The New Gay has 2 pair of tickets to giveaway to see Kathy Griffin Live at The Chicago Theatre on Friday, January 20, 2012.

TO ENTER:

In 1-2 sentences leave your best response to the following question:
“What is the best joke you’ve ever heard?” (Don’t worry you won’t offend us!)
*Make sure to leave your actual email with your response or we won’t be able to contact you to let you know that you’ve won!

THE PRIZE:

1 of 2 pair of tickets to giveaway to see Kathy Griffin Live at The Chicago Theatre on Friday, January 20, 2012.

THE TERMS:

This giveaway will run now through Thursday, October 20th, 2011 at 6PM EST. At that time the staff of The New Gay will select our favorite responses and notify the winners by email. You will NOT be notified by email if you are not selected as a winner!

*Can you spot the nerd pun hidden in this post?

Resolved: 2011 will be queerer than 2010. And what could be queerer than Magic: The Gathering and Alejandro Jodorowsky? Here’s everything you need to help you stick to those resolutions to fill out your scrawny Blue Deck and get serious about pyschoshamanism.

Thursday
- Drag king pioneer and performance artist Diane Torr discusses her memoir Sex, Drag & Male Roles: Investigating Gender as Performance. Details: Women and Children First, 5233 N Clark, 7:30 pm, all ages, free.

- Big trans/friendly/transfriendly dance party FKA is back, theme: Dinosaurs vs. Kittens. Are you a kitten formerly known as T. Rex? A stegosaurus fka Fuzzbutt? It don’t matter at FKA. Details: Big Chicks, 5024 N Sheridan, 9 pm – 2 am, 21+, no cover.

Friday
- Chicago bands Bright Red Line (art punk) and Rodeo (psychedelic punk) play together, bringing you…psychedelic art (black light poster?). Details: The Mutiny, 2428 N Western, 9 pm, 21+, free.

Saturday
- The Center on Halsted hosts its monthly trans movie night (with discussion following), 3656 Trans Ave. Details: Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, 7 pm, 18+, free.

- Guys. I have found the QUEER JACKPOT. And yea, this manna of the heavens calleth itself Intro to Magic: The Gathering. You’ve been wondering where to meet those queers…now just put yourself out there, tomcat! Details: Cat and Mouse, 2212 W Armitage, 5 pm – 7 pm, all ages, free.*

- Wu-Tang Clan plays the Congress Theatre. Details: Congress Theatre, 2135 N Milwaukee, 9 pm, doors 8 pm, all ages, $25.

Sunday
- The Logan Square International Film Series honors filmmaker, playwright, composer, and inventor of his own religion Alejandro Jodorowsky this month with free weekly screenings of his movies. This week’s offering is “uncategorizable mystic journey-of-a-film” The Holy Mountain. BYOP(opcorn). Details: 3421 W Medill, 8 pm, all ages, free.

Bake some cookies. Ponder some existential conundrums.

Folks, there just isn’t that much queer stuff going on this weekend. Whaddya want? It’s Christmas. Go see a movie, or a musical, or do something touristy you can only justify because it’s the holidays–ice skate in Millennium Park, learn something about your city, go to a museum. The fabulous Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute are decked in period-appropriate holiday finery.  Every bar and restaurant ever has some Christmas event going on. And if you still aren’t satisfied, there’s always Berlin. Speaking of which, your featured events this week, without further ado:

Thursday
- Local artist Jojo Baby, as alter ego Santa Baby, hosts Stardust’s Xmas Ball. Is Christmas the gayest holiday or what? Details: Berlin, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5-7 cover.

Saturday
- And for the truly devoted, on Christmas night you can attend Spin’s Snowball Party, featuring sexy drag show Glamazon Revue. Details: Spin, 800 W Belmont, 9 pm – late, 21+, $5 after 10 pm.

He learned him some lessons.

Are you sick of holiday spirit yet? The Christmas earworms, the Salvation Army bell-ringing, the treacle jewelry ads? Too bad for you, because there’s a week and a half to come, and it’s only going to get worse. But look, only four of this weekend’s Preview events are holiday-themed…

Thursday
- At tonight’s Vogue for Tots 4 with Mondo Guerra, this season’s lovable Project Runway runner-up helps judge a runway contest with categories like “Butch Royalty” and “Glossy Twink.” Bring a toy donation for discounted admission; it’s also a benefit and toy drive for Chicagotoydrive.org. Details: Berlin, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5–7.

Friday – Sunday
- Brand-new Andersonville gallery and artist-exchange studio Strictly Locals celebrates its opening with Handmade Holidays, a “vintage, fashion, and art sale” featuring the works of local artists. The sale lasts all weekend, but the reception is Friday night only. Details: Strictly Locals, 4866 N Clark, reception Fri 5 pm – 10 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am – 6 pm, all ages, free.

Friday
- Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and the Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago is hosting a community forum and vigil. Come learn, discuss, or remember. Details: Jane Addams Hull House Museum, 800 S Halsted, 6:30 pm – 10 pm, all ages, free.
- Queerer Park presents Homo for the Holidays, supplementing its semi-underground house parties with another spirited Beauty Bar party. If it’s as fabulous as Homo-Coming was, you won’t want to miss it. Get there early–the first 50 patrons will be entered in a raffle to see Big Freedia & the Divas on New Year’s Eve. And it’s a benefit for the Northside Anti-Hunger Network and Howard Brown! Whew. Details: Beauty Bar, 1444 W Chicago, 10 pm – 2 am, 21+, $3 with canned food, $5 without.

Saturday
- Hope for the Holidays features local queer bands and DJs for, yes, a Howard Brown benefit. A ticket gets you admission plus two free drink tickets. Details: Swedish American Museum, 5211 N Clark, doors open 5 pm, 21+, $22.
- It’s kind of hard to believe how many ugly Christmas sweater parties there are this week. But this one actually pits sweater against sweater in an Ugly Sweater Contest with a $100 prize. Details: Blue Line Lounge & Grill, 1528 N Damen, 10 pm – 3 am, all ages, no cover.

Sunday
- Cocktail continues its delicious Howard Brown benefits with a Champagne Brunch. You can get this one till 4 if you think 11 is too early to start imbibing. Details: Cocktail, 3359 N Halsted, 11 am – 4 pm, 21+ for the champagne, $25.

You too, Robyn.

So there isn’t much queer stuff going on this weekend—and I’m not about to pad the list with Bearracuda and drag Christmas shows. It’s called tough love; you’ll thank me later. Instead, queer your weekend by listening to Robyn while you do everything. LISTEN TO BODY TALK RIGHT NOW. DO IT. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. Oh, and have you heard she’s coming to the Riviera in Febrauary? Get yer tickets while you can.

Thursday
- This week’s Stardust brings you electropop band the Glass, plus two DJ sets. Details: Berlin, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5–7 cover.

Friday
- The Chicago MC battle Rhyme Spitters Invitational is back after a three-year hiatus. A DJed charity auction to benefit Doctors Without Borders opens the 16-MC contest. Details: Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, doors 8 pm, auction 9 pm, 21+, $10 cover.

Saturday – Sunday
- Open Books, the colorful used bookstore that supports literacy programs, is having its weekend Half-Off Sale. All of its 50,000 already-cheap books are catalogued, so come with holiday shopping list in hand. Details: Open Books, 213 W Institute Place, 10 am – 7 pm both days, and of course, all ages.

Saturday
- The Handmade Market has crafts from the wearable to the inscribable. Grab a drink while you shop; there are perks to hosting events in bars. Details: The Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western, noon – 4 pm, 21+ or parents with kids, free (‘cept the stuff).

- 3656 Trans Ave is a monthly seminar on important issues for transfolk of any gender. Details: Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, 6:30 pm, 18+, free.

Sunday
- Humboldt Park community arts organization Rumble Arts Center presents a Screen Printing Workshop to launch their new printmaking studio. Bring clothes you want to decorate; they’ll also have some thrifted shirts available. Register while there’s still space. Details: Rumble Arts Center, 3413 W North, noon – 4 pm, all ages (kids must be supervised), $15 supply fee, scholarships available.

Your new dress code.

With the beginning of December, the funeral of fall.  Our first real snow came like clockwork on the 1st; now it’s time to take the long underwear out of the mothballs and dance ourselves warm.  You’ll have ample opportunity: lots of music on offer this weekend, from DJs to queercore to blues.

Tonight

- It’s the 4th birthday of Formerly Known As, the trans-and-allies dance party with the most dancers per square foot in all of Chicago.  Celebrate with $4 drink specials, including bourbon shots and 2/$4 PBRs, and the usual rollicking DJs. Details: Big Chicks, 5024 N Sheridan, 9 pm – 2 am, 21+, no cover.

- The latest benefit for Howard Brown, the financially-challenged provider of queer health and community services, is the Stardust Variety Show with Redux & All the Way Kay. Don’t miss the “boylesque! spoken word! drag!” on offer tonight; Berlin’s last HB benefit featured some of the hottest mixed-gender burlesque I’ve witnessed in my young life. Details: Berlin, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5–7 cover.

Friday – Sunday

- The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, “a summer festival brought indoors for the Chicago Winter,” is on the epic side this year.  Each of its three days meets at a different location for a total of 35 acts, including Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (how appropriate for the long winter nights).  Note that Friday and Sunday are 21+ only. Details, lots of Details: Fri, Dec 3: Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, 7 pm – 2 am, 21+, $12–15; Sat, Dec 4: Congress Theater, 2135 N Milwaukee, 1 pm – midnight, all ages, $35; Sun, Dec 5: Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln, 6 pm – midnight, 21+, $15; 3-day pass $50, 2-day pass $42.50

Friday

- Mashup artist and hip-hop producer RJD2 plays his brooding samples and original music. Details: Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9 pm (doors at 8), 18+, $20.

- In honor of World AIDS Day this past Wednesday, Rush University Medical Center and the Red Pump Project host Behind the RED Curtain: Monologues on HIV.  Performers include jazz vocalist Maggie Brown and HBO Def Poetry Jam Chicago artist “Mama Brenda” Matthews.  Details: Room 43, 1041 E 43rd, networking reception 6 pm, performance 7 pm – 8:30 pm, 21+, $10 suggested donation.

Saturday

- Aorta Magazine, a “self-produced, collectively-created, bi-annual publication” featuring queer, trans, and female artists, is raisin’ funds with Rehashing QueerXCore. The diverse lineup includes various kinds of bands, DJs, and experimental performers—plus vegan baked goods. Details: Locked Out, 3951 W Fullerton, 7 pm – 1 am, $5–10 sliding scale donation.

- Women’s Action Committee hosts their monthly LBTQ Women Night. Light refreshments during, discussion after. Details: Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, 7 pm, all ages, free.

- Chances at the Hideout, one of three iterations of the gender-inclusive queer dance party Chances Dances, is back.  Chances is not only fun, it also benefits good queer shit. Details: The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia, 11:30 pm – 2:30 am, 21+, $5.

Sunday

- And it’s another fundraiser for Howard Brown Health Center (they need ‘em all!):  Giving Tree Yoga, for the more yoga- than dance-inclined. The event starts with a yoga class, then moves on to the more traditional drinks-and-appetizers format. Details: Yoga Tree (Cheetah Gym’s New Yoga Studio), 5238 N Clark, yoga class 3 pm – 4:30 pm, fundraiser 5 pm – 8 pm, $30.

This is so gay.

Can someone remind me why I’m in Maryland for Thanksgiving?  Is it family?  Old friends?  The bewitching scent of roasted Brussels sprouts, which I started smelling last week through a warp in the space-time continuum?  This weekend’s lineup is almost enough to make a gal forgo Thanksgiving sentimentality in favor of queer booty-shaking.

Tonight

- No Stardust this week, folks…or much of anything else Thanksgiving night.  But if you really want to go out, there is a Berlin Thanksgiving.  Give thanks that on this special Thursday there’s no cover.  Details: Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, no cover.

Friday

- Work off yesterday’s t(of)urkey with Back That Ass Up: Black Friday, this month’s Queerer Park offering.  As always, it will be a danceable, romanceable house party.  Details: 10 pm – 3 am, for grownups, no cover.  Email queererpark@gmail.com for location.

- And it’s time for the monthly Chicago Critical Mass Bike Ride (there are neighborhood rides on other Fridays, but this is the Big One).  Show up with a bike and a sense of adventure–it’s finally going to feel like November in Chicago.  Details: Daley Plaza, Dearborn & Washington, gather at 5:30, all ages, free.

- Berlin hosts an epic celebration of the 15th anniversary of Showgirls, “the best bad movie of all time,” with Showgirls Nightcaps, with a movie screening and variety show followed by a release party for Robyn’s “Body Talk.”  Details: Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont, 8 pm movie screening, 11 pm variety show, 12:15 am release party, till 4 am, 21+, $5-7 cover.

Saturday

- Start the evening early with TRANcinema, a monthly gender identity–focused movie night.  Discussion to follow.  Details: Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, 5:30 pm – 9 pm, 18+, free.

- Queers rally to support local activist Owen DMC of the Transformative Justice Law Project at the Big Tranny Hootenanny: An Evening of Music, Performance, and Dance.  The ‘nanny, a benefit for his ovarian surgery, features a slew of local queer bands and DJs, a raffle for sex toys, and a theme: water. Details: The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia, 10 pm –  3 am, 21+, $12 for the whole night, $5 for dance party only at 11:30.

- Meanwhile, Chicago group the Sea and Cake play their mellow, jazzy brand of post-rock.  Details: Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln, 10 pm, 18+, $18-20.

Sunday

- If the Sunday crossword is too solitary for your taste, try Scrabble Sundays at the Swim Cafe instead.  Winners get a free drink and hard-won glory. Details: Swim Cafe, 1357 W Chicago, 1 pm – 6 pm, all ages, free.

- Dean Martin stars in 1969 action flick The Wrecking Crew, tonight’s free movie at Delilah’s.  Campy?  Problematic?  Maybe both.  Details: Delilah’s, 2771 N Lincoln, 6 pm, 21+, free.

Detail of the Reeling poster from ReelingFilmFestival.org

As the second oldest LGBT film festival in the world (San Francisco’s Frameline is the oldest), Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival has been celebrating films by and for an LGBT audience for 29 years.  I had the pleasure of being an intern with the film festival two years ago, and was a supporter long before that time.

Produced by Chicago Filmmakers, a non-profit organization that according to its mission “fosters the creation, appreciation and understanding of film and video as media for artistic and personal expression, as well as media of important social and community impact,” Reeling has not only stood as a leader in LGBT film festivals, but has also lived up to the mission outlined by Chicago Filmmakers.

This year, between November 4-13, Reeling is presenting 54 programs in venues across Chicago.   Highlighting the best in feature and short form narrative and documentary film, the programming reflects the spectrum of the Rainbow, and offers films for not just the entire LGBT community, but the film community as a whole.  For those who simply appreciate the art of filmmaking, I cannot recommend highly enough the films and events at Reeling.

There are many films to highlight, but of particular interest, the closing night film Undertow was the Audience Award winner this year at the Sundance Film Festival.  For a full list of the films showing at Reeling, visit www.ReelingFilmFestival.org.  Even if you are not in Chicago or are unable to attend, I recommend taking a look at their website to find the best in LGBT film this year.

LGBT film festivals play an important part in the community as they not only offer filmmakers a chance to express themselves artistically through the medium of film, but they give a greater audience the opportunity to view the lives and stories of the community in a manner in which they may have not seen before their film-going experience.  I encourage you to find and support your nearest LGBT film festival.

I hope you like Halloween, because there is nothing that is not Halloween-themed this weekend.  Queer Halloween seems to entail, demand, require, and necessitate drag, which means there are 231 Halloween drag events this weekend.  I have taken the liberty of culling the flock to a choice few.  More drag, if you really entail, demand, require, and necessitate it, is readily found on the internet.


Tonight

- The last Thursday of every month means a Very Special Stardust.  It’s Cult: The Massaquerade, brought to you by Reeling (LGBTQ) Film Fest this month in addition to the usual Stardust and Ratcatchers hosts.  As the name implies, proper attire involves a disguise, preferably a bloody one.  They’ll also be screening gory cult horror movies all night.  Details: Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5-7 cover.


Friday

- Queerer Park is baaaa-aacck…Chicago’s monthly queer house party hosts a Halloween DDDance Party (costumes encouraged, obviously).  Don’t get there too late, though—it could get to maximum capacity.  And be discreet about B-ing YOB.  Details: 10 pm – 3 am, 21+?, no cover? Email queererpark@gmail.com for location.

- Chicago writer Barbara Wells signs her Halloween-themed “lesbian paranormal thriller.”  Details: Women & Children First, 5233 N Clark, 7:30 pm – 9 pm, all ages, free.

- Can you handle another masquerade?  Of course you can.  Archer Ballroom hosts their 1^st Annual Masquerade Ball—drag or no drag, this one’s all class.  The hosts suggest bringing a bottle of wine to share.  Details: Archer Ballroom, 3012 S Archer (ring #3), 9:30 pm – late, all ages, no cover.


Saturday

- Dress to transgress at Stone Soup Coop’s Halloween Drag Ball fundraiser!  Prance down the runway in this beautiful former convent’s chapel (!) to the musical stylings of some fabulous DJs.  There will be a kissing booth and photo shoot.  Details: Stone Soup Coop: Ashland House, 4637 N Ashland, 9 pm – 2 am, no kids, carding at door, no cover (but bring cash for the donation bar).


Sunday

- The 14^th Annual Northalsted Halloween Parade comes to Boystown with a “Little Street of Horrors” theme.  As you can no doubt infer, this will be super-campy, family-friendly, old-school fun.  It’s all about the costume contest, which has an array of categories including best kids’, pets’, and drag costumes.  The burning question: can a puppy dressed as Divine win for all three?  Details: Parade starts on Halsted between Belmont and Clark, 6 pm – 8:30 pm, registration starts 3:30 pm, all ages, free.


Friday – Sunday

- The Chicago Urban Art Society brings you Social Disturbance: A Haunted House.  This “performance-based haunted house” puts the fear of “social illness” in you.  Call it a liberal answer to Hell House.  Details: Chicago Urban Art Society, 2229 S Halsted, all ages, Oct 29-31, 6 pm – 9 pm, $2 adults $1 children.

- A little good-natured pretension never hurt anyone, right?  Come hear Yoko Homo play live at Avant Guardian.  Avant-garde attire is suggested and avant-garde movies films will be screened all night.  Details: Late Bar, 3534 W Belmont Ave, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $2 cover.


Friday – Sunday

- Start Halloweentime off right with Berlin’s Bonanza Halloween Sale & Vintage Store.  Cheap drinks + good shopping = very creative costumes.  Details: Berlin, 954 W Belmont, Fri 5 – 11 pm, Sat 4 – 11 pm, Sun 2 – 8 pm, 21+, free (minus clothes and drinks).


Saturday

- Drag time!  NYC queen Mimi Imfurst performs at Spin Nightclub.  Expect a pretty mainstream gay crowd and/but a good show.  Details: Spin, 800 W Belmont, performances at midnight and 1 am, 21+, $5.


Sunday

- See the original 1988 Hairspray! and dance your tail off at the gayest technically–non-gay bar in town.  It’s Demented Forever!, a tribute to John Waters with DJ Teen Witch.  Details: The Beauty Bar, 1444 W Chicago, 10 pm – 2 am, 21+, no cover.

Yeah, I wanted to go to the Tribute to Guillermo del Toro on Friday, too.  Too bad it’s already sold out.  You can console yourself by renting his lesser-known horror masterpiece The Orphanage and watching it with that special someone and/or special bag of Ultimate Butter popcorn.  Alternately, here are a few more ideas for the weekend.

Know of any great upcoming events, queer or otherwise?  Email them to events@thenewgay.net and we’ll share them with everyone.


Tonight

- The New Pornographers play the Vic Theatre. Details: The Vic Theatre, 3145 North Sheffield, 8 pm, all ages, $30 when purchased at the Vic.

- This week’s queer-friendly Stardust is also the Decibelle Kickoff Dance Party (see Saturday), benefiting Girls Rock! Chicago. With electro-dance band Brilliant Pebbles followed by Girl’s Rock! DJs.  Details: Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5-7 cover.


Friday

- Vaudezilla’s Lincoln Fair: A Monthly Burlesque Exposition features two burlesque shows, a free boa lesson, and eyelash applications.  Look forward to good old-fashioned stage names like Jeez Loueez, Cherry Brandi, and Chasity [sic] Chaos.  Details: Lincoln Tap Room, 3010 N Lincoln Ave, 9 pm & 11 pm (two different shows), 21+, free.


Saturday

- The Decibelle Music and Culture Festival’s highlight event is Big Freedia and New Orleans Sissy Bounce with Queerer Park DJs.  It also happens to be the official Margaret Cho Afterparty.  THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD.  Don’t know anything about Bounce?  I feel dirty about plugging Carson Daly, but here’s a brief video on Bounce and Big Freedia.  There will be many queer booties a-shaking.  Details: Subterranean, 2011 W North Ave, 9:30 pm – 3 am, 21+, $10.

- Funny dude and regular This American Life–contributor Mike Birbiglia makes a stop on his Painfully True Stories Tour, promoting his just-released book Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories.  Hear a sample on this week’s rebroadcast TAL, “Fear of Sleep.”  Details: The Vic Theatre, 3145 North Sheffield, 7 pm, all ages, $55 when purchased at the Vic.

- Can’t get enough burlesque?  Last night’s Lincoln Fair not queer enough for you?  Check out Sappho’s Salon: A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions with Girlie-Q Burlesque and sex toy expos from Early to Bed.  Details: Women & Children First, 5233 N Clark St, 7:30 pm – 10 pm, no children, $7-10 sliding admission includes food and wine.


Saturday and Sunday

- The Savoir-Faire LGBTQ Festival 2010 includes workshops, performances, vendors, mock weddings, a mustache booth (!), and free food throughout.  Be sure to check the schedule on the event website.  Details: Black Noise Productions, 500 W Cermak  Suite 405, Sat 1 pm – Sun 11 pm, 18+, $10/one day or $15/both days.


Photo: Big Freedia plays Subterranean on Saturday. Booty-shaking mandatory.

The amazing weather won’t last for too much longer.  Take this opportunity to go to an outdoor festival or wear shorts to a dance party.

Here are some of the weekend highlights, but if you know of any exciting upcoming events you want to share with TNG reader, send them to events@thenewgay.net and we’ll put them on the calendar.


Tonight

- The theme of month’s Formerly Known As, dance party for “trans men and trans women and their chasers, queers and allies, movers and/or shakers,” is Steel Magnolias: The Party.  Wear Blush and Bashful.  Details: Big Chicks, 5024 N Sheridan (just north of Argyle) , 9 pm – 2 am, 21+, free.

- If you can be in two places at once, celebrate Stardust’s 2 year anniversary with DJ talent Horse Meat Disco.  Details: Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont, 10 pm – 4 am, 21+, $5 cover.


Friday

- Wondering what to do about the epidemic of suicides by young queer people?  Gather for a Vigil in Memory of Tyler Clementi and other LGBTQ Suicide Victims to honor their lives and talk about how to change the homophobic climate that caused their deaths.  Details: DePaul University, Lincoln Park Quad at the corner of Fullerton and Seminary, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm, all ages, free.

- Night of 100 pARTies, the kickoff event for Andersonville Arts Weekend, includes a teaser for the upcoming BEHIV (Better Existence with HIV) show at the Center on Halsted.  Details: 5416 N Clark, 6 pm – 10 pm, all ages, free.

- Or if you missed the dancing on Thursday, you can go to electronic dance party Dead Fame with Designer Drugs.  Details: Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake, 8 pm – 2 am, 17+, $14 presale tickets.


Saturday

- Catch the end of festival season with Chicago VeganMania.  Guests include Carol Adams (The Sexual Politics of Meat), Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World), and Chicago’s own Jo Kaucher of the Chicago Diner.  Come hungry.  Details: Pulaski Park fieldhouse, 1419 W Blackhawk, 10 am – 6 pm, all ages, free.

- Enjoy a day (and night) of horror, from the campy to the classic, at 24-hour film festival Music Box Massacre 6.  Details: The Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave, 12 pm Sat – 12 pm Sun, $28 in advance, $33 at the door.


Sunday

- Even I have to mention the Chicago Marathon, since it’s going to swallow the city for the day.  Bring popcorn and watch from the sidelines.  Details: 7:20 am – 2:30 pm, click here for spectator information.

The famous logo of the Chicago International Film Festival

For 46 years, the Chicago International Film Festival has been bringing films from all over the world to Chicago in a celebration of cinematic excellence.  This year’s festival runs from October 7 – 21, and once again promises to offer a stellar lineup of over 150 films from 50 countries.

The festival has long been a supporter of LGBT films, even having a whole category of films under  “OUTrageous.” From the festival: “From the edgy to the tender, these bold gay-themed films fearlessly exhibit new artistic perspectives on sexuality.”

This year, the festival is offering nine gay-themed films for exhibition:  Amphetamine from Hong Kong; Beautiful Darling from the USA; Family Tree from France; For 80 Days from Spain; Heartbeats from Canada; Loose Cannons from Italy; Man at Bath from France; Postcard to Daddy from Germany; and Sasha from Germany.

For more details on these films, and to see the full schedule of the festival in total, visit ChicagoFilmFestival.com.

Then from November 4 – 13 is Chicago’s excellent LGBT film festival, Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival.  Visit their site at ReelingFilmFestival.org.  I will be writing more about them as their festival approaches.

And now that Fall is back upon us, I will be returning to the movie theater and leaving the beach to give you reviews and recommendations of the best and worst films around.  I look forward to it and hope you do to!

Wednesday

Chicago Fringe Festival is a 5 day comedy festival is a brand new festival that not only has no artistic director but selects performers (half locals, half out of towners) by lottery, features comedy, dreama, dance, solo and burlesque and is more interactive with nightly after parties, live music, and a between performance alfresco hangout called Fringe Central. Various locations in Pilson, $10, times vary, check site.

Thursday

The 32nd annual Chicago Jazz Festival is the longest running of the city’s lakefront music festivals. For more than 30 years, the Chicago Jazz Festival has been a Labor Day weekend tradition. Know for its artistic creativity, the Chicago Jazz Festival promotes awareness and appreciation for all form of jazz through quality live musical performances. The festival’s mission is to showcase Chicago’s vast jazz talent alongside national and international artists to encourage and educated a jazz audience of all ages. This year’s performers include: Artist-in-Residence: Nicole Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, Rene Marie, The Either/Orchestra, Kurt Elling and more. Festival locations include the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park and Grant Park, Jackson Blvd. & Columbus Dr., free, all weekend, 12pm.

Smart hetero and queer singles show they’ve got game when Nerds at Heart kicks off Labor Day weekend with Nerd Fest, a fourth anniversary appreciation party featuring multi-genre entertainment stations and a special advance admission price of $10. Unattached smarties mingle at stations throughout the bar featuring activities led by guest experts. Entertainment includes board, role playing, card, video and Wii games, plus special music and comedy performances. Includes a cocktail and ticket giveaways. Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Rd., $10, 7pm.

An enigmatic young woman from Dublin finds herself the center of attention at a local pub. Pints in hand, the local barflies recount ghostly tales of the supernatural to impress and entertain her, but it is the visitor herself who relates the most unsettling story of all. Conor McPherson wrote the hauntingly beautiful and humorous play The Weir at the age of 26, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play, and the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 North Knox Avenue, $22, 7:30pm.

The bright and loud Scissor Sisters are touring to support their newest album Night Work. Riviera Theatre, 4746 North Racine Avenue, $34, 7:30pm.

Friday

North Coast Music Festival is a 3 day festival featuring the live shows of the Chemical Brothers, Lupe Fiasco, Mody, Boys Noize, Benga, De La Soul and many other acts of various genres. Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., $40, 4pm.

Join Equality Illinois and Chicago NOW supporters and friends for their September First Friday networking event. The mission of the Chicago Chapter of the National Organization for Women is to be Chicago’s feminist resource in the areas of economic equity, women’s health, reproductive freedom, ending violence against women, and LGBTQ rights. In addition, Chicago NOW takes action through several key projects such as, but not limited to, panel discussions, essay contests, and fundraisers. The chapter also participates in community outreach, political activities, and political endorsements. For a $10 donation to the Equality Illinois PAC, you receive two drink tickets and a ticket for a door prize drawing.
Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St, $10, 6pm.

Don’t miss this Chicago summer Gay Speed Dating event at Minibar for men ages 22-42. Dates will be between 3-5 minutes each. The event will last approximately 2-3 hours depending on number of attendees. $25 fee (5% of profits go towards www.hrc.org) covers admission. 28 person maximum capacity for this event. You’ll get a sticker with a number and have your picture taken and a matchcard to mark (date or friend) next to the person you date. As time permits everyone should get to date everyone else in the room. For details and to reserve your spot visit their website. Minibar Ultra Lounge and Cafe, 3341 N Halsted, $25, 8pm.

The Flesh Hungry Dog Show is a unique,high energy, monthly live rock and variety show for queers and friends in Chicago. September presents Tom Goss, The Heat Birds, Brown Lazer with special guests from Girlie-Q Burlesque. Jackhammer, 6406 N Clark Street, $10, 9pm.

“Rollin’ Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque” is a nationally-recognized, critically-acclaimed, box-office smash hit that will be remounting in September 2010. Don’t be out of your element! Join Vaudezilla Productions for an epic variety show featuring your favorite Bums, Achievers, and What-Have-You from the classic Coen Brothers film. So slip on your favorite jellies, grab the ringer, mix a White Russian, and head on down to Greenhouse Theatre this September for a night of sexy fun that not even Jackie Treehorn can beat!  Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 N Lincoln Ave, $15, 10pm.

Saturday

First Saturday of every month the Center on Halsted welcomes families to come together for a fun & informal monthly gathering to simply play & have a great time in a welcoming environment. This FREE event offers parents & children a chance to make new friends and talk about the challenges & joys of being a part of the LGBT Family Community. Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, free, 10am.

Spotlite Theatrix presents this song & dance cabaret show to benefit ArtReach Educational Theatre. Come experience the music of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and your favorite pop and Broadway hits in a fun-filled atmosphere with raffles, shots, fun & prizes. Suggested donation is $10, includes 2 drink tickets.  Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, $10, 9pm.

Voted the Best Gay Variety Show by Chicago Reader, CAKE Chicago returns with Lizzy Patch, Ripley Caine, and Boys Entrance. Red Line Tap, 7700 N Glenwood Ave, Free, 9pm.

Summertime Chicago is winding down as evidenced by the end of our 46 day long streak of days with degrees over 80 but there are great events to keep your days hot!

Thursday

Wizard World’s Chicago Comic Con - Largest and longest running stop of the nine-city circuit – is the biggest pop-culture touring expo in the United States. Through Sunday. Celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, comics, toys, video gaming, television, anime, manga, horror, sports, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018, $30, varies times each day.

Friday

The Illinois Gay Rodeo Association (ILGRA) is a not-for-profit organization of women and men dedicated to raising funds for community-related charities through functions preceding, and including, an annual amateur rodeo, 2010 Windy City Rodeo, which has varies shows and events all weekend. Six Guns Ranch & Arena, 26926 S. State Line Rd, Crete, $15, 9pm.

The 4th annual North Side Summerfest draws 20,000 people annually for this 3 day event. Expect food vendors, merchant, jewelry and other arts and crafts, and a flow of party bands, such as Sixteen Candles, Wedding Banned, and Hairbangers Ball. Lincoln and Belle Plaine ave, $5, noon.

Hoof it to this far northwest side community for the 3 day Edison Park Fest, featuring all the standard amenities, and then some: food vendors, a beer garden, craft fair, live music, a dog show and bands including Strain Busy Sky, Breakfast Club, and Hey Jimmy. Edison Park Metra Station, 6730 n Olmsted ave, Free, 5pm on friday, 10am on sat and sun.

The venerable Gold Coast Art Fair, now in its 53rd year, moves from neighborhood streets to Butler Field, where more than 450 juried artists from around the world set up shop for 3 days. Live music, food, and drink vendors round things out. Monroe st and Lake Shore Drive, Free, noon.

Ukrainian Days Festival is a 3 day event that offers a taste of traditional cuisine, arts and crafts, music and dance. Smith Park, 2526 W Grand ave, $5, 2:30pm.

The Flesh Hungry Dog Show brings live rock and related musical forms to Chicago’s gay community in a fun, alternative venue for bands with GLBT content and members, and GLBT supportive: this week vocalist, songwriter, and star of the viral music video “End of the World”, Matt Alber, and singer/songwriter Jen Porter. DJ Sky spins between the bands, and Chicago rock impresario Gary Airedale hosts. Jackhammer, 6406 N Clark Street, $15, 9pm.

Saturday

Popular salon night for lesbians and friends includes humorist Fay Jacobs, author of the lesbian memoir As I Lay Frying, and the sequel, Fried and True: Tales from Rehoboth Beach; and local favorite Ellen Rosner who’s voice Windy City Times music writer David Byrne describes as “a young Chrissie Hynde, Chris Issak or Melissa Etheridge,” with influences of Ruth Brown and Mavis Staples, and who has opened for artists such as Joan Armatrading, Sophie B. Hawkins and Nelly Furtado. DJ SpinNikki will play us in and out of sets with her eclectic playlist of pop, soul, electronica and world music. $7-10 sliding fee includes food and wine. Benefits the artists and the Women’s Voices Fund. Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., $7-10, 7:30pm

Sunday

In the play, A Boy and His Vagina, as the Mayan Calendar draws to a close, two PhDs; gay vaginista Mike Hunt, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Mona Restin embark on an adventure of epic proportion to save the world from the very evil Kirk Cameron’s quest to take over the planet via his creepy Lord Is Come Network. With the help of renowned vaginal artisan Chlamydia Andromeda, billionaire heiresses Gertrude and Alice Lichtenstein, the lovable accidental terrorists Hammas and Lammas, and the Barbara Streisand loving/Liza hating HOT fireman Jake. As all unite to save the Earth from extinction and bad eighties fashion and existence teeters on oblivion, A Boy and His Vagina bravely asks: Can love find a way? Will Mike and Jake find true happiness at last? Will Mona Restin marry Hollywood bad boy Colin Farrell? Will Kirk Cameron take over the world? Mary’s Attic, 5400 N Clark, $20, 7pm.

Dancing in the Streets!

We’re halfway through summer but there are various events, from festivals to burlesque shows, to keep you busy in the Chicago summertime!

Friday

Taste of Lincoln Avenue, one of Chicago’s largest and most popular summer street fest, returns for its 27th year on Saturday and Sunday, July 24-25. Highlights include more than 40 music acts on five stages, a kids’ carnival, food vendors and the Lill Street Art Fair.
In addition to a bevy of local/regional pop, rock and blues acts and popular local cover bands, among the headliners on the music stages will be Minnesota alt-rockers Soul Asylum, Chicago roots rockers The Freddy Jones Band, soul/R&B legend Otis Clay, and acclaimed Australian harmonica/didgeridoo whiz Harper. Other Taste of Lincoln Avenue highlights include the ever-popular free kids’ carnival from Noon-6:00 p.m. each day on Altgeld between Lincoln and Halsted (entrance on Halsted) that features stage entertainment, inflatables, a petting zoo and pony rides and a wine garden at Lill Street and Lincoln. Lincoln Ave between Fullerton and Wrightwood, Free, 12pm.

Nike 6.0 BMX Open 2010 is a 2 day event that features over of the world’s best 50 competitors of high flying tricks and stunts as well as a concert from Motion City Soundtrack. Soldier Field South Festival Lot, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, $15-75, 12pm.

Dance to all types of music at the the 14th annual, 11-week Chicago SummerDance Festival. Have two left feet? That’s no excuse. Each event includes an hour of professional dance instruction on the alfresco floor followed by two hours of live music. Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden, 601 S. Michigan Ave, Free, 6pm.

The Edge Gallery Presents: The Art of Adam Thomas, the vibrant encaustic paintings and luminous skyscapes of Adam Thomas will be on view and available through July!  Stop by for a visit and satisfy your hunger for art with this eye candy! The Edge Gallery, 6318 N Clark St. (Highland St entrance), Free, 10am.

Ripley Caine performing live. “She has just as much talent (if not more) as any successful performer in her genre.” – Venus Magazine “You get a husky, lush voice and smart lyrics worthy of your attention.” – Columbus Dispatch “Few artists offer songwriting as good as Ms. Caine…One of the most unique female voices out there right now.” – 1340mag.com The Red Line Tap, 7006 N Glenwood, Free, 9pm.

Area shops and restaurants set up sidewalk sales and serve food along Milwaukee Avenue between California and Kimball Avenues. The second annual Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival also features three beer gardens featuring Magic Hat brews, three music stages and arts and crafts, trolley rides, a farmers market (Sunday only), visual and performing arts and more. Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Boulevard, 2600 N. Milwaukee Ave, $5, 4pm.

The popular summer concert series Jammin’ at the Zoo returns. Collective Soul, Lovehammers play. Gates open at 6 p.m. Bring a lawn chair for seating in the zoo’s Main Mall. No outside food or beverages permitted. Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon Drive, $12-28, 7pm.

Saturday

The Horror Society is back again this year with another bigger and better Zombie Disco! Yep that’s right, its time to shake your groove thang on the dance floor 70′s style! They will have DJ Paisley Babylon spinning some of your favorite disco hits, drink specials to get you in the mood, BEST ZOMBIE DANCE CONTEST, BEST ZOMBIE COSTUME CONTEST (both with $50 CASH PRIZES!) and more! You can also get Zombiefied there as well by Nora of She-Devil Effects!! They are bringing back the favorite game from last year, Zombie Twister, along with some new games (Pin the Limb on the Victim, Bobbing For Brains) and more, so get ready to get twisted! Lucky Number Grill, 1931 N Milwaukee, $10, 9pm.

The Sidetrack Cubs, member of Chicago MSA (Chicago’s and the United States largest Softball League) will be hosting it’s first fundraiser for this years Midwest Invitational Softball Tournament. $20 includes sponsored bar. Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St, $20, 6pm.

Shop for locally farmed and organic meats, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, honey, baked goods and more at the Green City Market. The market also features chef demonstrations and kids’ activities. Chicago Green City Market, 1750 N. Clark St., Free, 7am.

Meet up at Ardmore Hollywood Beach, near Sheridan and the lake to pick up trash, take water samples, report on the condition of the beach, enjoy a volunteer-appreciation picnic. Sheridan Road and Lake Shore Dr, Free, 9am.

Shop for antiques, vintage collectibles and indie designer apparel from more than 200 dealers along Randolph Street between Ada Street and Ogden Avenue, and also inside the historic Plumber’s Hall (1340 W. Washington Blvd.). The seventh annual European-style Randolph Street Market Festival also features food and beer vendors and themed mini-markets stocked with rare vinyl recordings, global goods and fancy foods such as chocolates, cakes and spices. Includes kids’ activities. Tickets include repeat entry all weekend. Outdoor market is pet-friendly. Bonus: Get free entry for the last two hours of the market each month with the “See for Free” coupon on the market’s Web site. A free trolley departs from Water Tower Place on the hour between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and returns to North Michigan Avenue from the Market every 30 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Randolph and Ada Streets, 1350 W. Randolph St., $9-12, 10am.

DJs spin inside the Silver Room and on two outdoor stages at this eighth annual Wicker Park fest. Also features food and drink vendors, live mural painting, fashion shows, live music, a photo booth, kids’ activities and more. An official after-party at Double Door features jazz and soul musician Peven Everett from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Performances by MCs, DJs and bands including Jonah Broken Beat, NewLife, Tone B Nimble, Mark Fulla, Alton Miller, Celeste Alexander, Johnny Fonseca. Evergreen and Milwaukee Avenues, 1440 N. Milwaukee Ave., Free, 11am.

The fifth annual community fest along a bustling strip of Clark Street in Rogers Park, from Morse to Estes Avenues, features world music on two stages, food, beer and wine vendors, more than 80 market vendors, performances by Momentum Theatre Troupe and kids’ activities. Entertainment schedule includes Grupo Cumbe, Ifficial Reggae, Nguzo, Magic Carpet, Mr. Something Something, Angel Melendez’s Tribute to Fania, Ghanatta, Donald Dorcilus & The West Indian Folk Dance Co., Palo, Los Vicios de Papa, and many more. 6900 N. Clark St., Free, 1pm.
Sunday

A casual, 36-mile bike group ride to and from Whiting, Ind., home of the annual Pierogi dumpling fest. BYO water, lock, helmet and snacks. Pace is about 12-14 mph; the ride is not supported with a crew to fix your flat, so come prepared. Buckingham Fountain, 500 S. Columbus Drive, Free, 9:30am.

Minibar’s Last Sunday of every month is BACK STAGE BURLESQUE! For one night only Minibar is transformed for the hottest male burlesque show in Chicago.  The back bars will be open while the front stays closed. The show starts on the stage at 11p and P.I.N.K. Punch Pitchers will be on Special all night for $15! Minibar Ultra Lounge and Cafe, 3341 N Halsted, Free 9pm.

Friday

Chicago Pride Fest runs two days before the city’s Sunday Pride Parade Chicago. Live music on two stages, food, arts/crafts, vendors. Sponsored by the Northalsted Business Alliance.Pride Fest showcases an eclectic lineup of arts & crafts, food and other vendors. It also features entertainment on two stages including one featuring Chicago’s finest GLBT performers. Waveland & Halsted, $6 suggested donation, 3pm.

Julie Mosier and Mariah Hanson (of Club Skirts and The Dinah) present All Girl Pride, Friday nights largest pride party for women. Featuring LA DJ Kathy Valenti.  Circuit Night Club, 3641 N Halsted St, $10, pm.

Miss Foozie hosts the Gay Pride Moonlight Cruise, a special gay cruise on Lake Michigan to celebrate Pride (Board 12:15am at Navy Pier, Cruise 12:45am – 2:30am). These special cruises feature an hors d’oeuvres buffet, Blue After-Dark DJs, dancing on the observation deck and a Pride Theme. Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave, 11:30pm, $35.90 per person (21+).

Screening of Genderblind, by Chicago’s own Lanita Josepth. First black lesbian high definition feature film out of Chicago. Staring Robyn Daniels and Danielle Jones
With; Paula Gee, Martin Rowse, Joshua Williams, Sara Clemons, Levilyn Chriss, Coquie Hughes,LaNita Joseph, Leatrice Buckley, and more. Red Carpet event, Hosted by Pat Mccombs.  Portage Theater, 4050 N.Milwaukee, 5:30pm, $20.

Listen to some remarkable music at this performance benefiting an important cause. Recording artist Jan James will be performing in support of the release of her tenth CD, Ring Around the Moon. This event will benefit the nonprofit organization, One Love Africa (www.oneloveafrica.org), whose goal is to give children across Africa an opportunity to participate in the global society of the 21st century by providing education in rural societies where none existed before. To date they have constructed 20 schools in Ethiopia. The party will feature a LIVE video hook-up to Ethiopia enabling a group of the school children from One Love Africa to take part in the performance of the song “We Are One” with the band. Wild Hare, 3530 N. Clark, 7pm, $10.

The HOT D8 Campaign w/ Ben Lerman, Cameron Esposito, and Mo Welch is an evening of music and comedy as seen on Logo TV, Here TV, Feast of Fun, and Sirius XM radio. Visit benlerman.net and hotd8campaign.com for more info.  ”Sick & brilliant!” (Time Out New York) “So dam funny!” (Time Out Chicago) Mary’s Attic, 5400 N Clark, Show starts at 7:30 PM, $12.

Bring your sense of humor and prepare to laugh out loud Summer Camp is a fond and funny trip down memory lane. From sleeping bags and campfires to new friends and fleeting crushes, this musical theater production from the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus features many hilarious songs that will transport you back to your childhood. Nettlehorst Auditorium, 3252 N. Broadway, 8pm, $27.

Tony-nominated writer Joe DiPietro’s latest play, FU_KING MEN, observes the sex lives of the modern urban gay American male. Conceived as a noir-riff on Arthur Schnitzler’s 19th century play, LA RONDE, the play examines ten men from all walks of life as they negotiate the before and after of lust, love, betrayal and the pursuit of sex and emotional connection. Funny, poignant, sometimes dramatic, always provocative and sexy, the show has been a runaway success in Los Angeles and London. The Los Angeles Times said, “Pungent insight infiltrates FU_KING MEN. The Times (London) called it “genuinely provocative.” Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, 8pm, $25.

Saturday

Andersonville’s 7th Annual Backlot Bash Weekend with live music, dance, drink and pride in the parking lot behind Cheetah Gym. This two day event continues on June 27. $10 cover until 5pm, $15 after.  Parking lot behind Cheetah Gym, 5238 N Clark, 3pm, $10.

Dyke March. Rally first, then the march at 2:30 pm at new south side location. Post-march festivities in the park. Meeting at the Shore Bank parking lot, 7054 S. Jeffery Blvd, 1pm, free.

“Over the Rainbow” by Hamburger Mary’s & Holy Covenant United Methodist Church at Mary’s Atti. Event is complete with cheesy photo props and classic tunes. Come dressed up & receive special drink prices. Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark, 9 PM, free.

Chicago 41st Annual Pride Parade will feature 250 entries featuring floats, decorated vehicles and walking groups representing businesses, organizations and individuals.Crowd estimates each year surpass 450,000 spectators.Starts: Halsted Street at Belmont Avenue, 12pm.

At Girl Blast 2010, Thousands of lesbians dance there way through the day and night in celebration of Pride! MC comedian Jessica Kirson, catch her on the Joy Behar show and LOGO. Celesbian Natalie Garcia from Autostraddle and Nat and Meg afterellen.com. Giveaways and contests. GO GO dancers and a whole lot more. Anne Sathers 909 W. Belmont, $10, 2pm.

Ah, my city!

Its finally here! June, which automatically, means Chicago is hot and fun! There is a festival every weekend in every neighborhood, free concerts, art shows, rooftop parties (including my own!), and anything other fun you can think of. There is no way you can be bored this summer in Chicago especially with these fun events!

Thursday

Baird & Warner hosts. Meet, mix & mingle with other Chicago-area professionals to kick off pride month in Chicago. $10 suggested donation to benefit La Casa Norte, a non-profit agency committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for homeless and abandoned people. Guests will enjoy complimentary appetizers (courtesy of Crew) and two drink tickets good for wine or draft beer (courtesy of Wild Pug). Wild Pug, 4810 N. Broadway Ave, 5:30pm, $10.

A shocking expose´ ripped from the headlines of yesteryear! In keeping with Hell in a Handbag’s tradition of camp and parody, Lady X takes on the black and white crime melodrama films of the 30′s and 40′s. Based on the Bette Davis feature, Marked Woman, Lady X is the story of seedy nightclubs, the menacing gangsters that run them and the loose women that keep the customers coming back for more! Staged in the art deco atmosphere of Mary’s Attic, above Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville, Lady X will give theater-goers a glimpse into the world of the ‘clip-joint’ from days gone by. Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark, Thursday thru Sunday shows, 7:30pm, $15/$20.

The Hubbard Street Dance Company ensemble creates and performs new works at various locations throughout the museum and hosts discussions in conjunction with The Art Institue’s permanent collection of modern and contemporary art. Grant Park Museums, 111 S. Michigan Ave., 6pm, Free.

The 11th annual German Mayfest ALL WEEKENDfestival features live music and maypole dancing. Bring cash for heaping plates of German food and steins of beer. The Friday night opening ceremony features a traditional keg tapping and crowning of the year’s Mayfest queen. Lincoln and Leland Avenues, 4700 N. Lincoln Ave, 5pm, Free.

Friday

Join Equality Illinois supporters and friends for our monthly First Friday networking event. For a $10 donation to the Equality Illinois PAC, you receive two-drink tickets and a ticket for a door prize drawing. Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St, 6pm, $10.

Hydrate Nightclub and ChicagoPride.com and are proud to present Jujubee from RuPaul’s Drag Race live at Hydrate! Go see this fan favorite perform live at Hydrate and see for yourself why she made it to the TOP 3! $20 VIP tickets include a special meet and greet in our new VIP section as well as gift bag courtesy of Steamworks and Absolut Vodka. These tickets are bound to sell out fast so get yours today!  Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, 11pm and 1am shows, $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

The Eastside Millennium Art Festival, which is ALL WEEKEND, features works by 150 juried artists including ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, sculpture, mixed media, painting, drawing, photography, wood and furniture.  Loop, 100 E. Lake St., 12pm, Free.

The third exhibition of the Within the Body series and curated by Sofia Moreno and Alexandra Klimczak, “Elektro-Sexual,” continues S&S Project mission to present new art, new ideas, and reveal the art of tomorrow. Engaging in a wide range of artistic practices, including performance, digital media, painting, sculpture, photography and installation, “Elektro-Sexual” examines multiple ways in which art works act as critical reflection of issues of sexuality and technology within a culture that has shown that the marriage of mind and machine can be both powerful and enduring. Artist of East Bank Building,  1200 w. 35th st, 7pm, Free.

Flesh Hungry Dog Show, the monthly queer, alt rock show, features new acts every month. June show features Pretty Good Dance Moves, the Stewed Tomatoes, Ellen Rosner and Bubbly Creek All Stars. Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark, 9pm, $10.

Saturday

Windy City Gay Idol, now in its 8th year searches for the best amateur gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered ( GLBT ) singers in the Chicago area. Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St, doors open at 1pm, show at 3pm, Free.

Support the Chicago’s All Woman Roller Derby team in a double header bout: The Chicago Outfit Roller Derby vs. Ohio Rollergirls. Windy City Field House,
2367 W. Logan Blvd. Doors open: 6 PM; starts: 7 PM,  $15 presale; $20 door.

What you can expect at this event… the unexpected… and a club filled with hot girls in Black Bras. Temptations is the venue because it’s a Saturday night and Temptations is totally remodeled, cheap drinks, free parking and can fit over 1,000 women! We have a line up of DJ’s, sexy Go-Go Dancers, amazing decor and a whole lot more! Get your sexiest Black Bra ready for this night of total sexiness. We highly encourage everyone to wear just a black bra or let it show through what you are wearing. This is a night for women to feel sexy no matter what. Temptations Nightclub, 10235 W Grand Ave, 8pm, $10 presale, $15 door.

*Cake Chicago PRIDE SHOW* Hosted By: Ripley Caine, Spoken Word By: Gregg Shapiro, Live Music By: The Locals & The Barrettes, Burlesque By: Ms. BeaHaven & The Girlie-Q’s. Red Line Tap, 7006 N. Glenwood, 9pm, $5.

Artists showcase glass, jewelry, leather, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, wood, ceramics and fiber at the 63rd annual event 57th st Art Fair, billed as the oldest juried art fair in the Midwest. The event is alcohol free. Reserve a spot online for the Art Buying Boot Camp, which gives tips for scoring deals on works of art. Also, take guided tours through the fair with art-buying experts. Meet at 56th Street and Kimbark Avenue. 5700 S. Kenwood Ave., 11am, Free.

Sunday

A weekly farmers’ market of locally grown and produced foods at Morse and Glenwood, within the Glenwood Avenue Arts District. The market will run every Sunday from June 6th through October 17th. There will be a variety of live entertainment. Glenwood & Morse Avenue, 9am, Free.

ProjectVIDA and UIC’s Gender & Sexuality Center would like to invite you to this year’s
Loud & Proud Youth Summit. Loud & Proud is a celebration of our LGBTQ roots. It gives us the opportunity to come together, hangout, and talk about sex, pride, and coming out. There will be food, music, and raffles throughout the event, where we will be giving away prizes like an iPod, Mini Laptop, VIP passes, gift cards, shirts & more! Behavioral Sciences Building, 1007 W Harrison St., 2pm, Free but registration is needed (abarragan@projectvida.org).

IML is a journey? I guess.

Memorial Day weekend is always crazy, but in Chicago it always means so much more. Between IML, Dance Parties with D.C. DJ Shea Van Horn and Chicago DJ Erik Roldan, and the 2010 Grabby Awards, there’s always a way to find something (or someone) that can show you a good time.

Friday

International Mister Leather (IML) is an international conference and contest of leathermen and leatherwomen held annually in May since 1979 in Chicago, Illinois. There are many reasons for attending IML. Some come for the shopping at the Leather Market, watching the IML contest, or dancing in the ballrooms. Many clubs and organizations host meetings and workshops during IML. Some people come to find other BDSM enthusiasts or fellow fetishists while others come to people watch. Most, but far from all, attendees are gay men. Check out the IML site to find schedules, tickets and event times.

Two of Washington DC’s most successful alternative gay events, MIXTAPE and HOMO HOTEL HAPPY HOUR (HHHH), are bringing their parties to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, May 28, the DC-based event promoters are teaming up with Chicago’s HOTEL SAX to kick off Memorial Day weekend with MIXTAPE CHICAGO, a cocktail/dance party in the hotel’s Crimson Lounge!! The night, officially hosted by HHHH will combine a happy hour vibe with an eclectic mix of indie pop, electro, disco, and dance music spun by the MIXTAPE DJs and Chicago’s own REDUXXX! (DJCT+WYSER) (U R WE + CUSTOM-VIBES / Boy’s Room).  The Hotel Sax (4th Floor), 333 North Dearborn Street, 5:30pm, Free!

Cocktails at Cocktail with Jason Sechrest. Meat & Greet your favorite Adult stars: Craig Reynolds, Kyle King, Vince Verellie, Adam Killian, Roman Heart, Mitchell Rock, Doug Jeffries, Steven Daigle, Josh Griffin, Erik Rhode, Benjamin Bradly, Diesel Washington, Jeremy Bilding, Trevor Knight, Scottie Brooks, Matthew Rush, Robert Van Damn, Mike Dreyden, Jason Pitt, Nash Lawler, Cameron Marshall, Scott Tanner, Paul Wagner, Chad Manning, Ryan Raz, Wolf Hudson, Ricky Sinz, Jason Sparks, Lucky Danials, Rob Romani & Chi Chi Larue! $5 Cover directly to benefit Project VIDA/Project LIFE – Health & Family Services Cocktail Chicago, 3359 N Halsted Street, 6pm, $5.

Hydrate and Cruzan Rum are proud to present to you the Goddess of Tupperware, the ever hysterical Dixie Longates. Dixie will keeping you laughing in the aisle all while selling you on some of the latest trends in the All American Tupperware line. Last time Dixie performed in Chicago, her show sold out in no time so get your tickets today. Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, 8pm, $20.

Saturday

Chicago Elevated kicks of the spring and summer tour season with a first of it’s kind – a Boystown Tour. The Boystown Tour will start on May 29th and run on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. They’ll also talk about Chicago’s LGBT history, Stonewall and how that affected the gay community here in Chicago, the “pansy craze” days in the 20’s and the affect of WWII, talk about some of the first human rights movements, some of Chicago’s most influential LGBT movers and shakers and talk about tipping points that made Chicago one of the first to repeal laws, instill laws and talk about why Boystown was the first legally designated gay neighborhood in the country. Roscoe’s Tavern, 3356 N Halsted St, 5pm, $20.

The 7th annual Randolph Street Market Festival is a West Loop Euro-style indoor/outdoor market — home to the Chicago Antique Market and Indie Designer Market — features more than 200 select purveyors of high quality, value-priced “finds,” contemporary and vintage fashion, art, jewelry and décor, live music, food and more, offering unlimited creative inspiration and hours of shopping and entertainment. Held one weekend of each summer month, May through September, the Market burst onto Chicago’s fashion scene seven years ago, and quickly earned an international reputation as one of the finest and most diverse markets in the world, drawing comparisons to Paris’ legendary Le marché au puces de Saint-Ouen. 1350 block of W. Randolph Street, 10am, $10 (both Sat and Sun).
Among the performers at the 26th annual Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest will be tribute band faves Trippin’ Billies (Dave Matthews); House of Winehouse (Amy Winehouse); Too White Crew (hip hop); and Infinity (Journey). Others on the bill include local party rockers Wedding Banned and Rock Candy, and jam band Mr. Blotto. Food, beer and arts & craft vendors. Through May 30. 3200 N. Belmont and 3300 N. School St., 6pm, $7.

The women of GayCo are out front in this new original sketch revue named Breast In Show. Lesbian couples cope with the only thing worse than a relationship gone horribly awry, a relationship gone horribly aright. Wymyn who love wymyn get defensive in Self-Defense class; and GayCo boldly embraces lesbian stereotype in their most epic Softball scene ever. Six talented comediennes take charge in GayCo’s second Women’s show in 15 years.  De Maat Theater, 1616 N Wells St, 10:30pm, $15.

Sunday

MIXTAPE DJs/promoters from DC (Raw/Mixtape) are teaming up with Chicago-based party promoter CARLOS TORRES (U R WE/Boys Room) and journalist/radio personality ERIK ROLDAN (Chicago Independent Radio Project/Think Pink Radio) to launch a new party called BLENDER at SCARLET BAR in Boys Town. The idea is take two successful parties from different cities and blend them together to create a unique event. $3 Miller Lite / PBR, $12 Champagne Bottles, $5 Select Martinis. Scarlet Bar Chicago,  3320 N. Halsted St 9pm, Free!

Chicago’s starting to shine like the great city it blossoms into for the summer. May is not only when all the flowers start to sprout and leaves return to trees but the pants become shorts and the sex becomes more promiscuous than ever. Chicago’s full of fun events to get you out and about!

Thursday

• AVENUE Q is the smash-hit Broadway musical about real life in New York City, as told by a cast of people and puppets through a hilariously irreverent, Tony-winning book and score. The three-time Tony Award winning musical tells the story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college grad who moves to NYC with big dreams and a tiny bank account. The only apartment he can afford is way out on Avenue Q, where everyone’s looking for the same things he is: a decent job, a stable relationship, and “purpose.” Eventually, Princeton learns to embrace the ups and downs of city life and realizes that “the real world” isn’t so bad, after all! Engagement from May 4-9th. Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe, $25-75, 7:30pm.

• Days of Late is a new play that explores the intricacies of finding love and sex and personal fulfillment spanning across the gay, straight and bisexual communities. It is a daring hybrid of raw, emotional desperation and dark comedy. It follows the savage, hilarious and heartbreaking journey of eight young city dwellers fighting to navigate their lives in this current era of sexual liberation, including on-line dating, anonymous sex and the growing acceptance of bisexuality and homosexuality. Viaduct Theater, 3111 N. Western Ave, $20, 7:30pm.

• Night filled with live entertainment by Lynne Jordan and the Shivers, silent and live auction, delicious food and beverages to benefit the kids of Camp of Dreams. Camp of Dreams is devoted to bringing uplifting, engaging, free educational and cultural enrichment programs to young people who would otherwise go without. We do so during the hours in which our youth are typically unengaged and needing meaningful interaction, and our year-round approach includes two main areas of programming: Overnight summer camp for 3 weeks in July and Community Days during the school-year (2 Saturdays per month). Our project as a whole brings a wide range of activities to our participants: Academics, Visual and Performing Arts, Mind and Body, Health and Wellness, and Civic Engagement. And in all of our activities, our young people learn about accountability, about following through with themselves, their fellow participants, and their broader community. Green Dolphin Street, 2200 N Ashland, Free, 6pm.

Friday

• Join Equality Illinois supporters and friends for their monthly First Friday networking event. For a $10 donation to the Equality Illinois PAC, you receive two-drink tickets and a ticket for a door prize drawing. Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St, $10, 6pm.

• Love Crimes: A Hate Story will inspire you to laugh at a society where love is condemned as a crime through the silliness of hateful storytelling. See what happens when a Detective and his Male Femme Fatale attempt to piece together a drunken night in Boystown; a Lesbian Vaudeville duo rekindle their act after decades of silence, and a soulful sedcutor serenades Fred Phelps with a love song. Hydrate yourself with a drink, while Quixotic dives into the deep end of the sea of unlawful love, lust and unstoppable laughter. Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted, $10, 9pm.

• The Flesh Hungry Dog Show presents Plain Ole Delicious, Pieptone! and Homoticons. DJ Sky spins between the bands, and Chicago rock impresario Gary Airedale hosts. Special guests, The Revelettes will go-go dance you to a fever pitch. Jackhammer, 6406 N Clark Street, $10, 9pm.

• The largest and most important Mexican celebration in the Midwest takes place the weekend of May 7th through the 9th in the heart of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood (26th Street and Kostner). Celebrating its 21st year in 2010, Cinco de Mayo Festival (Cinco de Mayo Festival) is a grand community gala that commemorates Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule (or “Dia de la Independencia”). Cinco de Mayo Festival offers something for every family member including entertainment, carnival rides, live regional and traditional music and a Healthy Lifestyle area. More than 70 vendors offer a wide variety of arts, crafts and merchandise along with authentic cuisine and drink. Popular local, regional and international musical acts perform over the weekend. In addition, special appearances by TV, radio and other celebrities further build event excitement with the crowds. Little Village, 26th Street and Kostner, Free, 6pm.

• Dynamic performer and author E. Patrick Johnson seamlessly inhabits the many interviewees who comprise this fascinating oral history of black, gay southern life in Sweet Tea. The acclaimed book is brought to life in a co-production with Jane M. Saks and the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, Columbia College Chicago, where Johnson has developed this project as a Fellow. Viaduct Theatre, 3111 Western, $15, 7:30pm.

• Sister Spit is the legendary, raucous, rowdy performance gang, brings a vanload of queertastic brilliance, a multimedia explosion of zinesters, fashion plates, slam poets, novelists, performance artists, poets and fancy scribblers. Featuring queer luminary Michelle Tea, legendary trans film director and screenwriter Silas Howard, queer graphic novelist and anti-racist activist Elisha Lim, lesbian slam-poet/performance artist Lenelle Moise, trans psychic memoirist Len Plass, queer zinester/portraitist/graphic novelist Nicole J. Georges, and Power Point loving shape-shifter translady Annie Danger!! Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St, $10, 9pm.

Saturday

• Join Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and bid on fabulous live auction prize packages presented by the sexy men of CGMC. Bid on exciting travel, cooking, fitness and fashion packages. Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St,  $25 in advance, $30 at the door, 5pm.

• Dyke Delicious Screening Series presents Do These Shorts Make Me Look Fat Popular shorts program with films and videos about lesbians and other strong women, a collection of thought-provoking and rib tickling stories,sapphic silliness and dyke drama. 7pm Social Hour; 8pm Screening. Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N Clark, Free, 7pm.

Sunday

• Versatile comedian Kristen Studard takes the spotlight with this sharp new solo show exploring the joys of life’s Small Victories. Studard’s characters take us to silly and absurd places while giving voice to irrational fears, secret shames and sexual confessions. We meet a Hungry Hungry Hippo who might actually be full, hear what our household objects really think about their lives, and witness a bee’s steamy encounter with a lonely house-flower. Smart and playful, Small Victories sheds a hilarious and often harsh light on the lies we tell ourselves to get through each day. Annoyance Theatre 4830 N Broadway, $10, 9:30pm.

He's coming to eat...your sins!

I totally forgot it was Zombie Jesus weekend (or Easter as some boring people call it) until I realized that some of my friends would not be here this weekend. The weather is slowly becoming the spring/summer we all know and love. There are plenty of events in Chicago to get you to rise like Zombie Jesus for some fun!

Thursday

• Columbia College presents 11th Annual Edible Books. The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly event on April 1 throughout the world. Artists with a culinary streak, chefs with artistic flair, and all local book lovers are invited to participate by whipping up an edible book for the Annual Edible Books Show & Tea event at Columbia College Chicago. This event unites bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers around the planet to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed. Columbia College Library, 3rd Floor, 624 S. Michigan Avenue, $10, 6pm.
• The Edge Ice Arena presents Ice Dreams. Fresh off of their Olympic and World Championship seasons Johnny Weir, Rachel Flatt & Jeremy Abbott share their thrilling performances with Chicago figure skating fans. Edge Ice Arena, 735 Jefferson Street, Bensenville, IL 60106-3160, $25, 7:30pm.
• Stardust At Berlin Presents Raven from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Also featuring DJ Stinky Pinky and Lady Miss Navy Pier and guest Host Miss Omicah. Berlin will have $2 Pbr & $3 Berlin Bombs all night as well as a Champagne party from 10pm to 11pm. Berlin, 954 W Belmont Ave, $7, 10pm.
• Deborah Gould, author of Moving Politics, Emotion and ACT UP’s Fight Against AIDS is an assistant professor of sociology, UCSC. She is speaking as part of Northwestern University’s Gender Studies Colloquium series on Gender and Sexuality in Transition. Migration, labor, tourism, transgender/transsexual identities and the methodologies and philosophies of feminism, queer theory, and gender studies are all topics up for discussion during this speaker series. Northwestern University, University Hall, Hagstrum Room, Evanston, Free, 6pm.

Friday

• Join Equality Illinois supporters and friends at their monthly First Friday Networking event. For a $10 donation to the Equality Illinois PAC, you receive two drink tickets and a ticket for a door prize drawing. Contributions support the Equality Illinois Political Action Committee. Sidetrack, 3349 North Halsted Street, $10, 6pm.
• It’s time for another fun filled Dance Off With Your Pants Off at Scarlet! This time it will be Easter style, so pick between Bunny Ears or Tails, check your pants with Chip and get ready for a great time with DJ Wyser (Custom Vibes) They will also hide some Easter eggs with some prizes, so be sure to look around, you never know where one will be! Scarlet
  3320 N Halsted, Free, 9pm.
• The Flesh Hungry Dog Show celebrates five years of spreading the gospel of live rock and roll, burlesque, and general musical mayhem for queers and friends in Chicago in a raucous celebration of alternative creativity, featuring local and touring queer and queer-friendly rock bands, burlesque, and underground performance. Hosted and created by Gary Airedale, with prizes, vintage film, and DJ Sky. Performers include The Joans (whose video for Mad at The Dirt recently made the top 10 on Logo Network’s Click List), Bobby Conn + Burglars (fresh on the heels of the release of the release of their critically acclaimed new CD “King for a Day”) and the newly reincarnated, legendary, futuristic, electro Brilliant Pebbles. Jackhammer, 6406 N Clark Street, $15, 9pm.
• Chicago’s own urban and jazzy Joel Hall Dancers have the local arts scene abuzz. Why? Because an astonishing six world premieres will be unveiled at their upcoming concerts titled “Here’s to Life” on April 2 & 3 at the Athenaeum Theatre!
  Premieres include works by Joel Hall and Paul Sanasardo, both internationally acclaimed choreographers, along with works by notables William Gill, James Morrow, Vanessa Truvillion and Joel Valentin-Martinez. Athenaeum Theatre
  2936 N Southport Ave, $20, 8pm.
• Every 1st Friday of each month Circuit will host a fund raiser for a local organization. This month, four amazing female lead bands for this special night feature: Jess Godwin, Jane & the Steadfast Acrobats, Driving the Daisies, Jeannie Tanner Quartet. Proceeds go to the Lesbian Community Care Project. Circuit Night Club, 3641 N Halsted St, $12, 8pm.

Saturday

• Join the Women for Equality at Mary’s Attic on Saturday, April 3rd for a fun-filled afternoon featuring lesbian comedienne Shannon Ennis. This event benefits the Equality Illinois Education Project, helping raise funds to continue our important work in educating legislators, communities and individuals about LGBT issues. The $50 per person admission includes two drink tickets. Hamburger Mary’s Chicago, 5400 N. Clark Street, $50, 4pm.
• Ever wanted to become a Cowboy or Cowgirl? Go down to InnExile and meet & greet the members of the Illinois Gay Rodeo Assocation. They will be at InnExile , selling Jell-O Shots, 50/50 Raffles and a Special Show starting at 11pm, Co. Hosted by Miss ILGRA 2010 Miss Colleen Stewart & Mr. ILGRA 2010 Robert Bowden. So dust off those cowboy or cowgirl boots and learn what it takes to be a cowboy or cowgirl. Learn what ILGRA is about and there upcoming events throughout the year. InnExile, 5758 W 65th St, Free, 10pm.

Sunday

• In honor of April being National Volunteer Month, Sunday, April 4, Gay Chicago Magazine will host its first Easter Brunch at Jack’s on Halsted. In conjunction with Vital Bridges, this food and clothing drive runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public. The brunch will feature music by DJ Gerry and specials ($3 bloody marys, $2 mimosas and $5 martini specials). All attendees are encouraged to bring items to donate to Vital Bridges and then grab a table and enjoy Jack’s fabulous brunch items (prices range from $7-$15). Vital Bridges’ mission statement: “To help people throughout metropolitan Chicago impacted by HIV and AIDS to improve their health and build self-sufficiency by providing food, nutrition, housing, case management and prevention services”. Jacks on Halsted, 3201 N. Halsted Street, Food ranges from $7-$15, 10:30am.
  

Chicago Springtime!

The snow has melted and the reason all Chicagoans put up with the horrible winter weather is finally here: tons of shit to do in the city for free or cheap! Chicago is known for their fun festivals all around the city all spring and summer long! While it’s not warm enough to break out the shorts and flip flops, it’s warm enough to get excited about this weekend events around Chi-town!

Friday

• American Indie rock band Vampire Weekend plays a show at the Riviera theater in support of their second album Contra. Rivera Theatre, 4746 North Racine Avenue, $30, 7pm.
• Nightcaps features comedy, burlesque, live music and things that can only be described as spectacles. Following the show is a dance/costume party. Nightcaps has been imagined The Kids In The Hall had a love child with Bob Fosse. The event is hosted by Adam Guerino (The Sarcastic Squad, Art Haus,) The Puterbaugh Sisterz (Sketchfest, Entertaining Julia,) and DJ Greg Haus (Cosmix, Atomic Sketch.) Berlin, 954 W Belmont Ave, $5, 10pm.
• AjaxAntigone, is a local play by Sophocles/Speicher/Matsuda. Ajax is the greatest Greek warrior, brought to his knees by a madness sent from the gods. Antigone is history’s greatest rebel, railing against the king who disgraced her family. Their stories are told simultaneously, through movement, shadow, and a legion of haunted sheep. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 621 W Belmont Chicago, Free, 8pm.
• Chicago Critical Mass bike rides start from Daley Plaza, Dearborn & Washington at 5:30 pm on the last Friday of each month, regardless of season or weather. They are free and fun. All you have to do is show up with your bike.

Saturday

• The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus is throwing a benefit in their honor. THE DISCO BALL will feature a DJ spinning the hottest disco dance tunes and a special performance from the Stage Door Johnnies, Chicago’s sexy male burlesque troupe. And don’t forget to dig through your closet and come dressed in your highest platform shoes and tightest bell-bottoms and you might win a prize in their costume contest! Admission gives you two drink tickets to enjoy beverages featuring Absolut Berry Acai or brews from Trumer Pils. Circuit, 3641 N Halsted St, $15, 8pm.
• Got an iPhone? Cell Block is teaming up with Grindr to celebrate their 1 year anniversary. Hot men, Grindr Give-a-ways and drink specials all night long. So stop over there and see how close you are to your next encounter. Cell Block, 3702 N Halsted St, Free, 1opm.
• The International Bedlam Society and Chicago Art Department come together to bring you three nights of bacchanalia, The Festival of Dionysus, to finish off your winter blues once and for all. This Spring Equinox festival will be held for three Saturdays in March to celebrate the coming season and the god of revelry with theatre, games, food, and drink! Each evening will feature different musical guests and an ensemble performance of eight Greek theatre favorites. See your favorite stories; Zeus, Prometheus, Oedipus, Theseus, Hippolytus, Achilles, Orestes and Pentheus retold for the modern, ADD and television-soaked audience, these plays are bawdy, dark, and sharp. Chicago Art Department
  1837 S Halsted, $7 or $5 w/costume, 7pm.
• Chicago’s nationally ranked women’s roller derby league’s, The Windy City Rollers’ third bout of the home season. The theme for the game is Chicago Sports Day, featuring Chicago Force, Chicago’s all female touch football team. Anyone involved with any Chicago sports teams are encouraged to bring groups and be honored at this bout. UIC Pavillion, 525 S. Racine Ave, $20, 6pm.

Sunday

• Amy Armstrong and lloyd Young’s 4th installment of the Fuggit Show. Its like the Muppet Movies meets Mad TV in an hour long ride of hilarious live and video sketches.  Holiday Club, 4000 N Sheridan, $10, 7pm.

A scene from In the Red and Brown Water

If you are not already familiar with the name Tarell Alvin McCraney, you will be soon enough, and most certainly, you should be. The Brother/Sister Plays, a trilogy of plays currently being performed at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, is an extraordinary theater-going experience. Really. I’m talking in superlatives again, and, seriously, for good reason.

The Brother/Sister Plays are beautiful- epic in scope, and profound in purpose. They are based on tales of the Yoruba religion, a centuries old religion from West Africa. The history of the religion traces to slaves who brought the religion with them to America, keeping it a secret, and morphing with the Christian religion of the new world.

McCraney lifts his characters and stories from the gods and deities of the religion and drops them into the “distant present” of the New Orleans projects. The link between the past and the present thematically carries forward the plays, as they span roughly thirty years, but further more seeks to link the stories of those generations past and the way they haunt and inform the stories- still- of the present.

The Brother/Sister Plays are comprised of three plays: In the Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size, and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. They are split into two performances, In the Red and Brown Water is performed on its own, and The Brothers Size and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet performed together- so it is necessary to attend both performances to see The Brother/Sister Plays in total. They can be seen in any order, although I would suggest it best to see them in the chronological order of the span of the story, which makes In the Red and Brown Water the first installment. Steppenwolf is performing them on consecutive nights, or as an all day Sunday marathon, the first as a matinee and the others in the evening.

The first, chronologically, and longest, of The Brother/Sister Plays is In the Red and Brown Water. It is also the most powerful. It tells the story of Oya, a gifted young runner with a very real future as an athlete. Oya is met with difficult decisions within both her family life and love life that take her in directions unintended, with consequences to ripple for years. The full ensemble is present throughout the play, grounded by Steppenwolf ensemble member Alana Arenas as Oya. Simply put, she is magnificent.

Playwright Tarrell Alvin McCraney

The second play, The Brothers Size, is much more intimate, with only three characters throughout, carried over from In the Red and Brown Water. It tells the story of the tensions that exist between two brothers- Ogun Size (ensemble member K. Todd Freeman), a hard-working mechanic, and the other, Oshooshi Size (Phillip James Brannon), recently out of prison, trying to become a member of society again. Oshooshi’s friend from prison, Elegba (Glenn Davis) shows up and adds more conflict, as soon it becomes clear that the bond between the two men goes beyond a mere friendship. It is up to the three actors to infuse this play with the deep intensity it demands, and they excel beyond rising to the task.

The final play of the trilogy, Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet jumps ahead to find Elegba’s son, Marcus (also played by Glenn Davis,) as a teenager, grappling with coming to terms with his obvious homosexuality. He looks to the past to learn about himself and who he is, particularly in terms of his now dead father, Elegba, and whether the rumors about him are true. As the tension rises, reports of a major storm, a life-altering storm, barreling toward New Orleans add an immediacy to the action present. Glenn Davis invokes a sadness, longing, and hope to Marcus’ quest for acceptance and truth in a manner that seeps empathy from the stage.

As a whole, The Brother/Sister Plays are a profound theater-going experience, intellectually stimulating and deeply emotionally moving. The interplay of dreams within each play link together an immediate past, a lurking future, a painful present, and a distant time centuries before- its story is representative of the totality of a people- a bold goal, seemingly effortlessly accomplished by McCraney.

The cast carries the material to an even higher level. Beyond the leads, Steppenwolf ensemble member Ora Jones in multiple roles and Jaqueline Williams as Aunt Elegua are particularly strong.  The cast brings such great life to McCraney’s work, only multiplied by the beautiful direction of Steppenwolf ensemble member Tina Landau.

For those of you in Chicago, this is a theatrical event not to be missed. For the rest of you I hope you will also soon be given the chance to see this astounding work.

The Brother/Sister Plays are being performed in the Upstairs Theater at the Steppenwolf through May 23.

No More Snow, Man!

With Coachella’s lineup being announced, I’m getting excited for Chicago’s own Lollapalooza and the summertime. In the meantime, Chicago has some fun events till the sun starts heating up!

Thursday

• NewTown Writers is a gay and lesbian writers’ salon based in Chicago, Illinois, and holds fortnightly workshop-style meetings where members share works-in-progress. With a mission of fostering gay literature, NewTown Writers publishes the literary anthology Off The Rocks and the e-zine Swell.
  Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, Free, 7:30pm
• Inspired by John Waters, Designing Women and Dionne Warwick, Annoyance Theatre’s Drag Queen Dramedy *Glitter in the Gutter* is a fresh look at drag culture while paying R-E-S-P-E-C-T to its roots. Presented in the style of a live musical sitcom with loads of sass and drag queen drama, explores what is fake and what is realness. Annoyance Theater, 4830 N Broadway St, $10, 8pm.
• T-OUT Mic is a Trans-focused casual open-mic night welcoming all members of the LGBT and ally community, co-hosted by Jami Bantry of the Center and Lars Von Keitz (OutMusic) open to musicians, poets, speakers, and artists. Donations are encouraged to support community programs at COH. This event occurs every third Thursday of the month. Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, Free, 7:30pm

Friday

• Curious Theatre Branch presents Chicago’s longest-running, last-standing fringe festival Rhinofest. This year’s festival showcases a wild variety of fresh new solo performances, live art, avant-garde theatre and experimental music all under one auspicious roof. Through Feb. 14, 2010. $15 or pay what you can, $12 in advance online. Prop Theater, 3502-04 N. Elston Ave, $15, 7pm.
• Fine, fancy and formal gala and rock show in one! Grape Juice Records presents this second installment of The Windy City Winter Ball featuring Jon Drake & the Shakes, A Night in the Box, The Damn Choir, and Curtis Evans & Our Friends Electric. Dan Sanders-Joyce of the comedy troupe, The Cool Table, will host. Prizes for the best dressed beau and belle of the ball. Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, $8, 8pm.
• Join for the Chicago area premiere of this uproariously funny farce about hypocritical politicians, media manipulation, and cover-ups in Sex Marks The Spot Senator Cooney finds himself fighting to save both his marriage and his political life when his mistress threatens to reveal their affair on national television and his son comes home with a secret of his own. But Cooney’s cynical attempts at spin control soon spin wildly out of control when he pushes his press secretary and his campaign manager to the breaking point. (And what secret is his press secretary hiding?) Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont, $20, 7:30pm.

Saturday

• Chicago Spirit Brigade presents their 7th Anniversary Party and Fundraiser, Big Bang 7. You see them at events all year round, dancing, twirling and cheering to raise money for other non-profits that provide direct-care services to people with life-threatening challenges. This is your chance to see the CSB exhibit their many other talents as we take this one night of the year to raise a bit of money for themselves. Price includes admission, a premium drink courtesy of our wonderful host Circuit Nightclub, a fabulous cabaret style show and after-party dancing until you just can’t dance no more! Circuit Night Club, 3641 N Halsted St, $25, 8:30pm.

Sunday

• Wake-up artist and the original reality gatecrasher Kate Clinton performs her world-famous burlesque Bubble Wrap Dance and pops the air out of deniers and disruptors, birthers and dearthers, conservadems and bibliocrats, the -stans and the bans, spine flu and whine flu, ex-gays and A-gays, the audacity of nope and of course, the pope. All material digitalized and styled by the Haus of Ha. Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted, $40, 6pm.

Kate Clinton

Center on Halsted is pleased to announce that lesbian comic Kate Clinton will be performing her new “The Lady Haha Tour” on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 6pm in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted located at 3656 N. Halsted in Chicago.

Start your new decade dance with Kate Clinton –comic without borders, wake-up artist, and the original reality gatecrasher. See Kate perform her world-famous burlesque Bubble Wrap Dance as she gleefully pops the air out of deniers and disruptors, birthers and dearthers, conservadems and bibliocrats, the -stans and the bans, spine flu and whine flu, ex-gays and A-gays, the audacity of nope and of course, the pope. All material fully digitalized and gorgeously styled by the Haus of Ha. For more information about Kate Clinton visit www.kateclinton.com

A limited amount of tickets are on sale now! To order tickets online, visit www.centeronhalsted.org, and click on events. For more information or to order by phone, please email Ian Wilson at iwilson@centeronhalsted.org or call 773.472.6469 X 446

For more information about Center on Halsted, please visit the website, www.centeronhalsted.org.