Arts Outlook

Friday, April 17, 2009

By: Jonathan Abarbanel

Summer scene sizzles.

 

The old joke is that it takes longer to say “summer in Chicago” than the season lasts. That’s not true, of course, especially if Mother Nature grants us an early spring and/or a warm autumn.

Then again, Chicago schools don’t let out until June 12 this year and begin again immediately after Labor Day, which does shorten the window for warm weather family activities.               

Maybe that’s why Chicago squeezes in so darn much outdoor activity between the end of May and the first weekend of September. It’s not only road repairs that make Chicago summer driving a nightmare, but also the constant street closures for neighborhood festivals and fairs, for bike and foot marathons, and for annual lakefront spectaculars such as  Taste of Chicago (June 26-July 5) and the Chicago Air and Water Show (Aug. 15-16).        

Since much outdoor activity involves the arts, Footlights thought you might enjoy a brief cross-section of the multitude of open-air events. The following constitutes a tiny fraction of all that’s available.

Theater, Naturally

Oak Park Festival Theatre, Austin Gardens, Oak Park—Now in its 35th year, the Festival Theatre presents Lanford Wilson’s FIFTH OF JULY (June 10-July 11) and Edmond Rostand’s CYRANO DE BERGERAC (July 15-Aug. 15) in the lovely Austin Gardens at the edge of the Oak Park Historic District. Free street parking is easy to find and picnics are encouraged, but bring bug repellant and a comfy lawn chair or blanket.

First Folio Theatre, Mayslake Peabody Estate Forest Preserve, Oakbrook—The Scottish Play, MACBETH, is the outdoor choice this year (July 8-Aug. 9), directed by Nick Sandys who will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his skill as a Certified Fight Master.               

There’s ample free parking and picnics are encouraged. Bring a folding chair, insect repellant and a sweater in case it turns chilly. FYI: the Peabody Estate boasts lovely flower gardens you can enjoy before sunset.

Exercise and entertainment are seamlessly combined in Theatre-Hikes' productions like 2008's REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM.  Photo by Frank Farrell.

Theatre-Hikes, chiefly at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle and Chicago’s North Park Village Nature Center—This eight-year-old troupe offers a unique concept: You take an easy, slow two-mile hike (more or less) amidst lush woods and gardens, and along the way the scenes of a full-length play unfold before you. Performances mostly are Saturdays and Sundays during daylight hours.               

This year’s repertory is the largest and most varied in the company’s history: MOUNTAIN DAYS: THE JOHN MUIR MUSICAL; David Mamet’s early play, THE DUCK VARIATIONS (not for kids); CHARLOTTE’S WEB (definitely family fare); JACKIE, AN AMERICAN LIFE (that’s Jackie as in Kennedy Onassis); and SLEEPY HOLLOW. See www.theatrehikes.org for schedule.

Sample Cinema and Dance

Chicago Outdoor Film Festival—Free movies, both classic and contemporary, are viewed on giant screens courtesy of the Chicago Park District. Last year, the movies-in-parks program offered 170 screenings across the city. As of press time, the 2009 schedule was not available but Grant Park is the flagship location with screenings every Tuesday night at dusk for seven week (July 14-Aug. 25). Bring food, a blanket and/or a lawn chair. Beyond Grant Park, screenings will span Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend although not every week in each park.

Chicago Summer Dance—The Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park (601 S. Michigan Ave.) is the locale for City-sponsored dance parties featuring live bands and a 4,600-square-foot open-air dance floor. A one-hour dance lesson is followed by two hours of live music Thursday-Saturday nights.             

Chicago Summer Dance draws a diverse crowd of all ages with a mix of world music ensembles, popular nights including jazz, Latin, country and funk, zydeco and ballroom/big band. And it’s all free! See www.chicagosummerdance.org for details.

Glencoe Fine Art Festival of the Masters.
Photo by Laura Stoecker.

Let’s get Visual

Art fairs—Almost every weekend from late spring into October you can peruse and purchase works in juried art fairs spread across the city and suburbs. A 2009 partial list of art fairs kicks off in Arlington Heights (May 30-31) and moves through Buffalo Grove, Chicago, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Joliet, Lincolnshire and Long Grove before finishing in Highwood (Oct. 17-18).               

Once independently organized, these fairs now are run and promoted by Amdur Productions, which does tend to homogenize them, meaning you’ll see the same artists at more than one fair not unlike the non-neighborhood food vendors and sunglasses stalls that now populate the City-sponsored “neighborhood” festivals. But hitting one or two still is good weekend sport. See www.amdurproductions.com

Chicago Antique Market, Randolph Street Market (Ada to Ogden)—Held on the last full weekend of each month, May through September, this popular market returns with several new features, among them a Vinyl Swap meet for record collectors; a Fancy Food Market offering chocolates, cakes, breads, spices, olive oils, salsa and more; a Global Goods Bazaar featuring crafts and artisan goods representative of Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods; and a Do-It-Yourself Estate Sale for anyone who collects or has inherited treasures they’d like to sell.           

In addition to the several-block-long outdoor sections, Plumbers Hall (1340 W. Washington but also accessible from Randolph) continues as the Market’s indoor headquarters and pit stop. Admission is $8 online (see www.chicagoantiquemarket.com), $10 at gate, good both days. Once again free shuttle service will be offered between Water Tower Place and the Market.

Old Faithfuls

Let’s not forget the four grandparents of all Chicago summer outdoor events: the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Stockings, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park and the Grant Park Music Festival.              

While Ravinia functions year-round these days, the traditional outdoor season runs June 5-Sept. 19 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in residence for much of it.

The Grant Park Music Festival—celebrating its 75th season—runs June 10-Aug. 15 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (with some events in the Harris Theater for Music and Dance).     

A summer evening on Jonathan Abarbanel’s roof deck is also not-to-be-missed; you bring the wine. Jonathan reviews theater for Chicago Public Radio’s 848 program and Windy City Times. He also teaches theater at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

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