Your #StaytheFHome Curated Weekend: 5/21 and Beyond

It's Memorial Day Weekend! Were it any other time I'm sure we'd all be planning a trip or gathering to mark the occasion, but it's imperative that we stay in and keep ourselves safe. While news of the Phase 3 re-openings flood in, remember to be safe this weekend and beyond. So while we're still couped up inside, 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, May 14th and Beyond

Virtual Mayfestiversary 2020 @ Begyle Brewing / Dovetail / The Friendship Center Facebook Live Streams, you handy dandy internet-connected device, Saturday 11:00am - 10:00pm, Sunday 10:00am - 10:00pm WHAT: All the usual Mayfestiversary fun but from the safety of home! SO WHAT: Begyle Brewing and Dovetail Brewery have teamed up with The Friendship Center to keep the spirit of Mayfestiversary alive during this Stay at Home order by taking the event Virtual! Starting off on Saturday you can pick up beers to-go to be set for the rest of the weekend as you take Virtual tours of the breweries, partake in some voga, watch a few performances from Mayfestiversaries of yesteryear, play bingo for some fantastic prizes and more! Fat Shallot will help things kick off on Saturday from 11am to 1:30pm with to go orders of their tasty food! Check out their event page for more details on how to join in on the fun! NOW WHAT: Jump over to Begyle Brewing, Dovetail Brewery, and The Friendship Center to enjoy the day virtually! And don't forget to donate $5 to help support The Friendship Center as they foster hope and dignity through access to food, vital resources, and critical social services in the community! Millennium Park at Home: House Music@ DCASE's Youtube Channel, preferably on a big screen with the volume turned up, Saturday and Sunday 6:00pm -8:00pm, WHAT: A little House music for your house SO WHAT: The Chicago House Music Festival may not be going as hard as it usually does, but that doesn't mean it you can't try from home! Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will be hosting some fantastic online concerts for free featuring House Music in the Key of Chicago on their Youtube channel this weekend! Check out the lineup below: Friday May 22 6:00pm - 8:00pm Hosted by 95.1 FM Club Steppin’s Dana Divine
  • DJ Lady D (Chicago)
  • DJ JES
  • Maurice Joshua
  • Aftersets at www.houseclubtour.com
Saturday May 23 6:00pm - 8:00pm Hosted by 5 Magazine’s Czarina
  • DJ SHANNON HARRIS
  • DjHeather
  • Gene Hunt Chicago
  • Aftersets at www.houseclubtour.com
NOW WHAT: Sit back and enjoy some stellar House music on Youtube this weekend! 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, through May 24. All Ages WHAT: Theater Wit right at home! This the final week of this online show so don't miss out on it! 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 streamed video performance are available here, don't miss out on this great show. 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 Toronzo Cannon! 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! 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 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
  • June 9 7:00pm: S.G. Goodman
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.  

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 Alice, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Chicagoland Shorts Vol. 6, Deerskin, Fourteen, RGB, and Straight Up! They'll also be teaming up with the Chicago Architecture Center for Celluloid Skylines: An At-Home Architectural Film Festival, four days of great films and discussions on how filmmakers use architecture to tell extraordinary stories. 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 (and a The Room package), so head over to the Music Box website o see how to order! 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. Check out part one of the round up 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! 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 or at their website 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 The Booksellers, Beyond the Visible: Hilma AF Klint, The Painter and the Thief, Caro Diario, Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy, Alice, Mr. Jones, Up from the Street, 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 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. 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. 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 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! 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 a huge sale going one with endless coupons ($10 off per order of $15+) and have released a new FREE game for you to download, Civilization VI! 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. 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!
Julian Ramirez