Events Search
Esther Newton
Thu., May 23, 5 p.m.Lectures
Esther Newton is a pioneering scholar of gay and lesbian history, but she and her partner, Holly Hughes, also lived it. Newton trained as an anthropologist and made her name with ethnographic studies of drag queens and of Cherry Grove, the village on Fire Island that became America's first queer town. Now she's teaching at the University of Michigan and working on a memoir, My Butch Career, which begins with her early realization that she and her father dressed exactly alike and continues through her adventures in Chicago (she got her doctorate at U. of C.) and New York, both pre- and post-Stonewall. She previews the book at this talk. Hughes, meanwhile, is an academic and a performance artist. She is also "a lesbian," as former National Endowment for the Arts chair John Frohnmeyer once observed, "and her work is very heavily of that genre." That was the reason that, in 1990, Frohnmeyer denied Hughes an NEA grant, though her work had unanimously passed a peer-review process. She and several other artists who received the same treatment, including Karen Finley, sued to get their funding; the case eventually made it to the Supreme Court. Hughes's performance piece Too Much Sky concerns issues of censorship, both personal and political. Or maybe both, since we know now they're one and the same. —Aimee Levitt
80 Foots per Minute
Thu., May 23, 7:30 p.m.Theater & Performance
A little literary playfulness goes a long way for vocalist-musicians Emmy Bean, T-Roy Martin, and Chris Schoen, who, in their rapid-fire program of folksy musical arrangements, take on roles ranging from the pathetic oysters in Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter" to Carl Sandburg reading his poem "Loam." Some songs indulge kitsch—like one that sets to music a Thomas Campion poem in which a single word ("love") has been replaced each time it appears by another ("Batman"). And though I'm generally inclined to dismiss offhand anything based on writings of the great poet Craigslist, "Past Saturday Night, Northerly Island," which adapts a missed connection into rondo form, struck me as weirdly hypnotic and catchy. The afternoon's shining ditty was "Riled Geese," inspired by Mary Oliver's poem of the same name, in which Bean does an absolutely bewitching scat-singing impression of a goose (a style susceptible to the very amusing coinage "goose scat"). —Jena Cutie
comfortstationprojects@gmail.comThird Coast Percussion
Thu., May 23, 8 p.m.Classical
Chicago’s superb Third Coast Percussion, recently named ensemble in residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, concludes its concert season with one of its most eclectic, melodic, and forward-looking programs. The centerpiece of the evening is Dmitri Tymoczko’s Röckdöts, whose high-energy, high-volume collision of tuned percussion, piano, and clattery kit drumming borrows the feel of complicated prog rock. Nico Muhly’s gorgeous Pillaging Music, a billowing miniature for piano and tuned percussion, owes a small debt to Steve Reich in terms of timbre, but its fractally blossoming florets of melody carve out their own aesthetic space. Also on the program are Alexandre Lunsqui’s Shi, a workout for scraped, scratched, and frantically rubbed whiskey bottles, grill grates, and chopsticks; new commissions for Chicago composers Ryan Ingebritsen and Marc Mellits; and Mark Applebaum’s Wristwatch Geology, the score of which is inscribed on four wristwatches worn by the four members of the ensemble. —Peter Margasak
$20
Mavado
Thu., May 23, 9 p.m.International
For the past few years Mavado has been in the same predicament that’s afflicted so many other dancehall superstars: he’s practically a demigod in Jamaica, but barely anyone in the U.S. knows who he is. This is despite the fact that his American fan base consists not just of dancehall geeks but also of massive rap stars. Jay-Z and Drake are fans, Snoop and French Montana have both featured him as a guest on songs, and hip-hop kingmaker DJ Khaled has signed him to a record deal. But even given his lack of crossover in the States so far, Mavado could still break out here: his signature style is supersmooth, highly melodic, and unlikely to strike an audience already acclimated to Sean Paul as too exotic to handle. Then again, he seems to be doing just fine without us. —Miles Raymer DJ Ringo and One Blood open.
$35, $49.95 VIP
Lois Leveen
Thu., May 23, 6 p.m.Literary Events
Leveen discusses her new novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser.
Dean Strang
Thu., May 23, 6 p.m.Literary Events
Strang discusses his book Worse than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror.
Karen Beattie
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Beattie discusses her book Rock-Bottom Blessings: Discovering God's Abundance When All Seems Lost.
DanceMoves
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Dance
An informal showcase featuring works by DanceWorks Chicago choreographers Paige Cunningham Calderella, Joshua Blake Carter, Brandon DiCriscio, and more. $15
An Evening of Storytelling
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open Mikes
This evening's storytellers include Susan Block, Mary Lou Gilliam, Denise Kirshenbaum, and Donna Lubow. $5, 2 drink minimum
Phil Jackson
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Jackson, the legendary basketball coach, discusses his book 11 Rings. RSVP required. $20-$45
Drew Magary
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Magary, the Deadspin columnist and GQ contributor, signs copies of his book, Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First Century Parenthood.
Stephen Rodrick
Thu., May 23, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Rodrick presents his new book, The Magical Stranger: A Son's Journey Into His Father's Life. Presented by Newcity. Reservations required.
