3CR’s Guide to a Better November

Election season is almost over. What are we going to do for entertainment now?! Luckily our staff has compiled a list of activities that are better than watching Netflix. STAGES Battle of the Bard at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Monday, November 14, at 6pm, 800 E. Grand Ave. Students from 50 public, private and parochial schools all over the Chicago area and the collar counties will demonstrate their creativity in the Shakespeare canon in this high-energy high school slam. November 14 is the finals bout when Chicago Shakespeare and Chicago Youth Shakespeare join forces for the competition. Some 300 high school students will perform scenes plus their own Shax mashups. Tickets are $15 and will be on sale here. Moon Shot: A Race to Space at Chicago Children’s Theatre November 1-20 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. See a reenactment of the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing by seven actors squeezing into a space nearly as tight at NASA’s Mercury capsules. The performance is by Theatre Unspeakable. Show times are Tuesday-Friday at 10am; Saturdays at 2:30 and 4:30pm; and Sundays at 2:30pm. (No show Tuesday, November 8.) Single tickets are $10-39 and can be purchased here or by calling 872-222-9555. For ages 10 and up. The show runs about one hour. Chicago Casting Auction to Benefit Porchlight Theatre Friday, November 4, at 7pm at Michelle’s Ballroom, 2800 W. Belmont Ave. To prove anyone can be a star for a price, the casting auction will enable wannabe song-and-dance men and women to be on stage in a professionally produced stage production: Porchlight Theatre’s All Shook Up, featuring the songs of Elvis Presley. Four performances will be presented March 15-18, 2017, at Stage 773. The casting auction will feature live entertainment, a dance floor, an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Live auction begins at 7:30. Tickets are $75 online and $85 at the door. SCREENS Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema @ the ArcLight Cinemas in Glenview & Music Box Theatre, Chicago November 1 - 13, various showtimes and locations The Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema is an independent community-supported, nonprofit organization now in its 11th year and dedicated to sharing an appreciation of globally recognized Israeli cinematic achievements and diverse culture with the community at large and serving as a catalyst for multi-cultural dialog, as many of the same ethnic groups (from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia) coexisting side-by-side in Israel also live in Chicago. Chicago Comedy Film Festival @ The New 400 Theater November 11 - 13, various showtimes Founded in 2010, the Chicago Comedy Film Festival is committed to bringing independent comedy to the screen and supporting comedy filmmaking as a vital and influential art form. CCFF is managed by Collab Studios of Los Angeles and works with their team on events, partnerships, filmmaker opportunities and original content. The first night’s events include the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Jane Lynch for her contribution to comedy and takes place at The Second City Harold Ramis Film School. Manos: The Hands of Fate screening @ Music Box Theatre Friday, November 11, 7:30pm Considered by many to be one of the most watchable worst movies of all time, Manos was essentially a home movie that was turned into a film and shared with the world. This special screening includes an in-person appearance by actress Jackey Neyman Jones (who plays Debbie in the film) and co-wrote the book Growing Up with Manos: The Hands of Fate—How I Was the Child Star of the Worst Movie Ever Made, and Lived to Tell the Story with author Laura Mazzuca Toops, who will also be on hand for an audience discussion. Nearly lost, the original 16mm Ektachrome film elements have been finally unearthed and lovingly restored to create the definitive version of this accidental masterpiece, being presented in HD with picture and sound unseen since 1966. Brit Noir @ Gene Siskel Film Center November 5 - 30, various showtimes This series of eight films represents the long-overlooked British branch of the moody film movement that flourished most famously in the United States. British noir has a literary heritage stretching back to the penny dreadfuls of the Victorian era, early 20th-century crime novels, pioneer psychological thrillers, and the leftist "entertainments" of Graham Greene and Eric Ambler in the 1930s-1940s. Like its American counterpart, Brit Noir blossomed after World War II, similarly nurtured by sub-surface currents of disillusionment and anxiety in the postwar era. This series concentrates on films that have been recently rediscovered, reissued, or restored, including These Are the Damned (featuring a young Oliver Reed), Odd Man Out (with James Mason), Ninety Degrees in the Shade (with Anne Heywood and James Booth), director Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol, and the full-color oddity from American director John Ford, Gideon Of Scotland Yard, shown in a new 4K DCP digital restoration. ART “Icons” at Vertical Gallery, Ukrainian Village November 5-26 at 1016 N. Western Ave. Vertical Gallery’s Icons will feature the work of RYCA, Brad Novak and Chris Cunningham in an exhibit of pop/contemporary art. An opening reception is Saturday, November 5, from 6 to 10pm. Vertical Gallery specializes in urban, contemporary and street art, focusing on work influenced by urban environments, street art, pop culture, graphic design and illustration. Regular gallery hours are 11am to 6pm Tuesday-Saturday; open Sunday and Monday by appointment. Admission is free. For info, emailinfo@verticalgallery.com or call 773-697-3846. Wilson Station: Behind the Scenes Opening Reception Friday, November 11, 6 – 8 pm @ Everybody’s Coffee This photography exhibit tells the story of the Wilson Red Line station reconstruction from its start in December 2014 and continuing until January 2018. It’s one of the largest CTA ‘L’ projects in the agency’s history. The project involves replacing much of the 100-year-old track structure, composed of Carnegie Steel, and modernizing the 91-year-old station by adding an elevator, brighter lighting, and wider platforms. Through every phase of the project, photographers Kevin Utz and Kirsten Lefeldt have been there with their cameras. Their photos captured the demolition of an iconic track over Broadway and the auxiliary entrance/exit on Wilson, with the original stairs from 1900. There are shots of cranes extending heavenward and concrete pours over sea-green rebar. Their work is a look behind the scenes. Fans of CTA history won’t want to miss this show! Proceeds from sales to benefit Cornerstone Community Outreach, a local shelter in the shadow of Wilson Station. www.ccolife.org. The show will run through January 2, 2017, at Everybody’s Coffee, 935 W. Wilson. City of Ideas: Architects’ Voices and Visions at Chicago Design Museum November through February 25, 108 N. State St., 3rd floor City of Ideas is a conceptual installation that presents original voices and visions of leading international architects recorded and transcribed by curator Vladimir Belogolovsky. The exhibit, initiated at Sydney University, will include text and image plus a performance stage where the voices of local architects will be recorded. Gallery hours are 12noon to 7pm Tuesday-Saturday. Admission is free. For more info, emailinfo@chidm.com or call 312-894-6263. MUSIC Pablo Sainz Villegas @ Old Town School of Folk Music Wednesday, November 2nd, 8:30p.m. Acclaimed guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas will play the passionate and playful music of his homeland, the Rioja region of Spain. Villegas is one of the youngest guitarists to play with the New York Philharmonic and has since performed for the Dalai Lama. Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave., 8:30 pm, Free requiring an RSVP. Info at latinomusicfest.org Serenade By Three: a chamber music concert series November 6, 13, and 16 @ 7:00 p.m. The Orion Ensemble will be offering its second concert program of the season, Serenade by Three: Orion Beginnings. There are three performances: Nov. 6 in Geneva, Nov. 13 in Evanston and Nov. 16 in downtown Chicago. For more information, check out: http://orionensemble.org/. Chillfest Saturday, November 26th, 2:00p.m. - 6:00p.m. Chillfest is an acoustic music festival in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhoods. 60+ musicians play in storefronts throughout the neighborhood from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Check out the schedule for more specific information.   Nina Simone Tribute @ Old Town School of Folk Music Saturday, November 5, 2016 @ 6:00 p.m. Old Town School has organized a wonderful series of events and concerts focusing on singer, songwriter and activist Nina Simone. Right before election day, attend a sing-along, spoken word workshop, contemporary dance lesson, and songbook review all at 6:00p.m. The concert will begin at 7:30p.m. One $15 ticket allows access to all the events of the evening. LIT 2016 Chicago Book Expo @ Columbia College Sunday, Nov 13th, 12:00p.m. - 5:00p.m. The event will feature a book fair and expo floor where you can buy books from local presses, as well as programs, readings, and workshops. It’s free, but some of the workshops require pre-registration. Look at the event website for more information. Book Fort Fair @ Curbside Books & Records November 19th, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Book Fort Fair will host 20+ indie publishers, record labels, and literary organizations, plus an all-day DJ, literary-themed cocktails, a screenprinting workshop, a button-making station hosted by Busy Beaver, and live typewriter poetry courtesy of Poems While You Wait. Admission is free. Curbside Books & Records is located in the Revival Food Hall at 125 S. Clark St. Zadie Smith @ DuSable Museum of African Art Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 - 8:00p.m. Critically acclaimed author of “White Teeth” presents her new novel “Swing Time” in conversation with Vu Tran. "Two brown girls dream of being dancers--but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either…” The event is sold out but you can email info@semcoop.com to be placed on the waiting list.   FOOD Strange Foods Chicago Festival @ Moonlight Studios Sunday, Nov 6th 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The first annual food festival that features ethnic, mom and pop restaurants exclusively. Based on the local food Instagram @StrangeFoodsChicago, the festival will include Lao, Croatian, Vietnamese and Moroccan cuisine and more. Local craft beer will be served at no additional charge. Tickets are still available for $55. Moonlight Studios is located at 1446 W. Kinzie 3rd Annual Mac and Cheese Fest Saturday Nov 5th 12:00p.m. - 3:00p.m. & 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. @ UIC Forum The Mac and Cheese Festival may sound like a joke made up by stoner college kids, but it is in fact a full fledged festival and it seems to be getting bigger each year. Enjoy all you can eat samples and up to 5 drinks for $65 per ticket. Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers November 11th and 12th @ UIC Forum This event is already sold out because it always sells out very quickly. It might be possible to buy tickets from someone. If you like barrel aged beers, or beer of any kind, this is the place to be. It’s the world’s largest festival of its kind. There are twelve different categories vendors will aim to win from best barleywine, to best porter. This is the event of the year for beer snobs! BEYOND Tattoo @ The Field Museum of Natural History Tattoo will be open until April 30th. It features a diverse history of traditions, tools and techniques, beliefs and art, and demonstrations from talented well-known artists. Revolutionize CHIRP! Thursday, November 10th, 7:00 - 11:00 p.m. @ Revolution Brewery Chicago Independent Radio Project is hosting a fundraiser at Revolution Brewery. The open bar, small bites and performance by Gerard Dowd are included in the $50 ticket price that helps get CHIRP one step closer to 107.1. Purchase tickets here. Tea with Elizabeth Cady Stanton @ Irish American Heritage Center Saturday, November 12th @ 11:00 a.m. Enjoy tea, sandwiches and scones with a historical impersonator. Tickets are $25 and $8 for children. To purchase tickets, call 773-282-7035, ext. 10. Reservations are necessary and must be made by November 8.