Behind the Emerald Curtain

Begins March 6, 2007
Tour lasts 60 minutes

"Behind the Emerald Curtain," an exclusive one-of-a-kind look at WICKED, is now offered every Tuesday evening at 5:00 PM. Cast members from the Chicago production of WICKED will take you on a magical journey behind the scenes of Chicago's hit musical phenomenon.

Participants will get a sneakified peek at the blockbuster musical, see actual props, masks and Tony Award-winning costumes and sets.

The tour also includes a question-and-answer portion with current cast members, and an opportunity to find out what's in store for Chicago's mega-hit musical.


For more information please visit the Broadway In Chicago website.

Jersey Boys

Bank of America Theatre
18 W. Monroe Street
Opening October 6, 2007

Jersey Boys is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were 30!  Winner of Best Musical Tony Award 2005.

This new musical features their beloved hit songs "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Rag Doll", "Oh What a Night" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" just to name a few. Meet Broadway's Jersey Boys this Winter!

For more information please visit the Broadway in Chicago website

Ed Ruscha and Photography

Saturday, March 1 - June 1, 2008
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.

Since the beginning of Ed Ruscha's career in the late 1950s, photography has been both an inspiration and a source of discovery for this seminal Pop and conceptual artist. This exhibition, on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art, presents his signature photographic books as well as approximately 115 original photographic prints.

The exhibition includes previously unseen photographs from an early trip to Europe that cemented Ruscha's inventive approach to and curiosity about particular subjects--typography and signage--and helped foster a strong graphic sensibility and bold playfulness, qualities that continue to inform all of his work. Ruscha's influence can be found in the practices of artists from photographers Lewis Baltz, Andreas Gursky, and Jeff Wall to famed architect Robert Venturi. The Art Institute's outstanding collection of Ruscha's works will not only elucidate the motifs and methods that course throughout his photographic practice, but also place his art at the center of the Pop and conceptual art movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

For more information please visit the Art Institute of Chicago website.

Contemporary Chinese Woodblock Prints

Saturday, March 29 - June 29, 2008
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.

China's most innovative printmakers demonstrate their revitalization of the graphic medium in vibrant and strikingly diverse images inspired by nature, human emotion, ethnic identity, historical tradition, and modern urban life. This exhibition highlights works by leading artists whose careers span the past 70 years, reflecting sources as diverse as ancient Chinese calligraphy and German Expressionism. Included are single- and multiblock impressions printed with water-soluble and rich oil-based inks. All prints are drawn from a portfolio commissioned by the renowned Muban Foundation in London. 

For more information please visit the Art Institute of Chicago website.

Dolly Parton

Thursday, May 8
The Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St.

Dolly Parton is one of America's most iconic singers and one of the most enduring international superstars in popular music. In a career with a seemingly impossibly high number of peaks, including over 100 million records sold worldwide, Dolly has built an incomparable legacy.  

For more information please visit the The Chicago Theatre website.

Edward Hopper

Saturday, May 10
Last day of Exhibit
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.

Edward Hopper (1882–1967), creator of art that novelist John Updike described as "calm, silent, stoic, luminous, and classic," is one of the most enduring and popular American painters of the 20th century. A pivotal artist who was intensely private, Hopper made solitude and introspection important themes in his paintings, which have been celebrated as a part of the very grain and texture of the American experience. 

For more information please visit The Art Institute of Chicago website.

The Ballad of Emmett Till

Wednesday, May 14
Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn St.

The now legendary story of Emmett Till is believed by many to be the start of the modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and remains one of the most pivotal incidents in a monumental era. This world premiere, part history and part ghost story, is a jazz integration of past and present, the living and dead, factual accounts and creative interpolation. Chicago author Ifa Bayeza captures the powerful truths at the heart of the story, creating a soaring work of music, brilliant poetry and theatricality. The Ballad of Emmett Till runs approximately two hours and 30 minutes including one 15 minute intermission.

For more information please visit the Goodman Theatre website.

The Giver

Thursday, May 15
DePaul University Theatre School
Merle Reskin Theatre
60 E. Balbo Dr.

Based on the Newbery Award-winning book, the story takes place in a seemingly perfect world without pain, war, fear or inequality. But when young Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories, he begins to learn difficult truths about his existence and the possibilities that a life full of choices can bring. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

For more information please visit the DePaul Theatre School website.

Joffrey Ballet: American Moderns

Saturday, May 17
The Auditorium Theatre
50 E. Congress Pkwy.

Hit the ground running with four explosive modern works that show off the non-stop athleticism of The Joffrey's dancers: Paul Taylor's hip and elegant Cloven Kingdom, a wry social commentary on man as a social animal; Mehmet Sander's intense Inner Space, a fascinating, funny, harrowing work for three dancers in a Plexiglas box; Laura Dean's hypnotic Night with its elegant, Zen-like movements; and The Joffrey premiere of Twyla Tharp's sleek, sexy, and zany Waterbaby Bagatelles featuring especially powerful dancing from the Company's men lit by ever-shifting arrangements of fluorescent bulbs.

For more information please visit The Auditorium Theatre website.

Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival

Sunday, May 18
Symphony Center
220 S. Michigan Ave.

Founded in 1998 by esteemed pianist Elena Bashkirova, the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival takes place each September in the historic city of Jerusalem. The worldwide enthusiasm for the festival has resulted in tours around the world with ensembles comprised of the festival's internationally acclaimed artists.

For more information please visit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra website.

Box Elder

Tuesday, May 20
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State St.

With a sense of humor dangling somewhere between the gross-out fun of ANIMAL HOUSE and the postmodern pleasures of mumblecore, BOX ELDER stakes a comic claim on dudedom. A drolly funny declaration of codependence, the episodic story wallows from sophomore to senior year in the wackily dim world of four beer-guzzling roommates at an institution of higher learning. To hell with exams--academic mileposts include a ‘stache party, Halloween, and the rare encounter with the female of the species. Endearingly on-target performances generate a growing whiff of poignancy as launch into the real world looms. Music by Pavement, Beulah, The Modern Lovers, and Baltimora. HD video. (BS)

Director Todd Sklar will be present at all screenings for audience discussion.

For more information please visit the Gene Siskel Film Center website.

A Flowering Tree

Friday, May 23
Harris Theatre
205 E. Randolph Dr.

This is John Adams like you've never heard!

The acclaimed composer of dramatic political statements including Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic now seduces audiences with a more intimate and lyrical sound in his latest work.

A Flowering Tree is modeled on the themes of Mozart's The Magic Flute and is based on a southern Indian folktale.

For more information please visit the Harris Theater website.

Chicago's Memorial Day Parade

Saturday, May 24
State Street, from Wacker to Van Buren
Begins at Noon

The Chicago Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony and Parade is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2008. The Wreath Laying Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Eternal Flame on Daley Plaza in Chicago (Dearborn and Washington Streets). The parade will step off at 12:00 (noon) and proceed south on State Street from Wacker Drive to Van Buren Street.

Memorial Day is a day to be thankful that we live in a country where freedom, justice and democracy are proudly defended. The City of Chicago honors all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country, and will include recognition of the Illinois Gold Star Families during the Commemoration. Since September 11, 2001, many residents of Illinois have died while in service; this includes the attack on the Pentagon and the continuing war against terrorism. Chicago's Memorial Day Parade is considered one of the largest events of its kind in the country with 10,000 people participating annually.

Participants include many area high schools' Marching Bands, Drum and Bugle Corps as well as many Veterans' groups, JROTC and the military.

For more information please visit the City of Chicago website.

The Kids in the Hall

Thursday, May 29
8:00pm
The Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St.

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley , Kevin McDonald , Bruce McCulloch , Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson . Their eponymously titled television show ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada, and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO in the United States.  

For more information please visit The Chicago Theatre website.

Imaginary Coordinates

Saturday, May 31
Spertus Institute
610 S. Michigan Ave.

Imaginary Coordinates is inspired by antique maps of the Holy Land in Spertus' collection. The exhibition juxtaposes these maps with modern and contemporary maps of this region, all of which assert boundaries. It brings these together with objects of material culture and artworks that question national borders, as a way of charting new spaces, fostering conversation, and imagining new communities.

Participating artists include: Ayreen Anastas, Yael Bartana, Mona Hatoum, Noel Jabbour, Sigalit Landau, Enas Muthaffar, Michal Rovner and Shirley Shor.

For more information please visit the Spertus Institute website.

Depot Collection Display

Permanent Exhibition
Spertus Institute
610 S. Michigan Ave.

Spertus Museum's ingenious storage and display area, called the depot , houses and presents approximately 1,500 objects from the museum's outstanding 15,000-piece collection. Conceived by Dr. Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek , Spertus Museum Senior Curator of Judaica and Chief Curator of the Jewish Museum of Vienna, this unique display dramatically expands the previous core collection-based exhibition. Through an interpretive light-directed process, visitors can examine cross-cultural influences on the development of Jewish objects, as well as ethical and historical issues surrounding the acquisition and display of culturally sensitive collections.

Also on permanent display is a site-specific commission by esteemed Indian artist Ranbir Kaleka . Called Consider (2007), the work is a powerful, open-ended reflection on the Holocaust. This poignant memorial is made possible with support from the Bernard and Rochelle Zell Holocaust Center at Spertus.

For more information please visit the Spertus Institute website.

Gas for Less

May 24 -June 22, 2008
Goodman Theatre
170 N. Dearborn St.

By Brett Neveu
Directed by Dexter Bullard

Gas For Less was once a rowdy North Side Chicago hangout where neighbors from all backgrounds came together to watch the Bears. Now gentrification has all but ruined the small, family-owned business and things only get worse when a sudden act of violence erupts at the station. Can Gas For Less be saved—and is it even worth saving?

Brett Neveu received the Goodman's Ofner Prize for Heritage. His other plays include The Meek; The Earl; 4 Murders; Eric LaRue; American Dead; Eagle Hills, Eagle Ridge, Eagle Landing; twentyone; and The Last Barbecue .

For more information please visit the Goodman Theatre website.

Orlando

Sunday, June 8
Harris Theater
205 E. Randolph Dr.

The romantic tables are turned in this psychological thriller.

While opera has its share of crazed woman, Handel's Orlando depicts a great soldier's emotional unraveling when he discovers his true love's commitment to another man.

This unique take on Orlando will place the action in a 1940's "Film Noir" setting that includes the usual femme fatales, mysterious investigators, and morally questionable heroes.

For more information please visit the Harris Theater website.

Pickup on South Street

Wednesday, June 11
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State St.

PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET
1953, Samuel Fuller, USA, 80 min.
With Richard Widmark, Jean Peters

A minor phenomenon of the early Cold War, the anti-commie genre produced one indisputable masterpiece: PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, in which a cynical pickpocket (Widmark) must choose between patriotism and profit after he swipes a top-secret microfilm. Writer-director Fuller displays a prodigious range of stylistic invention, finding fresh visual concepts for nearly every scene, but the key ingredient is the close-up, with the camera shoved in the actors' faces so aggressively you can almost see their breath fogging the lens. 35mm. (MR)

For more information please visit the Gene Siskel Film Center website.

Berlioz: Harold in Italy

Saturday, June 7
Symphony Center
220 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago favorite Pinchas Zukerman returns as soloist in two showpieces for viola. Hindemith wrote his Trauermusik in a day and a half in response to the death of King George V of England. Harold in Italy is one of Berlioz's most ingenious works, a grand symphony inspired by Byron's poetry with a heroic role for solo viola.

Described as “thoroughly modern, highly intelligent music” by The Washington Times after its 2007 premiere, Sacred Heart: Explosion by Jefferson Friedman is based on the work of visionary artist Henry Darger of Chicago (1892-1972). The piece receives its Chicago premiere in these performances.

For more information please visit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra website.

Graphic Thought Facility: Resourceful Design

March 27 - August 17, 2007
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.

Graphic Thought Facility (GTF) is the first exhibition at the Art Institute devoted solely to graphic design. Established in 1990, the studio led by Huw Morgan, Paul Neale, and Andy Stevens has emerged as one of the most progressive and creative design firms working in both two and three dimensions. The firm is well known in Britain for creating the brand identities of some of the bastions of British design, including Habitat, a furnishings and interior design retailer launched in 1964 by Terence Conran; the Design Museum in London; and Frieze, London's major annual contemporary art fair. Also active in book design, GTF designed monographs on the work of Ron Arad and Tord Boonjte as well as the exhibition catalogue for the 54th Carnegie International in 2003, all of which are presented in the exhibition.

For more information please visit the Art Institute of Chicago website.

Return to Forever

Friday, June 20
The Chicago Theatre
175 N. State St.

After a touring absence of more than 25 years, the potent jazz-rock flagship quartet Return to Forever returns in 2008. This highly anticipated reunion will see the group's classic lineup — Chick Corea on keyboards, Al Di Meola on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums — embark on an expansive summer tour with dates in Europe and the United States.

A special Return to Forever anthology featuring remixed and remastered tracks from the classic albums Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery and Romantic Warrior will also be released to coincide with the tour.

For more information please visit the Chicago Theatre website.