Your #StaytheFHome Curated Weekend: 5/20 and Beyond

It's another week closer to a fuller reopening of the city! More venues are opening up now with limited capacity, shows scheduled for the near future, and a new normal may be happening soon. But as we said in the one-year anniversary of the #StaytheFHome Curated Weekend, we need to continue being careful if we go out and opt to support the local arts scenes we so enjoy from home. We will continue posting mostly virtual events and listing in-person events, but in the coming weeks will be mixing the two a little more.  Nonetheless, positive moves forward are a good thing and we'll still keep tabs on the fun stuff happening online this weekend and beyond! So if you feel comfortable going out, do so with a mask and social distance. Before we jump into our event recommendations, we want to remind you that Third Coast Review is one of 43 local independent media that are members of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance. You can help #savechicagomedia by donating to our 2021 campaign. Here’s our CIMA website where you can donate to all or select your favorites to receive donations.

Now, let's get on with your #StaytheFHome Curated Weekend! And if you're opting to stay home, then let's find something fun to do! Whether you're doing your part in fighting against police brutality, 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 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 try and stay the fuck inside and enjoy your curated weekend

FRIDAY, MAY 21st

Get Vaccinated @ Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont, 2:00pm - 7:00pm,
WHAT: Let's get back together and celebrate performance artists. The program will feature dance, magic, puppetry, stand-up comedy, performance art and more.
SO WHAT: Light bites, nonalcoholic beverages and shots of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine (the one-shot vaccine) are on the menu for all. Plus you can get your very own professional vaccination headshot, courtesy of Maia Rosenfeld Photography.
NOW WHAT: Pre-register or just drop in Friday, May 21, between 2pm and 7pm at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont.
STAGED – Live Shows from Home & Audiotree Live @ Audiotree, the spot where you’ve been watching all the best streaming shows these past few months, 8:00pm WHAT: Live music from Lincoln Hall and Audiotree to make staying at home a little better SO WHAT: Audiotree has been providing some quality live sessions to music fans for years, letting artists do their thing right from Audiotree's studio. In addition to their live in-studio sessions, Audiotree added amazing live shows from the Lincoln Hall stage last year with tons of fan fare! These livestreams are filled with all the lights and stage presence you remember, but 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 shows. CHeck out this week's lineup below NOW WHAT: Tickets are $12 for Hey Riddle RiddleSTAGED show and are only available a short time after airing. Audiotree sessions are always free!

FRIDAY & BEYOND, MAY 21st - JUNE 6th

The 9th Annual Pivot Arts Festival: Reimagining Utopia @ Your favorite streaming device and Various locarions around Chicago, Various Times WHAT: A celebration of contemporary performance SO WHAT: This year's Pivot Arts Festival presents 12 selected artists and artistic groups commissioned to create video installations or short, live works responding to the theme of a better world post-pandemic. The performances will take place either in person will safety precautions or virtually throughout the festival. You can check out the lineup of performances over on their website! NOW WHAT: Head over to the Pivots Arts website and start scheduling your festival experience!

FRIDAY - SUNDAY, MAY 21st - MAY 23rd

Ethan Philion Quartet / Keefe Jackson Trio with Tomeka Reid, Jason Roebke / Twin Talk @ Constellation, the most musically inclined room in your home, Friday 8:00pm, Saturday 8:00pm & 10:00pm WHAT: An amazing show for your weekend! SO WHAT: Constellation has been putting on some incredible shows during the pandemic and this weekend is no different! First up on Friday The Ethan Philion Quartet will be presenting a set of music sponsored by the International Society of Bassists. ! Saturday will feature long-term collaborators Keefe Jackson Trio with Tomeka Reid, Jason Roebketrying to find the balance between improvising and composing! And then Sunday  Twin Talk will perform their elastic, spontaneous, and open improvisational music. Be sure to look ahead at Constellation's schedule because next week Wednesday will feature Nick Mazzarella / Hamid Drake, a show co-presented by Elastic Arts! NOW WHAT: Stream tickets are $15, so sit back and enjoy the incredible show this weekend! There are also limited in-person seating tickets available for the weekend shows!

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd

ComEd’s 7th annual Switch on Summer @ ComEd's Facebook, the most summery room in your home, 2:00pm WHAT: Kick off summer from home! SO WHAT: ComEd’s 7th annual Switch on Summer celebrates the start of season by turning on Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain!  ComEd will be bringing the summer tradition to the comfort of your home. This livestream event featuring special guest appearances, including WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez, and music by Papo Santiago y su Orquesta, curated by the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. NOW WHAT: Head over to ComEd's Facebook to catch the show starting at 2:00pm

OTVLIVE Premieres @ OTVLIVE's streaming platform, the most engaging place in your home, 8:00pm WHAT: Open Television is a platform for intersectional pilots and series, supporting Chicago artists in producing and exhibiting indie series. SO WHAT: Throughout May, OTVLIVE will be releasing a live to tape broadcast of new and exciting shows that show just how diverse and unique the world around us is. From experimaental content to educational and talks show fun, this series is a great chance to to discover something new! Checkout the lineup below! NOW WHAT: The shows are free! Register for the ones you want and follow the links for a great show on Saturday! Dennis Walkins @ The Magic Parlour at Home, on your favorite streaming device in the most magical spot in your home, 8:00pm WHAT: A little bit of magic to spice up your weekend! SO WHAT: While Dennis Watkins is usually conjuring up wonderful effects and illusions live and in person, for the time being he's only sticking to the live part as he takes his magical act to Zoom! Gather your bubble together, dress to the nines, and experience some fantastic magic right at home! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $49 and they usually go fast, so book a magical evening as soon as you can!

THE WHOLE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

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 features:

You can check out their full schedule here. NOW WHAT: Head over to their Twitch stream and start watching some great shows. There is a suggested donation of $5-$10 per evening. 100% of the donations contributed during each performance go to the artists who played that night.

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 is currently open to the public, so if you feel comfortable you can go out and have a theatre experience this weekend with The Perfect Candidate, Dazed and Confused, Don't Panic, and Music Box Garden Movies like Candyman and Rush Hour! But if you want to watch some first run movies at home,  you can still watch great moves and support them online! They are currently screening films via their The Music Box Direct series! Check out films like About Endlessness, Berlin Alexanderplatz, The County, Los Hermanos - The Brothers, In Silico, Lust for Gold: A Race Against Time, My Wonderful Wanda, The Paper Tigers, Paris Calligrammes, Perfumes, Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement, Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm, The Room, Shiva Baby, There is No Evil, Wet Season, and more! There also tons of select titles available on their new platform! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy! Also Music Box To Go is still around with all the drinks and snacks you need to enjoy a movie at home!
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! 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 subscription to watch their amazing lineup of shows for only for $25 a month! 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 New French Shorts, Spring Blossom, RK/RKAY; There Is No Evil; Us Kids; Slalom; Wet Season; The County; About Endlessness; My Wonderful Wanda; Hope; Beast Beast; Downstream to Kinshasa;  and Oscar nominated Documentary, Live Action, and Animated Shorts! Head over to their listings and start watching! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back 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 new talks, so check out the wealth of upcoming and previous events in their archives! Below is just a taste of what is coming in the next few weeks NOW WHAT: Head over to take a look at their past events here! You should also sign up for their email list to get updates on upcoming talks in 2021. Fulton Street Collective Jazz Series @ Their YouTube channel, the cosiest spot in your home, 8:00pm WHAT: Some excellent jazz for your evening SO WHAT: Fulton Street Collective may not be able to perform for you in person, but they are determined to give Chicago its much needed dose of jazz through these streamed shows! You can see all their shows on their YouTube channel! Below are just some of the upcoming shows from the collective NOW WHAT: The shows are free unless noted, but you should definitely support Fulton Street Collective by becoming a member! Lyric Opera Streaming On Demand @ Your favorite streaming device, the most lavish spot in your home WHAT: The Lyric Opera at home SO WHAT: Revisit some of your favorite Lyric moments, or experience for the first time performances you've missed.Check out their website for schedule of upcoming shows. Currently streaming is Luisa Miller (2019), The Queen of Spades (2020), and Die Walküre (2017). NOW WHAT: It's free!! Steppenwolf NOW @ Your best streaming device, the most theatrical spot in your place, Any time through August 31, 2021 WHAT: The talented voices of Steppenwolf's ensemble beamed straight into your home SO WHAT: Steppenwolf NOW is a new virtual programming stream featuring a dynamic and innovative slate of immersive and visual experiences crafted and produced for the virtual platform. Membership will let you experience a one-time screening of the current lineup of six projects each until August 31, 2021. The newest production is Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! NOW WHAT: The membership is $75 and a great way to experience six great shows and support a local institution. The Great Grow Along @ Your home, next to your soon-to-be-thriving home garden, Friday 1:00pm - 5:00pm, Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm, and Sunday 1:00pm - 3:45pm WHAT: A chance to make your thumb a little greener SO WHAT: The Great Grow Along was a three-day virtual garden festival that will provide gardeners with 40+ hours of sessions with plant pros to help up everyone's growing game! There will be learning tracks to guide you through the talks and they have made the festival's content available on demand to watch at your own pace over the next six months! NOW  WHAT: Tickets are $29.95 for this great collection of gardening talks talks! 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. It also notes which are closed for the season and how you can help support them during these times! NOW WHAT: Check out our most recent update on what museums are doing as they reopen and continue their online presence!
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 Minutesis 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! They also just released 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies, a series of 1-5 minute plays that adopt a variety of shapes, tones, and theatrical conventions centered around the lives of the women who have served in the role of First Lady. 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! 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 will be releasing a few new FREE games for you to download ! 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! 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
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! This Friday will feature the always incredible Miranda Winters of Melkbelly streaming from atop the Empty Bottle! 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.
Ravinia TV @ Ravinia's YouTube Channel, On the best sounding device that can play YouTube channel, Fridays 7:00pm WHAT: Some excellent performances to hold you over during this time of no live concerts SO WHAT: RaviniaTV was a 20-minute weekly variety show webcast on their YouTube channel and Facebook page every Friday. Their first season of the series is over, but all their shows are achieved and ready to re-watch or experience forth e first time! NOW WHAT: Head over to their website and tune in to the show. You can also check out previous episodes of the show 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!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42ZUUBeHSY 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.
#things to do#things to do in chicago#things to do this weekend#things to do this weekend in chicago
Julian Ramirez