Chicago, IL

The first Tuesday of every month, Century Centre Cinema at Clark and Diversey hosts the Midwest Independent Film Festival, which showcases the “finest independent cinema in the Midwest.” The films are introduced each week by the directors and actors who created the film and there is a question and answer session after the film is shown.

The next screening will be this upcoming Tuesday, June 5th, and will feature the controversial film Death of a President, which chronicles the investigation of the fictional assassination of President Bush. The movie was the recipient of the Critic’s Prize at the Toronto Film Festival. Below is a trailer for the film, courtesy of YouTube.

For general information about the festival, including screening times and admission, check out this link.

Additionally, if you are filmmaker yourself, you can also submit your own work to be considered for placement in the festival.

Chicago, midwest independent film festival, independent film, death of a president, youtube

Starting next Wednesday June 6 through September 3, Navy Pier will be hosting Cirque Shanghai, a talented troupe of Chinese acrobats. The company was here last summer as well, but this year will be showcasing their new production Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi. The phrase “Bai Xi” means “100 amazing acts.” The performances combine dance, acrobatics, and feats of physical strength.

Here is a video from YouTube, taken by someone who saw the performance last summer.

The shows take place at the Pepsi Skyline Stage at Navy Pier Wednesday through Sunday and feature both day and evening performances. For more information and for tickets, visit the Navy Pier website.

Chicago, Navy Pier, Cirque Shanghai, acrobats, chinese acrobats, bai xi

Well, it looks like this weekend marks the beginning of a long series of neighborhood music festivals around town. I’m going to check out the Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival. This festival not only has a truly banal name, but promises “national, regional and local bands, plus food, beer, crafts and more.”
Sounds great, you say, but how much does it cost? $5 donation benefits Central Lake View Merchants Association

Here’s the lineup…

Saturday
Noon: Cook County Jazz Commission
1:30 p.m.: The August
3 p.m.: Mike & Joe
4:15 p.m.: Mike & Joe
6 p.m.: Alternate Routes
8 p.m.: Josh Kelley

Sunday
Noon: Forte
1:30 p.m.: Soulio
3:30 p.m.: Catfight
5:30 p.m.: The 1900s
7:30 p.m.: Carbon Leaf

Jun. 2: noon - 10 p.m.
Jun. 3: noon - 9 p.m.

Located at 3200 N Sheffield…
Apparantly, if you just get off the Red Line at Belmont and walk Northwest, you’ll run right into it.

Belmont/Sheffield Music Festival, Carbon Leaf, the 1900s, Catfight, Soulio, Josh Kelley, Alternate Routes, Mike and Joe, The August, Cook County Jazz Comission, Chicago

The annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival will take place this weekend, starting on Friday June 1. The festival takes place in Millennium Park and includes performances in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Gospel Youth Tent on the North Promenade and the Walgreens Day Stage on the South Promenade. The festival runs from 4:00p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Among the performers are Donald Lawrence & Co., Myron Butler and Levi and Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson.

Admission to the festival is free of charge. For full schedule information at each of the performance areas, check out the official website.

Chicago, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, Gospel, music festival, millennium park

I recently saw what I believe to be a magical theatrical experience…

Arm Soup: The Story of How Five People Went West And Ate Each Other

Directed by my personal hero, Mr. Pat O’Brien, Arm Soup presupposes that the events that happened in 1846 to the Donner Party could happen in Modern America. A mismatched band of five modern residents of Loami set out on the road to California in a covered wagon. The actors (and writers) masterfully balanced the absurdity of the plot on the edge of pandemonium. They were the perfect example of controlled chaos.

Did I mention that this is a musical?
Riiiiight.
Basically, I was in heaven.

The cast was made up of a lot of actors that I normally associate with Improv Comedy: Beau Golwitzer (The Reckoning, Shotgun, Testify), Emily Wilson (Johnny Roast Beef, The Ragdolls), George McAuliffe (Revolver, 21st Century Men). And they all sang their little hearts out to songs written by the amazingly talented Tony Mendoza and Sam Locke.

Arm Soup is in an open run Friday and Saturday Nights at 10:30 at the Annoyance Theater on Broadway and Lawrence. It’s a couple of doors down from the Green Mill.

You can get tickets online: HERE
General Admission: $15

Arm Soup, Pat O’Brien, Annoyance Theater, Musicals, Improv Comedy, Chicago

The city of Chicago is hosting a new unique event called LOOPTOPIA, which will take place starting at dusk on Friday May 11th and will run until dawn on Saturday May 12th. As the name would suggest, the event will be taking place all throughout the Chicago Loop area in downtown Chicago. Specifically, the over 75 scheduled events will occur between the boundaries of Wacker Drive to Congress Parkway and from Dearborn Street to Lake Michigan. According to the official website:

LOOPTOPIA will be America’s first dusk-to-dawn cultural and artistic spectacle showcasing the vibrancy and excitement of Chicago’s historic Loop neighborhood through musical and theatrical performances, unique shopping and dining opportunities, indoor programs, outdoor exhibitions, architectural tours, artistic installations and mesmerizing light displays.

Events will take place at a wide variety of locales throughout the night, including the Chicago Cultural Center, Daley Plaza, and the Art Institute. There will be a closing breakfast at Millennium Park at 6:15 a.m. Click here for a full list of events.

chicago, looptopia, nightlife, chicago loop