Stay home and stay safe and healthy. Listen to our healthcare policy experts. Science matters. 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 16th and Beyond
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 complied 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!
Verböten @ Remote Viewing Now Thru May 4,
WHAT: House Theatre brings back Verböten, the true-ish story of how punk rock saved the lives of four Evanston kids in 1983.
SO WHAT: Verböten tells the story of the punk band of that name, formed by four barely teenaged musicians led by Jason Narducy, who created music and lyrics for the production. The play is by Brett Neveu. See our review from January, before the world turned upside down. In addition, House will host a “Closing Party” event on Saturday, May 2, at 7:30pm. House artistic director Nathan Allen will conduct a two-way video event with actor/musician Michael Cerveris plus Narducy and Neveu. The topic will be the blending of theater and rock ‘n’ roll.
NOW WHAT: Remote viewing tickets are available now thru Monday, May 4. Tickets for one-time viewing are pay-what-you-wish, starting at $15. Closing party tickets are $99 and include remote viewing of the production. Proceeds will be shared with everyone who worked and played on the show.
The Fly Honeys Show Live Stream Listening Party @ MixLr, on your favorite browser, Live on Fridays at 8:30pm or when ever you have to time to listen to the archived shows,
WHAT: A collection of band and performance recordings from many years of The Fly Honey Show!
SO WHAT: Digitally hang out for these great listening parties and enjoy some energy-blasting compilations of the Fly Honeys Show that feature select pieces each week from Chicago artists, signers, poets, comedians, storytellers and musical acts who have graced The Fly Honey stage. Plus it's all backed by the 10-piece Fly Honey Band, lead by The Fly Honey's long-time musical director John Cicora.
NOW WHAT: Head over to their site and join in on the listening party fun!
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.
- At Home with the Auditorium Theatre (Sundays at 6:00pm @ Facebook) airs a live performance from one of the talented singers, dancers, and musicians from their community. Past performances are available here!
- #AudTalk (Wednesday at 6:00pm @ Facebook & Instagram) brings insightful converstation with arts professionals, experts, and star performers. Watch past talks with Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman and Auditorium CEO Rich Regan!
- Facebook Watch Parties (Various days at 6:00pm @ Facebook) let you chat with a crowd of digital friends as you watch some great past performances! This a great way to experience a shared viewing experience #ApartButTogether!This weekend's watch parties include: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Lazarus on April 16th & Arts for Illinois' QuaranStream Theatre Festival Finale on April 18th.
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 here.
Thursday, April 23, Resonance Presents
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!
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 Balloon, the Perfect Nanny, Mercury in Retrograde, Earth, Confidence, The Booksellers, The Times of Bill Cunningham, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands and many 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!
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 Bacurau (Check out our the review here), Saint Frances (our capsule review is available here), Sorry We Missed You, And Then We Danced (Check out our review here), and The Whistlers (Check out our review here). They'll also be screening CatVideoFest for $5!
NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy!
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/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!
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 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!
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.
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!
- 8:00pm - Andrea Pensado
- 8:30pm - Cooper Crain
- 9:00pm - LEYA
- 9:30pm - Angelwings Marmalade
- 10:00pm - Drew McDowall
- 10:30pm - Ulla Straus
- 7:00pm - Erica Miller
- 7:30pm - Veronica Salinas
- 8:00pm - Chloe Lin
- 8:30pm - Thessia Machado
- 9:00pm - Kimberly Sutton
- 9:30pm - Sara Zalek
- 7:00pm - James Sanders
- 7:30pm - Sam Trump
- 8:00pm - Megiapa
- 8:30pm - Brother El
- 9:00pm - YFEE
- 9:30pm - AQ
- 5:00pm - Monnette Sudler
- 5:30pm - Joshua Abrams
- 6:00pm - Jupiter Blue (DM Hotep & Tara Middleton of the Sun Ra Arkestra)
- 6:30pm - TBD
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!
- Thursday April 23 - Cosmic Country VR ReBroadcast - 8:00pm - $10 suggested tip From the cosmos to your living room through "VIRTUAL REALITY" the Cosmic Country Showcase has gone digital! See the "live" band back some of our favorite guest stars from the shows like Andrew Sa and Half Gringa, and past headliners Cassandra Jenkins, Dougie Poole, and Scott Hirsch dial in from home. Comedy from our favorites and a few out of town folks who haven't been able to make it out, but who can surf the net right into your living room. Dress for the occasion, we know they will be. - $10 suggested "tip"
- Friday April 24 and every following Friday - LP's Happy Hour - 5:00pm - $5 suggested tip 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. Join him with a drink and don’t forget to “tip”
- Friday April 24- Jon Langford - 8:00pm - $15 suggested tip Jon Langford's amazing mix of folk, country, and punk rock has been delighting music fans for decades. Whether it's as a solo performer, with The Mekons, the Waco Brothers, or one of his many collaborative groups, Langford always delivers a fantastic show full of great tunes and this digital version will sure impress!
- Saturday April 25 - Songs of Solidarity for Warehouse Workers - 7:00pm - $10 suggested tip Songs of Solidarity for Warehouse Workers, hosted by WW4J and Sunrise Movement Chicago brings musical artists from Chicago and the world wide together to show solidarity with essential supply chain workers fighting for fair pay, safe working conditions, and just labor practices. Funds raised during the concert will support the organizing work of Warehouse Workers for Justice as well as the artists performing.
- Saturday April 25 - Noble Savage DJs Hideout Dance Party- 10:00pm - $5 suggested tip Take a break from just sitting on the couch. get up and dance your button off with Austin and Troy as they spin 45s for the virtual dance party. Join them with a drink in hand and don’t forget to “tip”
- Wednesday April 29 - Veggie Bingo and every following Wednesday - 7:00pm $5 suggested tip Bingo season starts early! Veggie Bingo returns for a special in-home play edition. "Celebrity" callers will host special games and give you guides. Follow their special tips for making cards at home to play along. Dial in and "prove it" to win prizes while supporting a great cause. - $10 suggested "tip"
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 Balloon, the Perfect Nanny, Mercury in Retrograde, Earth, Confidence, The Booksellers, The Times of Bill Cunningham, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands and many 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!
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 Bacurau (Check out our the review here), Saint Frances (our capsule review is available here), Sorry We Missed You, And Then We Danced (Check out our review here), and The Whistlers (Check out our review here). They'll also be screening CatVideoFest for $5!
NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy!
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/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!
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 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!
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.
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!
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 FREE game for you to download: For the King!
NOW WHAT: Wash your hands and dive head first into some fun games