hassenfratz)

10 X 10: Chicago Heroes
What do Chicago heroes look like? According to Bridgeport art gallery Project Onward, the answer depends on whom you ask. Picture ten of the most remarkable figures in Chicago’s cultural history. Now picture ten different versions of each of them, created by ten different artists. That makes100 iterations of these ten heroes, all of which are on display at Project Onward. Each artist’s portrait reflects a unique perspective and artistic style, in a gallery that celebrates and examines what it means to be a hero. Project Onward is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and exposure for local artists with disabilities, so it’s not just a celebration of heroes past, but also heroes present—people who create extraordinary work, despite adversity. Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St. Through November 14. Tuesday-Saturday,11am-5pm. Free. (773)940-2992. projectonward.org (Hafsa Razi)

Affects Illustrated
The press picture shows dismembered, vaguely architectural pieces of pink metal standing in a field. It’s actually a digitally cut-up photograph of artist and UofC Visual Arts teacher Hannah Givler’s sculpture “Avatar.” The sculpture is one of several pieces that comprise “Affects Illustrated,” a site-specific installation that plays with the dynamics of interiors and exteriors and examines spatial relationships. The show also addresses themes like materialism, fictional utopias, and city planning, which feature heavily in Givler’s research. 4th Ward Project Space, 5338 S. Kimbark Ave. November 9-December 21. Saturday and Sunday, 1pm-5pm. Opening reception November 9, 3pm-6pm. Free. 4wps.org (Julie Wu)

Paul Germanos
IRL Paul Germanos counts among his achievements a graduate degree in political philosophy, a number of years as a taxi driver, a motorcycle odyssey across the United States, and an Illinois peace officer’s license—but online you’d never know it. On the Internet, Germanos is strictly a humble chronicler of the art world. He tweets straightforward news about art show openings in Chicago and posts photos of galleries on his Flickr photostream and blog as part of a decade-long effort to document Chicago’s contemporary artists and exhibitions. Now these photos are taking on a life outside the computer screen in a photographic installation at the antena project space in Pilsen. The opening night will also feature a presentation of Germanos’s portraits of forty artists, art administrators, and critics, as well as some of these artists’ own work. Antena, 1755 S. Laflin St. Opening reception Friday, October 24. Through November 22. 6pm-10 pm. Free. (773)340-3516. antenapilsen.blogspot.com (Julia Aizuss)

MUSIC

Nannette Frank
Looking to jazz up your Halloween? Look no further than South Shore’s Mo Better Jazz, formerly housed in South Shore’s House of Bing. This October 31, Mo Better will play host to jazzy R&B singer Nanette Frank. Frank’s powerful five-octave voice has earned her great acclaim, both in her hometown of Chicago and internationally; Singapore’s press once deemed her “one of the greatest jazz singers in the world.” She’s no stranger to fame, either. Nanette has taken the stage with artists including Stanley Clarke, Miki Howard, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, and Stevie Wonder. She’s performed at Taste of Chicago and the African Arts Festival, and her performance at Mo Better Jazz promises to be an intimate and power-charged evening—one that only Nanette could deliver. Mo Better Jazz Chicago, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, October 31, 8pm. (773)741.6254. mobetterjazzchicago2@gmail.com (Teddy Watler)

Dance Apocalypse
The Golden Horse Ranch Band and veteran square dance caller Annie Coleman will put dancers through their paces at Thalia Hall’s Barn Dance Apocalypse on November 8. Coleman, who also sings and plays guitar and bassoon in the band, has been square dance calling since she was thirteen. She spent her childhood summers working at her family’s Golden Horse Ranch, the band’s namesake. Hundreds of flannel-clad dancers are expected to descend on Thalia Hall, which will host the group’s first public barn dance—previous shindigs have been held at secret locations around the city. Described by band member Jeanine O’Toole as “loud, wild, and loaded with love,” the Barn Dance Apocalypse promises to bring the Wild West to Chicago for its tenth consecutive year. Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Saturday, November 8, 8pm. $15. (312)526-3851 thaliahallchicago.com

Cocoa Tea at the Shrine
Although reggae virtuoso Cocoa Tea will be performing on Halloween, the socially conscious dancehall star is sure to be more smooth than spooky. One of reggae’s most illustrious and consistent artists, Cocoa Tea is well known for his outspoken style and piercing cultural messages. The concert is part of his “Sunset in Negril” tour, which kicks off on October 22 in the United States and moves to Nigeria and Europe in December. The tour will showcase plenty of new material from Cocoa Tea and the Step by Step Band, including the title track “Sunset In Negril” and a cover of Bob Marley’s “War.” Reggae star Louie Culture and DJs Ringo and Papa G. will also be in attendance, so throw away that costume, grab your dancing shoes, and head on over to the Shrine. The Shrine, 2109 S. Wabash Ave. October 31. Doors open at 9pm. $35. Tickets available online or at the door. 21+. (312)753-5681. theshrinechicago.com (Zoe Makoul)

Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Best known for his 1999 song “I See a Darkness” and its subsequent Johnny Cash cover, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, or Will Oldham, makes folk music that’s thematically more appropriate for the nihilism-tinged post-punk of the twenty-first century than the idealistic values and up-tempo atmosphere of the 1960s. Relying in his best moments on both his fragile, world-wearied voice and a spare instrumental backing, Oldham’s oeuvre exposes a long-neglected avenue for a traditionally masculine figure in the world of indie rock, engaging in the genre’s trademark self-examination without being overly introverted. Most publications will steer new listeners towards I See a Darkness for an introduction to Bonnie “Prince” Billy, but Oldham’s former work under the alias Palace Music holds up just as well, especially the Steve Albini-produced Viva Last Blues. Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. October 31, 8:30pm. $25-35 advance, $32-42 at door. (312)526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com (Austin Brown)

STAGE AND SCREEN

Iphigenia in Aulis
It’s a classic story: king sacrifices daughter in the name of easy travels to battlegrounds. Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis, one of several surviving Greek tragedies that recall the story of Agamemnon, his daughter Iphigenia, and the cursed House of Atreus, will be performed at Court Theatre this November. Iphigenia in Aulis will be the first in a series of three tragedies at Court, followed by Aeschylus’ Agamemnon and Sophocles’ Electra, both of which recount parts of the same narrative from different angles. The series is part celebration of ancient Greek literature and part psychological experiment—will viewers react differently to Agamemnon having first seen Iphigenia in Aulis? Directed by Court Theatre’s Artistic Director Charles Newell and based on Founding Artistic Director Nicholas Rudall’s own translations, Iphigenia in Aulis promises a talented cast and, as the theatre says, “a chance to explore the deep and complex questions that bind us all together.” Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. November 6 through December 7. $35–$65. Discounts available for seniors and students. (773)753-4472. courttheatre.org (Emeline Posner)

Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists
The Chicago Imagists blazed brightly for a few wild years in the sixties, making surreal, comics-inspired art that gave the Second City a spunky art movement of its very own. Nevertheless, as Andy Warhol supposedly said, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes: the Imagist fire burnt out too soon, leaving only the Warhol set’s Pop Art to reign supreme in memories of the sixties. Leslie Buchbinder’s documentary <i>Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists</i> came out last spring to show what art history’s dominant narrative left out, and now it’s being screened for the first time in Hyde Park, where the Imagists got their start. After the film there will be a panel exploring Hyde Park’s role in the Imagists’ legacy; the panel will include Buchbinder, U of C art history and literature professor Rebecca Zorach, and Jim Falconer, a member of the first Hairy Who group that showed at the Hyde Park Art Center in 1966. Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Friday, November 7. Doors open at 6pm. Free. (773)702-8596. filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu(Julia Aizuss)

South Side Pie Challenge
Channel your inner Martha Stewart at this weekend’s third annual South Side Pie Challenge, where a panel of judges will select the tastiest pies from entries submitted by bakers from across the city. Leftover pies from the competition’s four categories (fruit, nut, sweet potato/pumpkin, and crème) will be sold to the public for three dollars a slice; all proceeds will be donated to the Hyde Park and Kenwood Hunger Programs, which run a soup kitchen and food pantry in their respective neighborhoods. Register your own culinary creation by filling out the online form and bringing your pie to the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club between 11am and 12pm on November 8. A selection of bakers’ recipes will be collected in the South Side Pie Challenge Cookbook, which will be published online after the event. In the last two years, the event raised almost $3000 to fight hunger in the community, so come hungry and buy lots of pie to help raise that total this year. Hyde Park Neighborhood Club, 5480 S. Kenwood Ave. November 8, 2pm. Free. southsidepie.wordpress.com (Emily Harwell)

Lord Thing
Lord Thing was almost lost to the world before the last fuzzy VHS copy was found and restored last year, and now this winner of a silver medal at 1970 Venice Film Festival will make its South Side debut this Sunday, presented by Black Cinema House and the Chicago Film Archives. DeWitt Beall’s classic film chronicles the rise of the Conservative Vice Lords, a West Side gang, at the height of the Black Power movement. Influenced by raw stories from CVL members, it shows how the gang tried to transform themselves into viable agents of political change in their community. After the screening, there will be a post-film discussion with Rebecca Zorach, a University of Chicago professor of art history and literature, and Benneth Lee, the founder and director of the National Alliance for the Empowerment of the Formerly Incarcerated. Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Sunday, November 2. 4pm. RSVP recommended. blackcinemahouse.org (Adia Robinson)

Danny Bhoy
For once, yelling “Danny Boy” won’t be something you do drunk as all hell with your closest lads.  Beloved comedian Danny Bhoy, quite the opposite of a tear-jerking ballad, beloved is crossing the pond to Chicago. The young Scot has earned himself a spot on the world stage with his enthralling stories and brogue,coupled with his signature whip-crack smarts. After performing to sold-out venues all over the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, Bhoy brings his show to the intimate setting of the Beverly Arts Center Main Stage. Give the Scotsman a warm Chicago welcome in his debut US tour, where he will be performing his well-received, gut-busting show, “Dear Epson.” Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. November 2, 8pm, doors open at 7pm. Ticket prices vary. (773)445-3838. beverlyartcenter.org  (Mark Hassenfratz)

BEWARE or Be Square!
Step aside, Orson Welles—spoken-word performer Andrew Gregory Krzak of the hard-to-pronounce Odditorium is here and ready to rumble. If you thought War of the Worlds was the only radio show that induced widespread terror in the populace during the Golden Age of radio, you thought wrong—late-night horror series abounded for listeners in need of a good shiver. Now, just in time for Halloween, they’re coming back from the dead for three nights, thanks to the necromantic powers of BEWARE or Be Square! Under Krzak’s direction, he and a bevy of actors will reenact three hair-raising episodes from The Hermit’s Cave, Lights Out, and Suspense using only their voices. Sure, the front page of the newspaper can raise your hair plenty these days, but if supernatural spookiness is more your speed, old-time radio’s got you covered. Bring a folding chair and get ready for goose bumps. Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3221 S. Morgan St. October 27-29. 8pm. Free. (773)837-0145. coprosperity.org (Julia Aizuss)

Fatal Frame
The scary movies playing on October 30 at Fatal Frame are not the ones that kept you lying awake late at night when you were a kid. There won’t be serial killers intruding homes, puddles of blood, or ghosts and vampires jumping out from every corner. No, this program of five short avant-garde films by five different artists is not going to let you get away that easy.  These films, ranging from the early 1920s to the late 1990s, materialize our every fear and internal disturbance. Using a variety of surrealist and experimental techniques, Fatal Frame guides us through the twisted realm of the supernatural, which inevitably overlaps with our world every now and then. Exploring themes of destruction, insanity, and the unknown, these movies will expose their brave viewers to a provoking dose of the violence of our everyday lives and of the lives that await us beyond mortality. Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3221 S. Morgan Ave. October 30, 7pm. $7. southsideprojections.org (Emiliano Burr di Mauro)

La Casa de Satanas: True Terror
Why simply see a spine-chilling performance when you can be part of one? That is, provided you’re not paralyzed with stage fright. La Casa de Satanas melds the concept of the haunted house with performance art, the immersive experience adding to both the artistic inquiry and the scare factor. The show is the brainchild of a collective of Pilsen artists, all of whom have collaborated for over three years to create a vast range of experiences for audiences using sound, mixed media, and visual art events. This performance explores the terrifying truths of our world within a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic born from the space between the otherworldly and the tangible. Plus, it takes the form of a haunted house, and who doesn’t love those? Cowards, that’s who. Don’t be a coward. Slumber Room Gallery, 1654 S. Allport St. October 27-November 1, 9pm. $13-$25. Advance ticket purchase recommended. 18+. (872)216-1009. la-casa-de-satanas.ticketleap.com/la-casa-de-satanas (Mark Hassenfratz)