6 minute read
Arts & (Home) Entertainment
from May 4 - 11, 2020
Since being stuck inside, which shows have you been watching? Which movies? Have you read any good books lately? Any new music releases have you dancing in your living room? StreetWise vendors, readers and staff are sharing what is occupying their attention during this unprecedented time. To be featured in a future edition, send your recommendations and why you love them to Creative Director / Publisher Dave Hamilton at dhamilton@streetwise.org
Party at Home!
Drag from Home
The bars may be closed but drag always finds a way. Drag performers are bringing us live drag entertainment, even in quarantine. During these shows, the host will typically introduce performers and/or stall for time as they cut to the live stream of the next number.
Then performers thrill us with a number from the comfort of their own home. Drag from home is thoroughly entertaining and features makeshift stage curtains in the living room, tours of your favorite performer’s homes, and jaw dropping entrances down a beige-carpeted stairway. During the show, the performer’s social media handles are shared as well as information to send a remote tip using Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp. With nightlife shut down during the shelter-in-place orders, many performers are unable to work, so this is a great way for them to put out entertainment digitally and for everyone to give what they can in return. Sending a stranger $2 for doing your favorite Shirley Bassey number from the comfort of your sofa is an indescribable joy. So, until we can get back into public spaces and support these entertainers in person, enjoy some drag from home!
Local drag performer, T Rex, typically hosts her weekly show, Drag Matinee, from the popular Berlin Nightclub, but has taken to Twitch.tv to continue featuring local Chicago talent and surprise guests from across the country. You can catch the main event on Saturday nights at 10 PM CST and other mini matinees throughout the week. Follow Drag Matinee at Facebook.com/DragMatinee, @DragMatinee on Instagram, and Twitch.tv/dragmatinee
L.A. drag performer and winner of Season 2 of Dragula, Biqtch Puddin’, hosts Digital Drag
Show alongside producer, Megna, on Friday nights at 9PM CST featuring performers across the world. Follow Digital Drag Show at Facebook.com/biqtch and catch shows at Twitch.tv/ biqtchpuddin.
-Recommended by StreetWise reader Daniel Bapst
Learn an Instrument
The Old Town School of Folk Music Online Classes
Many people are finding themselves with more time on their hands than usual. Perhaps it’s time to pick up that instrument again that may have been collecting dust in the corner. The Old Town School of Folk Music has released a full calendar of classes and online workshops for every ability level. A great way to stay connected to music, community, learn and grow while staying at home. www.oldtownschool.org
Chill Out!
Dead and Company 'One More Saturday Night'
Dead and Company is three of the four still living members of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, playing in their newest reiteration of the Dead, which has pop superstar John Mayer taking the reins of Jerry Garcia’s legendary lead guitar parts. Many Deadheads who originally viewed Mayer’s addition to the group with skepticism were quickly converted into John Mayer fans when he played disciplined and passionate tributes to Garcia’s music without abandoning his own musical personality. The group, which formed in 2015, has been one of the Dead’s most successful touring acts since Garcia’s death. Bassist Oteil Burbridge and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti round out the band. Weekly broadcasts every Saturday night on facebook.com/DeadandCompany.
-Recommended by StreetWise reader Kathy Hinkel
Make It!
Diamond Painting
A new activity that is getting me through this quarantine is working on Diamond Paintings. If you’re like me and had never heard of one, it’s basically a paint by number WITH MORE SPARKLE. You can order whatever weird design is available on Etsy or Amazon or even custom order one of your own photos. The kits come with a sticky canvas, thousands of little sparkle diamond pieces, a tray, poking stick and wax. Pour the coordinating color to the part of the “painting” you’re working on into the tray and then off you go, putting a bit of wax on your poker, picking up the diamond and pressing it into its specific home. Then repeat forever. It is satisfying in so many ways - there are elements of organization, easy creativity, order and shimmer. That combo, for me, is an excellent way to combat a time where I feel like I have very little control over what is happening and to feel accomplished to have something physically completed. Therapeutic at best, insane new wall art at least!
-Recommended by StreetWise reader Michelle Himsalam
Watch This!
Frozen II
Frozen II just came out on Disney Plus, which is super exciting! This is a film that so many people have been waiting years for, and it did not disappoint. The animation is mesmerizing, the music hopeful and captivating, and the character development heartwarming. Plus, I do have to say, Olaf and his jokes steal the show! Make sure to either buy this movie on DVD or buy a subscription to Disney Plus. This family-friendly movie will please people of all ages.
-Recommended by StreetWise Intern Rachel Koertner
Support Local Theatre!
Pants Optional: A Steppenwolf Soirée
Steppenwolf Theatre Company replaces its 2020 Gala with a special online event celebrating the power of theatre and raising vital funds to keep it alive during a time of necessary social distancing. Ensemble member Audrey Francis emcees this festive virtual gathering on Saturday, May 9, at 6:30pm CST, with special appearances by Steppenwolf ensemble members Joan Allen, Gary Cole, John Malkovich, Sandra Marquez and Laurie Metcalf, along with celebrity guests who will be announced on Steppenwolf’s social media channels and website. Free of charge and open to all, Pants Optional is an opportunity for Steppenwolf, its community of artists, audiences and supporters to connect, engage and take a collective breath. Wrapping up Steppenwolf’s spectacular online bash, attendees can participate in a virtual dance party with the talented DJ Tracy Young, who won a 2020 Grammy for her remix of Madonna’s "I Rise." For more details on how to stream Pants Optional: A Steppenwolf Soirée, visit steppenwolf.org/ pantsoptional.
Join the Fun!
Chicago Fair Trade for World Fair Trade Day[s]
Wednesday May 6 through Friday May 8. The events have gone online this year, but one registration on Eventbrite will Zoom you in. Wednesday night between 6 and 8:30 p.m., there will be two panels. "Food Justice in the Time of Covid 19" will discuss the changing landscape of the food we eat, featuring Dr. Howard Rosing of DePaul University; Adam Olson of Oxfam America; and Emily Trujillo, president of the DePaul Fair Trade Club and a grocery store worker. A second panel will discuss garment worker vulnerability and the global health crisis. Speakers will include New York author Elizabeth Cline, who has covered the "fast fashion" world; Pushpika Freitas, president of Market Place Handwork of India; and Chicago Fair Trade Changemaker and indie designer Jamie Hayes of Production Mode. Thursday, same time, same station, will be "Why Transparency Matters in Developing Ethical Supply Chains" with Shayna Harris, former chief growth officer of Farmer's Fridge, and Leonardo Bonanni, founder and CEO of Sourcemap. Katherine Bissell Cordova, executive director of Chicago Fair Trade, will lead a discussion on "How do we survive coronavirus?" Friday night from 6 to 7 p.m., raise a glass during Fair Trade Happiness Hour.
-Recommended by StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney
