Friday, May 27
Today and tomorrow you can feast your eyes on the graceful dancers of University Ballet in Ballet Bricolage—a show featuring original choreography in a range of styles, from the strictly classical to the very modern. (8:30 p.m., $5, Mandel Hall)
FOTA’s not quite over yet. Check out its last hurrah, the Lightbox Orchestra, tonight in BARTS. Students playing clarinet, flute, bassoon, trumpet, percussion, and dry ice are given their cues by a lightbox operator. U of C student Ivan Khilko opens with a laptop set. (9 p.m., free, Bartlet Arts rehearsal space)
U of C alum William Caplin speaks on Schoenberg’s “Second Melody,” or “Meyer-ed” in the Bass: Toward a Theory of Bass Melody. (3:30 p.m., free, Goodspeed’s Fulton Recital Hall)
Are you willing to let the opportunity to touch a real live six-foot-tall dinosaur leg bone pass you by? If your answer is no, mosey on over to the Field Museum for its new temporary exhibit, Dinosaur Dynasty: Discoveries from China. Highlights include Mamenchisaurus, the longest-necked animal ever; fossil nests with two different kinds of dinosaur eggs; and Caudipteryx, a dinosaur sporting feathers. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $14, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive)
Beyond the Barrelman: An Exhibition of Contemporary Filipino Art, featuring the work of 60 Filipino and Filipino American visual artists—including a number from the Chicagoland area—opens today at Acme Art Works. (free, 1741 North Western Avenue)
Saturday, May 28
Who knew Siberia had folk songs? If you didn’t, you have a chance to familiarize yourself with them at today’s concert by Golosa, the U of C’s Russian folk choir. (8 p.m., $5, Bond Chapel)
If you’re a Prince fan, you’ll be delighted to hear that the Purple Funk Fest, a two-day Prince convention, featuring games and prizes, a Prince trade memorabilia show, dancing, and big screens showing concert footage of the Purple One, is coming to the Crown Plaza Hotel O’Hare. (11 a.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Monday, $15 for Sunday, $35 for both days, 5440 North River Road)
If you’re 21 or older, join Canadian John Acquaviva and Chicagoan Brad Owen as they share the DJ booth at Metro Smartbar tonight. (10 p.m., $15, 3730 North Clark Street)
“Sustainable Furniture—Chicago Designers Respond” opens today at the Chicago Cultural Center. The show aims to increase public consciousness of environmentally friendly furniture design and to showcase designers’ work. (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, 78 East Washington Street)
Sunday, May 29
Spiraling, Johnny Monaco, and the Renegades play at the Elbo Room. (8 p.m., $5, 2871 North Lincoln Avenue)
Charles Mee’s Big Love, put on by Experimental Theater Chicago, opens today at the Chopin Theatre. This evening’s opening begins at 4 p.m. ($15-$20, 1543 West Division Street)
Head over to the Smart Museum for the Objects of History Public Tour: “Highlights of Japanese Art and Culture,” a tour of the Boone collection led by a Smart Museum docent. (1:30 p.m., free)
Monday, May 30
Ah, Memorial Day. Between that and reading period, this is the shortest week ever. Enjoy—and catch up on some sleep!
Unless, of course, you’re running in the 4th Annual Lakeshore Marathon, in which case you’ll be at the start line at 6 a.m. You can still register to run in the event—it’s $95 for the full marathon, $65 for the half-marathon—or to volunteer; go to lakeshoreevents.com/app/About for more information. (Burnham Park)
If you’re looking for a work-out that’s not quite so early in the morning, easier to get to, and helps out a worthwhile cause, consider participating in the U of C Track and Field team’s Carnivalathon. There are five races to choose from: the 800-meter, the 1500-meter, the 3K steeplechase, the 5K, and the 10K. Your entry fee goes to relief efforts for the genocide in Darfur. (11 a.m., $10, 56th and Cottage Grove)
Tuesday, May 31
Leff Libman makes an appearance at Women and Children First to read from his book, An Immigrant Class: Oral Histories from Chicago’s Newest Immigrants. Admission is free, but if you’re feeling generous, know that all proceeds go to Literacy Works, a non-profit supporting the city’s literacy programs. (7:30 p.m., $10 suggested donation, 5233 North Clark Street)
The Art Institute is celebrating the groundbreaking of its new Renzo Piano wing in high style today with performances, gallery talks, and lectures throughout the day. The day’s events begin in the North Garden. (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., free, 111 South Michigan Avenue)
Pinback plays at the Metro with opening acts Pit Er Pat and the Dudley Corporation. (9 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show, 3730 North Clark Street)
Martha Wainwright, daughter of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and sister of Rufus Wainwright, comes to Schubas tonight. Expect to hear songs from her debut album, the Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole EP. (9 p.m., $10, 3159 North Southport Avenue)
Wednesday, June 1
Classics and theater aficionados alike, mark your calendars: UT’s production of Sophocles’s Electra, translated and directed by professor Nicholas Rudall, is running today through Saturday. (8 p.m., Reynolds Club First Floor Theater)
Thursday, June 2
Come to Schubas to hear the sweet vocal stylings of on-the-rise pop band the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, with Palaxy Tracks opening. (9 p.m., $8, 3159 North Southport Avenue)
Hear the Hold Steady in their Empty Bottle debut, with Foxtail opening and Red Eyed Legends playing second. (9:30 p.m., $8, 1035 North Western Avenue)