Your #StaytheFHome Chicago Curated Weekend: 9/3 and Beyond

Virtual reading Voice of Good Hope @ City Lit Theater online, the comfiest spot at your home WHAT: Free reading of Voice of Good Hope about the life of Barbara Jordan, first Black Congresswoman from the Deep South. SO WHAT: Just before theaters were shut down, City Lit had finished a production of Kristine Thatcher's Voice of Good Hope, now nominated for a Black Theatre Alliance Award. The play focuses on the life of Texas Rep. Barbara Jordan, a devoted defender of the Constitution, Jordan's words and legacy are even more relevant than six months ago. The original cast (including Black Theatre Alliance Award nominees Andrea Conway-Diaz and Noelle Klyce) is back together for this virtual reading of the play in its entirety. NOW WHAT: Click here to view the play, which will be available through October 1. The reading is free but City Lit would very much appreciate your donation of any size. You can donate here. Kane Repertory Theatre’s New Play Lab @ Their Youtube Channel, the most comfortable place in your place, Wednesdays at 7:30pm, WHAT:  A look into the creative processes of playwriting SO WHAT: Kane Repertory Theatre, based in west suburban St. Charles, is featuring its New Play Lab series. The New Play Lab helps playwrights continue the development of their new scripts and provides a virtual rehearsal room to each selected playwright, connecting them with professional actors from the Kane Repertory ensemble and beyond. The works touch on current issues that make up our cultural landscape such as group identity, femininity/masculinity, political corruption, and morality in sports. NOW WHAT: The four plays will be workshopped on four successive Wednesdays; tune in on the theater’s YouTube channel.

Virtual Cinema @ Music Box Theatre, unsurprisingly at your home, any time you want to watch a movie, WHAT: A great way to support a great local theater SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre has reopened and you can go catch a myriad of great films like TENET, Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, City Lights, The Owners, Beau Travail, & Peninsula live and in person! But if your still feeling hesitant about going out and about during the pandemic, 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 2020 Sundance Film Festival Shorts; Eternal Beauty; Beats; Creem: America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine; Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin ; I Used to Go Here; Represent; and Jazz on a Summer's Day this weekend! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy! Their door are also open, so if you feel comfortable, put on your mask and go see a movie at the Music Box Theatre! The Hideout Online @ Hideout's current streaming Home: NoonChorus , on your favorite streaming device, usually in the evening WHAT: Miss the good times spent at the Hideout? Well here's the digital version! 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 the brand new Hideout Online at NoonChorus to join in on the Hideout digital community. They are offering a monthly subscription to watch their amazing lineup of shows for only for $25! You can still check out individual shows with out the subscription, but that subscription is a fantastic deal! Check out their schedule below or at their website and get ready for some fun!

• Thursday September 3rd - To The Front hosted by Tasha - 8:00pm - $10 To the Front is a series for Hideout Online where weekly rotating hosts (who just happen to be amazing musicians) select three artists that they love to perform. They'll also be nominating an artist to host in the future, eventually letting the artists themselves become the curators of the entire show! Discover new acts you'll love from acts you love without relying on those pesky algorithms. This week will feature Kara Jackson, Fran, & Christelle Bofale!
• Friday September 4th and every following Friday – LP’s Happy Hour – 5:00pm to 7:00pm – $5 Award-winning country singer, sought-after DJ, and long-time Hideout employee Lawrence Peters will be hosting a weekly happy hour on Hideout Online, from his home to yours. Maybe you’ll tune in for some deep cuts from his lauded collection of records, maybe some Hideout folks will drop in to swap stories about the bar, or maybe LP will even sing ya a tune. This week will feature Kelly Kessler and Andrew Yearick (of Wild Earp)! Join them with a drink in hand and enjoy a great night!
• Tuesday September 8th – A Scientist Walks into a Bar – 7:00pm – $5 A Scientist Walks into a Bar is Chicago’s premier science-comedy talk show. Join them  to hear from folks studying everything from dinosaurs to black holes– grab a drink and come explore the science world with these fun experts! This session will feature a talk with Stephanie Smith, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum, to talk about what bones are and how they work, the weirdest bones in fossil animals and mammals alive today, and why shrews are, in fact, the best animals.
• Wednesday September 9th – Lockdown Puppet Theatre – 8:00pm – $10 Matthew Owens’ day job is creating nature-realistic toys for the zoo, but when confined to his home, Owens took to his balcony to give his neighborhood a live puppet show. Now, he’ll be performing from the Hideout’s balcony and streamed straight into your homes.

NOW WHAT: Head to Hideout Online, tip these fine folks accordingly, and enjoy the Hideout vibes at home! Also be aware: starting in September, Hideout online will be moving to NoonChorus and will be offering a month subscription to watch their amazing lineup of shows for only for $25! Check out the full details here! 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 The Cuban (ending 9/10), Song Without a Name (ending 9/10), A Thousand Cuts (ending 9/10), Seasons of Change on Henry's Farm, H is for Happyness, The August Virgin, Desert One, Epicocentro, Mr. Soul!, John Lewis: Good Trouble, Driven to Abstraction, House of Cardin, Conviction (starting 9/4), and more! A few films' availability end today, so head over to their listings and start watching! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy!   Staged - Live Concerts from Home @ Audiotree, the spot where you've been watching all the best streaming shows these past few months, 9:00pm WHAT: Live music from Lincoln Hall and Audiotree to make staying at home a little better SO WHAT: The past few weeks, Audiotree has been putting up amazing live shows on the Lincoln Hall stage, with all the lights and stage presence you remember, for the stay-at-home audience. The shows have been excellent, offering something a little different than typical streaming shows and giving you a nice taste of live music. Check out their August lineup below and get ready for a fantastic concert streaming experience.

• September 10th - ROOKIE
• September 18th - Knuckle Puck | 20/20 Album Release Stream
• September 24th - Bonelang

NOW WHAT: Tickets are $11 for these great shows and are only available a short time after airing Music Friendly Distancing @ Empty Bottle’s Youtube channel, at your place, WHAT: Bring a little bit of Empty Bottle into your home through YouTube! 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 YouTube and catch some excellent content! You can check out the rest of the previous #MFD mixes here! NOW WHAT: YouTube is the place to be! Log on and support the Empty Bottle. You can also send money to the storied venue here.  Hannibal Buress' Miami Nights @ Youtube, at the most inviting place in your home, any time you need a laugh WHAT: A new hilarious special from a fantastic comedian! SO WHAT: Chicago-born Hannibal Buress dropped his new special Miami Nights over the Fourth of July weekend and it's great! The special was filmed at the end of last year, with the centerpiece of the hour+ special being his arrest in Miami in 2017 (clowning on crummy cops is always funny).  Everything about the special feels essential, from the always amazing delivery that comes from Buress' comedic cadence to the prescient content to the overwhelming entertaining production of the whole affair. Seriously it goes beyond the usual comedian on stage format and does something more throughout! NOW WHAT: Here's the link to the special! Start it up whenever you feel the need for a good laugh and enjoy! Grant Park Music Festival 2020 Virtual Season: Festival Remixed @ YouTube and WFMT, at home with your favorite streaming device, Fridays and Wednesday 6:30pm WHAT: Live music for your free time SO WHAT: This year the Grant Park Music Festival went virtual with plenty of great concerts and events being livestreamed online on YouTube and WFMT (both on their website and FM). You can check out our preview of the season here. While the season is officially over, you can still check out their archive of 2020 shows here! NOW WHAT: Head over to the Festival Remixed website, catch some of the previous shows, and enjoy!!   New Talks and 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. Their website is constantly updated with upcoming talks, so be on the look out for new talks and check out the wealth of previous events in their archives! Here's a quick look at what they have line up this week!

• Tuesday September 8 - Krista Franklin and Nate Marshall on Black Futures - 7:00pm
• Wednesday September 9th - Chicago Neighborhood Check-In: Higher Education - Noon
• Wednesday September 9th What’s Next: Michael Roth on Public Speech - 7:00pm
• Thursday September 10th - Monuments and Memorials 7:00pm
• Friday September 11th - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Morality - Noon
• Wednesday September 16 - Jill Lepore on Data and Control - 7:00pm

NOW WHAT: Head over to their website for more details on upcoming events and take a look at their past events here! Fun Times with Local Museums @ the comfort of your own home, a various collection of websites, whenever 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. Check out part one of the roundup featuring tons of programming suggestions and then head over to part two where you can see even more great museums and info on how to support them! NOW WHAT: Check out our article and discover something new! 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! 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! 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 few new FREE games for you to download including Hitman, Shadowrun Collection, Sludge Life, and Delores: A Thimble Weed Adventure! 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!

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. This weekend includes Autistic Pride Day Concert, Concert for Chicago Freedom School, and tons more! You can check out their full schedule for the rest of the week here. 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: 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. The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral 30 Digital Plays in 60 Analog Minutes @ The Neo Futurists' Patreon, one episode a week, 14+ WHAT: Quick plays online! SO WHAT: The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral! 30 Digital Plays in 60 Analog Minutes is the online adaptation of the Neo Futurists', ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience. Since live audiences are still a no-no, this is the perfect way to experience this fun project from home! NOW WHAT: Join the Neo Futurists' Patreon page for either $3, $5, or $9 a week (with added incentives in the higher tiers) and enjoy the 30 plays in an hour every week! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42ZUUBeHSY&feature=emb_title 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. 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