Your #StaytheFHome Curated Weekend: 5/7 and Beyond

While we may have a 5 phase plan for opening Illinois, we're pretty far from normalcy. And with so many fun festival being canceled for the year, (like Pitchfork Music Festival, and many more) we're in for more stay-at-home time. So let's find something fun to do! Whether it's picking up supplies and joining a virtual paint and sip, catching up on TV shows and movies, working out, trying out some new recipes, or whatever catches your fancy; you may still have a few hours in your day that need filling up. There are tons of fun ideas highlighted in this week's curated weekend including some from previous #StaytheFHome editions where the editors here at Third Coast Review banded together and suggested a few things you can enjoy while you're at home during these social distancing, self quarantining days!

Since we're all still in this together, we encourage you to check out Do312's running list of venues that could use some love! Donate if you can and remember to support them by going to shows once it's safe to do so!
Stay home and stay safe and healthy. Listen to our healthcare policy experts. Science matters. Wear a mask. Keep washing your hands. And check in on 3CR, where we promote the arts for everyone's sake.
Let's stay the fuck inside and enjoy your curated weekend!

THE WHOLE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND, APRIL 30th and Beyond

All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Show @ Evanston SPACE's Facebook Page, the most comfortable spot at your home, usually at 7:00pm on Various Days, All Ages WHAT: Music thanks to one of the best venues in town! SO WHAT: All Dressed Up & Nowhere to Show is a virtual concert series presented by SPACE. With their listening room closed for the foreseeable future, they have gone ahead and asked past SPACE performers to stream a few songs from their living rooms and share them live to the Evanston SPACE Facebook page. Check out the current schedule below and get ready for some live music!

  • May 8, 6:00pm : Andrew Belle
  • May 11, 7:00pm: Blue Monday w/ Toronzo Cannon
  • May 14, 7:00pm: Tyrone Wells
  • May 15, 7:00pm: Early James
  • May 16, 7:00pm: Anne Heaton and Edie Carey
  • May 18, 7:00pm: Liz Longley
  • May 22, 7:00pm: Margaret Glaspy & Julian Lage
  • May 23, 7:00pm: Natalia Zukerman
  • June 1, 7:00pm: Birds of Chicago
  • June 2, 7:00pm: Watkins Family Hour
  • June 4, 7:00pm: Jeffrey Foucault

NOW WHAT: Go to their Facebook page and enjoy the show. You can also help support SPACE and the artists directly with a virtual tip here and at their GoFundMe page here.

Music Friendly Distancing @ Empty Bottle's Twitch, at your place, Mondays Wednesdays & Fridays at 5:00pm WHAT: Bring a little bit of Empty Bottle into your home through Twitch! SO WHAT: Empty Bottle will be practicing #MusicFriendlyDistancing during these stay-at-home days. It's perfect for those of us needing a little bit of that fun the Bottle would provide. Jump over to Twitch and catch some livestreaming interviews, solo sets, and eclectic selection of audio/visual delights. You can also check out some previous #MFD mixes here! NOW WHAT: Twitch is the place to be! Log on and support the Empty Bottle. You can also send money to the storied venue here.   FitzGerald's Stay-At-Home Concert Series @ Their Facebook Page, Saturdays 4pm-6pm or any time after on VOD, All Ages WHAT: Musicians in the back of a pickup truck playing music and livestreaming it for all! SO WHAT: Fitzgerald's will continue bringing live music to their Berwyn neighborhood and beyond through their new Stay at Home Concert Series. They'll be playing live from the back of a pickup trunk somewhere in Berwyn, encouraging folks to stay home and watch from their porch or through their Facebook livestream. This week will feature Lil’ Ed! NOW WHAT: Stay home and enjoy the show on Facebook! If you live on the lucky block where the performance is held, watch from your property and maintain quarantine!

Virtual Cinema @ Music Box Theatre, unsurprisingly at your home, anytime you want to watch a movie, WHAT: A great way to support another great local theater SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is shut down due to the pandemic, but you can still watch great moves and support them online! They are currently screening films via their Virtual Cinema with The Music Box series! Check out films like Saint Frances (our capsule review is available here), Porno, Capital in the Twenty-First Century ,Roar, Someone Somewhere, and What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael! They'll also be screening CatVideoFest for $5! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy! Also, if you need some snacks for your movie watching at home, you can order some directly from Music Box! They're offering a $20 Soda Package which includes 2 sodas, 2 candies, and a huge bag of popcorn. There are also beer and wine options, so head over to the Music Box website o see how to order! Top row, playwright Mike Lew and director Brian Balcom. Below (from left), MacGregor Arney (Richard), Liz Cloud (Elizabeth), Ty Fanning (Eddie), Courtney Rikki Green (Anne), Sarah Price (Clarissa) and Tamara Rozofsky (Buck). Theater Wit's Teenage Dick @ Your favorite internet-connected screen, Thursday - Saturday 8:00pm, Sunday & Wednesdays 2:30pm, All Ages WHAT: Theater Wit right at home! Thru May 17th SO WHAT: See our preview of Theater Wit's adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III, with Dick in high school and working to overcome his disability to be class president. The playwright, director, cast and crew include diverse and disabled members. Theater Wit has committed to paying full performance rates to all cast/crew for the duration of the run. NOW WHAT: Tickets for this live streamed performance are available here, don't miss out on this great show. Goose Island Beer Yoga @ the Goose Island Clybourn Brewhouse Instagram Live, Saturdays Noon (and on VOD for 24 hrs after), 21+ if your drinking WHAT: Beer and Yoga SO WHAT: Goose Island and Our City Yoga are letting you get some soothing exercise from the comfort of your own home in this 45-minute all fun Livestream class. So grab your favorite Goose Island brew and do some yoga! NOW WHAT: Just register for the class here, follow @ourcityevents and @gooseclybourn/@gooseisland on Instagram, and jump on to the instagram livestream art @gooseclybourn and enjoy this great at home experience. Those who donate $5 or more will receive a discount code good for 100% off of any 1 future event! Fun Times with Local Museums @ the comfort of your own home, a various collection of websites, when ever you want a little dose of educational fun, All Ages WHAT: A chance to explore and help out some great local museums during these quarantine days SO WHAT: Our incredible Museums editor Mariel Bokor has compiled a great list of interesting programming available from museums like the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, MSI, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium during this stay at home time. This round up is only part one, so stay tuned for even more museum-centric ideas coming soon! NOW WHAT: Check out our article and discover something new! The Hideout Online @ Twitch, on your favorite streaming device, usually in the evening WHAT: Miss the good times spent at the Hideout? Well here's the digital version of it! SO WHAT: While we may not be able to properly hang at the Hideout just yet, we can still experience all the dancing, bingo, talk shows, music, comedy, and Robbie Fulks we can handle from home! You just jump on over to twitch.tv/hideoutchicago to join in on the Hideout digital community. You'll be able to "tip" the performers via a virtual tip jar which will be split 80% for the performers, 20% for the Hideout, so you'll be supporting the Hideout community every time you contribute. Check out their schedule below and get ready for some fun! NOW WHAT: Head to twitch.tv/hideoutchicago, tip these fine folks accordingly, and enjoy the Hideout vibes at home! Film Center from Your Sofa @ The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, your couch or preferred movie watching spot in your place, pretty much any time WHAT: The Film Center at Home SO WHAT:The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute is continuing their excellent series Film Center from Your Sofa .This is a fun way to stay in digital touch with the Film Center and watch some great films from the comfort of home! Enjoy films like Beyond the Visible: Hilma Af Klint, The infiltrators, Ona Magical Night, Cresendo, Judy and Punch, and more! A few film's availability end today, so head over to their listings and start watching! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy! At Home with the Auditorium @ The Auditorium Theatre, on any device that can access Facebook or Instagram, various days but usually live at 6:00pm,  WHAT: A huge amount of live streamed shows, talks, and more! SO WHAT: The Auditorium Theatre has set up some great series to help you get some quality entertainment during these quarantine times. NOW WHAT: Head to their Facebook page, check out their full schedule, and tune in to these great shows on Facebook!

The Quarantine Concerts @ Experimental sound Studios, Your best sounding internet connected device, at various times WHAT:  Experimental Sound Studio, Elastic Arts and the Hideout's Resonance Series come together for a series of amazing livestreamed concerts SO WHAT: The Quarantine Concerts is collaborative series which aims to give artists a space to share their work and continue earning a living during this time when live, in person, performances have been cancelled due to COVID-19. This is a perfect opportunity to unite the community for a few hours of amazing musicians. You can check out this weekend's schedule below and their full schedule for trhe r4est of the week here.

Friday, May 8 Tomeka Reid presents Chicago Jazz String Summit (night 1)

  • 8:00pm Marika Hughes - cello
  • 8:30pm Jesse Zubot - viola
  • 9:00pm Chris Hoffman - cello
  • 9:30pm Jacqui Kerrod - harp

Saturday, May 9 Tomeka Reid presents Chicago Jazz String Summit (night 2)

  • 8:00pm Kaethe Hostetter - violin
  • 8:30pm Tatsu Aoki and Jamie Kempkers - shamisen/cello
  • 9:00pm Sarah Bernstein and Stuart Popej - violin/bass
  • 9:30pm Melanie Dyer with Gwen Laster and Ken Filiano

Sunday, May 10 Billie Howard

  • 2:00pm Amanda Gutierrez (Dubai)
  • 2:30pm Leah Asher + Maya Bennardo (NYC)
  • 3:00pm Billie Howard (Akosuen) (Chicago)
  • 3:30pm Stepančić.Gidron (NYC)

NOW WHAT: Head over to their Twitch stream and start watching some great shows. There is a suggested donation of $5 per evening. 100% of the donations contributed during each performance go to the artists who played that night.

Reading Events Online @ American Writers Museum, month of April WHAT: The American Writers Museum is offering many programs online, including evening author talks and Saturday morning Little Squirrels Storytime. SO WHAT: Author talks will be available as webinars live at 6:30pm on April 14 and 29. Kids can watch Little Squirrels Storytime at 10:30am on Saturdays, with three pre-recorded stories read each time. Watch it on Facebook but videos will also be posted to YouTube and IGTV if you can't tune in live. NOW WHAT: These events are free. Check the events calendar and register for author talks. Registration isn’t required for Little Squirrels Storytime.   Masque of the Red Coronavirus! @ Black Button Eyes Productions, Any time on your computer or mobile device. For 18+. WHAT: Written by Black Button Eyes Productions producing artistic director Ed Rutherford, this short satirical piece is available online free as a combined script-and-video experience. SO WHAT: In addition to reading the play, you will see various Chicago artists act out portions of the script on video, recorded remotely. The event includes puppets, burlesque, original music, fire dancing and more in a brief, darkly comedic confection. With the Red Coronavirus running rampant across the countryside and a vaccine still months away, what's a Prince to do? Lock himself in a secure bunker in an undisclosed location along with a cohort of his top donors, of course. To prevent him and his rich supporters from becoming bored, the Prince has also brought a few artists into the bunker to entertain the crowd. But as the hour grows later and the night grows weirder, it's clear that something else has also invaded the party. NOW WHAT: Settle down for an evening of magical weirdness. Click here and begin reading and watching the videos. Video Archives @ Chicago Humanities Festival YouTube channel, your favorite browser or YouTube's app, any time you want some inspiration, All Ages WHAT: Interesting conversations with interesting people! SO WHAT: Chicago Humanities Festival brings some of the best ideas to the surface with entertaining programming that captures your imagination. All of their events through May and ticket sales have been postponed, but you can dig through their archives of amazing talk with the likes of Tom Hanks talking with Peter Sagal, Lin Manuel Miranda in conversation with Chris Jones, Alicia Garza speaking with Jenna Wortham! NOW WHAT: Take a look at their past events here! Concerts Live-streams and Local Shows Archives @ Your House, Any time you please, All Ages WHAT: There's tons of concerts from Chicago's yesteryear available online for your enjoyment! SO WHAT: Oh My Rockness and Do312 has done a fantastic job of cataloging some of the upcoming live-streams from the awesome musical acts out there! Check out Oh My Rockness' listings here, Do312's roundup of shows here, and tune in to these great shows from the comfort of home! Do312 have also shared some past Chicago shows that are certainly worth of a watch. There are also so many great local concerts recorded for posterity and what better time to check them all out than during this self isolation period. Audiotree has a fantastic and huge list of sessions with links to band's websites and merch to help support them even more. In addition to our previous recommendations like Fran, Tasha, KAINA, Divino Nino, and The Ophelias, we also recommend ROOKIE, Emily Blue, Sen Morimoto, Beach Bunny, Tennis, and Gia Margaret! Then head over to their record concerts from Lincoln Hall, Schubas, and beyond to check out Orville Peck, of Montreal, and so many more! JBTV is also a fantastic resource for sessions from bands that have come through Chicago! Just take a look at this playlist of Blind Melon's '95 set at Metro! And of course Metro's Twitter is still doling out daily selections of past shows! NOW WHAT: Stay home, watch some live music, and be sure to check out your favorite artists' social media, you never know who might be live streaming next!   Bring the Zoo to You @ Brookfield Zoo's Facebook page, when you want to see some animals besides your pets or specifically 11:00am, All Ages WHAT: A great way to make your kids' time at home entertaining and educational NOW WHAT: Join Brookfield Zoo on Facebook every weekday at 11:00am for a "Bring The Zoo To You" Facebook Live featuring one of their animals as well as plenty of educational, informative insight from one of our Animal Care Specialists. If you can't make it at 11, that's okay. The video will be saved afterward on Facebook as well as on their YouTube channel. SO WHAT: Just jump in to the chat at their Facebook page to learn something new  
Video Games @ Your home PC or Console, As long as it takes, Just check the game rating WHAT: Video-games for all! SO WHAT: Check out our games page for some recommendations of what games to download (and avoid) while we're stuck at home. If you're a PC user, head over to the Epic Games store as they have released a new pair of FREE games for you to download, Death Coming! There are also tons of free games on Twitch Prime waiting for you to download! NOW WHAT: Wash your hands and dive head first into some fun games Video Archives/Access Project @ Columbia College The Dance Center, their website, pretty much any time in the next two months, All Ages WHAT: Some wonderful Dance Videos for your day! SO WHAT: While The Dance Center at Columbia College can't host any of their planned live performances, you can still delight in some great past shows! The Dance Center at Columbia College is sharing full-length performance videos from their archives for students, educators, and dance lovers everywhere. There are tons to see and they will be available until the end of May 2020. NOW WHAT: All the beautiful performance are available here! 2666--Binge Theater Online Free @ Goodman Theatre website, your favorite web browser, whenever you have 5.5 hours of free time to binge watch this great play WHAT: In 2016, Goodman Theatre staged 2666, a 5.5-hour adaptation of the massive masterpiece novel by Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño SO WHAT: Goodman has made 2666 available for streaming free since 2018. The production comes in four linked parts (they can be watched individually) set in five distinct time periods and geographic locations, including the Nazi era and a Mexican city where the police department is a bit lax about solving hundreds of femicides. Read our review. We called it "a stupendous display of theatrical hubris." NOW WHAT: View 2666 here. Each segment runs 68-80 minutes.
Julian Ramirez