A look inside Reeling, Chicago’s LGBTQ movie fest

COVERAGE BEGINS ON PAGE 32 VOL 33, NO. 52 SEPT. 19, 2018 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com

JOHNMARCIA MOSSMANLIPETZ THE THING Local LGBT icon dies. Photo by Hal Baim REEL

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GINGER GRANT Baton legend dies. Top photo: The Happy Prince. Bottom row, left to right: Freelancers Anonymous; My Big Gay Italian Wedding; Mapplethorpe. Photo by Hal Baim ‘Italian’ photo by Loris T. Zambelli; other photos courtesy of Reeling

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GRIEF INTRODUCING OUR NEWLY Mother of slain trans woman talks with WCT. EXPANDED ARTS COVERAGE Photo by Matt Simonette

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STAR- STRUCK Sykes, Rippon speak at AVAILABLE THIS WEEK IN PRINT Chicago House event. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald (www. AND ONLINE FROM WINDY CITY TIMES MysticImagesPhotogrphy.com) 40 COVERAGE BEGINS ON PAGE 13

@windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com 2 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

Election day is Tuesday, November 6. The 2018 midterm elections will decide who fills the seats in Congress. Make your voice heard and register to vote at Howard Brown Health.

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NEWS Ginger Grant, Dejanay Stanton remembered 4 Local LGBT icon Marcia Lipetz dies 6 Baim to lead Reader; WCT leadership changes 8 Halem keynotes LGBTQ health symposium 10 Women’s March announces expansion 11 Viewpoints: Baim; letter 12 ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS Arts/diversions—NEW cover 13 Fall theater preview: LGBTQ productions 18 Fall theater preview: Destinos 20 INDEX Fall theater preview: Alexandra Billings 22 Uptown Underground suddenly closes 23 Fall theater preview: Classics 24 Music: Cris Williamson interview 25 DOWNLOAD Fall theater preview: Multicultural premieres; operas THIS ISSUE 26 Fall theater preview: Artemisia 27 AND BROWSE THE ARCHIVES AT Art: A closer look at the MCA 28 www.WindyCityTimes.com Art: Boystown’s Jean Leigh Gallery 29 Pazdernik raises funds to fight HIV/AIDS 30 Chicago South Asian Film Festival has LGBTQ bent A look inside 31 Reeling, Chicago’s Movies: ‘The Queens’ at Reeling 32 LGBTQ movie fest Reeling films reviewed 34

COVERAGE BEGINS ON PAGE 32 VOL 33, NO. 52 SEPT. 19, 2018 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Books: BYP100’s Charlene Carruthers 36 JOHNMARCIA MOSSMANLIPETZ THE THING Local LGBT icon dies. Fall book preview 38 Photo by Hal Baim REEL 6 Writer/performer R.C. Riley 39 GINGER GRANT Baton legend dies. Top photo: The Happy Prince. Bottom row, left to right: Freelancers Anonymous; My Big Gay Italian Wedding; Mapplethorpe. Photo by Hal Baim ‘Italian’ photo by Loris T. Zambelli; other photos courtesy of Reeling Rippon, Sykes at Chicago House event 40 4

GRIEF INTRODUCING OUR NEWLY Mother of slain trans NIGHTSPOTS 41 woman talks with WCT. EXPANDED ARTS COVERAGE Photo by Matt Simonette

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STAR STRUCK Sykes, Rippon speak at AVAILABLE THIS WEEK IN PRINT Chicago House event. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald (www. AND ONLINE FROM WINDY CITY TIMES MysticImagesPhotogrphy.com) 40 COVERAGE BEGINS ON PAGE 13

@windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com

online exclusives at www.WindyCityTimes.com

COLUMBUS DAY Columbus, Ohio, is a destination with a lot to offer (left). Photo of Richard Pryor mural by Andrew Davis

COUNTRY ROADS

‘SECOND’ CITY WCT reviews additional productions, such as Second Skin.

THAT’S SHOW BIZ Find out the latest about West Side Story, Jim Parsons and Frank Ocean. Patrick Haggerty, of the groundbreaking LGBT country group plus Lavender Country, talks with WCT about his life, music. DAILY BREAKING NEWS Photo by Nate Burell 4 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Activist Lori Cannon added, “I first met Ging in Milwaukee, decades ago … where she was driv- The Baton’s ing a truck, and me, drivng a coach bus of North Slain trans woman’s Shore couples on a restaurant crawl. … Ging was backing out of an alley and not paying atten- Ginger Grant, tion—after the minor fender bender, she and I mother reflects on became pals. ... She was a great gal and lot’s o’ fun. … She’ll be missed.” remembered Entertainer Honey West recalled taking her daughter’s life, passing mother to see the show at The Baton when Ginger BY MATT SIMONETTE BY MATT SIMONETTE Grant was emcee: “I remember the girls came up and said ‘hi’ to her and Ginger gave her a big hug. Entertainer Harry Hodges, a.k.a. Ginger Grant, Valerie Griffin will always remember her late I am sending that hug to you now, my darling.” passed away the week of Sept. 10 in Chicago. daughter—Dejanay Stanton, who went by the Hodges told Keenhan in an interview for The Hodges, performing under Grant’s persona, was a nickname Dada—as a free spirit who loved to Boy from Peoria about how he launched his ca- longtime emcee at The Baton and a close friend both travel and shop, and was always respectful reer at The Baton in the mid-’70s. of its owner, Jim Flint. and affectionate toward her mother. “I started coming here [The Baton] in either Flint called the death “a complete shock. I was “She never left a room I was in without saying 1974 or 1975 on New Year’s Eve,” Hodges re- devastated for several days.” to me, ‘I love you,’” Griffin recalled. called. “I was amazed. It was a whole new world. Hodges had some health problems, but his Stanton, who was also known socially under the Nobody cared how you were or your size or color. death was unexpected and sudden, Flint said, name De’janay Lanorra, died by homicide some- I was so entertained. … It just looked like so adding that he and Hodges planned on going time during the morning of Aug. 30. Her body much fun. I liked the entertainment and the the- to Florida together in a few weeks. Hodges was was found with a bullet to the head at an alley ater of it.” buried in a private ceremony Sept. 14. A remem- at 40th Street and King Drive. The crime is still He added that he and Flint “think alike. I think brance of his life is planned at the Baton on Oct. under investigation. Stanton was the 17th trans- part of the reason we’re close is we’re both busi- 1 from 7-9:30 p.m. gender female U.S. resident murdered in 2018. nesspeople, and I don’t let business and friend- Griffin spoke with Windy City Times the day be- ship cross the line. I’m here when you need me. fore Stanton’s funeral. Griffin’s South Side home, You need me to mop a floor, I’ll mop a floor. … where her daughter also lived, was crowded with That’s my work ethic. With these shows and con- close and extended family members who were tests, a lot of times we’re [Flint and Grant] the helping her ready for the next day. She had just last ones out the door at night and the first ones returned from the funeral home where she’d been here the next morning, and we may be fat and old helping to preparing Stanton’s makeup. but we still do it. We’re not afraid to work and “When I first saw her, it was a total shock,” she we’re both doers. What I don’t know, I will learn.” said. “The make-up person’s and my knees both Hodges wanted a night at The Baton to be like buckled at the same time. We were about to pass a “fairyland,” he said, adding that when he em- out. I had seen her at the examiner’s office on ceed, he wanted to get the point across that, the 31st of August. She didn’t look as bad as she “We don’t care about the color of your skin or looked when I just saw her.” your race or gender or anything. If you have a Griffin learned of her daughter’s death through problem with that, when you come in, you leave the worst means possible: social media. As news it all outside—just come inside and have a good spread on Instagram that a murder had taken time. It’s magical in here.” place nearby, someone told a family member, and they all recognized Stanton’s car in a photo. Sept. 22 ball to honor “I looked at the car, because I memorized Da- da’s license plate,” she recalled. “I said, ‘That’s Marsha P. Johnson her license plate.’ It went on from there.” Mothers LaSaia Lauren and Jahari Mizrahi will The Chicago Police Department initially mis- present the “Pay It No Mind Ball” Saturday, Sept. gendered Stanton, Griffin said, leading to some Valerie Griffin holding photo of Dejanay 22, at 5110 S. Prairie Ave., 10 p.m.-3 a.m. confusion; originally a male victim was identi- Stanton. The free event will celebrate the life and con- fied at the scene. But Griffin said they resolved Photo by Matt Simonette Ginger Grant. tributions of Marsha P. Johnson, a drag queen/ it quickly after she spoke with them. She added Photo by Jerry Nunn activist who was one of the prominent figures in the CPD detective on the case had been coopera- about her daughter’s wanderlust. the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Johnson, who tive, forthcoming and helpful. At the same time, “Dada loved to go to different cities,” Griffin died in 1992, had said the middle initial in her she’s resolved to make sure that the truth behind said. “She went to Las Vegas, Virginia, Nashville, Flint said that Grant was “just everything to name stood for “pay it no mind.” the murder is discovered and the perpetrator is Atlanta and Los Angeles. She got out to a lot of The Baton,” and that he admired how she was so See “Pay It No Mind Ball” on Facebook. brought to justice. places. She was getting to the point where she full of energy. “They’re not going to drop the ball on this,” was just starting to get out and enjoy life … “She might have had a bad day, but then she’d she said. and she loved her family, and she loved to be get up on stage, and you’d never know it,” he Griffin said that her daughter had occasional flawless.” recalled. minor spats in her social circle, but steered clear The day after Stanton’s death, friends and fam- As news of her passing spread, Grant’s friends, of major problems and had had no trouble with ily gathered for a vigil at the site of her death. loved ones, fans and admirers took to social me- the law. Inclement weather prevented them from suc- dia to express how much she meant to them. “I have no bad memories of Dada … and I don’t cessfully releasing balloons to mark her passing, Writer Owen Keenhan, who co-wrote The Boy know of anyone who can say bad things about however. Griffin said she took that as a sign that from Peoria, a biography of Flint, with Tracy her,” she added. “How could anyone have that Stanton was not yet ready to move into her next Baim, said of Grant on Facebook: “On stage she much anger, to take her life, so that nobody is spiritual realm. was a rare combination of raunchy and sweet ever going to see her anymore? What type of per- “I’m a firm believer in the spirits,” she ex- with a charisma that was luminous. She exuded a son does that?” plained. “Dada was not happy and had not fully warmth that made her an ideal emcee. Off stage Stanton had two sisters and two brothers; she crossed over yet. She’s wandering around here, she was gracious and smart. A one-of-a-kind per- had a newborn niece whom she never got the wondering why she can’t touch us. She doesn’t former and a incomparable person.” opportunity to meet. Griffin also spoke at length understand—because I don’t understand.” WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 5

artsandtheaterweekly.com

OUR REVIEW OF LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS AT DRURY LANE THEATRE IS JUST PART OF OUR SPECIAL FALL THEATER PREVIEW ISSUE! PAGE 16

Audrey II (puppeted by Matthew Sitz) and Will Lidke. Photo by Brett Beiner

Saturday, 10.20.18 PARK WEST General Admission $150 8 p.m. - Midnight 322 W Armitage RIP $300 Chicago At the Door $175 All attendees must be over 21

On October 20, step into a world of light, sound, and spirits (and we aren’t just talking about the drinks). As Howard Brown Health’s fourth annual kick-off to the Halloween season, Big Orange Ball is shaping up to be a fantastic night of dancing, great beats by local DJs, a full bar, light bites, and tons of spooky surprises. 6 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Making no small plans: Marcia Lipetz has died BY TRACY BAIM racist work during the tumultuous ‘50s and ‘60s. As a Jewish family, they were involved in inter- Marcia J. Lipetz, 71, a foundational person in the faith work, and Lipetz attended an integrated Chicago LGBT community, has died. A no-non- high school. She was active in civil-rights work sense professional, she fought for women’s rights at that school. and social justice since she was a teenager grow- She graduated from Douglass College of Rut- ing up in Louisville, Kentucky—and she was part gers University and earned a master’s degree in of some of the more significant organizations in sociology from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. Chicago’s LGBT community. in sociology from Northwestern University. She Lipetz’s final battle was against a fatal cancer taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago, that sapped her energy and captured her full fo- Northwestern and Spertus College. cus. She and wife Lynda Crawford coped with the At Douglass in the ‘60s, during the peak anti- day-in and day-out struggles of hospice in her war protest years on college campuses, Lipetz final months. was involved in student government, including In the early afternoon of Aug. 8, Lipetz spoke fighting a policy that said it was a violation for with Windy City Times in her Evanston condo. students to be involved in protests. With a beautiful view of the Northwestern Uni- While she was at Ohio State, National Guard versity campus and a deep-blue Lake Michigan troops from her campus were sent to nearby Kent framing her sofa, Lipetz was relaxed and melan- State to quell protests, resulting in the killing of Marcia Lipetz (left) and Lynda Crawford. choly, thinking back on her life and careers— four students in 1970. surrounded by two energetic and loving rescue From Ohio State she returned to Louisville to for had created educational materials related to funding and develop a response to the pandemic. dogs, Callie and Keeper. teach community college. HTLVIII (what later was labeled HIV). So there Much of the structure that she and others cre- Two of the more critical organizations Lipetz Lipetz said she did not really know she was a were lots of educational materials available lo- ated is still vital to AFC’s work today, including helped lead are the AIDS Foundation of Chicago lesbian until age 24. Her first “coming out” ex- cally. the service providers council. “The blueprint was (AFC), where, in the late ‘80s, she was the first perience was in 1973. “I was teaching a class in Lipetz and gay businessman Fred Eychaner there,” Lipetz said. “AFC would be the gatherer full-time executive director; and Center on Hal- social problems and did a unit on homosexuality,” co-chaired an ACLU task force to create a policy of funds, to disperse to other agencies, to pick sted (previously known as Gay and Lesbian Ho- Lipetz said. “It was the early days of feminism, related to discrimination issues. Lots of bad in- up the gaps, and to enhance others, for example rizons, then Horizons), where she served on the and lesbian issues were controversial. I wanted formation about HIV/AIDS filled the news and with the case management collaborative. board in the ‘80s, and later returned to be part to know more, and that was a hint of more to streets in that 1984–’85 time period. The ACLU “We brought the community together to make of the team that worked on creating and building come.” task force’s approach was to “protect individual the decisions on funding. We were the demilita- the Center on Halsted. The women’s movement really attracted her at- rights and liberties as well as public health.” rized zone.” Lipetz also worked on the launch of Fred Eycha- tention, so Lipetz chose Planned Parenthood in “We developed the first policy in the U.S. for an That doesn’t mean there were no controversies. ner’s WPWR Channel 50 Foundation in the ‘90s— Louisville as the first board of directors she would ACLU, and that allowed us to accept a case for a There were plenty, including among the popu- an entity she ran for 11 years. Now known as the serve on. Her second board was the ACLU in her physician at Cook County Hospital who had lost lations most impacted by the disease. She said Alphawood Foundation, it is a critical supporter hometown. She said she enjoyed speaking and his privileges,” Lipetz said. “Deaths were too nu- AFC’s approach was to just not take the bait. of the arts, activism and LGBTQ organizations. debating on women’s choice issues. merous to count—gay men were diagnosed and As a woman working on HIV/AIDS, she noted Lipetz later was president and CEO of the Ex- Another proud achievement was being part died in 18 months, Black women in four months.” that a great number of other women stepped up ecutive Service Corps of Chicago, where she used of a group of about 40 people who got the ERA This work lead to the creation of the local AC- to help because so many gay men were either her expertise and skills to benefit Chicago’s non- ratified in Kentucky in 1972. There was a male LU’s AIDS and Civil Liberties Project. John Ham- struggling with the disease, or helping their part- profit community. Democratic governor and a female Democratic mell was the first director of that project and the ners and friends. Most recently, Lipetz started Lipetz Consult- lieutenant governor—and she signed the bill. Gay and Lesbian Rights Project of ACLU. Hammell “AIDS had a huge impact on all of us,” she ing, and among her clients was the Chicago Com- Lipetz said they simply didn’t have any reason to died of AIDS complications in 1995. said. “We watched as the community members munity Trust, working as an advisor on the LGBT think they couldn’t accomplish sweeping change, While Mayor Harold Washington’s gay liaison shriveled, and we felt helpless about what to do. Community Fund. and helped to pass about 100 bills fighting for Kit Duffy was the AFC’s first executive director We coped with the constant death. I purposely Lipetz also chaired the board of the Donors Fo- women’s equality there. when the agency launched in 1985, Lipetz came touched and hugged everyone I could—because rum of Chicago (now called Forefront), and she When she moved to Chicago to attend North- on board as the first full-time ED, in 1987. there were so many fears about touching people served on the Illinois Attorney General’s Charita- western, however, she had a big wakeup call. She “This married my interest in philanthropy and with AIDS. I went to as many memorials as I ble Advisory Council. Other boards she served on was schooled in the “who sent you” stranglehold my growing knowledge of HIV,” Lipetz said. could, and I just dug down and did the work.” include the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago of Chicago and Illinois politics, regardless of po- “There was this whole underground made up of But then, it just “got too expensive,” she said. and the United Way/Crusade of Mercy Chicago litical party. It made it much more difficult to nurses and social workers” fighting HIV/AIDS. “We created a parallel care delivery system, and Council. fight for change. The big challenges included pushing to make there was not enough money to go around. Too Her early mentors in the lesbian community Her first professional job was working for the sure Chicago was a part of the national dialogue many groups started, some were vanity projects. were Pauline Bart, Jean Hardisty and Eileen American Judicature Society, evaluating the since the coasts often received the most funding And race issues, about distribution of resources, Kreutz. criminal courts and the integrity of the American and attention; fighting between local organiza- began to effect the work. When FQHCs [Federal “One defining moment [for me] was serving as justice system. When federal funding for that im- tions who were competing for funding; no con- Qualified Health Centers] started to get involved an openly gay delegate to the 1996 Democratic portant work dried up, she went to work for the sistent pipeline of funding; and very few private in care, that really helped.” National Convention,” Lipetz said of her life. University of Illinois Medical Center. foundations were giving money to the cause. The stress was real. “I lived and breathed AIDS “Walking onto the floor for the first time was a As the AIDS Foundation’s first full-time ex- for more than three-and-a-half years,” Lipetz magical moment for someone who watched politi- AIDS Foundation of Chicago ecutive director, Lipetz, an open lesbian, helped said. “It was killing me, the pressure, the person- cal conventions all of her life.” Lipetz’s connection to AIDS came early on in al attacks, vendettas—it was not healthy. I left the epidemic. She volunteered with the Repro- bring the various parts of the LGBTQ and the HIV/ AIDS communities together to battle a plague on my own, with three month’s notice. I spent Early years ductive Rights Advisory Committee of the ACLU of that was killing people within weeks or months of a lot of time pulling together materials for the Lipetz was born in Louisville in 1947. Her par- Illinois, and then issues of HIV/AIDS bias started diagnosis. She helped to build consensus, secure next leader.” ents were social workers and involved in anti- to pop up. While at UIC, the unit Lipetz worked WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 7 Amy Maggio was interim ED, followed by Karen and make recommendations.” Fishman as the next executive director of AFC. What matters now Foundation work About a year and a half ago, Lipetz started to Lipetz said her interest in philanthropy prob- get sick. It was adenocarcinoma. She and Lynda, ably stems from her parents and the Jewish tradi- together 16 years and married 13, coped with tion of charitable giving. this final hurdle together. After her AFC work, she went to a consulting Lipetz had two rounds of surgery and chemo- project for WPWR Channel 50, which was looking therapy, but in August said there was nothing left to grow its reputation in public affairs. The sta- to do. She went into hospice a few weeks ago. tion was owned at the time by Eychaner, whose “I don’t want to sustain the pain,” she said, her own philanthropy was starting to increase. Lipetz black lab/dachshund mix in her lap. said she was mindful that a foundation might de- “My friends have been very present,” she said. velop from her work there. “People take shifts.” The funding would go to a “progressive agen- Asked in 2007 for the Chicago Gay History Proj- da” and for the things many foundations won’t ect what she felt her personal legacy is to the fund, such as operating budgets and advocacy, Chicago LGBT community, she said: “I guess I’m plus also funding of the arts and children’s proj- a builder—solid hard work that builds for the fu- ects. They also would focus on women’s domestic ture—and I’m enormously proud of the work of violence issues. the ACLU and the future of Center on Halsted.” “We started with small grants,” Lipetz said of She said her “defining moments” were: “Com- the foundation. She started as secretary to the ing out to my sister; taking a partner home for board and then became executive director of the the first time; buying our first house; being in foundation. She worked there for 11 years. a relationship with children; the Democratic Na- tional Committee; AFC’s first fundraiser [a huge Center on Halsted 1987 gala downtown featuring Angela Lansbury Lipetz first served on the Horizons board of di- among many others]; testifying in Springfield; rectors in the mid-’80s, during the era when the the Center on Halsted’s ribbon cutting and be- agency hired its first full-time executive director, ing in the gym, theater, and youth space for the Bruce Koff. While she left the board when she first time.” took on the AFC job, fearing any conflicts of in- Receiving the Human First Award was a high- terest if Horizons applied for grants from AFC, she light for her. “I had that feeling that this was said she was always a supporter, attending galas going to be it,” she said. “I am happy, I do not and donating funds. feel I have a lot of unfinished business. I have A few years later, when Patrick Sheahan was been a feminist, a lesbian, Jewish, an academic, Horizons board president, he recruited Lipetz a philanthropist. I got to be all these things and back into the fold. Her roles on the Center’s more.” board included vice chair and board of gover- The Alphawood Foundation posted a statement nance member. on its website: “Alphawood Foundation honors “The time was right for a community center, a the memory of Marcia Lipetz, our first executive real center that included arts, recreation, meet- director and a moving force in the creation of our ing rooms, etc.,” Lipetz said. organization. Marcia was a giant in our city and Lipetz joined a committee of the board first, will remain forever in our hearts as we continue and they operated independently, with no con- the work she started. We remember her with pro- trol by Horizons. Their mission was to explore the found thanks.” concept of a community center in the city. There The AIDS Foundation of Chicago sent a state- had been several LGBT centers since the ‘70s, but ment saying it was “saddened to learn that the last, Rodde Center, had closed in the early Marcia Lipetz has passed away. Marcia was a ‘90s. trailblazing social justice leader fighting for the Sheahan, Vicky Raymont, Julio Rodriguez and, rights of women, the LGBTQ community as well as later, Dave Helverson, Evette Cardona, Marcia those living with and vulnerable to HIV. As AFC’s Festen and a handful of others worked on focus first full-time executive director and an honorary groups, town halls and research for just what and board member, Marcia was fundamental to AFC where this center would be. becoming the organization that it is today. This The committee became a full part of the board, is a significant loss to both AFC and the Chicago and Horizons itself morphed into the Center on community. We hope you’ll take a moment to rec- Halsted. The building at the corner of Waveland ognize the impact of Marcia and her decades of and Halsted opened in 2007, after years of heavy work to advance human rights.” lifting by the committee, board, donors, politi- See 2007 Chicago Gay History Project video in- cians and other key players. terview with Lipetz here: http://chicagogayhis- “I spent eight years working on this,” Lipetz tory.org/biography.html?id=736 . said. “After that, it was time for other voices. You Lipetz asked that any donations in her honor need different leaders at different times. I knew should be made to the Center on Halsted or a they needed to diversify and get fresh voices.” progressive organization of your choice. Lipetz, for her years of dedication to Horizons A memorial service for Dr. Lipetz has been and the Center, was honored with the 2018 Hu- confirmed for Sunday Sept. 23, noon at Chicago man First Award at the Center’s annual gala. Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Inter- Her most recent work was helping with the ment private. Shiva or a reception will follow the LGBT Giving Council at Chicago Community Trust. service at the funeral home. “I set up the systems,” she said. “I was seen as professional and neutral. I helped make site visits 8 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Sun-Times are proud to turn the Reader over to this remarkable group of people who will make Investment group sure this independent voice is not lost.” “This is a very exciting challenge and opportu- nity,” said Baim. “The Reader is an iconic media buys Reader; Baim company and is a critical voice in Chicago. I look forward to continuing its tradition, and expand- ing its reach.” In 1985, Baim co-founded Windy to be publisher City Times, one of a handful of weekly LGBT news- papers remaining in the U.S. The author of 12 An agreement has been reached between the sica Stites, executive editor of In These Times books, Baim has won numerous awards for her Chicago Sun-Times, owner of the Chicago Read- magazine. work as a journalist and publisher, including in- er weekly newspaper, and a private investment The publisher of the Reader will be Tracy Baim, duction into journalism and LGBT halls of fame, group which has formed an L3C to purchase the co-founder and publisher of Windy City Times most recently the Association of Women Journal- Reader to ensure it remains a vital voice in the newspaper. Baim will be stepping away from day- ists-Chicago Hall of Fame. local media landscape. to-day responsibilities at Windy City Times. Her Dorothy R. Leavell, publisher of the Chicago WCT management team—Terri Klinsky, Andrew and Gary Crusader newspapers, will be chairman Davis, Kirk Williamson, Jean Albright and Matt of the Reader board of directors. Board treasurer Simonette—will be responsible for the weekly will be Eileen Rhodes, president of East Lake production of Windy City Times. Legacy Project to Management Group, and secretary will be Jes- The major investors behind the Reader pur- induct Johnson, Tchaikovsky in Oct. The Legacy Project has announced the fall inductions of transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson and Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tracy Baim. Tchaikovsky onto Chicago’s award-winning Photo by Hal Baim outdoor LGBT History Museum “The Legacy Walk.” chase are longtime business leader Elzie Higgin- The inductions will take place on Satur- bottom and criminal defense attorney Leonard day, Oct. 13, beginning with a pre-ceremony Goodman. A public fundraising and membership reception at 1-2 p.m. in the Harris Hall of drive will also launch soon. Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., that The new leadership team will take over the will focus on Johnson’s legacy with several Reader in October 2018, with an official re- guest speakers. launch later this fall. The reception will be followed by a brief The Reader, founded in 1971, is among the last outdoor ceremony at 2 p.m. in front of the remaining alternative weekly newspapers that Center, where the bronze memorial will be re- came out of the 1960s and 1970s counter-culture vealed. Following Johnson’s induction, there movements. The new owners will continue the will be a similar ceremony at 2:30 p.m. to strong tradition of cultural coverage and inves- welcome famed Russian composer Pyotr Ily- tigative reporting, focusing on both print and ich Tchaikovsky to the Legacy Walk at 3311 digital distribution channels. N. Halsted St. “I am very happy to be part of the team saving Both ceremonies will be followed by a this important media institution,” said Leavell. “Dedication Celebration” at Sidetrack, 3349 “There is a great opportunity here to expand the N. Halsted St. Reader coverage throughout the city and near See LegacyProjectChicago.org. suburbs of Chicago.” Since 1968, Leavell has served as editor and publisher of the Crusader Newspaper Group—Chicago and Gary, Ind.—after Local journalist part the death of her first husband Balm L. Leavell of NLGJA board Jr., co-founder of both publications in 1940 and NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Jour- 1961, respectively. In 2017, Leavell, awarded nalists has announced its 2018-19 national many times over for her community and publish- board of directors. ing work, was elected Chairman of the National Rick Stuckey, of NBC Chicago, is the sec- Newspaper Publishers Association, a Black news- retary, joining CNN’s Sharif Durhams (presi- paper trade organization. dent) and Jen Christensen (vice president) as “The Chicago Sun-Times worked hard to save well as KGO-TV’s Ken Miguel (treasurer). the Chicago Reader these past 14 months,” said Joining the board of directors is Chris Edwin Eisendrath, CEO of the Sun-Times. “This Martin, of Bloomberg. Kristina Torres, of the deal is good for the Reader, good for the Sun- University System of Georgia, and Sarah Bla- Times, and good for Chicago. It took some time zucki, of U.S. Department of Justice, have to get right, as it became clear that more re- been elected as at-large directors. They join sources, including staffing, were needed to shore directors April Hunt (Emory University), free- up the Reader for its next phase. All of us at the lancer Senta Scarborough, Jeff Truesdell (of People Magazine) and Eric Walter (of KYW Newsradio). The new members took office at the con- Our new Twitter handle! clusion of NLGJA’s 2018 National Convention @windycitytimes on Sept. 9. WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 9 EI PAC to Rauner: Stop contributions to Erika Harold The Equality Illinois PAC has asked Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to stop contributing to Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold’s cam- paign and to demand a return of substantial con- tribution. A statement from the PAC’s chair, John Litch- field, said, in part: “Since Erika Harold is so out of step with Illinois values—the same values that are the foundation of LGBTQ-affirming legislation Governor Rauner has signed into law—the Equal- ity Illinois PAC calls on Governor Bruce Rauner to suspend any further contributions to Erika Har- old’s campaign and to demand a return of his $1 million donation to her campaign last month. “We were shocked and dismayed by Governor Rauner’s enormous contribution to Harold’s cam- paign because he has been supportive of LGBTQ civil rights in the past, even when those in his party opposed him. This is an opportunity for Governor Rauner to live up to the best values of Illinois by not financially supporting a candidate who has a demonstrated record of supporting harmful policies for LGBTQ families.” The PAC cited Harold’s alleged statement that “she would rather place a foster child in the care of an abusive straight couple than in the home of a loving same-sex couple.” It also said that Har- old “advocated for a constitutional amendment to deny same-sex couples like my husband and me the freedom to marry—even after Illinois had enacted its marriage equality law; and she has opposed workplace non-discrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people from being fired or denied a promotion simply because of who we are or who we love.” Trans anti-violence march Sept. 21 “SayHerName: A march to end the violence against trans women” will take place Friday, Sept. 21, 6-8 p.m., at Wabash Avenue and Wacker Drive in Chicago’s Loop. There will be a rally to commemorate the loss of transgender individuals (including Chicagoan Dejanay Stanton) to violence. Afterward, attend- ees will march to Daley Plaza to host a candle- light vigil. See “SayHerName: A march to end the violence against trans women” on Facebook.

BREAKING NEWS SPECIAL FEATURES EXPANDED COVERAGE ARCHIVES

WindyCityTimes.com 10 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES 2018 MIDWEST LGBTQ HEALTH SYMPOSIUM Jessica Halem at Midwest Jessica Halem keynotes LGBTQ Health Symposium. LGBTQ health symposium Photo by Carrie Maxwell BY CARRIE MAXWELL been “surviving and thriving in the face of great adversity since most of us were born.” Jessica Halem, a former Chicagoan and Harvard In terms of the work she does, Halem said plac- Medical School’s first-ever LGBT program direc- es like Harvard Medical School have a history of tor, gave the keynote address, “Honor the Dead inertia that is weighing them down and making and Fight for the Living,” at the Midwest LGBTQ it hard to enact the changes LGBTQ people are 100 years, LGBTQ people were the doctors study- “The most important thing that should happen Health Symposium Sept. 15 at Malcolm X College. clamoring for with regards to training and overall ing their own communities patients,” said Halem. in medicine is to get the patient and provider to Halem started her career working for then cultural competency. Halem explained that the “What if LGBTQ people were the standard that talk openly with each other,” said Halem. “Also, Rep. Bella Abzug after graduating from Sarah lack of diversity in leadership is a part of why everything else is measured by in medicine.” LGBTQ people need to go to their healthcare pro- Lawrence College. Among her other career ac- these institutions are slow to change. Resilience is something Halem said she is ob- vider on a regular basis and be honest with them complishments are 15 years performing comedy, Halem said that she wanted to talk about hon- sessed by. She said New Orleans is not resilience about their lives.” transforming Howard Brown Health’s Lesbian oring the dead and fighting for the living because because of Hurricane Katrina but because of what Halem called on the audience to seek some Community Care (formerly Cancer) Project during far too often this is not the case because of how the city has had to deal with historically. pleasure and joy in their lives and quoted Au- its early years and serving on Barack Obama’s first one talks about health. She explained that peo- “It is not about the hits you take, it is about dre Lorde: ”When I dare to be powerful—to use LGBT Advisory Committee. She is the recipient of ple do not ask why people, for example, smoked how quickly you can bounce back,” said Halem. my strength in the service of my vision, then it many awards and is a member of the Tegan and or drank too much alcohol or ate too much or “White cisgender heterosexual rich men do not becomes less and less important whether I am Sara Foundation board of directors. took care of everyone else and not themselves. have the same resilience because they do not afraid.” Howard Brown Health (HBH) President and CEO Instead, Halem said, they talk about risk factors have to deal with the things the rest of society A Q&A session followed. David Ernesto Munar thanked Malcolm X College and this does not help anyone get at the root of has to face on an everyday basis.” HBH and the Center for Education, Research for hosting the symposium in the wake of the the issue. One thing that Halem does as a part of her job and Advocacy were the symposium’s presenters. citywide hotel workers strike (JW Marriot was the “We need to have real conversations even with- is to recruit LGBTQ people into Harvard Medical Visit WindyCityMediaGroup.com to read original location) while HBH Center for Educa- in our own LGBTQ community about this issue,” School. She said that 17 percent of this year’s more summaries of symposium events. tion, Research and Advocacy Vice President An- said Halem. “Queer women especially do not take incoming students are LGBTQ. die Baker unveiled the center’s new voting drive care of themselves enough, including going to the doctor, and that has to change. Everyone campaign—Who’s Seats? Your Seats! keep us from our mission to go make more dis- needs to take two hours out of each day to take “This year, more than ever, we are reminded of Local priest’s ciples for the Lord, nor should modern day dis- care of their minds and bodies.” the urgency of the issues that we face,” said Bak- tractions like global warming, LGBT ‘rights’ or Figuring out what is working and improving on er. “It is time to mobilize and get to the polls.” planned burning even immigration issues ever take precedence what is not working is the key, she added. Halem roused the crowd with her facial ex- over that mission.” Halem explained that in medical schools sex pressions and bawdy sense of humor as she took of rainbow Kalchik’s Sept. 2 Homily and post-script was and gender, and the differences between the two, the stage. Her humor caused bursts of laughter also published on the Church Militant website are not being taught, and that only five hours of flag shut down throughout her talk. founded by Saint Michael’s Media President class time is spent talking about LGBTQ people BY CARRIE MAXWELL “Howard Brown, you are crushing it,” Halem Gary Michael Voris. and their issues. She said they instead spend a said at one point. “You have to really love the When reached for comment, Kalchik did not lot of time talking about what is “normal” i.e., In a Sept. 2 Sunday bulletin, Resurrection Cath- community you serve to be up this early on a respond to queries about this now-canceled the threshold with which everything is measured olic Church Pastor Fr. Paul Kalchik announced Saturday morning. I am inspired by all of you and Rainbow flag burning. and that excludes LGBTQ people’s lived experi- in a postscript to his reprinted Homily message the work you do.” “We are grateful that the Chicago Archdio- ences. that a Rainbow flag found in the church, along Halem said she was born a radical Jewish femi- cese quickly and firmly rejects the words of “What would medicine look like if, for the past with parishioner’s pledge cards mixed with in- nist lesbian, added that every LGBTQ person has this pastor and his intended ‘ritual’ which are cense, would be burned in front of the church inconsistent with Catholic values and beliefs,” as a sacrilege during a prayer service following said DignityUSA President and Dignity/Chicago the Sept. 29 Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel AVER Banquet member Chris Pett. “It appears that this pas- and Raphael 4:30 p.m. Mass. tor was hijacking the parish to promote an Windy City Times received this information in Saturday, Sept. 22, extreme, ultra-conservative agenda promoted an anonymous email to the editor. by the Church Militant group which is not offi- Resurrection Church, located in Chicago’s 6:30pm cially recognized by the Church and is rejected Avondale neighborhood at 3043 N. Francisco by most Catholics. National polling over the Ave., is the result of a 1992 merger of St. Ve- past number of years consistently shows that a ronica and St. Francis Xavier churches. This year the Chicago Chapter of AVER (American Veterans majority of Catholics support LBGTQ people and However, the Archdiocese of Chicago leader- our issues. While we continue to challenge the for Equal Rights) is hosting the Annual National Convention ship was made aware of this event and told institutional Church to reject its harmful and Kalchik he could not move forward. of AVER in Chicago at the Center on Halsted. Come join us incorrect teachings about homosexuality, we In a statement to Windy City Times, Archdio- are glad to see this decisive action on behalf and celebrate with national leaders in LGBT rights cese of Chicago Communications and Marketing of all LGBTQ Catholics.” Director Anne Mascelli said on behalf of the for the military at the Convention Banquet. To view the Homily, visit web.archive.org/ Archdiocese, “We can confirm that the pastor web/20180910175651/https://uploads. has agreed not to move forward with these ac- weconnect.com/mce/b19dc177a07ce563e- Ann Sather Restaurant • 909 W Belmont Avenue • $40 per person tivities.” 09b457f13bf5a673ddfbba1/9.2.18.rbg.pdf. Open Bar, Silent Auction, and Buffet Dinner Program to Follow In addition to the now-nixed rainbow flag On Sept. 18, Windy City Times received burning announcement, Kalchik’s Sept. 2 Hom- word that the situation may have changed. Register at www.averchicago.org/national-convention ily message called for the restoration of the Visit WindyCityMediaGroup.com to get up- Orthodox Roman Catholic Church as well as this Pay online using the DONATE button on the home page dated information. For more info Call Jim Darby at 773-752-0058 statement: “We cannot let the current troubles WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 11 Women’s March Chicago announces event expansion BY VERNON HESTER Chicago Votes, a partner organization that spe- cializes in youth out reach and mobilization. On Sept. 12, at the corner of Jackson Boulevard March to the Polls will also feature a new ex- and Columbus Drive in Grant Park, board mem- pansive Voter Village that will run along Colum- bers from Women’s March Chicago (WMC) and bus Drive and serve as a hub for activists and will representatives from partnership organizations feature festival style booths hosted by political announced expansions and new features to its candidates, businesses and activist organizations upcoming March to the Polls event on Saturday, including The League of Women Voters of Illinois, Oct. 13. Moms Demand Action, The Young Women’s Chris- “The stakes are sky-high this November,” said tian Association of Metropolitan Chicago, The Co- WMC Board President Jessica Scheller in a previ- alition Against Handgun Violence, The Rainbow ous press statement. “We need every single wom- Push Coalition, Gun Sense in America, The League an--from first-time voters to great grandmoth- of Women Voters of Chicago, The Illinois Council ers-along with every single ally to take to the on Women and Girls, Action Illinois and Chicago Women’s March Chicago members. streets and converge on the polls. We have been Women Take Action, among others. practicing for months. Now it’s time to channel Following an energetic rally with entertainment Photo by Vern Hester our outrage and energy and truly make our voices and prominent speakers, including famed civil- heard through our votes in greater numbers than rights activist Heather Booth, the event will en- ever before.” courage attendees from Cook County and the City October’s March to the Polls event will feature of Chicago to literally march to the polls and uti- a First Time Voter Experience (FTVE), a special lize the early voting sites in downtown Chicago. area for new voters where they will mingle with The March to the Polls rally site, FTVE and Voter elected officials, community leaders, long term Village area will open at 9 a.m., with entrances voters and others while enjoying VIP treatment. along Columbus Drive at Congress Parkway and This section of the event is in partnership with Balbo Drive.

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raphers and editors, including theater/dance editor What is most exciting to me about taking the ex- Catey Sullivan. Martie Marro is our website host ex- periences, skills and connections I have and layer- traordinaire. ing them over a new publication is that in many Tracy For me, this is certainly bittersweet, but I am still ways I have felt frustrated in wanting to do larger BAIM majority owner of Windy City Times, and will guide social justice and cultural coverage of this city— it from afar. I just will not be part of the day-to-day constrained by parameters of the work at WCT. We running of WCT. cover the Chicago LGBTQ community in-depth, and VOL. 33, No. 52, Sept. 19, 2018 Change is A native Chicagoan, I started as a part-time re- are able to sometimes go into larger coverage, with- The combined forces of Windy City Times, porter, typesetter, photographer and sometimes- out losing our core focus. founded Sept. 1985, and Outlines newspaper, founded May 1987. in the air delivery person at GayLife newspaper in June 1984, Now, I am moving to the major league. The Reader right out of college. All I have ever wanted to be was covers a wider swath of the city and suburbs, and Windy City Times is marking its 33rd anniversary PUBLISHER Terri Klinsky a journalist. To be one, I knew I had to also know that presents exciting new opportunities to look at this month. As co-founder and publisher, I could not all aspects of what it took to produce a newspaper. the intersections of all communities. That includes be more proud of what this paper and related sister EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andrew Davis So I have been adapting to new tools and technol- across all races, religions, geographies, genders, sex- publications have accomplished. I know we have not ogy my entire career, in order to do what I love. ual orientations, classes and more. There is so much been perfect, but we have given our hearts to this MANAGING EDITOR Matt Simonette I have ventured into event organizing (Gay Games right with this city, but also so much wrong. We are DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA AND WEB EDITOR passion project for so many years. VII, the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality, depressingly divided along so many lines. We have Jean Albright Now it is time for a change. ART DIRECTOR AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR etc.), sales, marketing, social media and conference invisible borders everywhere. This city and its lead- A few weeks ago, I was asked by the incoming Kirk Williamson planning. I have worked on youth homeless issues ers have neglected massive segments of this town, SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Scott Duff owners of the Chicago Reader, the city’s weekly al- intensely for five years, including most recently on and there are so many neighborhoods and people in BUSINESS MANAGER Ripley Caine ternative newspaper since 1971, to come on board SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Terri Klinsky, youth storage lockers and tiny homes. crisis. as publisher. It was an offer I could not refuse. Kirk Williamson, Scott Duff, Kathy Breit, Theresa All of these skills and connections have given me We can do better. There is always room for a bet- Santos Volpe, Kevin Siarkowski, Amy Matheny But the reason I could accept is because Windy the confidence to attempt what may seem impossi- ter and more informed approach. Media are part of NATIONAL SALES Rivendell Media, City Times will be in great hands with our leadership ble. To try to re-launch the Reader into a financially this. The Fourth Estate is a key pillar in a civil soci- 212-242-6863 team. Terri Klinsky has been with WCT for 23 years, THEATER AND DANCE EDITOR Catey Sullivan solvent and culturally relevant print and online pub- ety. Without the media, in its many forms, watching and she is moving up to become publisher. Andrew SENIOR WRITERS Jonathan Abarbanel, Mary lication that will serve the needs of a city as diverse taxpayer dollars, elected officials, institutions, foun- Shen Barnidge, Liz Baudler, Charlsie Dewey, Davis started as a freelancer 23 years ago, became as this one. dations, corporations and other entities, corruption Ross Forman, Carrie Maxwell, Rev. Irene Monroe, managing editor 12 years ago and is now executive Jerry Nunn, Tony Peregrin, Angelique Smith, I love what I do. Every day for the last 34 years, grows unchallenged. editor. Kirk Williamson, with us starting 17 years Sari Staver, Sarah Toce, Melissa Wasserman I have been able to wake up knowing that I have a Windy City Times and the Reader both play roles as WRITERS Sarah Katherine Bowden, Ada Cheng, ago, is art director and associate editor. Matt Sim- mission, even if it has almost always been a strug- watchdogs and amplifiers. I have been lucky to do Eric Formato, Joe Franco, Veronica Harrison, onette, a senior news reporter and assistant editor, Kelsey Hoff, Aaron Hunt, Eric Karas, Brian Kirst, gle. The struggle is not really about the work load. this work in the LGBTQ community for 34 years. Now, will now be managing editor. Jean Albright, my life Billy Masters, Scott C. Morgan, Amelia Orozco, I love working hard. It’s my main addiction. I don’t I am excited to apply that knowledge to the larger partner for 24 years and with the company almost as Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Kerry Reid, Dana Rudolph, smoke, drink alcohol, do drugs or even coffee, but I landscape of this city. Ana Serna, Karen Topham, Joseph Varisco, long, is web director, calendar editor and circulation am addicted to telling stories, to amplifying voices, Put me in coach—I’m ready. Regina Victor, Sean Margaret Wagner, Lauren manager. And Scott Duff is our social-media guru Warnecke, Steve Warren, Lauren Emily Whalen to covering the people and places of this amaz- Tracy Baim can be reached at publisher@chi- and senior account executive. SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Kat Fitzgerald, Hal ing city we can love and still want to improve. The cagoreadercorp.com. Terri Klinsky is at terri@ Baim, Tim Carroll, Ed Negron There are actually more than 50 other people who struggle is usually about the funding—the question windycitymediagroup.com. Andrew Davis is at CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jean Albright help us, from hard-working delivery drivers to sales- DISTRIBUTION Ashina, Allan, Dan, John, Sue of how we fund this kind of work. [email protected]. people, business people, vendors, writers, photog- and Victor WEB HOSTING LoveYourWebsite.com (lead programmer: Martie Marro) PRESIDENT Tracy Baim (773) 871-7610 FAX (773) 871-7609 letters Editorial: [email protected] Sales: [email protected] Calendar: [email protected] Calling out Kavanaugh Judge. While the #MeToo movement has shed light exercise due diligence to ensure a perpetrator is not Circulation: [email protected] on the high prevalence of sexual harassment and seated on the Supreme Court. If Senate leadership Art/ad copy: [email protected] Theater: [email protected] Open item from the National sexual assault attacks, telling your story is never fails to postpone the vote and take the time to fully LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund: easy. The severe backlash that is already underway investigate the nominee’s actions, their gross disre- Copyright 2018 Lambda Publications Inc./Windy City Media Group; All rights reserved. Reprint by permission only. Back against Ford is a stark reminder of the treatment gard for women and survivors will be undeniable.” issues (if available) for $5 per issue (postage included). Professor Anita Hill endured almost 30 years ago. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, It took courage for Professor Christine Blasey Ford and photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and to publicly come forward with her accusations of This country already has a self-admitted sexual-as- Sincerely, no responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials. All rights to letters, art and photographs sent to Windy physical and sexual assault at the hands of Supreme sault perpetrator sitting in the White House. Chair- Rea Carey, Executive Director City Times will be treated as unconditionally assigned man Grassley and Majority Leader McConnell must National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund for publication purposes and as such, subject to editing Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark and comment. The opinions expressed by the columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Windy City Times. Publication of the name, photograph, or likeness of a person or organization in articles or advertising in Windy City Times is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization. While we encourage readers to support the advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Windy City Times cannot accept responsibility for advertising claims.

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Letters may be edited for brevity or clarity. Windy City Times Deadline every Wednesday OUT! Chicago’s LGBTQ Visitor’s Guide Online annual Windy City Times Wedding and Events Guide Annual Arts and Theater Weekly Online www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 13

OUR REVIEW OF LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS AT DRURY LANE THEATRE IS JUST PART OF OUR SPECIAL FALL THEATER PREVIEW ISSUE! PAGE 16

Audrey II (puppeted by Matthew Sitz) and Will Lidke. Photo by Brett Beiner 14 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES THEATER REVIEW habitants, peers and legal authorities. neither for tolerance of interspecies sex, nor pity This contradiction forms the basis for Edward for those enamored of the unattainable, but, in- The Goat, or Albee’s exploration of—take a deep breath, stead, extends an invitation—facilitated by his now—the accidental circumstances transform- characters’ comic propensity for commenting on Who Is Sylvia? ing an unlucky mortal into a social pariah and, their own syntax, semantics and mechanics of Playwright: Edward Albee just maybe, a tragic hero. Like many of his pre- discourse—to consider OUR individual boundar- At: Interrobang Theatre Project at decessors, our protagonist is a “decent, liberal, ies, and why we erect them where we do. Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. right-thinking” citizen, a faithful husband with No theater company could be faulted for stum- Tickets: $32; an African-American wife, a gay teenage son and bling occasionally in the course of navigating InterrobangTheatre.org 312-219-4140 a circle of friends who freely engage in casual Albee’s slippery thesis and extravagant stage Runs through: Oct. 6 adultery. So what is the crime that so violates business—did I mention the classical and con- the morals of this tribe? Well, upon returning temporary textual references, the trash-the-stage BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE from a drive in the country,our paragon claims tantrums and the entrance of an actual barnyard to have been seduced by what might, in pagan you-know-what?—but the heroic efforts of di- However steadfastly we may support the right myth, be a pastoral goddess, but, in our modern rector James Yost and the company assembled of all people to love, couple and marry as they secular post-Freudian society, can only be labeled for this Interrobang Theater Project production choose, most communities still designate a few a goat—a nanny goat, to be specific, dubbed render its 90 minutes in Rivendell’s Edgewater zones “no-fly” to winged Cupid—children below “Sylvia” for her bucolic origins. storefront a provocative and surprisingly funny a certain age, for example. Likewise forbidden are Is ”Love Is Love” applicable in this case? Is a symposium on the evolution of our cultural poli- erotic activities involving live animals. Furry or coquettish Caprine capable of informed consent? Tom Jansson and Elana Elyce in The Goat, or cies. feathered consorts may sleep undisturbed at the Does copulative anthropomorphism, however Who Is Sylvia? foot of your bed, but if your Fido or Felix crawls couched in romantic poesy, represent an abuse Photo by Emily Schwartz beneath the covers, you risk the censure of co- of power, privilege and/or hygiene? Albee argues

sion. Nonetheless at least one major subplot has ardor for social justice and reform on the one he’d be better placing devil and angel puppets THEATER REVIEW been totally eliminated (the appearance in St. hand and spiritual orthodoxy on the other. No on Raskolnikov’s shoulders—but all else is effec- Petersburg and suicide of Svidrigailov), while the wonder Raskolnikov is conflicted! He’s an egotist tive, aided by Christopher Kriz’s original music Crime and psychological cat-and-mouse game between the with a martyr complex, a man whose emotional and sound design and Shelly Strasser’s generally- Punishment murderer Raskolnikov (Drew Schad) and detec- doubts undermine his intellectual convictions. warm lighting. Playwright: Chris Hannan, tive Porfiry Petrovich (Patrick Thornton, perhaps The hard-working ensemble makes the char- Nick Mozak’s unit set creates a handsome and adapted from Dostoevsky a bit too affably cagey) has been greatly reduced, acters surprisingly colorful. Drew Schad artfully versatile base for the production. There’s noth- At: Shattered Globe Theatre at although it’s the central focus in many adapta- manages to convey Raskolnikov’s tortured psyche ing overtly Russian about it, but the warmth of Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. tions. and many moods, at one moment arrogant and at wood suggests 1860s Petersburg in which only Tickets: 773-975-8150; Adapter Chris Hannan instead gives the great- another gentle, but always unable to accept the the grandest buildings would have been masonry ShatteredGlobe.org; $39 est weight to Raskolnikov’s growing involvement affection of others. Darla Harper is particularly structures. A few simple sticks of furniture, a Runs through: Oct. 20 with the family of drunkard Semyon Marmeladov sharp portraying the contrasting personalities of few props (ya’ gotta’ have an ax, right?) and a (Darren Jones), especially his prostitute daugh- the murder victim and Raskolnikov’s mother. portable door provide all other necessary furnish- BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL ter, Sonya (Ilse Zacharias), the novel’s redemp- Despite its length, this production remains ings. Best of all, the stage floor is painted with tive figure. consistently engaging and energetic, even in its a Russian icon-style Madonna and Child image, Adapting a Dostoevsky novel for the stage re- Hannan’s version may include more of the par- quiet moments, as put together by capable vet- which speaks volumes about the play’s key fe- quires a lot of condensation, but it might not allel-and-subplots than most stage adaptations, eran director Louis Contey. His concept of having male/male relationships as well as Dostoevsky’s seem that way in this two-and-a-half hour ver- but even so it’s a lifetime study to track and un- Raskolnikov shadowed at every moment by mute central theme of redemption. derstand Dostoevsky’s complex (and changing) alter egos is odd and adds little obvious value—

tion creator Kirsten Riiber wrote the show based Futurists’ space and style, using every possible

THEATER REVIEW c on her work in reminiscence therapy (used to aspect of the space to tell this story. Practical Tangles and Plaques conjure the most relevant and clear memories lamps litter the world, illuminating various sec- Playwright: Kirsten Riiber to an aging person—those from that person’s tions of the play space that are away from the CRITICS’PICKS At: The Neo-Futurists at The childhood) at a local retirement home. There- stage. As they honed in on some of the more Radio Golf, Court Theatre, through Sept. 30. Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. fore, the meat of the show takes place in the personal relationships to dementia, the lighting A gifted cast and director bring power to August Tickets: $10-25; https://neofuturists.org; “accumulated nostalgia-scape of seven artists goes from bright washes to flashlights and spot- Wilson’s final play, concerning African-American 773-878-4557 on a budget.” lights, giving the audience a sense of fractured upward mobility in Pittsburgh’s gentrifying Hill Runs through: Sept. 29 A memory, they assert, is alive, and they pull thought and fear. Although the end of play feels District ghetto ... a slippery slope! JA the viewer into not only the ensemble’s memo- somewhat unfinished, there may be no way to Vietgone, Writers Theater in Glencoe, extend- BY KERRY REID ries but their own. This nostalgia-scape con- effectively finish a play that is about an on- ed through Sept. 29. One more week to see Qui sisted of some of the most striking collective going and frightening affliction that affects so Nguyen’s rock-and-rapping saga of the Viet Nam Tangles and Plaques—at the Neo-Futurists, a memories the millennial generation has, such many people. war’s aftermath, as viewed by the home team— Neo-Lab commission about the effects of de- as Skip-Its, ribbon dancing and Britney Spears. The set consists of projections and a what theirs, not ours. MSB mentia first seen in fall of 2017—has returned There is a wonderful tactile moment where the could be described best as an altar to the ‘90s Mind Reader, Mark Toland at the Greenhouse, for a three-week engagement at the Neo-Futu- ensemble sprays Axe body spray into the air, taking center stage. The performers, each more open run. A mentalist show is, literally, what the rarium. invoking sense memories in the audience. Ida talented than the last, wear nostalgic Lisa audience brings to it, but Toland’s nerdy charm Sourcing its name from plaques and tangles, Cuttler does the most serious and intentional Frank and Darth Vader shirts. One of the great- and ghostbusting candor makes it as entertaining deposits of protein that cause cell damage and macarena the world may ever see in this show. est things about seeing the Neo-Futurists is the as it is uncanny. MSB death in the brain, Tangles and Plaques at- And, in true Neo-Futurist fashion, audience sense of great personal sacrifice and reveal they —By Abarbanel tempts to translate dementia into the language members are invited to the stage to offer their invest in their work. It gives the feeling of be- and Barnidge of theater. This is inherently successful in the memories as content for the show, making for ing involved in their rehearsal process, and it structure of the play. Sections of the script are the kind of fun authentic involvement one can means they treat this sensitive subject matter repeated and intentionally disorient the audi- only find at the Neo-Futurarium. with great care. A sensory, immersive, electric ence. In terms of design, ensemble member Jen experience, Tangles and Plaques is worth your Neo-Futurists ensemble member and produc- Ellison has stretched the capacity of the Neo- time. WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 15

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2018/19 Grand Benefactors 2018/19 Benefactors 16 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES THEATER REVIEW to (literally) go where the wind may take her to developed person in her own right, despite what tion shimmies itself right into your heart with find out what she is “meant” to be. she might believe. In someone else’s hands, the toe-tapping action, taking viewers on a journey Scraps Choi and the rest of the talented ensemble (in- role might have become caricature, but Brown is through the pre-packaged, instant, just-add-wa- Adapted by Anthony Whitaker cluding JD Caudill, Kelly Combs, Jeffrey Hoge, careful to take Baum’s unusual creation as seri- ter or, in this case, human-flesh American Dream. At: The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. Charlie Irving, Vic Kuligosky, and Kelsey Shipley) ously Scraps takes herself. The classic dark comedy stars the quirky and Tickets: $25; TheDenTheatre.com; are ultimately there to support Scraps on her With beautiful costumes by Zachary Ryan Al- bubbly Audrey (played by the talented Kelly Fel- 773-935-6875 journey, one which children may enjoy as much len and fun puppetry by Whitaker, along with thous), and Will Lidke as the hapless horticultur- Runs through: Sept. 29 as adults. Many of the side characters here are Howard’s quick pacing and this cast’s clear joy alist Seymour. Shop owner Mushnik is revived in also or have been in search of the real mean- of performance, Scraps is an enjoyable couple of all his grumpy glory by Ron E. Rains. BY KAREN TOPHAM ings in their own lives. Ojo is desperately in love hours. (The play’s first act could be somewhat Starring as the main green is Audrey 2, the ever- with Prince Evring (Kuligoski), who wants to truncated and the intermission eliminated to get hungry and demanding plant that Seymour names One of the most endearing characters from L. requite his love but feels trapped by royal obli- it down to an hour and a half, which is probably for his beloved Audrey and must feed blood and Frank Baum’s Oz stories is the little patchwork gations. Dorothy (Irving again), now a Princess what the material demands.) It’s unfortunate flesh to in order to have love and riches. girl. of Oz, doesn’t quite understand what her life is that, the night I saw it, very few people were in Don’t be dissuaded by the idea of a puppet be- New American Folk Theatre’s production of An- supposed to amount to, but spends a great deal the audience. Inventive and fun, Scraps deserves ing a leading man. Audrey 2 comes to life with thony Whitaker’s original story Scraps tells her of it in an affair with Princess Ozma (Caudill), a better than the, um, scraps left over from other the booming and commandeering voice of Lo- tale in a bright, inventive way. Directed by Jamal transgender ruler (“part boy and part girl”) who shows. Its warm-hearted message, campy style renzo Rush Jr. and his bluesy Feed Me discourse. Howard, the play combines The Patchwork Girl of doesn’t quite know whether she is in the right and strong acting make it a good choice for the Maneuvering the bigger-than-life botanical jaws Oz with several other books (notably those deal- place as a princess either. (Alhough the same- entire family. is Matthew Sitz. Together, the duo creates one ing with Ozma and the Land of Ev) and makes sex relationships are not in the Oz books, Ozma’s magnificent creature whose presence is obvious, grand use of an ensemble of eight actors playing backstory is.) Even an enchanted book spends THEATER REVIEW yet masterfully part of the milieu. multiple roles. the play comically searching for the truth of its Audrey 2’s offer of the American Dream is too Little Shop of Horrors good to pass up for Seymour, whose pre-Audrey Playwright: Alan Menken (composer), quality of life is much like the plant food the Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) hungry plant refuses to consume—worthless. At: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury “Green,” is all Audrey (the girl, not the plant) Lane, Oakbrook Terrace wants—a green space away from the tired gray Tickets: 630/530-0111; world of Skid Row. Felthous’s delivery is worthy of $55- $65; DruryLaneTheatre.com bringing on the waterworks amidst the hilarious Runs through: Oct. 28 idea of a talking plant. She keeps the audience rooting for the bubbly bombshell. BY AMELIA OROZVO Steven Strafford plays a bully biker and sadist dentist along with a slew of other characters Well-dressed theatergoers traversing the plush (both men and women), and skillfully coaxing chandeliered confines of Oakbrook Terrace’s Drury both anger and laughter from theatergoers as Lane Theatre will find themselves trudging into quick as a flip of the switch. Skid Row this fall. The diverse cast delivers the punchy storyline There, in Mushnik’s Flower Shop, Little Shop showing the haves and the have-nots and the of Horrors (composed by Alan Menken, book and hard-knock life of someone with an address that lyrics by Howard Ashman) awaits. Director/cho- could be Any Slum, USA. Also, the physical abuse reographer Scott Calcagno creates a magical and aimed at the sweet Audrey is yet another taboo mystical world not unlike Jack and the Beanstalk: theme that strikes a heavy chord amidst the gig- A place where vegetation offers promises of for- gles and dancing. tune and happiness. Only this time, there’s no gi- Little Shop poses many questions, including Brittney Brown and Charlie Irving in Scraps. ant person. Instead, it’s a giant plant that wants whether leaving Skid Row behind is really a solu- Photo by Paul Clark to eat humans. tion. Is this how gentrification of neighborhoods A doo-wop trio—Chiffon (Melanie Loren), begins? After all, isn’t it the people that make a Scraps (Brittney Brown), like Baum’s Tin Man existence. Crystal (Candace Edwards) and Ronnette (Mela- community? (who makes an appearance), lacks a heart. In the In the title role, Brown is entirely endearing. nie Brezill)—deliver narration and support with It’s refreshing to see these themes on a stage. book, she is a companion to the main character, Despite spending the majority of the play with a swing, punch and a little kick in the pants. Ditto when Seymour, the unlikeliest of heroes, Ojo the Unlucky (Preston Choi), in a search for a her face hidden behind a mask, her ebullience Expertly, they keep the story and the beat mov- has the realization that Skid Row is his home. magical cure. Here, tired of her dull and repetitive and energy shine through, making Scraps (whom ing for a tightly packed two hours. The produc- And maybe that’s okay. life (shown in a brilliant opening), Scraps decides some of the others consider a bit of a joke) a fully eSPOTLIGHT

Out Brazilian concert pianist Elider DiPaula is launching a four-concert series that will bring out, internationally acclaimed musicians to Berwyn. The True Unity Classical Concert Series kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, with Ger- man pianist Henning Vauth performing works by Schubert, Liszt, DeBussy, and Schumann, are free.; visit https://www.unityberwyn.org/ among others. Performances will be on the project88. Steinway concert grand at Unity Lutheran

Church, 6720 W. 31st St., Berwyn. The non-reli- Caption: Photo of DiPaula by Glitchell gious concerts are part of “Project 88” (named Photography for the 88 keys on the piano). All performances Audrey II (puppeted by Matthew Sitz) and Will Lidke. Photo by Brett Beiner WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 17 The Auditorium Theatre. Info/tickets: Joffrey.org FALL DANCE PREVIEW —Flamenco Passion: The Spanish dance most familiar to many is the stuff of television’s dance stars, partnering sitcom retirees looking for a reboot. Why not experiences it direct from Ca- Flamenco, swans and diz, with the smoldering dance superstar Eduardo Guerrero? Come for the contortions; Stay for the balletic influence. It will run Oct. 21. Compania Sri Lankan devils Flamenca plays McAninch Arts Center, College of BY AARON HUNT DuPage. Tickets/info: atthemac.org —Live in the Momentum: So You Think You Can Can you smell the intermingling of chalky rosin DANCE Dance choreographer Ray Leeper proves Chicago and glistening sweat? That means one thing: It’s Logan Center for the Arts. Info/tickets: mask- can when he creates a new, full-company work for time to put that tingle back in your fingers and sandmyths.brownpapertickets.com one of Chicago’s most noted contemporary dance feet! Here, the top dance concert and events to —The Body Passages Series: Don’t miss the cul- companies. Leeper’s worked with everyone from see this fall. mination of a partnership between dancers and Snoop Dogg to Lady Gaga. Don’t sleep on that —Hubbard Street’s Collaborative World Pre- poets around the theme of activation. After an ticket! It will run Oct. 26-27. Gus Giordano Dance miere, Season 41 Fall Series: It’s the music that incubation period of 10 months, selected teams Chicago plays the Harris Theatre. Info/tickets: carries the bodies that tell the stories, and this of poets and dancers will present their collabora- giordanodance.org fall Hubbard can boast a live collaborative perfor- tions, seen through the spirits of artist that vary —Futura: The Bauhaus aesthetic examined mance with Third Coast Percussion, banging out in age, experience, race, gender and sexual iden- the intersection of living spaces and fine art, music composed by Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Hubbard Street Dance member. tity, and belief systems. It will run Oct. 12-13. and choreographer Jan Bartoszek plays off that Orange). It will run Sept. 27-30. Hubbard Street Image courtesy of Carol Fox and Associates Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble plays the Audito- school-of-shapes to examine the ways in which Dance Chicago plays the Harris Theatre. Info/ rium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Info/Tickets: dance is affected by its collision with 21st cen- ra. It will run Nov. 8-10. Red Clay Dance at The tickets: HubbardStreetDance.com Danztheatre.org tury living, particularly about confinement and Dance Center of Columbia College. Info/Tickets: —Masks and Myths: Devils and Dancers from —Swan Lake: Even the neophyte dance enthu- freedom. It will run Nov. 1-3. Hedwig Dances dance.colum.edu Sri Lanka: The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition siast will be carried away when this storybook plays The Dance Center of Columbia College Chi- —Traditional Mexican Dance: Celebrate Mex- hoisted Chicago into the worldwide conscious- ballet transforms into a play within a play. Shades cago. Info/tickets: dance.colum.edu ico’s rich cultural heritage, showcased in the ness. The Sri Lankan dancers will offer represen- of Natalie Portman. A male dancer falls in love —Ekili Munda |What Lies Within: A long-term, “rope dance” and the Deer Dance, along with the tation of African and Asian cultural expressions with the ballerina he is partnering. But a wealthy far-reaching dialogue between Chicago and updated choreography for Fiesta en Jalisco and that were presented on the grounds of the world’s patron has his eye on her as well. What will be Uganda has birthed a dance conversation that Danza del Venado with this world-famous com- fair, such as Balinese Gamelan, Japanese classical her fate? Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s holds hands to break down barriers. As this force- pany’s colorful flourishes. It will run Nov. 10-11. dance, and African drumming, while also incor- fresh imaginings, combined with Tchaikovsky’s ful piece pushes the boundaries of the dancer’s Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernández porating reflections of contemporary influences. glorious underpinnings, will seal the audience’s bodies and the audience’s emotions, we all gain plays the Auditorium Theatre. Info/Tickets: Audi- It will run Oct. 6-7. Sri Lankan Dancers plays the fate. It will run Oct. 17-28. Joffrey Ballet plays from this engagement with the African Diaspo- toriumtheatre.org

PUCCINI

A KISS IN THE DARK LEADS TO ONE OF OPERA’S MOST HEARTWARMING LOVE STORIES

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New Lyric coproduction of Puccini’s La bohème generously made possible by the Julius Frankel Foundation, Abbott Fund, Liz Sti el, The Michael and Susan Avramovich Charitable Trust, Howard L. Gottlieb and Barbara G. Greis, and Roberta L. and Robert J. Washlow. 18 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES FALL THEATER PREVIEW Checking out the LGBTQ lineup BY KERRY REID

From world premieres to revivals of old favorites, THEATER the fall season offers a complex lens on LGBTQ Street Theater presents the world premiere of stories. Some draw inspiration from past works, Chicago-based playwright J. Joseph Cox’s drama, while others come straight from the creators’ own directed by Josh Sobel. Set in Fresno, Califor- lives. nia in 1999, Cox’s play centers on Ray Singer, —Homos, or Everyone in America: Jordan who finds himself dealing with an unemployed Seavey’s 2016 play tackles what it means to be brother, a gender-nonconforming child, and an young, urban and gay—at least for a subset of escaped marsupial in his backyard. As he fights New Yorkers in the middle of the last decade. Two for visitation rights with his kid, Ray also has to men, identified as “The Writer” and “The Academ- confront the narrow notions of masculinity he in- ic,” negotiate the terms of their relationship in herited from his own dad. Sept. 20-Oct. 27, 16th what’s been described as a millennial’s version of Street Theater. Info/tickets 16thstreettheater.org The Boys in the Band. Derek Van Barham directs —Indecent: Despite decades of acclaim for Niko Kourtis and Pride Films and Plays artistic plays such as How I Learned to Drive and The director Nelson A. Rodriguez, along with Jordan Baltimore Waltz, lesbian playwright Paula Vogel Dell Harris and Jessica Vann, in this Chicago pre- didn’t get a shot on Broadway until 2017. Sholem miere. Running through Sept. 30, The Broadway Asch’s controversial 1922 play, God of Vengeance, at Pride Arts Center. Info/tickets pridefilmsand- which was set in a brothel, and featured a love plays.com scene between two women that was finally cut in Nelson Rodriguez and Niko Kourtis in Homos, or Everyone in America. —Scraps: Inspired by The Patchwork Girl of Oz, the original, forms the matrix for Vogel’s drama. Photo by Austin D. Oie Photography one of the later titles in L. Frank Baum’s series, In addition to restoring that scene in a series of this world premiere by Anthony Whitaker of New variations, Indecent also celebrates the ground- American Folk Theatre follows Scraps as she at- breaking career of Asch, who was one of the most AIDS, who is determined to commit suicide after tion. Jesse (Sheldon Brown) is a Black playwright tempts to shed the quilt that she’s made of in prolific and daring writers in the Yiddish canon. making one last album. Refuge Theatre Project from a working-class family whose white lover, order to become a “normal” person. Along the Gary Griffin directs. Sept. 21-November 4, Victory artistic director Christopher Pazdernik directs. Neil (Daniel Desmarais), a Black Lives Matter ac- way, she discovers the colorful “patchwork” of Gardens Theater. Info/tickets: VictoryGardens.org Oct. 25-Dec. 2, Atlas Arts Studio. Info/tickets: tivist who was raised in wealth, calls him out racial and gender identity that makes up Oz—and —Les Innocents/The Innocents: If you’re look- RefugeTheatre.com for seeming apathy. Their four-year relationship our own world. Brittney Brown plays the title role ing for an artsy haunted-house experience for —This Bitter Earth: Racial tensions and the unfolds in non-chronological order as they wres- under Jamal Howard’s direction, with seven other Halloween, consider this (re)discover theatre tug-of-war between the introspective artist’s life tle with race, class and the relative value their actors playing multiple roles. Through Sept. 29, production. Set in the Paris Catacombs in 1897, and that of the committed activist provide the respective careers have in such fraught times. the Den Theatre. Info/tickets newamericanfolk- creator/director Ann Kreitman’s immersive “queer dramatic conflicts in Harrison David Rivers’ two- November 1-December 8, Theater Wit. Info/tick- theatre.org thriller” takes the audience through the spooky character drama, which gets a local premiere with etsa: AboutFaceTheatre.com —We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time: setting as if they were ghosts. Inspired by a real About Face Theatre under Mikael Burke’s direc- Gay monologist David Cale, whose works were concert that took place at the Catacombs (which fixtures of the old Goodman Theatre’s studio featured Camille Saint-Saens’ Catacombs-inspired space, takes over the big stage in this world pre- Danse Macabre), the show melds themes of love, lyrics), Vince Di Mura (music) and Dani Tucci- miere “musical memoir,” directed by Robert Falls. life and decay in a goth/mythic musical environ- Martha Wash in Jurraga (choreography). As in his earlier fictionalized solo, Redthroats ment. Oct. 7-November 4, Preston Bradley Center. Tickets start at $45 each; visit Waistwatcher- (presented at the Goodman 30 years ago), Cale Info/tickets: RediscoverTheatre.com ‘WaistWatchers’ sTheMusical.com or call the Royal George The- anatomizes his childhood in an industrial English —It’s Only a Play: As Bart Simpson was forced atre Box Office at 312-988-9000. town with unhappily married parents, where he to write on the blackboard once, “There are inWaistWatchers Sept.-Oct. The Musical! makes its Chica- seeks comfort by singing alone in his bedroom PLENTY of businesses like show business.” But try go premiere at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 and tending wounded birds in a backyard “ani- telling that to the denizens of Terrence McNally’s N. Halsted St., beginning Sept. 13 for an open UrbanTheater to mal hospital.” Sept. 15-Oc. 21, Goodman Theatre. 1982 behind-the-Broadway-scenes comedy, in run, with a press opening Sept. 21. Info/tickets GoodmanTheatre.org which a disastrous opening-night party allows start ‘Not for Sale’ Produced by Dana Matthow and featuring mu- —The Artificial Jungle: Camp master Charles for name-dropping, back-biting and schaden- sical icon Martha Wash—known for singing the Ludlam’s last play brings a noir touch (think freude galore. McNally updated the script for a Sept. 21 powerful anthem ‘It’s Raining Men,’ and “Every- UrbanTheater Company (UTC) kicks off its Double Indemnity or The Postman Always Rings 2014 Broadway run. This Pride Films and Plays body Dance Now” —the musical takes a light- “lucky 13th” season with the world premiere of Twice) to his trademark pastiche style. Chester production, directed by Jon Martinez, marks the hearted and hilarious look at women dealing Guadalís del Carmen’s play Not for Sale—UTC’s Nurdiger, a mild-mannered pet shop owner with a first Chicago production since that revival. Oct. with their relationship to food, friendship and first commissioned play—Sept. 21-Oct. 20 at vixenish wife and a long-suffering mother, finds 11-November 11, The Broadway at Pride Arts Cen- fitness, while celebrating the power of female Batey Urbano, 2620 W. Division St. his world upended—and his life in peril -- when a ter. Info/tickets: PrideFilmsAndPlays.com friendship on the journey to self-acceptance. Directed by Sara Carranza, Not for Sale will sexy drifter comes to town. Shade Murray directs —The Last Session: Composer/lyricist Steve In addition to Martha Wash starring as Con- also be presented as part of Destinos, the for Hell in a Handbag, with artistic director David Schalchin’s chamber musical first opened in 1997 nie (Sept. 13-Oct. 28), the Chicago production Second Annual Chicago International Latino Cerda as Mother Nurdiger, Ed Jones as Chester, in the wake of his AIDS diagnosis and near- will feature Sarah Godwin (Cindy), Seandrea E. Theater Festival. The festival will feature more and Sydney Genco and David Lipschutz as the death, which he wrote about in a blog. After he Earls (Cheryl) and Katherine S. Barnes (MC). than 14 plays from Chicago, the United States scheming wife/drifter duo. Sept. 20-Oct. 28, rebounded, he created this show with book writer The creative team includes Matthew E. Silva and Latin America in more than a half-dozen Stage 773. Info/tickets: HandbagProductions.org Jim Brochu. The story follows Gideon, a former (director), Alan Jacobson (creator, book and venues across Chicago. —Koalas: Berwyn’s small-but-mighty 16th gospel-star-turned-pop singer/songwriter with See UrbanTheaterChicago.org. WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 19 THEATER REVIEW eral jokes traffic in the worst stereotypes of Black women (voiced by a Black man, written by an The Shipment Asian woman). Lee is unaware of her own blind Playwright: Young Jean Lee spot of privilege, She stages liberation on the At: Red Tape Theatre, 4546 N. Western Ave. back of Black female bodies. Tickets: https://redtapetheatre.org; free The second act depicts the tale of a downtrod- Runs through: Oct. 3 den Black kid who struggles to overcome ... well, I won’t ruin it. Lee strips this stereotype bare, re- BY SHERI FLANDERS vealing our insatiable desire for poverty pornog- raphy. Director Wardell Julius Clark could stand Written by Korean-American playwright Young to tighten this section up, yet scores some truly Jean Lee, The Shipment is a minstrel show, but hilarious moments while trafficking in the cliché THREE-TIME not on the level that one might expect. Minstrel of cliché. TONY AWARD shows traditionally had several elements: music, Act three is arguably the most powerful, so- dancing, a “stump speech” (similar to stand-up phisticated and effective. A stark a cappella song NOMINEE comedy) and wrapped up at the end with a play. in three-part harmony delivers the thesis in the Outside minstrelsy, audiences are allowed to form of a threat. This not entertainment. It is is entertain the thought that the talented folks on a promise. stage are better than us. The obsequious shuf- This moment questions the ethics of a non- fling and self-effacing content of a minstrel show Black artist writing for Black actors. Lee has undercuts that authority, flipping the script by dumped gasoline on a fire that she will be able to allowing the audience to feel superior to the per- watch rage out of control from a safe distance. formers. The fourth act is the most polished and devel- Although minstrelsy has long faded into his- oped, a bawdy play. Unfortunately this ending tory, covertly the inverted audience/performer never had a chance of matching the savagery power dynamic still exists. When white, liberal of the first act,, sapping the impact of the -fi audiences buy a ticket to a Black show, they ex- nal lines, resulting in an ultimately structurally pect to be educated and/or gently scolded, yet flawed show. ultimately catered to. Wealthy arts patrons enjoy This final fourth showcases the considerable graciously reminding underprivileged actors ex- acting talents of the ensemble. Sheldon Brown actly who pays the bills. grounds the madness with calm, understated en- In The Shipment, the first act flips and body- ergy and vulnerability, Eric Gerard keeps perfect slams that power dynamic. Marcus D. Moore pacing as the dynamic nexus, Marcus D. Moore delivers a jolly and blisteringly crude stand-up and Kiayla Ryann shift between passive and pas- set, each joke more tasteless than the next. The sive-aggressive to exceptional effect, and Hunter punchlines are interspersed with an unvarnished Bryan is infintely watchable and charming. With a critique of White America. Moore dares audience lesser cast, this show might have been unwatch- BY PULITZER PRIZE- to leave if they don’t like it. able, yet the strength of this group elevates it to WINNING PLAYWRIGHT There’s nothing that liberals hate more than something compelling. being perceived as not being able to take a joke. Ultimately The Shipment is avant-garde, messy, PAULA VOGEL The Shipment’s reverse psychology seals the deal uneven and unfinished—a Trojan Horse, deliver- forcing them to confront which is worse: raunchy ing savage bluntness and defiance instead of the DIRECTED BY jokes or their complicity in racism. usual safe messaging. It’s an artistic confronta- In The Shipment, the calculus of this moment tion that just might spill off of the stage. GARY GRIFFIN falls short of being fully triumphant because sev-

Applications for The Key: Young Critics Men- Rescripted renews torship Program are currently being accepted on Rescripted’s website (rescripted.org/the- mentorship program key/) through Monday, Sept. 10, for young writ- INDECENT Rescripted has announced the second session of The Key: Young Critics Mentorship Program, ers 16-23 . The session begins Tuesday, Sept. which started Sept. 18 and hosted this year at 18 and meets every other Tuesday through Nov. “A Heart-Stirring Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. 27. For additional information and inquiries, Regina Victor (founder of the online arts email [email protected]. Reminder of the journalism platform Rescripted and a Windy Power of Art” City Times theater critic) and entertainment Sketch Comedy Fest critic Oliver Sava, created the 10-week training New York Daily News program for Chicago youth in arts criticism. In applications open league with The Chicago Inclusion Project, The Stage 773 now has applications for The Chi- Key successfully launched last year at Green- cago Sketch Comedy Festival’s 18th anniver- house Theater Center with its first group of sary. young writers learning the skills and industry The nation’s largest sketch-comedy festival knowledge needed to pursue careers in arts will take place Jan. 10-20, 2019, at Stage 773, criticism. 1225 W. Belmont Ave. The festival debuted in Each biweekly meeting of The Key features January 2002, with 33 local Chicago sketch- review workshops, mentor lectures and guest comedy groups; now, there are close to 170 STARTS SEP 21 speakers from different areas of the local arts groups performing almost 200 shows. community. The Key students also attend per- Applications are due Oct. 15, 2018; visit Chi- formances in Chicago and use these experi- cagoSketchFest.com. GET TIX: 773.871.3000 or VICTORYGARDENS.ORG ences to hone their reviewing skills. 20 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES FALL THEATER: DESTINOS ‘Destinos’ theme is lifelong journey for founder Myrna Salazar BY AMELIA OROZCO

Think Rita Moreno mixed with your favorite THEATER world-traveler aunt who brings you trinkets from zar wanted to attend public school. She no longer far-away lands and mesmerizes you with stories cared what the nuns had to say. For the first time, of intrigue and adventure. That’s Myrna Salazar, she found herself in a diverse student population, executive director and co-founder of the Chicago among young people with African-American, Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA). Mexican, Polish and Puerto Rican roots. CLATA is in the spotlight this month, with Did the newfound and exciting environment Latinx artists from around the world joining forc- spark her creativity? es for the second annual Chicago International “No,” Salazar said. “I got married. I married Latino Theater Festival. Aptly named Destinos and stayed home.” Being a wife and mother (or Journeys), the festival runs from Sept. 20 would have been the end of many typical stories through Nov. 4. (See sidebar) for women steeped deep in traditional Latino cul- “(Latinos) constitute 44 percent of the student ture in the 1960s. population in Chicago Public Schools and we have But Salazar shattered the norm and recreated it only two small theaters that have a home in Chi- as a beautiful mosaic. cago,” said Salazar. “Our stories need to be told. “I come from a stock of very strong women,” We have excellent talent, excellent playwrights. she said, crediting both her spirit and her up- We want to generate new audiences.” (Chicago is bringing. “Women are the driving force of any home to Teatro Vista and Aguijon Theater, both home whether you are Puerto Rican, Central dedicated to producing works that reflect aspects American, or South American. We are the helm, of the world’s vastly varied and intricate Latinx the wheel, although much is said about Latino Rebeca Aleman as Frida Kahlo, and Kristen Magee as Sylvia Plath in Musas. cultures.) men being machista.” Image courtesy of Water People Theater Salazar has been on her own journey since long When Salazar married, she broke with tradition before CLATA was formed or Destinos was even a in a way that illustrated her fierce independent she said. Ask Salazar how it feels to have touched so vision. She’s been lauded with numerous awards streak: She refused to take her husband’s last CLATA reflects that: Salazar worked with some many peoples’ lives and she responds humbly. for her work in the Chicago Latino community name. of the city’s most influential and well-established “Don’t let me be the center point,” she said. The (including kudos from the U.S. Hispanic Chamber It was just as well: She eventually divorced her Latinx organizations to get CLATA off the ground. focus, she insisted, should be on CLATA. “It’s the of Commerce and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of first husband, ridding herself of any further op- International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago Alliance, these young people,” she said. pressive expectations. (Her second husband, the Commerce) and has been a panelist for numerous (where she was Director of Development and Mar- For the full schedule for Destinos: The Chica- late Cesar Dovalina, was one of the founders of La discussions on diversity and equality. Still, some keting for about five years), the National Museum go International Latino Theater Festival, visit Raza, Chicago’s Latinx paper of record.) of her most pivotal accomplishments come from of Mexican Art and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance CLATA.org. facing circumstances as trying as triumphant. As a single mother of two daughters, Salazar joined forces to create CLATA. Born in Puerto Rico, Salazar’s family moved to found ways to earn extra cash. She put her strong Chicago when she was nine. Her first glimpse of Latina voice to good use by doing voiceover Chicago was Midway Airport. work. She tried to create a modeling agency that American premiere) by Oscar Gonzàlez, David Salazar found joy in her new life. Her stepdad would cultivate Latina models, “but Chicago was SIDEBAR Korish and Janko Navarro. was a cuatro (string quartet) musician, a poet not ready for that,” she said. From Costa Rica’s Teatro Abya Yala, El Patio and a lyricist who performed regularly at wed- She evolved the company she’d created with offers glimpses of masculinity in different situ- ‘Destinos’Destinos: The 2nd Annual picks Chicago Interna- dings and quincenaras. Salazar loved listening to her own money into Salazar and Navas Talent ations, exploring the impossibility of fulfilling tional Theater Festival runs Sept. 20-Nov. 4. him play. Agency. For 25 years, she placed Latinx artists the societal idea of what it means to be a man Produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alli- By the time she was ready for high school, Sala- in important roles and vital positions. In a May today. Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. ance (see related story by Amelia Orozco), the interview with Voyage Chicago, She estimates Halsted St. festival will spotlight artists from Colombia, that she helped more than 300 Latinx actor and —Oct. 4-7: Quiero Decir Te Amo/I Want to Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, Puerto Rico models get jobs, often working with client base Say I Love You (North American premiere), by and the United States. Below are companies of more than four dozen Fortune 500 companies. Argentina’s Humo Negro. presenting shows with LGBTQIA themes. For a Today, under new ownership, the agency contin- A drama about a car accident and a chance full schedule, visit CLATA.org, or call 312-631- ues to thrive. encounter that leads to a series of love let- 3112. Salazar has long been a connector of people, ters and an unexpected romance. Steppenwolf’s —Sept. 20-23: Musas/Muses by Néstor Ca- helping to create relationships among Latinx art- 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St.. ballero ists looking to create something original that re- —Oct. 5-6: La Prietty Guoman/Pretty Woman Presented by Water People Theater in a co- flects their lives, cultures and traditions. That’s (U.S. premiere) presentation with American Writers Museum reflected in her response to someone who didn’t From Mexico City’s Teatro de la Ciudad Caba- and The Poetry Foundation, Caballero’s piece know that the National Museum of Mexican Art ret, a cabaret style narration of the life of an imagines an encounter between two icons of was right here in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. exuberant, brown, indigenous transgender contemporary art, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo “It’s a gem,” she told them. “You better go see woman who is a fan of the film Pretty Woman. and American poet Sylvia Plath. Steppenwolf’s it.” National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St. “That’s what I like to be able to do, connect St. El Patio (The Patio). —Sept. 27-29: El Patio/The Patio (North PR image more people. It’s something that I take pride in,” WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 21

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY DAVID CALE LYRICS BY DAVID CALE MUSIC BY DAVID CALE AND MATTHEW DEAN MARSH DIRECTED BY ROBERT FALLS

A musical memoir of hope, family and transcendence Growing up, writer/performer David Cale escaped his parents’ fraught marriage by singing and tending to birds in his backyard animal hospital—until a tragedy changed everything. Lush songs and an intimate portrait of his mother unite in Cale’s vivid testament of connecting to life when adversity is suddenly everywhere. NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 21 312.443.3800 | GoodmanTheatre.org Major Production Sponsor GROUPS OF 10+ ONLY: 312.443.3820 22 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES articles of men’s clothing if you were in public,” the stuff. But when you get to that theater? You Alexandra Billings. Billings said. As she succinctly puts it: “Back tell yourself: You. Are. Home.’ Photo by Maryann Lopinto then, the very act of just leaving my house was “I think I have a lot of angels around me,” Bill- revolutionary.” ings said. “I know how this sounds, but I think a big reason I have survived is because Chrisanne Miss Chicago Goes to Hollywood has been with me for centuries.” Chicagoans who remember the epic success that was Vampire Lesbians of Sodom or Bill- A tribe with a name ings’ epic turn as Mama Rose in Gypsy know that Early on in The Nap rehearsals, Billings was merely leaving the house was Billings’ thing. walking through Manhattan’s tourist-clogged When she left, she made sure she eventually Ar- Midtown. She noticed a woman had stopped dead rived elsewhere, always with a Capital A, often in her tracks to stare at her. with a Standing Ovation. Here is a Brief History “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about New of Leaving the House and Then Some: Yorkers it’s that if you’re going to stop dead in At 14, Billings played Sebastian to Blanken- your tracks on a crowded sidewalk, somebody ship’s Viola in Schaumburg High School’s produc- better be dead,” Billings said. The woman had a tion of Twelfth Night. After graduating in 1980, small girl clutching her hand. They walked up to Billings turned herself into Shante, a beauty Billings. The woman spoke. The little girl stared. FALL THEATER PREVIEW queen who strutted her stuff through the gritty “The mom looked at me and said, ‘My daughter is glamor of the pageant scene. She was won Miss part of your tribe. She wants to meet you,’ “Bill- Wisconsin, Miss New York, Miss Chicago, Miss Il- ings said. Billings knelt down and shook the little linois and Miss Florida. girl’s hand. They posed for “about 500” selfies. From Schaumburg to In her 20s and 30s, she scrubbed toilets in They all hugged, and melted back into the bustle. dinky dank theater dives with dubious adher- Billings said she doesn’t have regrets. But there ence to city building codes. When she wasn’t is this: New York, Alexandra backstage, she was on stage, starring in shows “I was transitioning in the 1970s. I wish I had that paid in “exposure” and a resume line. Even- had live flesh and blood humans that were trans. tually, she gained entry into Chicago Shakespeare That I could see, walking around the planet. I Billings puts on a show (Hamlet—The Musical!) and Steppenwolf (Time look at trans kids coming up today, and I see to Burn, Space, The Berlin Circle). She cut records how much has changed. It’s still hard, but it’s BY CATEY SULLIVAN and gave countless cabaret performances, col- so different.” lecting Jeff and After Dark Awards in the process. “I come from a tribe where 85 percent of us Roughly 30 years ago, trans* actor/recording THEATER In 1996, she premiered a one-woman show died in the 1980s and 1990s,” she said. “I feel artist/pageant queen/activist Alexandra Billings Billings career is not a matter of luck. Her HIV about her life. “I’m not a woman,” she told audi- a responsibility to leave a mark of some kind in was sentenced to death. The diagnosis: She was diagnosis was followed by years of homelessness, ences in the ground-breaking Before I Disappear. our history books. Something no governmental HIV-positive. She remembered the doctor’s advice addiction (heroin, opiates, alcohol, cocaine) and “I’m a queen.” Before I Disappear played to sold- administration can ever erase.” with the crystalline clarity: “He said ‘I think what sex work. She began transitioning in the 1970s, out house here, in Los Angeles and Off-Broadway. you should do is take your credit card and max decades before the world even had words for In 2005, Billings and Blankenship moved to The not-so-great pretender it out. You won’t be around to pay them off,’ “ trans people. In the most fundamental terms— Hollywood. Blankenship left her job at Macy’s as Erasure has happened before and is happen- Billings said. language that included a noun to claim as her Billings started racking up screen credits while ing now, she noted. Ronald Reagan refused to so Her partner (now wife) Chrisanne Blankenship own—Billings didn’t exist back then. Except that teaching at Steppenwolf’s west coast school and much as utter the word “AIDS” during the whole wasn’t having it. Years later, Billings recalled to she did. She knew it and Blankenship knew it. at the University of Southern California. In 2014, of his presidency. The current White House is sys- Windy City Times Blankenship’s response with a Chicago eventually caught on. It took the rest of Billings booked Transparent, a then-unknown temically scrubbing mentions of LGBTQIA people tone that could wither a rainforest. “So Chrisanne the world a minute to catch up. Amazon show. As Davina, she’s back this year for from governmental websites and rolling back looks at him and says, ‘Oh, she’ll be around.” Today, Billings and her “tribe” are not only a fifth season with Transparent. She made his- rights that were codified decades ago. They then lived happily ever after. named, their names are in spotlights. There are at tory last season, becoming the first trans actor to “I think this guy in the White House pretend- Actually, there’s a bit more to it than that. least five trans actors on Broadway. Miss Pepper- do a full frontal nude scene. Davina’s backstory ing to be president is giving us all a great mirror; mint (runner-up, Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 9) played out in Season 4: It included a snapshot of he’s showing how important it is not to take any- From Schaumburg, with love has the lead in the new musical Head Over Heels. Billings in elementary school, and a flashback to thing for granted. He is everyone’s responsibil- Billings, 56, is far more than merely “still Non-binary actor Kate Bornstein and trans actor Davina’s career as a pageant winner and cabaret ity,” Billings said. around.” With Blankenship by her side (42 years Ty DeFoe are in the ensemble of Young Jean Lee’s artist. “I get pushback when I say that. I get it mostly together, 22 of them married), she’s making his- drama Straight White Men. Trans actor Bianca Lee from liberals who say well, ‘I didn’t vote for him. tory on television (Transparent, Goliath, How is understudying both Billings and cis-actor Jo- Of better angels and scrambled eggs He’s not my responsibility.’ To which I say, he is to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy), film hanna Day in The Nap. Self-doubt remains an issue, Billings said. all of our responsibility. He’s president because (Romy and Michelle: In the Beginning, Stealth, “We’re in all the genres. I don’t think that’s “Oh, please. I’m riddled with fear before mak- first we made him famous. We made him a star. Pretty/Handsome) and on stage—all the while happened before,” Billings said. ing scrambled eggs. I’m, like, ‘These eggs are go- America made him. We allowed him to happen.” roaring as an activist, for LGBTQIA rights in par- ing to be a disaster. I’m going to make this show “We’ve got to keep speaking. Loudly. With clar- ticular and for humanity in general. Hello, my name is Waxy Bush a disaster. I’m a disaster,” she said. “But here’s ity and kindness and compassion,” Billings said. This month, the Schaumburg native who cut Waxy Bush is also new. While The Nap played what I do. Before I go on stage, I remember what “We have to make sure we don’t lose the stories her teeth performing in Chicago everywhere from to acclaim in London, Billings is creating the I learned in Chicago. Be present. Be humble. Be of those who came before us.” the Baton to the Steppenwolf makes her Broad- role for the comedy’s Broadway premiere. “What’s truthful. Tell the story. In Chicago, I learned how “Also,” she added, “I want people to see The way debut. As Waxy Bush, she’s a gangster with great about Waxy Bush—I mean, besides her to do the thing. How to be in the story. How to Nap. It’s glorious and silly and I am surrounded an agenda in The Nap, a comedy about the very name obviously—is she’s a trans character but find the character. How to be in the thing.” by the most some of the most incredible humans British game of snooker. Richard Bean’s (One being trans has nothing to do with the story. As always, Blankenship plays a key role. “Very on the planet.” Man, Two Guv’nors) madcap farce opens Sept. 27 Waxy Bush just is who she is. She has all the first day of Nap rehearsal, I was terrified. Filled The Nap opens Sept. 27 the Samuel J. Fried- at the Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Tony- power. She calls all the shots.” with abject fear and a little on the weepy side,” man Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., New York City; winner Daniel Sullivan. Billings knows full well what it means to not Billings said. “I’m a 56-year-old trans woman of call 212-239-6200 or go to ManhattanThe- “Alexandra is a force of nature,” said Sullivan, have “all the power.” In the early ‘80s, she color, living with HIV for decades. I shouldn’t atreClub.com. before quickly qualifying, “I’m sure I’m not tell- was arrested in Chicago for wearing “women’s even be on this planet. Much less in a Broadway ing Chicago anything it doesn’t already know. clothes” in public. She didn’t understand why the show. We’re very lucky she came on board.” cop was cuffing her. “He told me the law was if “So Chrisanne says to me, ‘That’s great. Feel all A tribe without a name you were a man, you had to wear at least two WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 23 CULTURE CLUB Burlesque community CULTURE CLUB mourns abrupt closing of Uptown Underground BY JAKE WITTICH

The speakeasy-style cabaret bar Uptown Underground was THEATER evicted Sept. 10, abruptly leaving performers to find a new Jacob Green, a drag and cabaret performer known as home for their shows. Muffy Fishbasket, said he started performing at Uptown The venue, a staple in Chicago’s cabaret and burlesque Underground when it opened in 2015. He said he watched communities, owed more than $100,000 in unpaid rent the club grow from performing before crowds of three and back pay to landlord Thaddeus Wong, leaving him no people to later receiving standing ovations after sold-out choice but to order an eviction, he told Block Club. shows. Jenn Kincaid, owner of Uptown Underground, notified Green said he is mourning the loss of a performance its performers of the eviction in an email on Sept. 11, space that fostered artistic growth for performers and apologizing for the abrupt closure. strengthened city’s burlesque scene. “Yesterday, I was served with papers from building own- “Uptown Underground was home,” Green said. “That

The building which houses Uptown Underground. Photo by Jake Wittich

ership to close Uptown Underground, effective immediate- space and [Kincaid] helped me develop my cabaret persona ly. While that was happening, the locks on the doors were and evolve as an artist. This was the only space dedicated changed,” she said. “I have spent today pleading with the specifically to burlesque, vaudeville and other things, and landlord to reconsider, but it is done. And so, our doors are it was very accessible to the community. This is a big loss closed. I am gutted.” for our community.” Kincaid is working with the building’s management to In light of Uptown Underground’s abrupt closing, mem- make time for people to collect personal items from the bers of Chicago’s theater community have started orga- venue, and refunds and deposits are being worked out, nizing to find new homes for the bar’s performances and according to the email. jobs for its staff. Among them is now-New York resident An epic boy-meets-girl-meets-America adventure! Neither Kincaid nor Wong responded to Windy City Times’ Tamale Sepp, who created a Google form, in which people requests for comment. can submit leads on new jobs and venues. Its results will Uptown Underground’s sudden closure leaves its per- then be sent to all performers and employees on Kincaid’s formers scrambling to find new spaces for their shows and email list. its staff unexpectedly out of work. Jill Valentine, executive director of Stage 773, 1225 W. Brittany Meyer, producer of “Strip Joker,” a body-pos- Belmont Ave., said the performance art theater is taking itive burlesque show that was held monthly at Uptown resumes of people who lost jobs and booking shows in Underground, said they and other performers will struggle need of a venue due Uptown Underground’s closure. to find a venue as accommodating to burlesque shows as “When any theater in Chicago closes, it’s sad for the Kincaid’s was. whole community,” Valentine said. “Not only were shows “Uptown Underground was truly the only burlesque per- canceled immediately, but people lost jobs that day. Up- formance space in Chicago,” Meyer told WCT. “Everything town Underground was a beautiful home, and I feel for about that place was perfect for burlesque, from its regal Jenn Kincaid so much, so if we can help in any way, we’d stage, velvet curtains, multiple dressing rooms, full bar like to.” and security—[Kincaid] thought out every detail to make The Block Club article is at ttps://blockclubchicago. TRUGLIA. PHOTO BY SAVERIO ADACHI-WINTER. C. YEE AND AURORA PICTURED: MATTHEW it safe and of quality.” org/2018/09/12/uptown-underground-evicted-after- Meyer said they are working on finding a new venue for months-of-unpaid-rent-landlord-says/. NOW PLAYING “Strip Joker,” but the show will have to evolve in order to accommodate its new space. 847-242-6000 | WRITERSTHEATRE.ORG 24 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES FALL THEATER PREVIEW Easy does it: A dozen classic plays and musicals BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL

My gambit is to recommend revivals of works THEATER that have been staged and tested previously in might enjoy this one. Running through Oct. 28 at Chicago and elsewhere, sometimes uncountable Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire. Info/tickets: Mar- times over many centuries—in other words, the riotttheatre.com classics. —The Little Foxes: Blood may be thicker than Several are quite new to be considered clas- water but it ain’t nearly as thick as money and sics—Radio Golf and Rock ‘n’ Roll both are 21st- power, as this famous 1939 Lillian Hellman drama century plays—while others are burnished with proves. Almost gothic in style, with its turn-of- age. New or old, they are worthy works of wit and the-last-century Southern setting and lurid plot, wisdom which we warmly welcome! Shows are it features one of the greatest women’s roles in listed in order of production dates including pre- dramatic literature, the cold-blooded Regina Gid- view performances. The first four shows already dens, made famous by Tallulah Bankhead. Run- are running. ning Sept. 28-Oct. 28 at the Citadel Theatre, Lake —Radio Golf: The final work in August Wilson’s Forest. Info/tickets: CitadelTheatre.org 10-play Century Cycle is set in Pittsburgh’s gen- —Rock ‘n’ Roll: What do Pink Floyd, Vaclav trifying Hill District in the 1990s and features Havel, Sappho and the Plastic People of the Uni- descendants of characters from several earlier verse (what, you don’t know them?) have in com- Donovan Session and Bryan Renaud in Six Degrees of Separation. plays. Wilson deals with serious issues, yet the mon? Answers are in Sir Tom Stoppard’s sprawling Photo by Jan Ellen Graves play mainly is a comedy with an upbeat ending. 2006 play about mid-century rock music and the Court Theatre offers an astonishing cast—James fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia. Spread over T. Alfred, Allen Gilmore, Ann Joseph, James Vin- 30 years in two countries, it’s about politics, phi- be missed as Mama Rose, a legendary role, as di- Jones (not the singer) and Harvey Schmidt, who cent Meredith, and Alfred H. Wilson—under di- losophy, student-teacher relationships and the rected by Michael Weber. But here’s the thing: wrote The Fantasticks, is based on The Rain- rector Ron OJ Parsons. Running through Sept. 30 seditious influence of rock. It’s a big show for the Mama Rose was a real, historic person and she maker by N. Richard Nash (who wrote the mu- at Court Theatre. Info/tickets: CourtTheatre.org small Artistic Home ... but they’ve never lacked and her daughters were not African-American. Is sical’s book). It ran a modest 330 performances —Six Degrees of Separation: New York City’s ambition. Staged by artistic director Kathy Scam- Porchlight taking too much artistic license? Run- on Broadway and is an under-rated show with a glitterati know that Old Money hires a driver biatterra. Running Oct. 3-Nov. 18 at The Artistic ning Oct. 12-Nov. 25, Porchlight Music Theatre at heartfelt, lovely score, and it remains true to the while the Nouveau Riche hire a chauffeur. But Home. Info/tickets: TheArtisticHome.org the Ruth Page Center. Info/tickets: PorchlightMu- original play set in 1930s rural America. BoHo’s how does this white elite respond when the son —Flyin’ West—Pearl Cleage’s frequently-pro- sicTheatre.org intimate productions are a perfect match for this of a famous African-American celebrity charms duced play takes us to 1898 Nicodemus, Kansas, —Hello, Dolly!: Another classic Broadway one. Running Oct. 27-Dec. 16, presented by BoHo them? Should they trust this total stranger? where Western settlers stake claims to farmland Golden Age musical arrives in October: the To- Theatre at Theater Wit. Info/tickets: BohoThe- Veteran director Steve Scott tackles this award- under the Homestead Act. Only these settlers ny-winning revival of Jerry Herman and Michael atre.com winning John Guare comedy in Red Twist’s inti- are African-American women. The play is based Stewart’s Hello, Dolly!, created last year for Bette —Twelfth Night: For many kids, this mostly mate space, which will make you feel like part of on fact: Nicodemus was (and still is) a legacy Midler and David Hyde Pierce. We don’t get Midler, sunny romantic comedy is their first encounter the family, so remember that a pot of jam is the of Black migration from the South following the but ain’t nothin’ shabby about Tony winner Betty with The Bard, never mind its monumental gen- perfect gift. Running through Oct. 7 at Red Twist Civil War. Cleage’s language is rich, poignant and Buckley and gifted veteran Lewis J. Stadlen. Jer- derfuck aspects. In a rare Shakespearean foray, Theatre. Info/tickets: Redtwist.org sometimes pungent. Chuck Smith, the director, is ry Zaks, who’s won more Tony Awards than he can Writers Theatre is sure to have fun with all as- —Arms and the Man: This is one of George Ber- a quiet master of his craft. Running Oct. 5-Nov. lift, is the director. Put on your Sunday clothes pects of this familiar play, staged by artistic nard Shaw’s most frequently-performed plays and 3 presented by American Blues Theater at Stage and catch this one. Running Oct. 23-Nov. 17, pre- director Michael Halberstam who’s assembling a it’s one of his best; a charming romantic comedy 773. Info/tickets: AmericanBluesTheater.com sented by Broadway In Chicago at the Oriental top cast. Running Nov. 7-Dec. 16 at Writers The- that doesn’t bog down in talk. Its utterly sane ar- —La Boheme: Lyric Opera of Chicago has part- Theatre. Info/tickets: BroadwayInChicago.com atre, Glencoe. Info/Tickets: Writerstheatre.org guments against the glorification of combat and nered with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden —110 in the Shade: This 1963 musical by Tom war continue to make sense in a world far mad- (London) and the Teatro Real Madrid to create der then Shaw ever knew (although he did live a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s romantic The event will take place at The Standard through World War II). It’s City Lit’s first Shaw favorite about the starving artists of 1840s Paris, Club, 320 S. Plymouth Ct., beginning at 12 play, directed by the capable Brian Pastor. Run- although the costumes appear (in photos) to be Paula Vogel in p.m. (with registration starting at 11:30 a.m.). ning through Oct. 21 at City Lit Theatre. Info/ more 1890s. If you know the enchanting 19th Tickets start at $250 each; call 312-443-3811, tickets: CityLit.org century covered shopping arcades of Paris, you’ll ChicagoGoodman Theatre willSept. host its 20“Igniting ext. 539. —Sweet Charity: Big dance show, great jazzy feel at home with this handsome new production. Imagination: The Art of Great Teaching” edu- Also, Vogel’s latest work, Cressida on Top, score by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, a book Running (in repertory with other operas) Oct. cation and engagement luncheon on Thursday, will appear in the 15th annual New Stages by Neil Simon and a sexy Cinderella story that 6-Jan. 25 at the Civic Opera House. Info/tickets: Sept. 20, with Pulitzer Prize-winning play- Festival for a one-time-only staged reading on almost ends happily—this is one of the great LyricOpera.org wright/educator Paula Vogel. Satruday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. Cressida on Top will mid-century Broadway musicals. Alex Sanchez is —Gypsy: ”Best damn musical I’ve seen in Vogel will join Walter Director of Education be part of the New Stages Festival, and free re- the director/choreographer with Broadway vet- years,” crowed critic Walter Kerr in 1959 respond- and Engagement Willa J. Taylor in conversation served tickets are now available; call 312-443- eran Anne Horak starring as perpetual optimist ing to Arthur Laurents’ masterful book, young about art of teaching and importance of men- 3800, or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStages- Charity Hope Valentine. Whether you’re a “Big Stephen Sondheim’s witty lyrics and Jule Styne’s torship in shaping young minds. Festival or the box office at 170 N. Dearborn St. Spender” or you “Love to Cry at Weddings” you dazzling music. Powerful E. Faye Butler is not to WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 25 erenced acts of violence. FALL THEATER PREVIEW Working in Hollywood in the ‘90s and early Aughts, Proudfoot saw countless contemporary versions of that story play out. “I was there when Harvey [Weinstein] was in power. I had friends Artemisia Fest fights who called the [actors’ union] hotlines. I saw women destroyed,” she recalled of her days doing national ad campaigns and shows such as “The for femme presentation Gilmore Girls,” “The Practice,” and “The Cradle Broadway. BY CATEY SULLIVAN Will Rock.” Statistics offer dismal proof off Proudfoot’s as- When Proudfoot returned to Chicago in 2005, sertion. According to American Theatre Magazine, Google Artemisia Gentileschi’s 17th-century oil she found herself repeatedly auditioning for the men wrote close to two-thirds of all the plays painting Judith Beheading Holofernes. Seriously. same roles in different plays: “Moms who were produced in 2017. Women wrote 26 percent. Gen- Do it. I’ll wait. The image is emblematic of Gen- the moral center, bitchy character parts, neu- der queer authors were all but statistically insig- tileschi’s art: Magnificent, lush and thematically rotic career women. It got frustrating,” she said. nificant, coming in at .004 percent, (less than violent. It was also revolutionary: In 1600s art In 2011, she founded Artemisia Theatre, driven one half of one half of one half of one percent.) Artemisia’s Julie Proudfoot. and life, the male gaze wasn’t a thing, it was the partly by the lack of opportunities for women and Proudfoot recalled having an epiphany when Photo courtesy of Proudfoot only thing. So much so that for centuries after partly by the overwhelming dominance of female trans actor/writer/activist Delia Kropp (https:// Gentileschi’s death, her work was attributed to plays that take on “unpleasant” topics like rape characters created from a male point of view. www.therealdelia.com/hr.html) spoke on a panel her male contemporaries. or domestic violence are few. “We’re shamed out Artemisia’s annual festival stands as both en- last spring. “Nobody believed a woman painted like she of talking about these things,” Proudfoot said. tertainment and a reclamation of female stories. “Delia said something that struck me so hard: did,” said Artemisia Theatre Artistic Director Julie “Until fairly recently, we’ve haven’t even dealt Of the six festival plays, Proudfoot will select ‘I had no realization of how much privilege I had Proudfoot.” “Critics and history ignored her sig- much with stories of women loving other wom- one to be fully produced next season. Her specs as a white man until I became a white woman,’ “ nature, and credited various men with her paint- en—whether it’s a love affair or a deep friend- for women characters are clear: “I want women Proudfoot recalled. “It was an incredibly powerful ings. They tried to erase her.” ship or a family that doesn’t fit traditional gen- complex enough to have an inner world and an moment.” Proudfoot isn’t one for female erasure, not in der roles. The gender stratification runs thick and outer world. Women who go through a process Proudfoot often finds herself explaining that the 17th century and not today. With the six- deep.” of discovery, who learn to master both of those writing a female lead isn’t enough. “I get submis- play Artemisia Fall Festival, she’s putting plays Shame played a tragically significant role in worlds,” she said. “I want women who ultimately sions from writers who say, ‘Oh, there are strong about women in the limelight. “American theater the life of Artemisia Theatre’s namesake. As a have agency.” women in my play. Strong leads.’ And they’ve clings to a white male perspective,” said Proud- young teenager, Gentileschi was raped by one of Artemisia’s Fall Festival runs at 7:30 p.m. written a strong hooker. Or a strong mother. Or a foot. “It does not embrace a feminist voice. And her father’s coworkers, Agostino Tassi. Her father Sept. 24-Oct. 3 at the Edge Theatre, 5451 N. strong nice girl next door. We have more stories because of that, our culture is robbed of stories prosecuted Tassi for theft of household goods, Broadway. For more information, go to http:// than that. Way more.” that aren’t just great stories, they’re universal.” the goods being Gentileschi’s virginity. Tassi was artemisiatheatre.org. Shame, Proudfoot said, can silence those sto- The fest’s series of staged readings from Sept. found guilty. His sentence was not enforced. For ries. Compared to rom-coms or sunny musicals, 24 through Oct. 3 at the Edge Theatre, 5451 N. the rest of her work, Gentileschi’s work often ref-

NOW PLAYING Quick wit and exceptional beauty propel Nell Gwynn from selling oranges on the streets of London’s burgeoning theater district to starring on its stages. She captures the hearts of her audience—and King Charles II—in this joyous song-and-dance-filled romance!

OLIVIER AWARD BEST NEW COMEDY AMERICAN PREMIERE

written by Scarlett Strallen, photo by Jeff Sciortino JESSICA SWALE directed by CHRISTOPHER LUSCOMBE

312.595.5600 • chicagoshakes.com UNDER 35? A GREAT PRICE FOR STUDENTS & YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. 26 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES FALL THEATER PREVIEW Multicultural world premieres dot fall theater season BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE com; 773-697-3830 —Not For Sale: On the eve of Puerto Rican fes- “Yo, what’s up, white people?” chirps a charac- tival, the citizens of Guadalis del Carmen’s neigh- ter in the first minutes of Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone borhood are invaded by newcomers proposing [running at Writers Theater through Sept. 23], unwelcome changes in this you-are-there produc- reminding us that our world is occupied by a di- tion by Urban Theater Company. Running Sept. versity of races, cultures and genders. Not only 21-Oct. 20 at Batay Urbano, 2620 W. Division St. do the world premiere plays in Chicago’s Fall sea- Info/tickets: UrbanTheaterChicago.org son reflect this, but they also number too many —Oxy, Ohio: Side Project playwright S.J. Spen- to list here. cer reveals why Dayton, Ohio, is the opiate-ad- Ann Sonneville and Chris Hainsworth in Frankenstein. These are a few to start you off, but keep your diction capital of the United States and how it Photo by Suzanne Plunkett eyes peeled if you want to see the rest before got that way. Running Sept. 30-Oct. 14 at the the crowd: McKaw Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. Info/tickets: punishment or exile. Running Sept. 30-Nov. 11 at Court Theatre stage to explore the connection —Frankenstein: Nobody had planned a festi- TheSideProject.net Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Info/ between life, art, family, community and society. val for the anniversary of Mary Shelley’s greatest —Downstate: Bruce Norris turns his social tickets: Steppenwolf.org; 312-335-1650 Running Nov. 10-Dec. 2 at Court Theatre, 5535 hit, so it came as a surprise when the 2018-19 commentary on the question of whether some —Frankenstein: Manual Cinema’s innovative S. Ellis Ave. Info/tickets: CourtTheatre.org; 773- season was found to include no less than four crimes are beyond redemption through remorse, puppetry takes up temporary residence of the 753-4472 adaptations of the horror classic. In this first one, Rob Kauzlaric’s introspective re-interpretation re- ball gown and flaunt your opening night-drag at graces so many ballets, wrote magnificent tunes counts a young woman’s fancies as she grieves FALL OPERA PREVIEW the first 2018/2019 season production of Chi- for the opera as well. In this woefully neglected for her father, recreating the late sire in her cago’s answer to the international opera scene! gem, a blind princess must choose whether to imagination. Running Sept. 17-Oct. 28 at Life- Operas cover love, Chicago-favorite soprano Danielle de Niese is embark on a purported cure that will restore line Theater, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. Info/tickets: Musetta, and handsome tenor Michael Fabiano her lover to her if it succeeds or bring about LifelineTheatre.com; 773-761-4477 BYlust AARON and HUNT lesbians makes his company debut as Rodolpho. It’s the his death if it fails. Performed in the original —Second Skin: Shivers and shocks are Wild- musical Rent with a full string section! It runs Russian, this is not to be missed. It’ll run Nov. Claw Theatre Company’s specialty, with both Replete with princes in crowns, queens in leath- Oct. 6-Jan. 5. Lyric Opera of Chicago. Info/Tick- 10-18; Chicago Opera Theater at The Studebaker abundant in this fable of the sea-spawned selkies ets: lyricopera.org Theater. Info/tickets: ChicagoOperaTheater.org who walk among us in human disguise. Running er, women in love and womanizers in lust, the start to this year’s opera season is rich with —Idomeneo: A king, a prince and two prin- —Siegfried: Lyric continues an exploration Sept. 14-Oct. 13 at the Den, 1333 N. Milwaukee cesses—who could ask for anything more? of Wagner’s Ring Cycle that will lead to a full Ave. Info/tickets: WildclawTheatre.com; 773- traditional blockbuster, off-Loop revolutionar- ies and superstar voices. Don’t know where to Internationally renowned, Evanston-born Mat- production of all four operas in direct succes- 697-3830 thew Polenzani returns in this Jean-Pierre sion in 2020. Siegfried doesn’t break a sweat —Lady in Denmark: Dael Orlandersmith cham- start? Here’s a curated list of the best of the best operatic possibilities. Ponnelle-designed production, with Sir Andrew in front of dragons, but when he battles the pions cultural inclusion with her solo portrait of Davis on the podium. Such lyrical angst shall magic fire surrounding the sleeping Brünnhilde, an immigrant Danish widow in Chicago recalling —Masque at Kenilworth/Trial By Jury: This double bill starts with a mythical visit by Queen not be heard again. It will run Oct. 13-Nov. 2. he learns about both fear and love. Soprano happier times triggered by the songs of Billie Lyric Opera of Chicago; LyricOpera.org Christine Goerke is sure to crack more glass in Holiday. Running Oct. 29-Nov. 18 at the Good- Elizabeth I to Kenilworth Caste. Then two near- ly married men (tenor Joshua Louis Smith and —Don Giovanni: In the #MeToo era, the wom- her ongoing stint as Bugs Bunny’s beloved. It’ll man Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Info/tickets: anizing Don is a dangerous character to lionize. run Nov. 3-16 at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Info/ GoodmanTheatre.org; 312-443-3800 countertenor Bruno Rivera) fight it out in court over one’s breach of promise. Transgressive How to navigate it? Dress the enterprising Don tickets: LyricOpera.org —The Safe House: Chicago author Kristine in the suit of a Hollywood producer, add a star- —Il Trovatore: Verdi’s gut-wrenching pyro- Thatcher’s exploration of intergenerational family Theatre-Opera’s interactive, cross-gendering production promises champagne, a pride cake let, a makeup artist, a photographer, a wronged technics are on full display in this rollercoaster secrets is only one of many plays by local play- wife … and the sparks start to fly, present-day. of a plot that includes a child-burning gypsy wrights (among them, Ike Holter, Calamity West, and leather! Running Sept. 21-22. Transgressive Theatre-Opera plays the auditorium at Ebenezer It’ll run Nov. 9-11 at Petite Opera Productions and the famous Anvil Chorus. What will all Fin Coe, Spenser Davis and J. Nicole Brooks) mak- plays the Mary Wilson House Beyer Auditorium those burly blacksmiths be wearing during that ing their debut this fall. Running Nov. 2-Dec. 16 Lutheran Church. Info/tickets: brownpapertick- ets.com/event/3577726 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Info/tickets: Pe- striking tune? Just about nuthin’, we hope. at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Info/ titeOpera.org Running Nov. 17-Dec. 9. Lyric Opera of Chicago. tickets: CityLit.org; 773-293-3682 —Patience & Sarah: A Pioneering Love Story: An artist and a farmer’s daughter meet and fall —The Long Christmas Dinner: The 12-tone Info/tickets: lyricopera.org —Truman and the Birth of Israel: A presi- compositional theorist Paul Hindemith (who, —When Adonis Calls: A handsome young fan dent nowadays nearly forgotten risks his legacy in love in 1816 and escape mendacity to live freely in what we hope will be sexy bonnets for better or for worse, influenced the next begs a famous, blocked poet’s reciprocation of to support a minority in his own country. Run- generation of composers) set this opera to a literary correspondence, and the roaring eroti- ning Oct. 15-Nov. 18 at the Greenhouse Theater and a covered wagon, going west. Jenn Cox, one of the most sought-after directors in Chi- libretto by Our Town’s Thornton Wilder. A fam- cism of this exchange brings down multiple bar- Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Info/tickets: Green- ily’s Christmas Dinner-dynamic is examined over riers. How carnal a love can leap from the page? houseTheatre.org; 773-404-7336. cago’s storefront opera scene directs the tale, imagined from a true story Cox described as, a period of 90 years in this piece that skillfully This Chicago premiere stars baritones Jonathan —Plainclothes: Broken Nose Theatre, aka the asks more questions than it answers. It’ll run Wilson and Nathan Kistler, and two male danc- company that brought you the Jeff-winning At “complex, and very, very simple,” with charac- ters who are, “rich and flawed.” It will run Oct. Nov. 16-Dec. 1. Chicago Fringe opera plays the ers. It’s set to run Nov. 30-Dec. 9. Thompson The Table last year, now surveys the hazards of Studio Theater at Chopin Theater. Info/tickets: Street Opera Company plays The Broadway The- security duty at a sprawling mega-emporium. 5-31. Third Eye Theatre Ensemble at Theater Wit; thirdeyete.com/ ChicagoFringeOpera.com atre at Pride Arts Center. Info/tickets: Thomp- Running Nov. 12-Dec. 15 at the Den, 1333 N. —Iolanta: Tchaikovsky, whose soaring music sonStreetOpera.org Milwaukee Ave. Info/tickets: BrokenNoseTheatre. —La Boheme: Slip into a tuxedo or strap on a WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 27 Amateur, a trans memoir BOOKS of masculinity, boxing and being a man BY LAUREN EMILY WHALEN By then, McBee had successfully transitioned and embarked on a relationship with his now-wife. Thomas Page McBee is many people: a husband, He’d also lost his mother and still wasn’t quite an uncle, a brother, a son. He’s also the first trans sure who his birth father was. To deal with these man to fight in Madison Square Garden. changes and the growing feeling that his own Amateur: A True Story of What Makes a Man new masculinity was a complicated beast, McBee (Simon and Schuster) is McBee’s second memoir, enters a world of smelly locker rooms, bulky the followup to the Lambda Award-winning Man gloves and fighting with one’s own shadow. And Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness, and his newfound insights are often surprising. Thomas McBee. Becoming a Man. Like many trans individuals, McBee’s writing is both gritty and lyrical, put- McBee felt different his whole life. He also had ting the reader smack in the middle of sparring Photo by Amos Mac to deal with his stepfather’s sexual abuse and a matches and ringside pep talks. Anyone who has women told McBee pre-transition, and he realizes complex relationship with his brilliant, alcoholic seen Rocky or is familiar with the rise and fall of that his new body has changed how all genders mother. In Amateur, McBee takes a hard look at Mike Tyson (who McBee talks about extensively) view and treat him, as well as his own behavior. masculinity and its effects on him as a trans man, will be drawn into the violent and strangely in- Though McBee, who is white, now enjoys security as he prepares for a charity boxing match, hav- timate world of amateur boxing. Though McBee on city sidewalks and increased respect at work, ing had no previous ring training. The result is a and his fellow fighters are relentless in the ring, he finds himself unintentionally talking over and short but powerful glimpse into a man who, de- they touch gloves before and often hug after. disregarding the input of women—including, at Amateur is a unique and self-aware take on mas- spite his muscles and beard, fears that his hard- Boxing is as full of support as it is smack talk one point, his own sister. Using copious research culinity, its problems and its potential. McBee’s won masculinity is leading him down a rougher and, well, actual smacking. as well as his own experiences, McBee delivers a voice is as strong as his presence in the ring, path than he anticipated. True to its subtitle, Amateur is an explora- knockout punch of gender and societal rumina- and his willingness to pick apart his newfound “Men keep trying to fight me,” McBee told his tion of masculinity as much as a boxing mem- tion, paralleled with his own journey as a boxer. privilege is a positive example for all men. Ama- brother in 2015, after almost getting in a physi- oir. McBee observes, with much discomfort, how Though I wish McBee would have delved more teur is a deft peek into the inner life of one who cal altercation with a stranger after a simple mis- his attitudes have changed since his transition. into his relationships with his mother and girl- has already transitioned to his true gender, and is understanding involving McBee’s phone camera. “You’re like a guy, but better” is what many friend, as well as his search for his birth father, now coming to terms with what that means.

Take a bigger bite of your Jewish heritage

Spertus Institute serves up savory ways to explore Jewish history, culture, art, and current events. Visit us at spertus.edu for a schedule of upcoming events.

Spertus Institute is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community 28 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES six sections and features more than 80 artworks, many drawn from the MCA’s permanent collection by curators Charlotte Ickes and Michael Darling. Each section maps the connections between the MCA: Bicoastal and artists through exploring practice (how the art- ists made their work), place (the spaces they shared, such as art schools), and people (the overlap in personal and professional circles that multidisciplinary influenced their development). BY KERRY REID The internet will still play a role in this show, though. O’Malley noted that in place of a print- Last year, the Museum of Contemporary Art ART ed show catalog, the MCA will offer an exten- (MCA) unveiled Marisol, a restaurant and bar in it can involve analyzing all the different media sive “microsite” online with additional materials the lower level of the museum, adjacent to the many contemporary artists use for telling their about the artists and their times. theater lobby. Created by Jason Hammel of Logan stories. The MCA’s performance series, created by origi- Square’s acclaimed Lula Cafe with paintings by In the past-to-present category, MCA unveils nal curator Peter Taub, who served in that role for British artist Chris Ofili, it’s a hip but accessible a major exhibit, West by Midwest, in its fourth- 20 years, has been headed up since last fall by communal gathering place for both MCA patrons floor space (Nov. 17, 2018-Jan. 27, 2019). The Chicago native Tara Aisha Willis, a dancer/chore- and people off the street looking for a place to exhibit focuses on how numerous artists with ographer/academic. Willis and assistant curator unwind or recharge. Midwest ties migrated to the West Coast in the Grace Deveney team up for the ongoing Ground- Creating that sort of community commons is late 1950s and early 1960s—just as the inter- ings series, which kicks off on Nov. 3. one of the challenges facing many cultural in- state highway system made it easier for artists Groundings brings in artists who work in dance, stitutions these days. But, at 51, the MCA seems and aspiring artists to mimic the spirit of Jack music and performance art (selected by Willis) up to the task of weaving together a multidisci- Kerouac’s On the Road. Those artists became in who develop performance pieces inspired by plinary, yet accessible, approach to understand- turn major influences on the roadmap of contem- works chosen by Deveney from the permanent ing the currents of contemporary art. porary art. collection that somehow illustrate aspects of Among the recent changes, the museum an- Referring to MCA’s current exhibition, I Was movement. The series is structured around week- nounced three key staff promotions last month— Raised on the Internet (through Oct. 14), long residencies with rehearsals open to the all women of color. Naomi Beckwith, who joined O’Malley said, “West by Midwest is going to be public that culminate in a public performance. MCA in 2011, is now the Manilow Senior Curator. such a drastic change.” I Was Raised on the In- O’Malley describes it as “a fun convergence that’s The Hyde Park native and Northwestern Univer- ternet traces the changes in how art is created happening between performance and visual art. sity graduate takes over from Omar Kholeif. Ma- and in how we interact with it since 1998, and, It’s also thinking about how the performances rissa Reyes is the new Dr. Robert N. Mayer Direc- said O’Malley, “It really looks at the future and Amanda Ross-Ho’s Cradle of Filth, 2013, in the we program can branch out from just the the- tor of Learning and Public Programs, where she’ll it’s a little bright. West by Midwest is going to MCA’s West By Midwest. ater space by programming in the galleries, out coordinate everything from school partnerships be something to study, I think. You’re going to in the lobbies, and in talkbacks after shows in to lectures to late-night events. And Helen Yi Photo courtesy of the artist; Mitchell-Innes & have all these intersections of all these artists Nash, New York; and Shane Campbell Gallery the lobby.” (founder of the eponymous women’s design bou- who were raised in the Midwest who moved out The international profile Taub built for the MCA tique) is the new director of retail experience. West and the inspiration they gleaned from going Art movement after moving to Los Angeles; Judy performance series continues—the first artist up (That might seem like a fancy way of talking out there and joining different schools.” Chicago, who took the name of her hometown on the stage is Rwandan dance artist Dorothee about a bookstore—unless you’ve experienced Leung added, “It’s not solely about the Midwest and became famous for large-scale works such as Munyaneza’s Unwanted (Oct. 3-4 and 6-7), a the cunning and broad array of books, media and going West. It’s also about how the evolution of The Dinner Party; and sculptor/painter Billy Al choreographed meditation on rape as an instru- objects on sale in the MCA shop.) the art scene in the West was true for the Mid- Bengston, a Kansas native whose work drew upon ment of war. (Munyaneza was a child in 1994 In talking to Katy O’Malley and Karrie Leung of west.” In both cases, Leung and O’Malley note, California “Kustom Kar” and motorcycle art of the when the worst atrocities of the Rwandan civil MCA’s press office, it’s clear that the museum is artists were seeking an escape from “the echo late 1950s. war occurred.) O’Malley describes Willis as being interested in also changing the dialogue around chamber of movements and ideas and competi- “It underscores how they mutually influenced interested in work that offers “very topical and the work presented. Sometimes that involves il- tion” that marked the New York art scene of the each other,” said O’Malley. “One of the most fun diverse perspectives for Chicago, as well as offer- lustrating how the past influences the present. era. parts is seeing the photographs of the artists ing voices from outside the city.” Sometimes that involves finding a balance be- Among the featured artists are Omaha-born Ed hanging out together in front of a Thunderbird Increasingly, O’Malley and Leung note, the MCA tween international voices and local artists. Or Ruscha, who became a leading light of the Pop or whatever.” The exhibit will be divided into is focusing on artists who work across many me- dia. In June of 2019, they’ll unveil the first ma- jor exhibit on Chicago-raised artist Virgil Abloh (who designed Serena Williams’ U.S Open “tutu” The MCA at night. uniform). Abloh, the former creative director for Photo by Peter McCullough, © MCA Chicago Kanye West and the artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection, works in fashion but graduated with an engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is known for his ability to synthesize work from the worlds of graphic design, music, architecture and visual art. Said O’Malley, “We have this focus on acces- sibility from a physical and conceptual way. The idea is that we don’t want barriers for entry to people. We want to reach general audiences who haven’t been turned on to contemporary art yet because they think it’s not for them. “The multidisciplinary sense is that if artists are working in one medium, they are often work- ing in another. I think if our audiences are in- terested in one medium, we can turn them onto another.” WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 29 Jean Leigh runs Boystown gallery for everyone BY KERRY REID ART Jean Leigh always had a clear vision for what she wanted her Halsted Street gallery to be: “I sted Street by Michael Barnett, as well as works wanted a gallery where you could walk in and get referencing the Pride, Bisexual, Transgender and something, rather than walking out brokenheart- Leather flags. While such pieces may be com- ed.” Since 2005, Leigh Gallery has been featuring monplace for the neighborhood, Leigh said “I get artists across a wide spectrum of media—from guys who come in from Russia or wherever and paintings to prints, jewelry to pottery—at prices they say ‘Oh my god, you have a gay flag in your that won’t break the bank. window!’ They come in here because art is cool If there’s a unifying theme to the work Leigh and it’s a safe friendly place compared to where seeks out, it’s “pleasantries and escapism.” they’ve come from. It’s mind-blowing to hear that But that doesn’t mean the work is all flowers kind of story over and over again. Even when I go and fluffy kittens. You can find photography by to art fairs in places like Highland Park, my wife “storm chaser” David Mayhew that verges on the reminds me that I’m in this gay bubble here. You apocalyptic in its depictions of nature’s power. forget because you’re so immersed in it.” Roger Heide’s color-plane horizons in oil are, as A piece by Nate Freeman in ARTNews last year Leigh put it, “flawless”—blocks of color suggest- noted how many “middle-class” galleries are clos- ing seashore views stretching out to infinity that ing in New York City—a phenomenon which has take on different subtle gradations of light and hit some Chicago galleries as well. For Leigh, shadow as you move around them. part of her survival strategy is that, “I didn’t go Leigh herself worked as a pen-and-ink artist for racy and political and all that stuff. You can go many years. One of her works—a drawing of the to Pilsen to get that stuff, or you can go other Cana Island lighthouse in Door County—hangs in places. I thought, ‘Let’s just cover it so there’s the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon something for everyone in this area, because this Bay. But the eyestrain of working on such de- area is so diverse.’ You’ve got to make it so every- tailed pieces under magnification took her away from creating her own work to showing and sell- ing other people’s art. And she’s now one of the last galleries standing in the North Halsted area. “I love being around art. Always have. So I thought, ‘I’ll just open a gallery.’ I called 40 people to open this place and said ‘If I open a gallery in Chicago, will you come?’ And all 40 of them said yes. Not it’s up to 80.” Leigh has spent a lot of time on the art-fair circuit. And that also influenced her approach as Jean Leigh. a gallerist. “ I set it up like an art fair so you’re Photo courtesy of Leigh getting almost all mediums in one small space. You don’t get to see pottery in too many places.” An eye-catching display of pottery by Norbert That’s a big deal.” She added, “There’s nothing to an adorable black pug, who stops by daily with White shows off his approach to porcelain. “He stuffy or stuck-up or any of that stuff here. It’s his owner. glazes, then carves all these pieces out to take good quality work at affordable prices and that’s Even as the neighborhood demographics my thing. I’ll have people come in and say, ‘Oh, I change—Leigh noted she sees more married the glaze away,” explained Leigh. She pointed Celebration 36 x 36, by Roger Heide. can’t afford anything.’ I’ll ask them, ‘Did you look straight couples now alongside gay men—she out that his attention to detail includes carving Photo courtesy of Jean Leigh on the bottom of the platters and vases he cre- at the prices?’ And they go ‘Oh!’” finds support from the community. ates. Making that personal connection means that, “I think they get it,” Leigh said of her neigh- White is also a bartender at Sidetrack—which one can find something they like.” in a way, everything she sells carries not only the borhood patrons. “They know to support local highlights Leigh’s emphasis on supporting local She also features diverse work from the art- history of the artist, but the memory of the expe- and they really do.” For her part, she continues artists as much as possible. It’s not strictly about ists themselves. Painter Armando Pedroso’s work rience of buying it. Leigh said, “I bought a piece to seek out new talent. The weekend before we altruism. She also noted that it’s convenient includes “cool surrealist houses” in vibrant col- in Provincetown. And it was such a horrible ex- chatted, she had scouted some new prospects at to be able to get more work from an artist who ors, as well as his “urban grit” series—textured perience that every time I look at it in my living the Lakeview East Festival of the Arts. Other than lives locally if she sells out of her current inven- abstract pieces incorporating rusty bits of found room, I think, ‘grrrr.’ It left a bad taste. Whereas talent, what Leigh looks for in an artist is some- tory. And it also means that buyers have a good objects against a backdrop of darker hues. with other places, it’s like, ‘Oh, I had such a fun one who is “sane and pleasant.” chance of meeting the artists whose work they Because she’s so hands-on (Leigh jokes, “I time with them and they were so nice.’ And then And if seeking that sunnier side of the street is are acquiring. have no life. I’m here all the time”), she takes it makes me smile to look at it.” wrong, Leigh doesn’t want to be right. “Honestly, Being in Boystown also means that work with special pleasure in helping first-time buyers find Leigh’s accessibility extends to non-human pa- we all need happiness and escapism. Everything an LGBTQ appeal does well. Leigh pointed out something special that is “meaningful to them, trons as well. On the day we chatted, she broke here makes you kind of smile.” paintings of the iconic rainbow pylons on Hal- rather than their being told it’s meaningful. off from our conversation to bring a dog biscuit 30 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES Chicagoan raises money and pride walking to fight HIV/AIDS BY ROSS FORMAN SPORTS Christopher Pazdernik was filled with fear and atre as a director, choreographer, audition coach, shame that day in 2009 when he learned he is casting director and producer. He also does nu- HIV-positive. merous speaking engagements since moving to “I was so embarrassed and terrified; I had no Chicago in 2008. Plus, he serves as the artistic idea what was going to happen next,” he said. director for Refuge Theatre Project and he joined “At first, I had to come to terms with it myself, the staff at Porchlight Music Theatre earlier this Christopher Pazdernik. just like I did with my sexuality, and honestly, year as the Company Manager & Casting Associ- Photo courtesy of Pazdernik that took a few years. Once I started telling more ate. than just my close friends and family and talking He is originally from Neenah, Wisconsin, and is about it more in public, it just got easier and celebrating 10 years living in Chicago this month. easier.” “I am so excited to spend the day with many Flash-forward to 2018—Pazdernik is a staunch of my good friends [during the AIDS Run & Walk advocate for the HIV community as a whole, Chicago]; the time I get to spend with them dur- spawned by his “lightbulb moment” when he was ing the walk is really special to me,” he said. “[I on the train and saw an advertisement for AIDS have] overwhelming gratitude [for the event]— Run & Walk Chicago. He immediately thought he for my friends who walk with me, for my friend should participate. Donica Lynn who sings at the opening ceremo- “That first year [participating in the event, nies every year, for all the organizations includ- which is now five years ago], seeing so many ing the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and their ef- people out walking together, fighting against forts to fight AIDS, and for the opportunity, once this disease that I live with every day, was just a year, to feel like my status makes me part of a overwhelming. And beautiful. And I’ve never community, rather than an outsider.” looked back,” he said. Scheerbaum, Watkins and Zymaris have been Pazdernik’s team, Option Up, always walks in Pazdernik is on the Ambassador Committee for important leaders in their respective clubs, honor of all the sensational musical theater art- Wrestlers group the annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, and has with Zymaris also reviving the popular Hillside ists who died at the height of the AIDS crisis. organized his own team for the event, which will Wrestling Weekend and Watkins serving as a “This year, I’ll be thinking about Broadway com- honors Chicagoan be held Saturday, Sept. 23, at Soldier Field. The Wrestlers WithOut Borders has selected the wrestling official. poser Michael Friedman in particular, who passed event includes a 5K and 10K run, and a 5K walk, 2018 winners of its two highest honors: the Smitherman is not a wrestler, but was of in- away a year ago due to complications from HIV/ starting with the opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Dermody Citizenship Award and the Lifetime valuable assistance to WWB as a sports coor- AIDS,” he said. Pazdernik is doing the walk. Achievement Award. The winners and five new dinator in Gay Games VII-IX, served as a WWB One of his favorite past AIDS Run & Walk Chi- Pazdernik, who was one of Windy City Times’ 30 inductees to the WWB Hall of Merit were cel- delegate to the Federation of Gay Games, and cago memories was the 2016 event—when it was Under 30 in 2016, serves on the Community Ad- ebrated at the Gay Games in Paris. has volunteered in WWB’s fundraising efforts. pouring rain, and yet none of his friends skipped visory Board at Howard Brown Health, including Berlin’s Michael “Mitch” Ertel was named the event. the past two years as chairperson, and he pro- winner of WWB’s Dermody Citizenship Award “We all walked together in the pouring rain and duces a benefit concert for Howard Brown Health and Sydney’s Barry Webb the winner of the sang lots of show tunes about rain, [including] Fujikawa is first every year, called Chris’ Birthday Belt Fest, which Lifetime Achievement Award. Don’t Rain on My Parade, A Little Fall of Rain, features dozens of his friends, who just happen Being inducted to the Hall of Merit will male professional Stranger to the Rain, River in the Rain, the list to be musical theatre performers from Chicago, be Cameron Inthapangna of Melbourne, Gus goes on,” he said. golfer to come out with one other from Wisconsin. Scheerbaum of Philadelphia, Rob Smitherman Tadd Fujikawa, 27, is the first professional Pazdernik has raised $5,000 each year for the “This fall, I’m also directing a musical set at of Chicago, Josh Watkins of San Francisco and male golfer to come out as gay. past three years for the event, and he’s shooting the height of the AIDS crisis, The Last Session, Nick Zymaris of New York City. According to Outsports, Fujikawa said he for the same total this year in hopes of pushing for my company, Refuge Theatre Project, and we’ll “The 2018 list of inductees into the Hall of came out because the stories of so many other his grand total to $20,000 for the programs at be using that production to bring awareness and Merit is one of the most diverse in terms of con- LGBTQ athletes coming out before him helped AFC, “and that feels really special,” he said. raise funds for all the terrific HIV/AIDS organiza- tributions to WWB’s mission,” said WWB Chair to inspire him, and he wants to do the same Pazdernik knows he will, once again, be all tions here in Chicago,” he said. Chris Lorefice. “We’re also pleased to be giv- for others. tears after the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago when he Pazdernik, after learning he was HIV-positive, ing the Dermody Citizenship Award to Michael In part, he posted on social media, “I don’t sees the AIDS Quilt. attended support groups at the Broadway Youth ‘Mitch’ Ertel from Berlin, who has contributed want this to be focused on me. I just want to “There’s this thing called survivor guilt, which Center which, he said, “[were] critically neces- so much to making the Einsteiger club in Berlin spread love and acceptance to others who are is very real for me—I don’t feel worthy to live at sary to me.” so successful, been extremely active in LGBT in a similar situation. If anyone out there is a time where living with HIV is possible, when He remembers “breaking down and crying dur- sports in Europe, and puts on a phenomenal struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out so many before me weren’t given that opportu- ing my first session saying, ‘I’m never going to wrestling camp each year that welcomes many to me. YOU ARE LOVED AND YOU ARE ENOUGH… nity,” he said. “Why them, and not me? It’s rough want to have sex again.’ Over time, it got better. international LGBT wrestlers. Barry Webb, who AS IS, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE!” [seeing the AIDS Quilt], but it helps me connect But I needed to be there and hear other people’s was already in our Hall of Merit, helped keep He told Outsports, “The love and support to the past, which fuels my fire to fight for the stories and know I wasn’t alone during those Harbour City Wrestling Club alive and relevant have been overwhelming. I’m so glad that I future.” early years. through many tough years to become the rising came out. I can finally be the best version of To donate to Pazdernik’s fundraising through “Now I try to be that kind of beacon and sup- powerhouse it is today.” me.” the annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, go port for other people.” Inthapangna is one of the founding mem- The Outsports article is at https://www.out- to: http://events.aidschicago.org/site/TR/ Pazdernik, 32, lives in North Center and pri- bers and officers of the Melbourne Wranglers, sports.com/2018/9/12/17847740/gay-golf- RW/RW18?px=1140022&pg=personal&fr_ marily works as a freelance artist in musical the- which competed in its first Gay Games in Paris. tadd-fujikawa-athlete-come-out. id=1480. WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 31

Admission is $25, and $20 for Frank Lloyd Wright Trust members; University of Chicago alumni, faculty and staff; and AIA Chicago LGBT-themed films members. Student admission is $5. For more information, visit FLWright.org/thinkinginto- abound at 2018 CSAFF thefuture. BY ADA CHENG

The Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF), FILM Holly Near in founded in 2010 and organized by the Chicago and actor Amrita Bagchi, will attend screenings Chicago Sept. 28 South Asian Arts Council, takes place this year. and answer questions during the four-day event. Musician Holly Near will perform Friday, Sept. This festival, the largest of its kind in the Mid- Jigar Shah, CSAFF’s festival manager, said he 28, at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. west, will present more than 70 films at the is proud of this annual event’s growth in breadth Lincoln Ave., at 8 p.m. Showplace ICON Theater and Columbia College in and scope, adding, “CSAFF has always been a Near is celebrating her first album in three downtown Chicago as well as AMC Oakbrook Cen- front-runner in showcasing South Asian talent years, Peace Becomes You, and she’s building ter on Sept. 20-23. and independent cinema, but this year I’m ex- on 40 creative years and 30 recordings. Near The festival showcases films from nations cited to unveil ten world premieres, seven North has been recognized many times for her work across across South Asia, including Pakistan, American premieres, and eighteen films making for social change, including honors from the Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well their Chicago premiere.” ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the Nation- as the global South Asian diaspora. More than These films depict issues and concerns impor- al Organization for Women, and the National 100 artists, including notable filmmakers, direc- tant to South Asians around the globe, such as Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. tors and actors such as director Sarthak Dasgupta gender, sexuality, family, culture, religion, iden- Tarell Alvin McCraney. Admission is $28-$30 each. tity, immigration and belonging within the dia- Photo by Deana Lawson See OldTownSchool.org and HollyNear.com. sporic community. Shah, who wears many differ- ent hats—including artistic director, community Steppenwolf to run ‘Ms. Blakk’ in May LGBT films at CSAFF Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company is re- festival placing its previously announced production of CSAFFEvening Shadows explores 2018 how a mother, manager Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Wig Out! with the world Vasudha, copes with her young gay son’s Jigar Shah. premiere of Ms. Blakk For President—about the revelation of his sexuality in a small town Photos life of real-life drag queen Joan Jett Blakk, who in Southern India. Bound by traditions and courtesy of is the country’s first Black drag-queen presi- morality, she has no one to turn to dispel her CSAFF dential candidate, Playbill.com noted. fears and doubt, confronting the conserva- McCraney had been previously scheduled to tive patriarchal society and its rigid cultural return to the Chicago stage in Wig Out!, but will now star as the lead in Ms. Blakk For Presi- traditions as well as her dogmatic husband. leader, board member, and Bollywood choreog- dent, which Tina Landau will direct. Perfor- Monogamish follows Sagar and Nishi— rapher—is fervent about culture, arts and mov- mances will begin May 23, 2019, ahead of a sexually fluid, Indian companions of sorts ies because he “wants to promote South Asian June 3 opening. From EXPO Chicago. who are not in a ‘typical’ relationship with culture, talent and perspectives through films, art McCraney (co-writer and executive producer Photo by Andrew Davis one another. Although the intimacy and con- and discussions.” of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight) will make nection they have are undeniable, they are The festival this year contains some features his Broadway debut Dec. 27, 2018, with his not partners and they are not cheating. Sagar that are relevant to the LGBT community, Shah play Choir Boy. is already in a committed relationship and noted, adding that, “This year we have an amaz- EXPO Chicago The Playbill article is at http://www.playbill. all three parties are aware. This film explores ing lineup of LGBTQ films that I am very proud to com/article/steppenwolf-adds-tarell-alvin- Sept. 27-30 the dynamics and strength of these two non- present. One of the films is Monoganish. Both the EXPO Chicago: The International Exposition mccraney-and-tina-landaus-ms-blakk-for-presi- traditional couples, where agreements are director and the actor will be here attending the of Contemporary & Modern Art will take place dent-to-2019-season. made and boundaries are challenged. screening. Really good LGBTQ film. It shows the Sept. 27-30 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. Noblemen is about a teenage boy’s coming dynamite strength of two nontraditional couples. The seventh annual exposition will host 135 to terms with his sexuality. Shay is picked on It’s an amazing film.” galleries from 27 countries and 63 cities, and constantly, with the main perpetrators being Another LGBT film, Evening Shadows, is a story Architect to discuss introduce diverse programming. Said program- Arjun, the tall athletic sports captain, and about a young gay man trying to come out to his local projects Oct. 2 ming will include the /Dialogues panel series, his best friend Baadal. Shay and Pia, the mother in a small town. Shah points out that this Mark Sexton—co-founder of the firm that featuring artistic discourse with leading art- spunky daughter of the new junior school film is particularly significant given the recent designed the Millennium Park’s Crown Foun- ists, curators, designers and arts profession- principal, are cast as Bassanio and Portia in ruling on Section 377 in India.The British intro- tain (2004) in collaboration with artist Jaume als on the current issues that engage them; the Founder’s Day production of Merchant of duced that law into the Indian Penal Code in the Plensa—will tell the story behind the fountain IN/SITU, featuring large-scale sculptures and Venice. Indignant, Baadal vows to get Shay’s 1860s to punish “unnatural” sexual acts; it was and other projects in the 40-year history of site-specific works; EXPO VIDEO, highlighting a part at any cost and turns to his buddy Ar- most often enforced in cases of consensual sex Chicago-based Krueck + Sexton Architects on dynamic screening program for film, video and jun for help. Events take a sinister turn when between men. On Sept. 6, the Supreme Court in Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the the University Club, 76 new media works; and more. Shay walks in on Arjun, Baadal and their cro- India ruled to decriminalize consensual gay sex. E. Monroe St. (The venue has changed.) Just a few of the exhibitors will include An- nies on a debauched night. “It is a really good film,” he said. “This just The evening will start with a 5 p.m. cocktail glim Gilbert Gallery (San Francisco), BorzoGal- Rani, a pre-feature short by Hammad Rizvi, happened two days ago in India. It was a big reception followed by Sexton’s presentation at lery (Amsterdam), Stephen Daiter Gallery (Chi- is about a Pakistani transgender woman who day for the community. So Evening Shadows is 6 p.m. cago), Fort Gansevoort (New York), Kavi Gupta sets out to take care of an abandoned child. important, considering the difficulty for people Another important Chicago project by Krueck (Chicago), Rhona Hoffman Gallery (Chicago), Mehndi, a pre-feature short by Sudeshna to come out in India.” + Sexton is the Spertus Institute of Jewish GALLERY HYUNDAI (Seoul), Kalfayan Galleries Sen, is about two young girls who ,on the Shah said that ultimately he hopes that CSAFF Studies (2007). Also, the firm recently com- (Athens), Galerie Kornfeld (Berlin), Galeria Ja- threshold of womanhood, pass a secret de- will “provide a platform to showcase talents that pleted restoration work on two Mies van der vier Lopez & Fer Frances (Madrid), Praz-Dela- signed to alter their lives forever, amidst might otherwise be overlooked.” Rohe masterworks: the 860-880 Lake Shore vallade (Paris; Los Angeles), Ronchini (London) the bright colorful flurry of an Indian bridal For details, locations and film schedule, see Drive apartments and Crown Hall at the Illinois and Wexler Gallery (Philadelphia). shower. csaff.org/film-guide/. Institute of Technology. See https://www.expochicago.com/. 32 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES NUNN ON ONE: REELING WCT: So you will be at the screening at Reel- ing? FILM MS: Yes. so much time and money to win a crown that WCT: Anyone else? most people have never heard of. Then I realized MS: I know Mimi Marks is coming. This will be ‘The Queens’ holds we all have different goals and dreams. When I the first time she has seen the film. Naysha Lo- was younger it was [my goal] to win an Emmy pez is coming, but she has seen it before. She and that is something I will never forget because loves it. court at Reeling Shirley Temple Black handed it to me. Jim hasn’t seen the movie and I don’t know BY JERRY NUNN in the documentary to support an hour and a half. WCT: What do you want audiences to get out why. WCT: Why not make a documentary about of The Queens? The Queens shows the warts and all. It shows The Queens will be coming to Reeling Film Festi- Jim Flint? MS: Hopefully, because you are a human being, the tragedies and backstage stuff. There is a dark val this year in a new film about the Miss Conti- MS: That would be different. In a sense it is, you are drawn to the winner experiencing their side, so not necessarily something to play on a nental Pageant. with it being about The Baton and Miss Conti- dreams coming true. loop at The Baton. It is ultimately a celebration Filmmaker Mark Saxenmeyer takes viewers be- nental, both of which he created. He’s a major WCT: There is the other side too, for the of the art form and what they do. hind the scenes as a camera crew documents the player, but we focus on performers, four from people that don’t win. Visit ReelingFilmFestival.org for informa- trials and tribulations of several people compet- The Baton and four from Miss Continental. Maybe MS: It is heartbreaking. When they announce tion on tickets with The Queens screening at ing for the crown in the pageant’s 2011 edition. [Windy City Times Publisher] Tracy Baim’s book the top 12, they kick everyone out into the al- Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Among those personalities featured is Baton Jim Flint: The Boy from Peoria could be turned ley. They go from the glory of being onstage to Clark St., on Monday, Sept. 24, at 9 p.m. Sax- owner Jim Flint, whose legendary Chicago club into a movie. being escorted out the backdoor. Talk about a enmeyer later told Windy City Times that he figures prominently in the film. Flint created the WCT: What are your thoughts on his state- dichotomy of emotions! is adding an epilogue noting the September pageant in 1980. ment in The Queens: “I’m not advertising sex WCT: Why wasn’t [first Miss Continental 2018 passing of performer Ginger Grant.

Stills from The Queens. Courtesy of Mark Saxenmeyer

Saxenmeyer is executive director of The Report- changes?” titleholder] Chili Pepper in the documentary? ers Inc., the company that produced The Queens. MS: That’s the controversial part of it. There are MS: She didn’t want to participate. She didn’t The Emmy Award winner is a graduate of the Uni- a lot of transgender individuals and activists that sign the waiver. With The Baton and Miss Conti- versity of Wisconsin and has worked with ABC, take great umbrage to some of the rules that are nental, she is the iconic figure. I tried to tell her Fox and CBS. His previous documentaries include in play at The Baton and Miss Continental. They how beneficial it would be, but in the end what The Rites of Passage and Experiment: Gay and feel they are archaic, regressive and problemat- could I do? You can see on the parade float and Straight, with more docs currently in the works. ic—that the whole notion of how one identifies in rehearsal she is not there. Jim said it would be Windy City Times: Did you think of other as transgender can’t be decided by a cis gender hard to shoot around her, so to not come. names for this documentary besides The individual who runs a beauty pageant. WCT: What are your thoughts on [Baton reg- Queens? I am not making any judgment in this film. I ular] Ginger Grant passing away? Mark Saxenmeyer: I guess Beauty Queens, but am just presenting this subculture of transgender MS: Ginger was the hilarious heart and soul I wanted it to have the name “queen” from gay life and bringing it to light. It is a world that of The Baton for decades. Her interactions with people calling each other that, but in a positive many people know nothing about. Most straight the audience calmed the uncomfortable, quieted way. It was originally going to be just on The people don’t know this world existed. the hecklers and made everyone feel part of the Baton, because I loved it. I had never been to a WCT: What did you learn from Miss Conti- party. Her transformation from Harry Hodges to Miss Continental pageant. In 2011, I wanted to nental? Ginger Grant every night was nothing short of do something at The Baton as a reality show. We MS: I literally watched every pageant. … I feel brilliant artistry. shot a sizzle reel, but everyone I sent it to want- like I am a Miss Continental expert now. I know WCT: You covered a lot of material, including ed to make ridiculous changes. They wanted to who was in each one, how many times, how close people stealing items backstage. bring in a younger, hotter stand in and we were they got and the tragedy behind some of the sto- MS: In the interviews, they told me of sabotage not having that. They also wanted more drama. ries. It is really fascinating. I was attracted to and things going missing. Sure enough. when we We decided to convert into a documentary and going behind the scenes. were there, a woman lost her bag and I don’t Poster for The Queens. make it more authentic. There was enough drama It’s amazing to me that someone will spend think it was ever found. Design by Jackie Weinberg WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 33

This photo: From the Studio 54 documentary. Clockwise from below right: Mapplethorpe; 2018 Reeling film fest The Happy Prince; Freelancers Anonymous. Studio 54 photo by Adam Schull, all other photos courtesy lights up Chicago screens of Reeling

BY MATT SIMONETTE behind one of the most infamous velvet ropes in FILM history. Reeling—Chicago’s film festival dedicated to il- The festival will also present a restored version luminating the diverse facets of the LGBT com- Chicago’s Baton Show Lounge. In this issue of of the 1985 drama Buddies, long unavailable for munity—kicks off its 2018 edition on Thursday, Windy City Times, entertainment writer Jerry viewing, which was the first full-length motion Sept. 20, and festival organizers are promising a Nunn discusses with filmmaker Mark Saxenmeyer picture to address the AIDS crisis. wide range of entries this year. how the project came to fruition. Festival organizers have as usual included a Festival founder Brenda Webb, who’s also exec- Actor Rupert Everett (Another Country; My Best number of international films, with entries from utive director of Chicago Filmmakers, which pro- Friend’s Wedding) is scheduled to visit the festi- locales as varied as Hong Kong, South Africa, duces the event, said in a statement that, “This val Sept. 27 in support of his directorial debut, Netherlands and Finland, and will present a num- year’s programming has a strong historical bent, The Happy Prince, a biographical drama about ber of short film programs as well. Film critic with films ranging from portrayals of literary fig- the life of Oscar Wilde. The film stars Everett as Steve Warren weighs in on a number of Reeling’s ures from the 1800s to reflections on LGBTQ cul- well as Colin Firth and Emily Watson. Other high- films in this week’s Windy City Times. ture of the 1970s and ’80s; but the festival also profile Reeling titles include Mapplethorpe, a dra- Principal festival venues include Landmark’s embraces the ‘now’ as we present diverse contem- ma about the controversial but groundbreaking Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark St.; Davis porary stories and introduce the work of new and artist that stars Matt Smith (The Crown; Dr. Who), Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave; and Chicago Film- emerging artists who may be sharing their first and Studio 54, a documentary that features that makers’ headquarters, 5720 N. Ridge Ave. For a films with our audience.” nightclub’s co-owner Ian Schrager in conversa- complete schedule and ticket information, visit Among the locally produced festival entries will tion about what really went on behind the scenes http://reelingfilmfestival.org/2018/. by Freelancers Anonymous, a lesbian-centric screwball comedy that opens the festival the eve- ning of Sept. 20 and includes Alexandra Billings (Transparent) in its cast. The film, which focuses on a woman who quits her dead-end job and tries to refocus her life while at the same time manag- ing her relationship with her demanding fiancé, stars Lisa Cordileone and Natasha Negovanlis and was directed by Sonia Sebastion. A locally produced documentary, The Queens, charts the production of the 2011 Miss Continen- tal beauty pageant and stemmed from an initial attempt at producing a reality series based on the show, which has long been associated with 34 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Photo by Loris T. Zambelli FILM documentary about the 2014 murder of a Filipina trans woman, Jennifer Laude, and its aftermath. The accused killer is U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Reeling 2018 reviews Pemberton, who met Jennifer in a bar and took her to a nearby hotel, where the discovery of her male genitalia sent the 19-year-old into a rage. He admits to choking her but says she was alive when he left. Things are complicated in the Philippines, where a large U.S. military presence compromises Filipino authorities in matters of jurisdiction. A Visiting Forces Agreement shifts the odds in favor of the U.S. and prior to Pemberton, no American had been convicted of crimes, including rape and murder, against natives on local soil. A “Justice for Jennifer” movement snowballs, with some demonstrators using the occasion to call for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Philippines. The latter demand is a promise in the 2016 campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte, who is later praised by Donald Trump despite (because of?) his human rights violations. The film focuses on Jennifer’s mother, known as Nanay, who had depended on her daughter for financial support; her attorney, Virginia Suarez; and journalist Meredith Talusan, a Filipina trans woman who had emigrated to the U.S. but went BY STEVE WARREN a new job in Chicago so she’ll have to leave St. I remember ours being in the early ‘70s, where back to cover the case. Louis or him. And she’s pregnant and doesn’t women either fought to have their issues recog- Jennifer, called “Jeffrey” in court and many For complete festival information including loca- know if she wants to have a child, though her nized or left and formed their own groups. There’s press reports, has a sister with a gay son. Pem- tions, and to buy tickets, visit reelingfilmfestival. conservative mom won’t hear of the alternative. just a hint of this early on. Otherwise things are berton is said to be close to his own lesbian sis- org. Patty has a story too. Her husband died of natural the same, including squabbling over every point ter. Marc, Jennifer’s German fiancé, expresses no Canary (HHH) (Sept. 21, 7 p.m.) causes a few years ago, shortly after she found and an inability to prioritize the laundry list of problem with how she made money. Apparently In South Africa in the mid-‘80s, a smalltown out he’d been cheating on her. demands. he’s a satisfied customer who decided to marry boy (cue Bronski Beat) is drafted into the (white) The flashbacks can be confusing for old movie The problems are familiar: the need for decrimi- her. army. Because of his musical talent, Johan buffs, because the red-haired Goss looks more nalization of homosexuality in the midst of gay There are a lot of facts to absorb if you’re not (Schalk Bezuidenhout) gets into a special mili- like Piper Laurie did when she was romancing bashing, bullying, suicide, job loss upon expo- familiar with the story, and a lot of opinions— tary/religious chorus, the Canaries. Enough of the Rock Hudson onscreen back in the day, than Col- sure, expulsion from a “Christian” college, family including some disgusting social media posts in members are gay that most of the others don’t lis, who plays Laurie’s younger self here. rejection, custody battles, raids on gay estab- support of Pemberton. Raval gives you time to care, but Boy George-idolizing Johan isn’t sure “Based on a true story,” Snapshots comes off lishments and police brutality, the last turning a process it all by slowing down periodically to fo- what he is. The army makes a man of him—a self- as soapy, and seems long and repetitious for its party into the riot of the title. cus on people or scenery while soothing music loathing homosexual man—in this fine musical 95-minute running time. Over the years, the demonstrations for gay plays. drama with elements of comedy and romance. You Riot (HHH) (Sept. 22, 7:15 p.m.) rights lose their steam as they often produce Lest fans of Gandhi or Gandalf misread the title, may get whiplash from the plot’s sharp turns, but We’ve had two films titled Stonewall and oth- negative results. In 1978, someone comes up “Ganda” is the Tagalog word for pretty, which is it’s worth it. ers that referred to the event. It’s time our Aus- with the idea of having a Mardi Gras, an “Inter- how Nanay describes Jennifer. Footage of the vic- Snapshots (HH1/2) (Sept. 22, 5:15 p.m.) sie kinfolk got a taste of their own LGBT history, national Celebration of Gay Solidarity”; while the tim in happier days proves she’s right. Just because I’m not woman enough to appreci- even if it gets down under the skin of conserva- first one doesn’t all go smoothly, it sets the tone Devil’s Path (HHH) (Sept. 23, 7:15 p.m.) ate a movie like Snapshots, doesn’t mean there’s tives; so this movie throws it on the barbie. for the future. For quite a while, Devil’s Path is a can’t look at anything wrong with it. A lesbian love story that Similar in tone to last year’s BPM, Riot com- I have mixed feelings about reliving those good it/can’t look away kind of movie. You keep won- begins in 1960 unfolds in flashbacks as the mem- bines personal dramas within the larger context old bad old days, even from this safe distance; dering whether it’s going to get good; then it ories, triggered by a batch of old photos, of one of a political movement. Set between 1972 and but we should all know about them, and this film does and—wow! It surprised me so many times of the women in the present. 1978, it’s nostalgia for some and a history lesson does a good job of recreating them. I’d feel like a hypocrite if I didn’t recommend it. Rose (Piper Laurie in one of her career-best per- for others. Just Friends (HHH) (Sept. 22, 9:15 p.m.) Noah (Stephen Twardokus) tells us he has formances) is hosting her daughter Patty (Brooke The opening is a spoiler, scenes from the first Being gay is no longer an issue in much of the always felt safe in the woods, but not around Adams) and granddaughter Allison (Emily Bal- Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney that the rest of the film world, so potential fictional lovers need other people. He looks like he’s afraid of everything. doni) at her lake house for a weekend. As hap- is building toward. The main characters are real obstacles to overcome. The mother of Dutch Jew But the part of the woods he hangs out in (filmed pens whenever families get together—at least in people who were involved in creating the event, Joris (Josha Stradowski) wants to build a wall in California’s Russian River area) has a lot of the movies—secrets come spilling out. Not all of which has continued annually ever since. to keep Syrian immigrant Yad (Majd Mardo) away people because it’s a notorious gay cruising spot. them can be revealed here. Lance Gowland (Damon Herriman, currently from her son, even though her own mother (Jenny “Sometimes I like to watch,” he admits. Unknown to her family and maybe her late hus- playing Charles Manson for Quentin Tarantino) is Arean) played Cupid to bring the guys together. One day Noah sees a good-looking guy, “Pat- band, young Rose (Shannon Collis) was wooed one of the more active activists in CAMP (Cam- An extraneous scene of real-world problems sug- rick” (J.D. Scalzo), and sets out to meet him. and eventually won by “free spirit” Louise (Emily paign Against Moral Persecution), one of the gests an area of incompatibility that’s shrugged Patrick pegs Noah as a “midwestern small town Goss) while both were married to men and the groups fighting for our rights. He falls in love off as something else for love to conquer for a guy who believes in love,” while he’s just there couples hung out together. (They even danced to at first sight with the more conservative Dr. Jim happy ending. for a quickie with no strings, so no thank you: “The Twist,” and it’s too bad the budget didn’t al- Walker (Xavier Samuel). Leading the lesbians is Call Her Ganda (HHH) (Sept. 23, 1:15 p.m.) “Love is a chemical reaction of the brain. It’s not low for Chubby Checker’s version, or at least Hank outspoken Marg McMann (Kate Box), who will If you’re searching for reasons to feel proud of real.” Ballard’s.) have to fight to keep her daughter. being an American, this is not the film for you. After Noah’s attacked by one guy and he and Allison has her own problems. Her husband has The meetings are more gender-inclusive than Artfully assembled by director P.J. Raval, it’s a Patrick are chased by two others, they wind up WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 35 lost in an area where two young men recently share their Berlin flat with Benedetta (Diana Del disappeared. Their pursuers are still after them Bufalo) and a new flatmate, Donato (Dino Ab- so they go deeper into the woods until they don’t brescia). Then there’s “creepy” Camilla (Beatrice know the way out. Noah’s content to spend the Arnera), who used to be Antonio’s girlfriend and night there, but Patrick wants to get out before won’t take “gay” for an answer, even though he dark. dumped her three years ago. Got the picture? Good. Now forget it, because Donato was caught by his wife and daughter most of it isn’t true. It’s a setup that sets you up the first time he dressed in drag, and in middle- for the twists to come. age he’s having an identity crisis. He’s afraid to Twardokus, who wrote the screenplay with di- be left alone so he accompanies the others to rector Matthew Montgomery, gives a terrific per- scenic Civita di Bagnoregio, where Antonio’s fa- formance, although he looks a bit older than I ther, Roberto (Diego Abatantuono), is the mayor. imagine Noah is supposed to be. Scalzo makes a Roberto is considered a liberal on immigration, fine foil for his partner’s histrionic gymnastics. being desperate to populate the dying town any Devil’s Path is a little indie that could...and way he can; but he proves homophobic when An- does. tonio officially comes out. Anna (Monica Guer-

A Moment in the Reeds. Courtesy of Reeling

ther, who is preparing to sell the family’s sum- I will say Adonis is good to look at, and not mer cottage in the Finland countryside. Jouko only because of the more than 30 naked men who represents the worst aspects of many gay men’s appear in much of it, giving the impression Hong fathers. It’s not clear whether he knows or just Kong is a clothing optional country. fears that Leevi is gay, but he encourages his The story spans the 30 years of Yang Ke (played son to date women and join the army. When he as an adult by Adonis He Fei), but in random or- mentions that he’s hired a handyman to help get der. There’s a recurring scene where he’s naked in the house in shape, anyone who saw God’s Own the woods, surrounded by 30 men who are also Country in last year’s Chicago International Film naked except for face paint and masks. There are Festival will know exactly where we’re going. flashbacks to Ke’s early life with his mother. Tareq (Boodi Kabbani) is a recently-arrived Syr- The actual story begins when, after his theater ian refugee, an architect who’s content to have troupe goes bust owing him six months’ wages, found work renovating houses. Jouko hardly tries Ke is ripped off in a job as a naked street model to hide his prejudice, and we see the warning but finds a friend in Wang Qiang (Justin Lim), Wild Nights with Emily. light go off in his head when Tareq mentions he’s who becomes his agent. Courtesy of Reeling more into arts than sports. Pimp is more like it. He gets Ke gigs at what Still Jouko soon has to go off to work and stay looks like a Cirque du Soleil gay whorehouse that Wild Nights with Emily (HH1/2) (Sept. 23, 3 ritore), the mother, knew all along. She immedi- away overnight (an underexplained and some- gives their clients what they want, often involv- p.m.) ately starts planning the wedding, insisting: a) what incredible aspect of the script, but who ing S/M. The job we see the most of (another re- Molly Shannon plays the older version of the re- It will be there in Civita; b) Paolo’s mother will doesn’t want him to leave?), setting the stage for curring scene) involves Ke tied to a cross (naked) clusive poet Emily Dickinson in somber, ghostlike attend (a problem since she hasn’t spoken to him the inevitable to happen. There are a few lengthy and being gang-raped by, yes, 30 men. fashion, leaving the real acting to Susan Ziegler since he came out three years ago); and c) her sex scenes, mostly shot well above the waist with Unless I misheard, Ke describes two different as Susan, Emily’s sister-in-law and lover. Adapt- husband will conduct the ceremony. When he re- just an occasional glimpse of what’s going on be- sexual experiences as his “first,” and both occur ing her own play, Madeleine Olnek incorporates fuses, she throws him out of the house and lines low. A location neither man has been happy in after he’s starred in a porn film. He also finds true wonderful bits of subtle humor while the main up a monk to do it. suddenly becomes a romantic paradise. love, but we don’t know about this until he tells plot wanders in time, taking too long to explain It’s not mentioned that Italy only approved Between the “action” scenes there’s a lot of Wang; we only catch a couple of brief glimpses of how the narrator, Mabel (Amy Seimetz), fits in. same-sex “civil unions” two years ago and still talk as the guys get to know each other and we his beloved. Adonis is not a romantic movie. It’s not as dull as I found Terence Davies’ Dickin- outlaws same-sex marriage. Perhaps it was get to know them. Tareq’s description of the im- A stronger through line would help connect all son-centric A Quiet Passion, but not as original thought that would change by the time the movie migrant experience and his dilemma about what the scattered bits and major set pieces, and a fa- as Olnek’s marvelous Codependent Lesbian Space came out, or that it would make Italians more he can do for his family back in Syria should reso- miliarity with Buddhist philosophy might clarify Alien Seeks Same. receptive to the idea. nate with Europeans and Americans alike as each some aspects of the film involving Ke’s morbid My Big Gay Italian Wedding (HHH) (Sept. It’s all light and breezy, and Benedetta turns country debates how/if to help refugees. curiosity about death and fate. 24, 7 p.m.) out to have vocal skills, leading to a big climac- Debuting writer-director Mikko Makela doesn’t Scud is scheduled to appear at the festival Remember when movies used to be fun? This tic musical number (in English, so you can sing play favorites but treats both fine actors to screening. I’d like to be a fly on the wall at the one still is. Even with some seriousness just be- along). countless screen-filling closeups and allows them Q&A. I’d have at least 30 questions for him. low the surface—well, on the surface actually— Festivals can get too serious, so a treat like My to improvise some of their dialogue, which is in it qualifies as a screwball comedy because there’s Big Gay Italian Wedding is especially welcome. English except when Leevi talks to his father and enough silliness to turn the balance in the direc- A Moment in the Reeds (HHH) (Sept. 25, helps him communicate with Tareq. tion of fun. 9:30 p.m.) Despite the fine acting and a story that’s relat- Italians Antonio (Cristiano Caccamo, who re- There are worse ways to pass a couple of hours able, even in a foreign setting, not everyone will minds me of the young John Leguizamo) and than watching two hot young men fall in love. If be able to adjust to the film’s languid pace. It’s Paolo (Salvatore Esposito) are actors living in you don’t fall in love with both of them, as I did, art, not sports. Berlin. They’re in love. With each other. Antonio they’re different enough types that you’re almost Adonis (HH) (Sept. 25, 7 p.m.) proposes to Paolo and invites him home for Eas- certain to at least fall for one or the other. Sometimes even a professional critic has to admit ter to meet his parents. Leevi (Janne Puustinen) is a Finnish blond who he doesn’t know what he’s watching. I haven’t The wacky characters who are mostly there for takes a break from working on his thesis in Paris Adonis. seen writer-producer-director Scud’s first six fea- comic relief are introduced early on. The guys to visit Jouko (Mika Melender), his widowed fa- tures, so he may be an acquired taste. Courtesy of Reeling 36 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES BOOKS BYP100’s Charlene Carruthers be different because I’ve never closely aligned myself with an organization the way that I’ve closely aligned myself with this one publically, on being Black, feminist and queer so it’s going to be an adjustment. It’s also going BY IMANI RUPERT-GORDON to be an adjustment for other people who are used to looking to me for answers and I’m not the Charlene Carruthers. person and I’m going to redirect them [and say] Despite the fact that, in Chicago, Charlene Car- Photo courtesy of Carruthers ruthers and I are neighbors, the only time we can ‘I’m not the one. These are the people you need find to have this conversation is with 800 miles to talk to and to respect their leadership.’ between us, which perfectly sums up Carruthers’ WCT: So lastly about BYP100, what’s next for schedule recently. them? As her whirlwind book tour for her popular and CC: Well BYP100 just went through about a unbelievably timely book Unapologetic: A Black, nine-month process of developing our strategic Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Move- plan and that was all member-driven. It’s called ments takes her all over the country, trying to The Freedom Forecast and we have three pillars: find time to talk to the author and activist has Organizational Capacity, Community Building and become a bit of a challenge. Settling in for a con- Black Political Agenda. [We’re] really focusing on versation—her on a rainy morning in New York increasing our membership base and also engag- City, this writer holding it down in Chicago—it ing in politics in a way that we continue to move was actually very pleasing at how difficult it is forward issues and not focus on candidates. And to talk to a friend, and what that means for the then third, deeper community building with orga- impact this book is already having. nizations in the places that we are geographically Windy City Times: How did you know that grounded in. We have two new co-directors, Ja- you were ready to write this book? How did nae Bonsu and D’atra Jackson. Those two young you know that right now that you had some- women are going to lead our organization into thing to offer the community? the next five years. They are dynamic, disciplined Charlene Carruthers: I knew it was the time be- and committed to this. I’m excited about all that cause I was right in the thick of organizing in is to come for them and the organization with one of the most vibrant movements we’ve had them in leadership. in decades in this country. Being a part of that I WCT: In your book you dedicated an entire just knew that there was a lot that I needed to chapter to Chicago’s importance in radical say to make some interventions [about] what I Black activism. In the Chicago model [a chap- saw wasn’t going well or what could be better or ter in your book] you talk about movements sharper. I really wanted to honor a number of the that shape our present movements, move- innovations that we’ve made, innovations we’ve ments that you weren’t present for, move- made in BYP100 [Black Youth Project 100], in- ments that you helped determine the strategy. novations we’ve made in the broader Movement What do you think that Chicago in particular for Black Lives and it just felt like there was a lot has to teach us as organizers and activists or that was being put out there about our work and as aspiring organizers and activists? a lot of it wasn’t coming from us. I wanted to add CC: There’s so many things to learn from Chi- to the growing chorus of people who were articu- cago. Some of that includes, what does it mean lating the theory behind our work, the practice of to organize in a city that the majority are actu- our work in my own words. And so, I just felt like ally Black and Brown folks? And people in elected it was time. I didn’t ask for permission. No one office are often times Black and Brown folks. And said ‘you can go out and write this book now.’ It don’t always act in our best interest. So how do was a choice. I knew, I felt in my gut that it was you actually contend with representative politics time to do it. I knew I was going to be moving that don’t necessarily result in transformation into the next phase of my own life and as I did for our people? I think the other thing to learn that I wanted to [use] Unapologetic as a way from Chicago is what it means to double down for me to both personally reconcile with the past for a campaign that takes over a decade to win, and set the tone and foundation for what I do or decades to win and that people come and go, moving forward. there’s various entry points for people, so much WCT: The book contains so much about your changes, evolves, and to be in something for the work from BYP100—what you’ve learned, mis- long haul. And then, I think also to learn from takes you’ve made, what you gotten right, and Chicago is the value of cultural organizing and what’s going to inspire you and really inform that we don’t do anything without there being an your future. What is it going to be like for you element of culture no matter where that culture to step away from BYP100? emerges from and so many different groups of CC: In so many ways I’ve begun transitioning people in Chicago. And I guess fourthly, people out of this role and the book has allowed me to can learn from Chicago what it means to have a give myself space and other people to give me local movement that is both national and global space to focus on this part of the work. It’s dif- in scope. Nationally connected and globally con- ficult. I’ve been going through a whole grieving nected. process. It’s going to be redeveloping a new po- WCT: You spend time in the book discuss- litical identity because this has been so closely ing movement work and the importance of connected to my political identity for the past the Black queer feminist lens specifically as a five years, five years that felt like 10 given the praxis and you still cite instances of misogyny pace that we’ve been moving in. It’s going to and sexual assault showing up in movement WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 37 work as well. Can you share your thoughts on to actually do the work in this way because it us to bend and flex ourselves in ways that many restorative and transformative justice and the doesn’t cost us any money to call the police. It of us have never bent or flexed ourselves before. responsibility of movement collectives to take doesn’t cost us any money, personal money nec- And so it’s hard and I don’t want people to think Lise Weil reading part in these practices? essarily to ignore an issue, at least we may not for one moment that this is the easy route. This Sept. 29 at Barbara’s CC: Restorative justice and transformative jus- think of it that way. At the same time, for us is the route it takes us unlearning everything Lise Weil will be reading from and discuss- tice are the hot topic. What I think many people to actually deal with something, it takes time, that most of us have been taught about how to ing her new memoir, In Search of Pure Lust, miss for so many reasons, because I think the in- it takes money, and it takes skill and so much deal with conflict, violence and harm and it’s no on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. at Barbara’s tentions are generally good, but so many people of what it takes to do restorative and transfor- simple feat. That’s the biggest thing for me. Sec- Bookstore, 111 N. State St. miss the amount of time and resources it takes mative justice work is just not easy. It requires ondly is that if people want to, which I think In Search of Pure Lust is a chronicle of people can and they should commit to this kind Weil’s immersion in the lesbian feminism of work is that they literally have to make a com- of the 1970s and ‘80s. Weil also takes the BOOKS mitment for the long haul and choose to invest reader through a series of torrid relationships resources in that work. that tend to mirror the tumultuous political WCT: So what’s next for you? currents of the times—until a dive into Zen BYP100’S CC: Well there’s two things. The first is, I want practice begins to turn things around for her. Charlene to start a training center for organizers and gen- eral leadership development and that’s going Carruthers gets to really focus on meeting some of the capac- ity needs that our movement has because we’ve ‘Unapologetic’ been in a moment where we haven’t had nearly REVIEW BY EMMANUEL GARCIA as many spaces as we need to develop our lead- ers because our organizations don’t have the ca- First-time author Charlene Carruthers’ Unapolo- pacity to do all that. We are expected to both getic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for organize everyday and provide all the trainings Radical Movements was published in August by that are necessary for people to be effective and Beacon Press. that’s beyond the scope of what most organiza- Carruthers is the co-founder of Black Youth tions can do at the scale that we need to do it at, Project 100 (BYP100), a national organizing and so I want to help meet that capacity need. group that has been at the vanguard of the The second thing that I want to focus on is re- movement for Black lives. While the text in- ally my passion and my joy for food and cooking cludes lessons learned and anecdotes of key and I want to do my work and communicate with members within BYP100, it is not a full ac- people about my values about the communities count of the organization. Instead, she shares I’m connected to through food. I just enjoy doing personal experiences as case studies that that and I want to reach a much broader audience serve as a guide for organizers and activists. of people with something that I love and I just For people who are not steeped in organizing know good food and I want to take that to a dif- through a Black queer feminist framework. work, this book offers an opportunity to learn ferent level because I do believe that people can Carruthers contribution is an invitation for about influential figures, challenges in move- be politicized over plates and over food in ways social movements to embrace a culture of com- ment spaces, and winning strategies within they won’t necessarily be politicized by reading prehensive political education and account- the movement both in Chicago and nationally. my book because they won’t ever read it but, ability. “Anyone committed to collective libera- For example, Carruthers boldly writes about they’ll maybe watch a show about food. tion must acknowledge ignorance,” she writes. confronting a co-chair of the Chicago chapter WCT: Is there anything else that you’d like Weil is an award-winning editor and trans- accused of sexual assault and the survivor-led Adding that all people concerned with justice must seek learning opportunities about issues us to know? lator. Born and raised in Chicago, she moved process that emerged. CC: I think it’s really important to know how that do not directly affect or impact them. to Montreal in 1990. The book argues the origins of the movement important it is for white folks to read this book Throughout the book, Carruthers asks, what See https://www.barbarasbookstore.com/. for Black lives, but it is important to situate and to follow the leadership of radical Black fem- is your self-interest in the liberation of people the context in which this wave of organizing inists. And to emphasize that this is a book for who are marginalized? The book is a reflective flourished. The murders of unarmed Black peo- them to read and to also to take note and get piece about what brings people to the work in Chelsea Clinton ple by law enforcement are part of a long histo- more curious about following leadership of Black the first place. She confirms that our stake in at W&CF Oct. 21 ry of struggle. The senseless killing of 17-year- LGBTQ folks who are radical Black feminists. Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton will old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman was the work is what invigorates us for the long haul. Unapologetic is a promotion of the rich Women & Children First will host the book be at Women and Children First, 5233 N. a moment of politicization. After Zimmerman’s launch celebration for Unapologetic: A Black, Clark St., on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. to 2013 acquittal, activist Alicia Garza coined body of work by Black scholars, artists and writers that speak to systemic oppression. If Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Move- sign copies of a book for kids entitled START #BlackLivesMatter and created the Black Lives ments Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. For this event, NOW! You Can Make a Difference. Matter (BLM) movement with fellow organizers Carruthers accomplishes her goal, Unapologetic will inspire a renaissance of movement stories Carruthers will be joined by Barbara Ransby In the book, aimed at children 7 and older, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. In Unapolo- and Janae Bonsu for a panel discussion. This Clinton breaks down the concepts of health, getic, readers get insight and study from an by some of today’s most prominent activists and organizers from various movements. event will be held at the Logan Arts Center, hunger, climate change, endangered species organizer within the Black freedom movement 915 E. 60th St. Attendees who purchase a Women & Children First will host the and bullying so that readers can understand that experienced a political landscape that in- book with their ticket will pick up the book at book launch celebration for Unapologetic: the world around them, as well as how they cluded a Black U.S. president. the event. All ticket holders are invited to the A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for can make a difference in their own lives, The election of the 45th President of the official book release after-party. See https:// Radical Movements Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m. their communities, and the world at large. United States awakened more people’s con- www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3594536. For this event, Carruthers will be joined by Clinton is also the author of the best-sell- sciousness to social justice, inspiring mass mo- Imani Rupert-Gordon is executive director Barbara Ransby and Janae Bonsu for a panel ing picture book She Persisted: 13 American bilizations around immigration, women’s rights of Affinity Community Services, based on Chi- discussion. This event will be held at the Women Who Changed the World. and healthcare, to name a few. The surge and cago’s South Side. Logan Arts Center, 915 E. 60th St. Attend- Visit https://chelseaclintonchicago. interest in civic engagement provide seasoned brownpapertickets.com/. activists and established groups an opportunity ees who purchase a book with their ticket to welcome new members into their ranks. The will pick up the book at the event. All ticket documentation of Unapologetic is an essen- holders are invited to the official book re- tial piece for the development of future lead- lease after-party. See https://www.brownpa- ers interested in engaging in movement work pertickets.com/event/3594536 . 38 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES which helped define and popularize a Black aes- thetic and identity around the globe. BOOKS In November, The American Writers Museum on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with will open a temporary exhibit featuring Bob Checking out the Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Dylan in addition to the current exhibit, Fred- Adults, along with participants Gloria Allen, erick Douglass: Agitator, which is open through Mickey Mahoney and Alexis Martinez on Sunday, December. The Dylan exhibit will focus on his en- Sept. 30. Night Moves by Jessica Hopper debuts during influence on American culture, music and fall literary scene writing, as well as his historic Nobel Prize for BY KELSEY HOFF Chicago poets: H. Melt’s On My Way To Liberation, on Thursday, Sept. 20; this memoir reconstructed Britteney Black Rose Kapri’s Black Queer Hoe and from journal entries of a Chicago DJ circa 2004- Literature in 2016. A Fender electric guitar that Book lovers have a lot to look forward to this Jose Olivarez’s Citizen Illegal. 2009 reflects on Hopper’s beginnings as a rock he played at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 fall; literary festivals will bring small presses and Women & Children First will host many of fall’s critic. will be on display, and a series of intimate events authors from all over the country to Chicago. most exciting book launches, including a joint Oct. 13-20, the Lit & Luz Festival brings to- featuring current singer/songwriters in genres The annual Chicago Lit Crawl brings readings, reading by Kapri and Olivarez Friday, Oct. 5. gether renowned authors and visual artists from from hip-hop to folk begins in September. presentations and performances to Andersonville Saturday, Sept. 22, and the Chicago Book Expo returns to Columbia College Chicago Monday, Oct. Eve Ewing. 1. Pilsen Community Books hosts their first an- Photo Kristiana Rae Colon. nual fair Oct. 5-7. Volumes Bookcafe celebrates by Nolis famous Chicago-born poet Shel Silverstein’s PR photo Anderson birthday Tuesday, Sept. 25 with a Shel-a-bration featuring magicians, musicians, poets and per- formers. 2018 has been a great year for Chicago authors, and fall releases and events will keep the literary momentum going. Poet Eve Ewing releases her nonfiction book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side in October with a launch party Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Chicago Teachers Union. The book covers the 2013 closing of 53 Bronzeville schools and its aftermath. Julian Randall’s Refuse, winner of the 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, navigates the mythos of Blackness, Latinidad, family and sexuality during the Obama administration. Randall will discuss his forthcoming book with Tara Betts at Seminary Daniel K. Hertz will read from his new book The Chicago and Mexico City in cultural exchange and Co-Op in Hyde Park Friday, Sept. 21. Unapologet- Battle of Lincoln Park: Urban Renewal and Gentri- conversation with readings, discussions, artist Readings around the city will highlight Chi- ic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Rad- fication in Chicago Friday, Oct. 19. Anne Balay’s talks and performances. The Poetry Foundation cago’s writers: Local Author Night at The Book ical Movements by Charlene Carruthers launches Semi Queer: Inside the World of Gay, Trans, and will host an event during the Lit & Luz Festival Cellar in Lincoln Square features Rebecca Har- Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the Screening Room at the Black Truck Drivers launches with a reading Fri- Wednesday, Oct. 17, and MAKE Literary Produc- well, Keith O’Brien, Frances de Pontes Peebles Logan Arts Center; the event includes a reading, day, Sept. 28. Photographer Jess T. Dugan and tions will host a bilingual conversation between and Kathleen Rooney on Wed., Sept. 19. C. Riley book-signing and panel discussion with special Vanessa Fabbre, social worker and assistant pro- the two featured Mexican authors Fernanda Snorton and Joshua Chambers-Letson will read guests Barbara Ransby and Janae Bonsu. fessor at Washington University, will be present Melchor and Julián Herbert at The Hideout Friday, from their books Black on Both Sides: A Racial Haymarket Books is releasing three books by for a panel discussion of their book To Survive Oct. 19. History of Trans Identity and After the Party: A Literary exhibits allow bookworms to interact Manifesto for Queer of Color Life at Women & with their favorite reads in new ways: A John- Children First on Wed., Oct. 3. Boston author son Publishing Story continues through Sept. 30 Robert W. Fieseler will visit Unabridged Bookstore Activism meet-ups, at Stony Island Arts Bank, featuring more than for a conversation with Owen Keehnen regarding 15,000 items preserved from the Johnson Pub- his book Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up personal book recommendations, lishing Company. Founded in Chicago in 1942, it Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation was best known for periodicals Ebony and Jet, on Wed., Oct. 10. weekly events, Kids Storytime, and more! There are so many reasons to support Service to the Dance Field Award. See Chicago Dance Single tickets are $250 each, and tables for Chicago’s only feminist bookstore. 10 guests are $2,500; visit seechicagodance. gala Sept. 25 com/gala-0 or call 312-846-6357. See Chicago Dance (SCD)—the dance indus- try’s nonprofit marketing and advocacy organi- zation—will host its fourth annual gala Tues- Galesburg to host day, Sept. 25, 6 -10 p.m., at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St. ‘One State Together’ The Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) and The event will celebrate Chicago’s thriving Arts Alliance Illinois announced that the next dance community and honors two individuals One State Together in the Arts conference will who have been important to its success. Shirley be held in Galesburg, Illinois, on Oct. 22-23. Mordine, founder and artistic director of Mordi- Additional pre-conference events for the Illi- ne & Co. Dance Theater, will receive the Legacy nois Local Arts Network on Oct. 21 will kick off Award recognizing her artistic leadership; and the 10th occasion of this statewide convening Angelique Power, president of the Field Founda- for the arts, culture and creativity. tion of Illinois, will receive the Distinguished See OneStateIllinois.com. WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 39 decided to come back out and with a bang now, because I am tired of being silent about my lived experiences.” BOOKS Recently, Riley has performed her solo show, when one of our mutual Facebook friends posts or Writer/performer Wrong Way Journey, on college campuses and likes one of my events, where I tell what he did local theaters, including Steppenwolf. She ex- to me his stomach probably groans. On the other plained that the show is about her life from high hand, maybe it does not even phase him at all. school through her 2004 wedding ceremony and Frankly, I do not care. What I care about is shar- R.C. Riley on queer how she never felt like she belonged anywhere. ing my story so that other people will know that Riley said the show includes hilarious and an- no matter who they love or how they love, God gry conversations with God. She explained that loves them and it is not their fault.” identity, #MeToo despite the fact that parts of the faith commu- Riley has always loved to read and write, so BY CARRIE MAXWELL that relationship ended, everyone in my world nity has shunned her she still has faith in and a becoming a performer came naturally to her. Ini- acted as though it never even existed, that she relationship with God. tially, she wanted to be neurosurgeon. However, Writer and performer R. C. Riley’s journey toward was a non-factor in my world. No one asked how The show also delves into the time when Riley when she got to Northwestern University she was full acceptance of her queer woman identity I was doing, if I missed her, nothing. So instead was raped and the after-effects, including blam- weeded out of chemistry, so she switched to psy- has gone through many stages and now she is of forcing others to recognize how sad and lonely ing herself and trying to hurt herself. chology. She worked at the University of Chicago embracing that label in a big way. That journey I was I went silent and started dating men. “When I was in college, a ‘friend’ from high Hospital in the Psychiatry department right after was painful for Riley because many people in her “Over time, withholding my true self from my- school came to visit me and—instead of going graduation and stayed there for six years. world did not recognize her sexual orientation. self became more and more challenging. This to the movies and dinner—he raped me,” said “I used to tell one of my co-workers at the hos- “Years ago, I dated women and even had a time I will not give anyone an opportunity to Riley. “It was as horrific for me as that sentence pital all of my crazy life stories and he would wedding ceremony in 2004 before marriage assume I am straight, or ignore the fact that I sounds. While I do not share his name, we do crack up at the way I was telling the stories,” equality was codified into law,” said Riley. “After am attracted to women and was born this way. I share many Facebook friends, so I assume that said Riley. “One day he said, you should put those stories on stage, or make them into a movie. His comment never left my mind. Journaling about R.C. Riley. being a sexual assault survivor as a part of my Photo by Ty Keith L. Nelson therapy also helped me realize I had a lot to say and this led me to becoming a performer.” Riley’s work has been recognized by Chicago’s ABC and NBC news outlets. “I thought I would be nervous but walking around downtown with NBC’s LeAnn Trotter was a lot of fun,” said Riley. “I was also asked to perform snippets of my solo show during that interview. The ABC interview with Stacey Baca was live, which was a completely different feel but still a positive experience. Working with NBC Chicago’s Marion Brooks on the Survivor’s Project (https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/More- Come-Forward-to-Share-Their-Stories-in-NBC-5s- Survivors-Project-486744861.html) was more emotional, however, because it was about the details of the assault and how it affected me.” When Riley is not performing, she works in per- formance improvement at Rush University Medi- cal Center. Regarding the group whose panel she will be moderating Sept. 20, Riley said, “Out in Tech is a non-profit organization with a focus on offering activities/events/panel discussions with LGBTQ+ community and leaders in the technology indus- try.” Riley will be moderating an Out in Tech tech- nology and travel panel discussion Sept. 20, 6:30-9 p.m., at Chicago’s Orbitz offices, 500 W. Madison St. Suite 700. The event is free and for people 21 and over. To RSVP, visit https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/out-in-tech-chicago- travel-tech-tickets-49512823187. On Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m., Riley will be appearing at Volume Book Cafe’s monthly storytelling event, Am I Man Enough?; visit https://www.rcrileyempowers.com/.

@windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com 40 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

Sykes, Rippon speak Photos by Kat Fitzgerald (www.MysticImagesPhotography.com) at Chicago House event

BY MATT SIMONETTE never be willing to show the world every part of himself. He added that his mother for a time encouraged him to not come Being one’s “authentic self” was the theme as comedian Wan- out publicly; she’d lost many friends to HIV/AIDS and had da Sykes and athlete Adam Rippon headlined Chicago House’s difficulty reconciling those memories with her son’s sexuality. 2018 Speaker Series and Luncheon entry on Sept. 14 at the He added, however, that, “After I came. out, my mom has Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan Ave. been my number one and biggest supporter.” Chris Hush of NBC-5 emceed and moderated the event, and Sykes spoke about difficulties with her family as well: “Their discussed his decision to be out of the closet in his profes- reaction is what made me more hesitant to come out to the sional life. As a gay reporter in Florida, he was deeply affect- public. ... [But] what we do in our own community is, if our ed by the 2016 shootings at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, own family turns against you, you build your own family.” which he covered for three months. Chicago House CEO Scott Ammarell, in opening remarks, “When I got to Chicago, I decided to break down those spoke about slight changes the organization had made to its walls,” Hush said. logo and identifying colors, which are now bolder. He also Hush spoke with Sykes and Rippon about the challenges discussed demonstrations occurring at the Chicago Hilton they faced about being out in show business and figure- and other hotels around the city that day. He said that the skating, respectively. Sykes said that, when it came time to decision to go ahead with the luncheon was not meant as make a decision about whether to let the world know she was a commentary on the labor issues, and encouraged Hilton a lesbian, “I was willing to roll the dice, go ahead, and see management to resolve its issues with its workers. what happens.” Attorneys/activists Nabeela Rasheed and Ray Koenig also Rippon said that he was afraid of being perceived as weak, spoke at the gathering. but ultimately decided he could never feel strong if he could WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 41 LGBT CRUISES & TOUR EVENTS cruises from $699 pp from Mediterranean $939pp June 29, 2019 7-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona on MSC Seaview

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POETRY/SPOKEN WORD tracted some of the more powerful names in Blythe Baird: spoken word. “I felt really supported … by the Poetry in older people in poetry during my time there. I met Siaara and we just really clicked.” Freeman is Young and hungry also lesbian and has taken Baird under her wing. the air: DeMulder and Freeman’s support includes coach- ing on writing, performing and holding an audi- ence—something invaluable to a young artist. Chicago “I still learn so much from them every day,” said Baird. “I was a fan before I was a friend, so it’s really cool to be able to have such a close poetry relationship with someone that I looked up to so much.” Throughout her growth as a writer, Baird seems events Fall to be following in her mentors’ footsteps. “Both of them are like my poetry big sisters. I think I still would have accomplished things without 2018 them but with their support and guidance I felt BY KELSEY HOFF very confident in my own power,” said Baird. Blythe Baird. “When I was younger a lot of people my age in All photos courtesy of Baird, used with permission This fall, “local author” shelves of Chicago’s indie high school didn’t feel like they could do profes- bookstores will be flooded with titles that “dis- sional things when they were teenagers. My men- turb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed,” BY ANA SERNA God I Can Relate To because Baird was only 18 tors got me out of that mindset. You can be doing as the old adage says art should. when it was published, “…so those were more all this now. You don’t have to wait until you’re In almost all of these new works, lived experi- Blythe Baird, a “mostly lesbian” author, spoken high school,” she says. As for her current work, an adult to be a writer. You can do this hustle ences are taken apart and examined to compli- word performer and unstoppable creative force, Baird simply says she is proud of her love. right now.” cate notions of gender, sexuality, race, class and is the poster child for successful, young artists. “I feel [love] is a very soft thing in a very sharp “I feel very driven to let young people know immigration, concerned with both identity and Originally from Palatine, a northwestern suburb world. I have gotten so much joy out of my re- that they are powerful, capable and significant politics, often finding them inseparable. of Chicago, Baird is currently living in St. Paul, lationships with women and non-binary people,” … that their voice is worth listening to and their September brings three new collections from Minn. On top of performing spoken word, she said Baird. “I think because my [sexuality] is stories are worth telling,” says Baird. “A lot of Chicago press Haymarket Books, including On My teaches introductory spoken word and poetry such an intergral part of my identity, it’s part of times, it’s hard for a young person to feel that Way To Liberation by H. Melt, Black Queer Hoe by slam classes for children ages 13-17 in Minne- the lens that I write all my poems from.” their experiences mean something and I think Britteney Black Rose Kapri and Citizen Illegal by apolis. She also hosts online editing sessions “I felt like a fish out of water, just trying to that I always want to spread the message that Jose Olivarez. Kapri and Olivarez will read from with writers. figure out this world,” said Baird about coming your voice does matter.” their new books at Women & Children First Fri- Baird works on other artistic ventures, such out as lesbian during the end of her high school day, Oct. 5. Chicago Poet Julian Randall won the as acting, “just for fun” but “poetry is my main experience. Since coming out, other poets have 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Prize with his collection jam,” said Baird. She has acted in short films, as guided her on her journey as a young, queer writ- Refuse, which he will discuss with Tara Betts at well as a documentary directed by Abby Thomp- er. Those women were Sierra DeMulder and Siaara Seminary Co-op Friday, Sept. 21. Jacob Saenz will son, a student she knew from her time at Ham- Freeman. be joined by Fred Sasaki and Krista Franklin at line University in St. Paul. Her collaboration with DeMulder was Baird’s camp counselor at Slam his launch and reading for Throwing the Crown; Thompson led to The Fat Girl Who Got Skinny Camp, a youth summer performance poetry in- Franklin also has a forthcoming title, Under the (2015), an award-winning short film that Thomp- tensive workshop in Fort Lauderdale. “I started Knife, from Chicago’s Candor Arts. Poets Tara son directed, based on a poem of the same name writing because I saw Sierra DeMulder perform Betts, T. Clutch Fleischmann and Kenyatta Rogers by Baird. and I was really impacted by her performance. will read with Ruben Quesada Thursday, Nov. 15 “I like poetry better [than acting] because I I was very moved and felt so many things,” said at his launch of Revelations at Unabridged Book- was in control of the narrative I was pushing,” Baird of the first time she saw her now-mentor store. said Baird. “I wanted to have authorship over the perform spoken word. “I was very struck that a Poetry is not limited to the page: events, ex- stories that I was telling and I knew that I had poem could elicit such a tangible emotion from hibits and performances bring verse to surprising stories to tell.” me. I was, like, ‘I want to do that’.” locations all over the city. Fall’s largest poetry Button Poetry is publishing her second book, If “There are so few spaces where teenage girls event by far, 10,000 Poets for Change, takes over My Body Could Speak (2018), which will be avail- are allowed to feel powerful. I was allowed to literary spaces nationwide with readings promot- able “very soon,” according to Baird. She said the go up there and be unapologetic in my power,” ing peace, sustainability and justice. A search- release date has been set for a time in the very said Bard, recalling what first drew her to spo- able database on the 100TPC blog contains infor- near future, but has not been made public yet. ken word performance. “I didn’t care about a lot mation on local events. Though it’s not usually Baird plans to tour her book nationally shortly things. Then when I started writing, everything a competitive sport, The Book Cellar will host a after the release. mattered because I was going to write about it. Poetry Pentathlon Saturday, Sept. 22 with five Baird’s previous book, Give Me a God I Can Re- Things began to carry more weight for me and I events including “The Signature Poem” and “The late To (2015), is out of print after “breaking up became more observant,” said Baird. According Rant.” with her publisher” and the only copies remain- to her, creative writing transformed a part of her Dancers put poetry in motion in the annual ing are selling for upwards of $150-$200 online that was apathetic before. Body Passages Series at Chicago Danztheatre En- from third-party sellers. “Ever since then, she’s been an extreme guide semble. This year, 11 poets and dancers selected “What I wanted to do with [If My Body Could to me,” said Baird. She calls DeMulder her mentor, for the 10-month Artist-in-Residency program Speak] is combine the best work from [Give Me a as she goes to her for anything, from business were paired into five groups to collaborate and God I Can Relate To] since it’s not available now advice to emotional support. “She just moved develop their own artist-led project centered and put in new work that I’ve been doing,” said back to Minnesota and lives around the corner around the theme of “activation.” The culminat- Baird. Many of her poems have gained popularity from me.” ing performances will take place Friday, Oct. 12 across Button Poetry and will be included in the Similarly, Baird first met Freeman at Pink Door, upcoming book. They were left out of Give Me a a small writer’s retreat that has historically at- Turn to page 43 WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 43 POETRY from page 42 BOOK REVIEW and Saturday, Oct. 13. Perfectly Clear A new exhibit opens at The Poetry Foundation Author: Michelle LeClair, Friday, Sept. 28; visual artist and poet Krista with Robin Gaby Fisher Franklin’s “… to take root among the stars” $27; Berkley; 289 pages maps Afrofuturist and AfroSurrealist thought on REVIEW BY LAUREN EMILY WHALEN handmade paper. Franklin will perform at the opening along with Aricka Foreman, Kara Jackson Michelle LeClair is an openly queer Scientologist and Jamila Woods, with music by DJ Rae Char- who thought she could have it all. donnay. The exhibit will be open through Friday, She was very, very wrong. Dec. 21. Perfectly Clear, LeClair’s memoir about an adult life in Scientology followed by a life-changing revelation – that she was in love with another woman – opens with a raid. For years since leav- ing the church (as she refers to it), LeClair, her four young children and her partner have been stalked in the grocery store, outside of their schools and offices. In the prologue, the Los Angeles Police Department is invading LeClair’s home in the middle of the night, bearing a search warrant, terrifying her and her family. Yes, Scientology’s reach extends to law enforce- ment. With co-writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning jour- Julian Randall. nalist Robin Gaby Fisher, LeClair chronicles her double standards – and there’s that dirty little Photo by Nicholas Nichols relationship with perhaps the most confounding homosexuality secret again. Michelle then meets “religion” in modern history. As an 18-year-old and connects with a wealthy, intelligent music At the Lit & Luz Festival Oct. 13-20, poets, writ- Los Angeles transplant by way of Oklahoma, she producer – who happens to be a woman – and her ers and visual artists from Chicago and Mexico took a summer job as a saleswoman for a train- persecution really begins. City collaborate in cultural exchange and conver- ing facility that turned out to double as a Sci- LeClair, who raised millions of dollars for Sci- sation with readings, discussions, artist talks and entology recruitment facility. Young Michelle was entology’s charity group Youth for Human Rights performances. The Poetry Foundation will host an pretty, intelligent and had a head for business: International, deftly exposes the church’s blatant event during the festival Wednesday, Oct. 17, and looking back, she reflects, she was a ripe candi- money grab from its members – often encourag- MAKE Literary Productions will host a bilingual date for Scientology from day one. ing broke parishioners to open new credit cards conversation between the two featured Mexican The only hiccup? Back in high school, Michelle – as well as its nasty treatment of ex-members, authors Fernanda Melchor and Julián Herbert at once fooled around with another girl. or SPs (Suppressive Persons). She tells of her own The Hideout Friday, Oct. 19. Other events will be Scientologists are notoriously homophobic. As mother, who initially joined the church through posted on the Lit & Luz website. an “ethics officer” in the church explains to Mi- a corporate recruitment program and ends up in This November, the American Writers Museum chelle, “[h]omosexuals get sick easily. They get Sea Org, the highly prestigious Scientology orga- will open a temporary exhibit all about a famous AIDS. They cannot procreate. Many have com- nization that forces its members to live in squalor singer/songwriter to whom many American po- mitted crimes of sexual deviance. You don’t know and do menial tasks for a fifty dollar stipend per ets trace their lyrical sensibilities. The Bob Dylan one because they hide their crimes. Is that the week. And she tells in vivid detail of the church’s exhibit will focus on his enduring influence on group you want to be a part of?” Of course, a far-reaching influence, especially when it comes American culture, music and writing, as well as terrified teenage Michelle says no. to intimidating journalists searching for the truth his selection for the Nobel Prize for Literature in This brief and youthful tryst would haunt Mi- and fellow outspoken ex-members such as film 2016. A Fender electric guitar that Dylan played chelle for decades during Scientology’s notorious director Paul Haggis (who left the church after at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 will be on “auditing” sessions, during which church mem- his lesbian daughter was repeatedly mistreated). display, and a series of intimate events featuring bers must plunge the depths of their past mem- For those like me, who are endlessly fascinated current singer/songwriters in genres from hip- ories. If this sounds like therapy, it isn’t: first, by this cult of the heart, mind and wallet, some hop to folk begins in September. Scientologists are notoriously anti-analysis, and of LeClair’s details aren’t new. You can’t read a Some special readings this fall provide rare second, these auditing sessions (often conducted Wikipedia article on Scientology without learn- chances to see visiting poets. The Poetry Founda- by young, inexperienced church members) are ing about e-meters, silent births and Tom Cruise. tion is hosting three exciting Poetry Off the Shelf meticulously recorded and filed. It’s speculated in What makes Perfectly Clear unique is its queer readings during the Chicago Humanities Festival documentaries like Going Clear that famous Sci- perspective. Even Haggis, one of the first celeb- in November, beginning with Kazim Ali at Gal- entologists such as John Travolta have ultimately rity ex-members to speak out against the church, lery Guichard Friday, Nov. 2 and Jos Charles at stayed with the church because of the dark se- can’t give a personal account of what its like to Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Satur- crets they have spilled during auditing sessions. be in a forbidden relationship as a Scientolo- day, Nov. 3. United States Poet Laureate Natasha But Michelle’s secrets would only get darker. gist. LeClair can, and LeClair does. Even those Trethewey reads the next weekend Saturday, Nov. After attaining the status of Clear (which Scien- who’ve read and seen Going Clear, or are famil- 10 at First United Methodist Church at the Chi- tologists define as free of the “reactive mind”, iar with Leah Remini’s various anti-Scientology cago Temple. No. 1 New York Times bestselling and which comes with a price of thousands of outlets, will be shocked by LeClair’s experiences author and illustrator Rupi Kaur will perform at dollars of courses and auditing sessions), Mi- and Scientology’s influence on powerful LA or- The Chicago Theater Monday, Oct. 1. chelle becomes the unofficial “poster girl” of the ganizations such as the police and the district Book festivals give Chicago readers another op- church. She also endures an abusive marriage to attorney’s office. portunity to mingle with their favorite poets and her teenage sweetheart, and grows more terrified Though LeClair’s copious exclamation points Jose Olivarez. presses. Lit Crawl Chicago always features great as her small family grows. When contemplating get a little old, Perfectly Clear is a fast, fascinat- Photo by Nick Ward poetry readings at Andersonville hot spots; this divorce, Michelle discovers she’s pregnant for the ing read from the perspective of a gay Scientolo- year’s crawl takes place Saturday, Sept. 22. Chica- third time. But when she turns to her beloved gist who survived – but just barely. go-area small presses congregate at the Chicago church for help, Michelle is subject to a litany of Book Expo at Columbia College Monday, Oct. 1. 44 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES BOOKS ness,” Balay said. Off the beaten path: Oftentimes truckers see the practical need for the items they are hauling when they arrive to load and unload. From steelworks to truckers, Anne “One of my friends just delivered a whole load of food to the firefighters in California and like drove up to them and unloaded it. And there’s Balay writes about LGBTQI lives just this feeling that like the world would not BY KELSEY HOFF gresses and Democratic presidents have done all they don’t receive any maintenance or support keep turning if you stopped turning your wheels.” of this. … The absolute sellout of the American from anyone,” she said. In terms of future projects, Balay is thinking Anne Balay was working as an assistant professor working class was done by Democratic presi- The “Rolling” chapters in Semi Queer capture about the stories sex workers have to tell. in 2014 when her book on queer Indiana steel dents,” Balay claims. the exceptional fit queer truckers have found be- “I ran into a lot of people who do sex work mill workers Steel Closets was published. When As in many other industries, Balay explains, hind the wheel, which they sacrifice their per- when I was at truck stops. There’s new legislation she wasn’t offered tenure, Balay decided to use the Federal Department of Transportation shifted sonal safety to enjoy. that makes sex work more dangerous right now, the opportunity to do something she had always from regulating the industry to regulating people “The truckers have these stories of how it feels and I want to think about that as another way wanted to do: drive an 18-wheeler. Balay only as a result of Democratic policies. During 14-hour to be out there, criss-crossing the country, tied that the government and queer activism, and in drove for a brief time before she was offered an- days on the job, she quickly discovered worsen- to that incredible power source, yet totally invis- this case feminist activism are making choices other professorship, but her foray into trucking ing working conditions and increasing surveil- ible. Because even though trucks are everywhere that harm poor people and queer people.” coincided with an enormous increase in LGBTQI lance, and expanded her study to inquire if this and enormous, we don’t see them. There’s a way Balay’s book launch for Semi Queer is at Chi- and Black truck drivers. Her new book Semi Queer phenomenon is related to the field’s sudden ex- that that fits with queer and trans and immigrant cago’s Women & Children First Books Friday, Sept. studies this phenomenon in terms of gender, plosion in diversity. It proved more difficult to identities in really kind of hard-to-unpack ways, 28 at 7 p.m. She is also reading in Indiana the race, economics and history. get other drivers to talk about these problems but I spend a lot of time in the book talking same weekend, and then in New York and Phila- “Any trucker space you go to there’s lesbians, than the rewards. about psychic fits between the job and queer- delphia, where she lives. there’s gay men, there’s trans people … they’re “They’re proud of it. … They hate to be per- everywhere and they’re out and they’re happy to ceived as whiners, [but] they will call their dis- talk about it. That’s one of the reasons I wanted patcher and say ‘I am bleeding from an open to write about it; it came as such a shock to me wound’ and the dispatcher will say ‘you have to Anne Balay. after my steel mill experience,” said Balay. get your freight in on time. You can go to the ER The LGBT steel mill workers she sought out for after you deliver your freight.’ It’s routine. And Photo by Riva Lehrer Steel Closets kept their identities hidden to avoid they have to pay to clean the blood out of the violence and harassment at work, but Balay found cab.” a very different culture among truck drivers, who Semi Queer is broken down into “Rolling” and were eager to share their experiences in a job “Stopping” chapters, both of which describe that fit their identities. Balay noted that 10 of practical aspects of the job and serve as apt met- the drivers she interviewed were intersex, and aphors for the workers’ experiences. Truckers are she did not have to look hard to find them. alone, doing the fulfilling part of their job while “Intersex narrators that I talked to felt always rolling, but stopping usually means losing money that they were shifting between identities and and almost always means interacting with other never wanted to park somewhere. You can hear people. the language of how they describe their identity Truckers spend hours “stopped” waiting for is mirrored by the process of what trucking is.” shippers to load their trucks, and they lose time From the beginning, Balay’s goal in searching during snow storms and equipment malfunctions. out LGBTQI and African American truckers was to “Detention time” is unpaid in every state except tell real working-class people’s stories in great California, and a federal bill called The Denham detail, calling attention to the way Americans Amendment is currently being debated, which make policy and activism decisions according would make paid detention time illegal. These to stereotypes about the working class that are regulations are handled by the Department of known to be false. Transportation rather than the Department of La- “There are two stereotypes that are both com- bor, so truckers do not have the same protections pletely inaccurate, and my book tries to disprove as workers in other industries. both of them at the same time in a complicated “The clincher for me is: the rules of when truck- way. The two stereotypes are that truckers and ers can drive are suspended whenever it’s at the other working-class people are politically con- convenience of the customer. It has nothing to servative, anti-gay, anti-feminist, just kind of do with safety or trucking safety.” old school in general about social issues, and Balay gives the example that just before the that they’re white … . The other thing I want to Fourth of July, truckers are allowed to drive un- challenge is that queer people are economically limited hours so fireworks will arrive on time. prosperous: that assumption that queer people While limits on driving hours are supposedly put are white male architects living in New York who in place for the drivers’ safety, these regulations own Subarus. That’s not the majority of the queer are suspended, allowing the same drivers to carry population.” loads of explosives all over the country sleep de- A lot of the phenomena Balay found happening prived and hungry, making conditions even more in the LGBT trucking world, however, led to more dangerous. Accidents are the most dangerous questions than answers. For instance, why did the form of “stopping.” Even drivers that are never LGBT truckers she spoke with so frequently sup- involved in an accident see a lot of people die, port Trump? and they are expected to get right back in their “One of the reasons that truckers like Trump trucks and keep driving. [and] hate Democrats is that Democratic con- “They are considered disposable machines, and WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 45

Left: The Chicago Model took over 20 years to build and is an updated mini version of the city. Right: Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), Lynn Osmond, Rahm Emanuel, Gordon Gill and John Pintozzi cut the ribbon on the new Chicago Architecture Center. Photos by Ariel Parrella-Aureli place like this,” Welsh said. ARCHITECTURE He said the model originally debuted in 2006 as part of Chicago’s Centennial Celebration and Chicago’s leading Chicago’s family jewels—jewels that unite the since then has been updated yearly to include city and the 140 languages spoken in the Chicago new buildings. It encompasses 630 city blocks Public Schools. and 4,250 buildings. As new buildings are cre- architecture space “The world has a lot of forces tearing us apart ated or old ones are taken down, the model is up- but design, architecture and conversation can dated to reflect that, Welsh said, noting that the re-opens as the Chicago create a common understanding and brings us project has logged thousands of hours in creat- together,” Emanuel said. ing the material—stereolithography resins—and He added that architecture can be a humanitar- called it a labor of love. Each 3D structure takes Architecture Center ian force and the city’s skyline is for everyone—a about one hour and 23 minutes to print, though BY ARIEL PARRELLA-AURELI architecture scene will enable the CAC to offer student in Roseland can call it home just as a it depends on its size. For example, the Railway valuable experiences to visitors and students and student in Ravenswood can. Exchange Building took 20 hours to print. Walking into the new architecture center down- engage them in new ways of learning about the “Both children can say, that’s my home, that’s “The remarkable engineers that work for our town can at first be overwhelming. city’s architecture and design history. my city,” he said. company take great pride and pleasure in be- A futuristic map of the world with tall build- “When you are talking about a city in a built One of the galleries accommodates perhaps one ing part of this project and as DSM continues to ings and what the future of Chicago might look environment, we certainly embrace Chicago’s ar- of the most dramatic, detailed structures in all evolve, so does the city of Chicago,” he said. like grabs one’s attention—with a deep blue sea chitectural legacy but also look at the future and of the CAC: The Chicago Model, housed in the A film and interactive light show illuminate the and population numbers for 2050 floating next to how we continue being the city of architecture,” appropriately-fitting gallery, The Chicago Gallery. model to show Chicago’s early growth, its rebirth building dimensions. Osmond said. “We never want to be antiquated The 3D printed model of the city spans more than after the Great Chicago Fire, the city’s first sky- Scale models of famous skyscrapers from Chi- because Chicago’s history is one of innovation 800 square feet and took about 20 years to build, scrapers, which ones were built by which archi- cago and globally sit on the other side of the and we want to encourage our architects but also said Hugh Welsh, president of Royal DSM North tects and modernist masterpieces. It even shows wall, showcasing the tallest buildings in the the children of tomorrow to continue to inno- America, the science-based company who built all the bike lanes in the city by darkening the world. It’s part of the “Building Tall” inaugural vate.” the model. model and lighting up the paths. These kinds of exhibit in the new Drake Family Skyscraper Gal- Osmond said the industry does not have many “You can imagine how much joy it creates to interactive tools will help students better learn lery, which is just one of the new features of The female architects but that CAC ‘s program called replicate the city you love and bring your chil- in a fun way about their city and connect to it as Chicago Architecture Center, 111 E. Wacker Drive. Girls Build is trying to change that. It gives dren [and] grandchildren here and show them not their home, Osmond said. The CAC was formerly the Chicago Architecture young girls the critical skills so they are encour- only what you do but the impact you have on a See http://www.architecture.org/ . Foundation. It opened to the public Aug. 31 after aged to go into the design field. The Skyscraper a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 29. Gallery also features two leading women archi- The 20,000 square-foot center is two floors of tects: Zaha Hadid, whose buildings are in Soho, Chicago Architecture Center CEO and President Lynn Osmond opened the ribbon-cutting remodeled space, three galleries, a classroom, a China and Jeanne Gang, who is from Illinois. ceremony Aug. 29 and welcomed the packed gallery to the new center. lecture hall and a gift shop. The building was de- “We wanted to show there is room both for Photo by Ariel Parrella-Aureli signed by the world-famous firm Adrian Smith + women and people of color in this profession,” Gordon Gill Architecture and overlooks a plethora she said. And that encompasses the LGBTQ com- of some of Chicago’s iconic buildings—the Wrig- munity as well. ley Building, the Tribune Tower and Marina City. “What is wonderful about the design commu- Its opening marks a new, advanced beginning for nity is that the LGBTQ community really [is] cen- people to learn about Chicago’s strong architec- tral of it—so many of our designers that we work tural history, present and future. with are part of that community and I encourage Lynn Osmond, CAC’s CEO and president, wants that,” she said. the new center to represent the future of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a big supporter of the and be a place for youth, community and culture CAC and helped cut the ribbon. He shared his ap- to coalesce. She said the new home for Chicago’s preciation of the space and called architecture 46 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

Cris Williamson. Photo by Irene Jones Photography

Cris Williamson: On music, love and the industry

BY JOHN STADELMAN amount of people, or do you work really hard on loving everybody? Having that be a real thing, Cris Williamson—the legendary singer-songwrit- MUSIC [to] become the change you wish to see in the er, feminist, activist and trailblazer for women in think we’re here is to love one another. world. the music industry—received the Jack Emerson WCT: Have you seen Olivia Records as a cata- And that’s my goal. I want this world to get Lifetime Achievement Award on Sept. 12 from lyst for giving a platform to gay and lesbian along… I think art is necessary, I think music is the Americana Music Association in Nashville, musicians? necessary in the world and so in that respect I Keith Haring in 1989 in Chicago. alongside longtime friend and Olivia Records co- CW: Oh, yeah—absolutely. It just wasn’t there. have the greatest job in the world. Photo courtesy of Irving Zucker founder Judy Dlugacz. We invented it, and there’s of course the technol- WCT: What advice would you give to young Williamson’s career has spanned over thirty al- ogy changes to where nobody needs a label now. LGBT musicians who are just starting out? bums in fifty years. The success of her 1975 inde- You can just put everything on a thumb-drive CW: Probably first thing is: Don’t expect to be Haring mural exhibit pendent release, The Changer and the Changed, and hand it to your public. None of that existed. on the big stage right away. Play for everything. Technology-wise, [it’s] not so long ago, but how in Loop thru Sept. 23 brought Olivia Records into the limelight. She’s That’s the way I did it. Come up the hard way. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Department fast things change—changed the delivery sys- just kicked off her Reunion Tour with Olivia Re- It’s honest. … Take the journey and take a long of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will tem. cords veterans Barbara Higbie and Teresa Trull. time, sing everywhere, perform everywhere for present “Keith Haring: The Chicago Mural” So we were that platform for many artists: a Windy City Times: So you’re starting your re- everyone. It’s easy to preach to the converted, through Sunday, Sept. 23, at the Chicago place to grow, a place where we had women who union tour with Teresa and Barbara. How does it’s difficult to play a bar, or an eating establish- Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. would show up if you put a flier on their wind- that feel? ment where you’re just background noise and you The exhibition will be in the Sidney R. shield. At least for me, the music I make is for the Cris Williamson: Oh, it’s just the best because don’t feel like a star. Well you’re not there yet! Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North, as part of the human condition. There’s not so much gender in they’re two of my very best friends. They’re solo- I was born almost solely pledged. I knew how City of Chicago’s Year of Creative Youth. there as it is philosophy, as how to exist and live ists as well, so when you put three soloists to- to do it but I chose the hard, honest path and There will be 36 original panels of the in this world as a good human being. We need to gether you got a pretty good orchestra there. It’s I haven’t ever regretted that. Get good at your monumental mural created in 1989 by Keith be looked at as part of the human race, and not everything from R&B to jazz to folk to whatever work, get good at your art, practice, practice, Haring, with the assistance of 500 Chicago as these separate people who are ghettoized—al- it is that I do, whatever we want to call that! practice. Public School students in Chicago’s Grant though once you’re in the ghetto you can make WCT: You’ve had a pretty long career span- And practice relating to people when you’re up Park. Presented by the Chicago Department amazing music, we know that, that the obstacles ning over 50 years, and you’ve released a there. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors that goes of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in part- in life can become gateways. plethora of albums. I’m curious what your ex- on where you dress in costume or you appear in nership with the Chicago Public Schools, WCT: Could you talk a little more about, periences have been in that time. ways kind of like drag. They clothe themselves in the exhibition will also feature a collection looking at when you first started out back in CW: So glad to be working, period. We had to the form of somebody else, which doesn’t inter- of photographs, correspondence, designs, the 1960s and ’70s, the differences and simi- invent ourselves. First, we had to invent the de- est me as much. What I’m interested in is when plans, T-shirt drawings and more. larities that you see today for gay and lesbian livery system because it didn’t exist. people appear as themselves. Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. artists? There were, of course, and always have been WCT: And that goes back to the honesty? In 1989, he established the Keith Haring CW: I do see that the past is there now pretty gay men in the arts industry that did not use that CW: That’s right. I’m just not good at it! Foundation to provide funding and imagery strongly and artists can take it as they wish. They as their platform. They were mostly desperate to [Laughs] I have no ability to wear costumes, be- to AIDS organizations and children’s pro- don’t have to fear the same things that we did fit in and not be discovered because it was dan- cause I like who I am so much. That’s my other grams and to expand the audience for Har- in our time, [although] in some cases I guess gerous. Somebody like Rock Hudson: everybody piece of advice: You’ve gotta be well to do this. ing’s work through exhibitions, publications you do because violence is violence and hatred knew, rumors abounded, but still he kept [secret] Because there’s great sickness in the world. Music and the licensing of his images. Nine months is hatred and that increased. Sometimes I think until the very end and there was a lot of his life is the best there is—a song can turn a heart. after completing the mural in Chicago, Har- freedom is an illusion and we have to take it ev- that, like many gay artists, had to be left behind, See Cris Williamson with Barbara Higbie and ing died of AIDS-related complications at age ery day, to be a free as we are. You can’t assume or had to be cloaked in this kind of quasi-normal- Teresa Trull at the Unitarian Church of Evan- 31, on Feb. 16, 1990. that everything is free, because it still has to be ity that was defined by somebody else. ston on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m., with Admission is free; visit ChicagoCultural- made for everybody. If I want it for myself then So we defined our own normal. Just be yourself, tickets at https://www.brownpapertickets. Center.org. love who you want to love. … The only reason I I have to say, “I want it for you, too.” Because com/event/3612727. do you have the luxury to only care for a certain WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 47 BOOK REVIEW nestly question things in her life. At 16, she became an “organizer’ and an activ- ist. She doubled down on it after her brother was When They Call arrested and called a “terrorist” for yelling at a You a Terrorist: A woman. She was driven to act when, following the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of Black Lives Matter George Zimmerman, she sent out a message to her friends. Memoir #BlackLivesMatter. by Patrisse Khan-Cullors “I write,” she said, “I hope it impacts more & asha bandele than we can ever imagine.” $24.99; St. Martin’s And, of course, it did, and it will. Once you’re Press; 257 pages finished with “When They Call You a Terrorist,” REVIEW BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER you’ll want to stand up, too. You’ll want to stand, even though author Khan- You can’t look any longer. Cullors (with bandele) doesn’t tell stories here Whatever it is, it’s just too painful, too scary, that haven’t already been told before. Indeed, so you hide your eyes and pretend that nothing’s many authors have shared similar tales of pov- happening. You can’t look any longer, so you erty, affluent white friends, outrage, prison, and don’t … but after awhile, you notice it again. sadness. The shelves are full of such books—but That’s when you realize that you saw all along. this one is different because Khan-Cullors gives That’s when, as in the new book When They Call her story an urgent hear-me-now outrage. That You a Terrorist, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha “done playing” feeling is what readers may come bandele, you realize that you never really could away with—a feeling that underscores Khan- look away. Cullors’ activism. Growing up as the third child in a family of And that’s what this book is about: It’s a ral- four, Khan-Cullors lived with her mother and sib- lying cry wrapped in a memoir tied in a call to lings in a “multiracial” neighborhood near Sher- legal action of whatever sort. And so, if you’re man Oaks, California. The two places were “less ready, When They Call You a Terrorist is worth a than a mile” apart but, due to social, financial, longer look. and racial divides, they were separated by oceans, Want more? Then look for So You Want to Talk in Khan-Cullors’ mind. About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo. Despite that her mother worked all day and into the night, Khan-Cul- lors was reared in a loving atmosphere. The man who raised her wasn’t always around, but she adored him; after she learned, at age 12, that he wasn’t her biological father, her birth-father and his fam- ily became present on a regular basis. Absent an adult, Khan-Cullors’ eldest brother acted as “man” of the house. This all compli- cated her young life, but she enjoyed this expanded, supportive family. Khan-Cullors said that she was 12 years old the first time she was arrested. By then, she’d witnessed her brothers being ques- tioned by police for just hanging out with friends. She started truly noticing her surroundings. Not long afterward, her father was imprisoned on drug charges, and she lost touch with much of his family. Then her older brother was imprisoned for attempted burglary and was diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and Khan-Cullors came to understand that she was Queer. She began to ear- 48 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES In this thoughtful memoir, Mckesson ponders on the need for social movements to go beyond BOOKS trauma and critiques and to envision a future prompting the first act of resistance: naming the where concrete visions for a better world can be world in his own terms. developed and a just society can be built. When DeRay Mckesson: And it is not the learning of language but the asked about his vision for the future, he said, “It unlearning of it that leads to that act of resis- is not just the absence of oppression but is the tance. As he writes, “Language is our first act of presence of justice and equity.” Fighting for Black lives resistance. It matters how we talk about the work That entails both faith, the belief that some- we do; the words we use or the words we create thing will happen, and hope, the belief that matter to describe the world we live in, the free- something can happen, as he succinctly puts in dom and justice we deserve.” his work. When discussing police violence, McKesson is DeRay Mckesson will be in Chicago discussing posing fundamental questions about power, nar- his book Wed., Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m., University of rative and storytelling. That is, who gets to tell Chicago School of Social Service Administration stories in our world? Who has the power to shape (with Seminary Co-Op Bookstores), Gordon Parks the narrative that dictates our worldview? Who Arts Hall, 5815 S. Kimbark Ave., Chicago. For gets to define truth(s)? And what does it mean tickets: http://ssa.uchicago.edu/deray-mckesson when institutions, such as the police, hold lethal . power to harm and kill people of color while at the same time wielding the power to define who is the victim in incidents of police brutality? For example, using particular narratives and LGBTQ military images, the police and the media consistently veterans to hold frame and portray Black victims as thugs and criminals. And with their assumed criminality and national conference thus presumed guilt, they are deemed underserv- and Sept. 22 ing of justice within an earn/deserve paradigm in banquet the United States. The Chicago Chapter of AVER ( LGBTQ mili- In other words, the violence against the Black tary veterans ) will host the National AVER body is accompanied by and justified by the vio- Convention at the Center on Halsted Sept. lence of the language. 19 through 21 and will host an associated In that sense, changing the material reality banquet on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Ann Sath- of inequity in the larger society necessitates re- ers, 909 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. There will shaping the inequitable ways certain stories and be an open bar, a silent auction, buffet din- truths are told and validated. ner and a program with speakers and awards. This applies to how each group history is nar- Keynote speaker will be Lee Reinhart, DeRay rated as well. Mckesson gives examples of a few former Chicago AVER chapter president and Mckesson. stories often swept under the rug to demonstrate the first veteran discharged under Don’t Ask, Photo who is deemed as the legitimate representative Don’t Tell to reenlist in Illinois following re- by Blair of the Black community and who in turn gets si- peal of the policy. Kristin Beck, a transgener Caldwell lenced in the narration of the Black history. woman and retired Navy SEAL, will be hon- For example, one was the 15-year-old Clau- ored. dette Colvin, who also refused to give up her seat The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to on the bus, yet she remained unknown in his- the event are $40 at www.averchicago.org/ tory compared to Rosa Parks due to respectability national-convention/ . Questions can be ad- BY ADA CHENG Campaign Zero in 2015, a policy platform to end politics. Another important figure, Bayard Rustin, dressed to Jim Darby 773-752-0058. police violence. For his activism, Mckesson has played a central role in shaping the nonviolent By the time this interview was conducted Sept. received many awards and honors, including The strategies during the Civil Rights Movement and 7, DeRay Mckesson, one of the most visible Black Root 100, Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leader- was an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—yet Lives Movement organizers, was already on his ship, Howard Zinn Freedom to Write Award and he was banished to the margins due to his open book tour in New York for his memoir On the Out 100. gayness. Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope (Viking The memoir itself is more than a recount of his Similarly, using “out of the quiet” as opposed BREAKING Books). experiences with police or activism. Intermixed to “out of the closet” to describe his experiences When asked about the reception for the book with personal stories about childhood, school, as a gay Black man, Mckesson has struggled to NEWS so far, he said, “I am very excited. I am excited faith and community are his reflections about find his place in the movement at times with about the conversation that’s happening. … One storytelling itself and the larger questions about some people who might not believe that he de- SPECIAL good thing about the written text is that people narrative and power. serves to be there. resonate with different things in the book. … He pointed out why the discussion of language As he poignantly writes, “In activism, I am of- FEATURES Some have an ‘aha’ moment about police violence and storytelling loomed large in the memoir. ten asked if I am gay or black first as if I am not while others resonate with issues like identity “It is important to think about the way we use black and gay and male at the same time, all day, and language.” language to frame issues. Even though I write every day. … I am asked if the ‘gay agenda’ has EXPANDED Mckesson, known for his Patagonia blue vest, about police, it is the storytelling that’s the real superseded the goal of bringing about justice and details in the book how the decision to drive from power,” he said. equity, as if there aren’t gay black people or as if COVERAGE Minneapolis to Ferguson in 2014 following Mi- He talked about growing up near Baltimore the oppressions are connected, interwoven.” chael Brown’s death changed his life. He would City, where he learned to see a world structured The question then is: In social justice move- later spend a year in the streets protesting, be- through whiteness and defined by white people. ments, how does one engage in activism that ARCHIVES ing teargassed, and walking all night because it He described an incident through which he came doesn’t replicate the oppressive act of erasure was illegal for protestors to stop. He, along with to understand that white people could be wrong, and instead sustain a practice and a narrative other activists including Johnetta Elzie, Brit- too. that respects the contribution of all members re- WindyCityTimes.com tany Packnett and Samuel Sinyangwe, launched A pivotal moment for his consciousness, gardless of their gender, sexuality and class? WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 49

Tony Breed’s strip, Muddlers Beat. Courtesy of Breed Tony Breed, a Chicago-based artist and writer Tony Breed. who has been making comics which he publishes PR photo online since 2006, is also active in making sure COMICS/ART the work of LGBT comic artists is amplified across of ideas with just Finn and Charlie, and I wanted the country. to do a series that didn’t just mainly focus on Breed has been a fan of comics for most of his them,” Breed said. life. “My earliest memories of reading comics With Muddlers Beat and his first ever long-form would be from the Disney comics I’d read when minicomic called That Night, Breed said making I was a little kid,” he said. “I used to read a lot comics has become a way for him to process life, of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck comics, and including processing tragic events, including the then when I was in the 4th grade, I was really passing of his husband in December 2015 and the into reading Tintin and I tried getting my hands death of his cat. on as many of those comics as I could.” On writing as a way to process the passing of Breed was inspired by some of the comics he his husband, Breed said, “I just wanted to write read in the funny papers. “I wanted to make com- what was on my mind. I wrote it for myself, but ics like Peanuts when I was eight or nine,” he also for others who’ve had a similar experience to said, and started around age 11. But he didn’t my own, and to those who’ve never experienced a start to make comics professionally until he was situation like that.” in his 30s. Breed has been running his own tables at comic In 2006, Breed launched his web comic, Finn conventions since 2009, and has attended numer- and Charlie Are Hitched, which told the stories of ous conventions over the years, including Flame married couple Finn and Charlie, their friends and Con, which is billed as the largest LGBT comic their day-to-day life adventures. convention in the world. Breed has been a part Finn and Charlie initially “were both essentially of a number of panels for the non-profit organi- stand-ins for me and my husband,” he said, “but zation, Geeks Out, which seeks to rally, promote later they took on lives of their own.” and empower the queer geek community. In the early parts of the series, Finn and Char- Breed spoke very highly of his convention expe- lie’s stories were very much like his own real- riences and of getting to meet fellow LGBT comic life stories, but fictionalized. “There’s one story creators. “It’s great to learn about people’s sto- where Charlie sits next to a complete stranger ries and for creators to connect and do panels on a plane who ends up randomly telling Charlie together,” he said. “It’s just a great way to bring about his sex life, and this was something that people together, and for creators to network.” had actually happened to me in real life,” Breed Breed added that many LGBT comic creators want said. to tell more stories that are positive, stating that The comic ran as a web comic from April 2006 for many years, there were too many LGBT sto- until December 2013, and the series has been ries—especially in movies—that were very dark. collected into four volumes that have been phys- “In the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, LGBT movies were A new breed: ically published in collected editions. In 2011, too dark, and focused too much on individuals the series was nominated for an Ignatz Award for who are LGBT committing suicide, and while it Chicago artist draws his Outstanding Online Comic, and Breed received a is true that the suicide rate for people who are nomination for Promising New Talent. LGBT is higher than the rate for people who aren’t When Finn and Charlie Are Hitched ended in LGBT, a lot of creators now want to go against way to LGBT comic success December 2013, Breed began his next comic, that and tell more positive stories about our BY CONNOR LUDOVICE Muddlers Beat, which is still ongoing. It contains lives.” Finn and Charlie, but now focuses on them as See http://www.tonybreed.com/tony/com- part of a group of friends. “I felt like I ran out ics.html . 50 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES

Our list of all the regular drag shows in and around Chicago. To include your show in DRAG IT UP! our listings, please submit info to [email protected]. The Baton Show Lounge, shows weekly at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 MONDAYS p.m. and 12:30 a.m. 436 N. Clark St. Chicago’s Best Worst Drag Show, hosted by Arby Barbie, weekly, 2 a.m., no cover. The Jackhammer Complex, 6406 N. Clark St. SATURDAYS Vamp, featuring Mimi Marks, hosted by Mercedes Tyler, Drag Matinee, hosted by T-Rex, weekly, 10:30 p.m., Berlin, weekly, 11 p.m., no cover. Progress Bar, 3359 N. Halsted 954 W. Belmont Ave. St. #POPular, featuring 2018 Fan Favorite Tiffany Diamond, Lipstick & Mascara, hosted by Mz. Ruff ‘n Stuff, weekly, hosted by Veronica Pop, weekly, shows at 10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m., no cover. Hydrate, 3458 N. Halsted St. Charlie’s, 3726 N. Broadway Plot Twist, hosted by T-Rex, every 3rd Monday, 10:30 p.m., Beauties and Beaus, hosted by Naysha Lopez, Mimi Marks Berlin, 954 W. Belmont Ave. and Mz. Ruff ‘n Stuff, weekly, 9:30 p.m., no cover. Hy- drate, 3458 N. Halsted St. AGE Drag shows at Manuevers: 1st Sat.: Raven’s Ravishing Revue, TUESDAYS 24 hosted by Raven Samore; 2nd Sat.: The Dymond Standard, Killer Babes, hosted by Lady Ivory, every 3rd Tues., 10 p.m. HOMETOWN hosted by Diamond Calloway; 3rd Sat.: Diva’s Den, hosted @mosphere, 5355 N. Clark St. ::BAMBI BANKS:: Houston, Texas by Sasha Love; 4th Sat.: Noche Latina, hosted by Aleyna Roscoe’s Drag Race, Chicago’s longest-running amateur DRAG INSPIRATION Couture. All shows at 11:30 p.m., no cover. Maneuvers, weekly drag competition hosted by Frida Lay, Roscoe’s, “Black women are my inspirations.” 118 E. Jefferson St., Joliet 3356 N. Halsted St. FAVORITE NUMBER Stardust, hosted by Natasha Douglas, 1st Sat. (starting Nov. Dixie Wins a Talent Show (while Alexis Bevels stage-man- DRAG PROFILE OF THE WEEK “Unlock It” by Kim Petras 2018), 8:30-10:30 p.m. @mosphere, 5355 N. Clark St. ages), featuring Dixie Lynn Cartwright and Alexis Bevels, WHEN DID YOU BEGIN DOING DRAG? Sofia’s Dragtacular Review, hosted by Sofia Saffire, every a showcase for local drag queens, performance artists and “Almost 2 years ago.” 2nd Sat., 10:30 p.m., Shakers on Clark, 3160 N. Clark St. comedians, last Tues. of the month, 9:30 p.m., Sidetrack, WHERE CAN WE CATCH YOU? Ashley Morgan Presents A Drag Revue, featuring Coco Sho- 3349 N. Halsted St. Berlin for Drag Matinée, Plot Twist, Off-Book, The Nell, Dominique Diamond, Vivian Dejour and Juan M. Function and Femme’s Room; Beauty Bar every 2nd/4th Wette, hosted by Ashley Morgan, every 3rd Sat., 9:30 p.m. WEDNESDAYS Wednesday for Fabitat seating, $5 suggested donation, The Call Bar, 1547 W. Honeys on Halsted, hosted by Mimi Marks and Mz. Ruff ‘n FUN FACT Bryn Mawr Ave. Stuff, weekly, 11:30 p.m., no cover. Hydrate, 3458 N. “I have of rats and rollercoasters.” 6 Queens 1 Diva, hosted by Muffy Fishbasket, every 4rd Halsted St. SOCIAL MEDIA Sat., 10 p.m., $5 cover, The Call Bar, 1547 W. Bryn Mawr All Things Beyonce, hosted by Dixie Lynn Cartwright, featur- @Bambi.banks on Instagram; Ave. ing Dida Ritz, Saya Naomi and guest queens, 2nd or 3rd @itsbambibanks on Twitter Dining With the Divas, featuring Angel LeBare and CeeCee Wed. of the month, 9 p.m., Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. Photo by Erik Michael Kommer LaRouge, shows weekly at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Hamburger The Baton Show Lounge, shows weekly at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 Mary’s Oak Park, 155 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Ill. p.m. and 12:30 a.m. 436 N. Clark St. Diamond, 4th Thu. of each month, shows at 11:30 p.m., The Baton Show Lounge, shows weekly at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., no cover. Charlie’s, 3726 N. p.m. and 12:30 a.m. 436 N. Clark St. THURSDAYS Broadway Babes In Boyland, featuring Monica Beverly Hillz, Lila Star, The Baton Show Lounge, shows weekly at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 SUNDAYS Teri Yaki and Otter Chaös, weekly, 1 a.m., no cover. The p.m. and 12:30 a.m. 436 N. Clark St. Reinas de la Casa, featuring Windy Breeze, Veronica Pop, Jackhammer Complex, 6406 N. Clark St. Zafina Hasheesh and Danika Bone’t, hosted by Alexandrea Sirens of Splash, featuring Lila Star, Mimi Marks, Aura Diamond, 2nd Sun. of each month, shows at 11:30 p.m., Mayari and Silky, weekly, 9 p.m., no cover. Splash Chicago, FRIDAYS Beauties and Beaus, hosted by Naysha Lopez, Mimi Marks 12:30 and 1:30 a.m. Charlie’s, 3726 N. Broadway 3339 N. Halsted St. and Mz. Ruff ‘n Stuff, weekly, 9:30 p.m., no cover. Hy- Angel LeBare’s Fish Hatchery, contest for aspiring drag POP ROCKS, dance party with drag from Alexis Bevels and drate, 3458 N. Halsted St. queens, every 4th Sun., 8 p.m. @mosphere, 5355 N. Clark Saya Naomi, get on stage to Win with Dixie Lynn Cart- Dining With the Divas, featuring Angel LeBare and CeeCee St. wright, weekly, 9 p.m., Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. LaRouge, shows weekly at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Hamburger The Baton Show Lounge, shows weekly at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. Body Beautiful, hosted by Danika Bone’t and Alexandrea Mary’s Oak Park, 155 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Ill. 436 N. Clark St.

OUR NEW NIGHTLIFE COLUMN DEBUTS NEXT WEEK!

artsandtheaterweekly.com WINDY CITY TIMES Sept. 19, 2018 51 BILLY MastersMasters

“Makeup. Five pounds of makeup.”—Cher ex- plained why she looks so good in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. She added, “Also the director really liked me. I think he took extra special care to light me.” As it should be. There is a routine to Sunday nights. After toil- ing away on the column for days, I send it off to the various gay and alternative publications around the world with the good sense to carry my scribblings, post it online to BillyMasters.com and doze off close to dawn. When I awoke from my slumber this past week, I found two incred- ibly different emails. First was an email with the Matt Bomer will be among the slew of guest subject “Great Column”—which always warms the stars of Will & Grace. cockles of, well, my cockles. The second email Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. had the subject “Your sad comments about Neil Patrick Harris.” The writer was upset that I dared if they’re not going to be together, but I think to question the masculinity of NPH, but appar- that they’re in a good place.” That cleared up ... ently had no problem with NPH disparaging drag absolutely nothing! and trans people everywhere. It should be stated Someone who I suspect doesn’t mind getting a that both of these emails were well-written, dick or two in his inbox is Andy Cohen. It was thoughtful and articulate. And they both got an an interesting week for Mr. Cohen. First, he had immediate response from moi. At least they’re a story in the United Kingdom’s Attitude maga- reading. zine, in which he spoke openly about his sex life, We’re hearing about more guest stars for the including the use of poppers and bottoms. (They upcoming season of Will & Grace. David Schwim- kinda go hand in hand.) After saying he’s been mer is in about five episodes as Grace’s boy- out since 1988, he added, “I was always out in friend. Chelsea Handler turns up as a power my career so there was a freedom to that, and lesbian (so much for the “only-gay-people-can- I’ve always been outspoken, and gay people say play-gay-roles” argument). Jon Cryer is in a they connect with that and it makes me happy, Jack/Karen storyline. Thank God Minnie Driver too.” returns as Karen’s nemesis Lorraine Finster. In the At the same time, the National Enquirer had a same episode, we’re told Adam Rippon makes a story allegedly exposing “Andy Cohen’s Internet cameo as himself. (I’m thinking he could be a X-Ploits.” I’ll save you the four-plus dollars and potential date for Jack; after all, he already slept tell you what it said. The Enquirer claims to have with Rudy Galindo.) And in the biggest news, found Cohen’s Grindr profile, which is plausible. Will gets a boyfriend—Matt Bomer. Sigh, the hot Andy admits to being on Tinder and also “a gay gays always hook up with straight guys. dating app.” But apparently each time he sets up When last we left Colton Haynes and Jeff an account, he’s kicked off because the powers Leatham, the actor filed for divorce from the flo- think he’s impersonating Andy Cohen—as if! DaysAnaheim.com. rist after six months of marital bliss. That was Anonymous sources who claim to have hooked Our brief “Ask Billy” question is more of a state- back in May. So where are we now? Still in limbo. up with him on Grindr claim that he’s interested ment from one of our esteemed proofers. Nate in Leatham was seen visiting Haynes in Vancouver in younger men. SHOCKING! One man said, “Andy Key West says, “Did you see Steve Howey on the on the set of Arrow in July to celebrate Colton’s once used his celebrity to woo a young man, then season premiere of Shameless? WOW—he should 30th birthday. The two flew back to LA together, discarded him like trash once he was finished. always be naked.” still wearing their wedding bands. He’s very selfish and has a voracious sexual ap- Howey does enjoy his nudity—and, thankfully, According to one of those “unnamed sources,” petite.” Um, that describes virtually everyone I Shameless does, too! Seems to me that during “they aren’t officially back together but they are know! The insider added, “Andy made it clear he his hiatus, Steve did nothing but work out—he trying to figure things out and headed in that di- wanted no part of kissing or affectionate touch- clearly isn’t eating! During the scene in question, rection. They are spending time together and re- ing—only no-strings-attached sex.” I believe you he says he’s so hard, he can hold up a bath towel ally want it to work out. They love and care about have to agree to that just to sign onto Grindr! without his hands. You can see how he does it on each other immensely and would love to find a Andy allegedly has a thing for “redheads, young BillyMasters.com. way to make it work. They aren’t rushing to make ginger boys. He lusts over Prince Harry and once When I’m on the lookout for my own Shameless it official and are just taking their time work- admitted to wanting Justin Bieber.” Again, virtu- towel rack, it’s time to end another column. Be- ing on their relationship. Things are a lot better ally everyone I know. In fact, I think he’s admit- cause the Emmys are on a Monday this year, you’ll and it’s going well for them.” Am I the only one ted all of this on his show. YAWN! know who won by the time you read this column. who thinks this anonymous source is Leatham? In a few weeks, tens of thousands of gays will But if there’s any inside dish, you’ll read about And why is it every time I type his name, I type descend on Anaheim. It’s once again time for Gay it onBillyMasters.com—the site that’s known for “Leatherman?” Freudian slip, no doubt. Gus Ken- Days Anaheim. The annual event (which I helped poking around. Whatever your point of view, feel worthy confirmed the couple’s relationship sta- found) takes place Oct. 5-7, Columbus Day week- free to send your comments to Billy@BillyMas- tus: “I mean, I don’t know if it’s really my place end. There are oodles of special performers sprin- ters.com and I promise to get back to you before to speculate. I believe he told me that they’re kled throughout the weekend, including Garrett Howey pokes someone’s eye out! Until next time, working on things. I think that they’re in a good Clayton headlining the Saturday night Kingdom remember: One man’s filth is another man’s bible. place. I don’t know if they’re back together or dance party! Check out the full schedule at Gay- 52 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES after the Soul Train host, and containing a heady natural that the city has the U.S. Pizza Museum mix of coffee-infused courvoisier cognac, maple (1146 S. Delano Ct.; https://uspizzamuseum. simple syrup, orange and housemade coffee, with com/). pecan bitters); and the fantastic Orpah Winfrey Housed in the Roosevelt Collection, the South the DISH (NOT “Oprah,” but her actual birth name, and Loop shopping center, the museum is open on Weekly Dining Guide in containing pear juice, ginger shrub, rosemary, Fridays at 5-8 p.m. as well as Saturdays and nutmeg and honey). Sundays at 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through the end of WINDY CITY TIMES And Juniper certainly has oysters, with October (although it may extend beyond then), variations including sauced, fried and Rockefeller. and the pop-up is the brainchild of Kendall Bruns. SAVOR However, the place also has several salads (like The 3,000-square-foot space has plenty of beet and heirloom-tomato concoctions) and pizza-related items to gawk and ponder about, Juniper Spirits & Oysters; sandwiches (with the filet sliders with quail egg including pizza-related records, boxes and U.S. Pizza Museum being standouts). The next time I’m there, I’ll gadgets. People can even see a (very long) pizza have to try the lobster roll and/or the Claridge scarf and a pie-festooned version of Chicago’s BY ANDREW DAVIS cheeseburger (with a sinful topping mix of Divvy bike. Also, patrons can purchase items such arugula, burnt onion jam, garlic aioli, and white as a notepads, buttons and even pepperoni jerky. With the thousands of restaurants in Chicago, it’s cheddar). And there are special upcoming events, including natural that some are overlooked. The Gold Coast Juniper Spirits & Oysters. In addition, there are tantalizing large plates, a Sept. 29 demo courtesy of master instructor Leo spot (in the Claridge Juniper Spirits & Oysters Photo by Kailley Lindman including 14-ounce New York strip, honey-glazed Spizzirri. House hotel at 1244 N. Dearborn St.; http:// salmon and duck breast (expertly prepared). However, don’t expect to see the museum juniperspiritsandoysters.com/) should not be. and myself). One other note: Juniper is very pet-friendly, handing out actual pizza. As my companion said, One of the things people might assume, from Now, the restaurant definitely has its share even hosting events where people can take “They don’t give out art at an art museum, do the name, is that the spot specializes in, well, of spirits, with cocktails and mocktails that are photos with their dog or cat (or rabbit or ball they?” spirits and oysters. However, Juniper has much mostly named after celebrities with Chicago python or whatever). Admission is free. more to offer (including music that were altered connections. Examples include the Harold Ramis Note: Restaurant profiles/events are based versions of popular songs—which turned into a (with botran reserva rum, demerara sugar, Warre’s Pizza, pizza, pizza on invitations arranged from restaurants and/ guessing game between my dining companion ruby port and lemon); the Don Cornelius (named Given how Chicago feels about pizza, it’s or firms.

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(a separate function at a separate cost that utilizes 328-3100 www.andyoncallchicago.com (4/17/19- In other LGBTQ-related news, American Crime your assistance) for what hasn’t been cleaned in many 60) Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace months or years due to long-term illness, depression, scored three Emmy wins—for best directing for physical/mental challenges, for the elderly, if you a limited series (Ryan Murphy), best actor in have downsized and more. Depressed about going a linited series (Darren Criss) and outstanding home to chaos? We can organize your chaos, straight- limited series. en out your chaos, help you make sense of your chaos Among those snubbed this year were the and finally clean what is no longer chaos. Can we help shows Atlanta (shut out of top categories, you? Bonded and insured. Chestnut Cleaning Ser- despite 16 nominations) and The Handmaid’s vice: 312-332-5575. www.ChestnutCleaning.com Tale. (11/28/18-52) Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che and Colin RuPaul. Jost hosted the event. Photo by Kevin Lynch 54 Sept. 19, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES a social-justice organization serving the cfm?ID=15480 ing of 1969. See “Pay it No Mind Ball” on needs of the Black LGBTQ community of The Sip online show Live show every Fri- Facebook. 10:00pm - 3:00am 5110 S. COMMUNITY Chicago with a particular focus on Black day night, three gay men from diverse Prairie Ave. women. 7:00pm Affinity Community occupations and life journeys discuss Services 2850 S. Wabash Ave. #108 Chi- everything from world headline news to Sunday, Sept. 23 CALENDAR cago http://affinity95.org pop culture from a Black LGBTQ perspec- AIDS Walk Chicago Theme: Live True, Be leadership+visibility+rap music= CRE- tive. 6:00pm - 7:00pm On line http:// You. The Midwest’s largest gathering of ATION Live casual conversations with goo.gl/pL7wWA HIV advocates gather to fight HIV and Wed., Sept. 19 women from our LGBTQ community AIDS in Illinois. $30 walkers, $40 run- Garbage High Homecumming Dance from different industries, a live per- Saturday, Sept. 22 ners before Sept. 16 Time: TBA Soldier A Tribe Called Mess, disco all night by formance by latina rapper, Pinqy Ring, Leather Archives & Museum joins Smith- Field 1410 Museum Campus Dr Chicago Redux with Ginger Forest, Stormy De also sharing her personal experience. sonian Magazine Museum Day Online http://www.aidschicago.org Janero, Shalita Cake, Fox Tyler, and Vega By Women2Women. Tickets required. museum pass allows 1 adult and 1 guest 10:00pm - 4:00am Berlin Nightclub 7:00pm - 9:00pm Two Hearted Queen, free one-day admission to the LA&M. Monday, Sept. 24 954 W Belmont Ave Chicago 1201 W Roscoe St Chicago Tickets: 18+ only 11:00am - 5:00pm Leather The Women of Shaw The Women of Shaw: Meet Pride Action Tank Celebrate and http://www.eventbrite.com/e/leader- Archives & Museum 6418 N Greenview Smart, Strong, Rebellious, and Heroic!. support Pride Action Tank’s participation shipvisibilityrap-music-creation-tickets- Ave Chicago Tickets: http://www.smith- $50 7:00pm Ruth Page Center for the in the upcoming (Sept. 23) AIDS Run & DEAR JOHN 49613192394#tickets sonianmag.com/museumday/museum- Arts 1016 N. Dearborn Chicago 312- Walk Chicago. $20 donation gets a drink Cris Williamson, Barbara Higbie and day-2018/ 587-7390 http://ShawChicago.org ticket and special performances by Thair, Saturday, Sept. 22 Teresa Trull reunion tour Gutsy blues/ American Veterans for Equal Rights Ban- All-new feminist plays Artemisia in lead singer of Chicago alternative band rock vocal dynamo and songwriter Teresa quet Chicago Chapter of AVER (LGBTQ Fall Festival Artemisia launches its Astro Samurai. 7:00pm - 9:00pm Side- New Gerber/Hart Board Trull, Grammy-nominated multi-instru- military veterans) is hosting the Annual 2018-19 theater season with six all-new track 3349 N Halsted St Chicago Tick- President John D’Emilio will mentalist and singer Barbara Higbie, National Convention of AVER at the Cen- feminist plays featured in Fall Festival ets: http://events.aidschicago.org/site/ be in the spotlight at the iconic singer/songwriter Cris Williamson ter on Halsted the banquet at Ann Sath- 2018, which will take place Sept. 24-26 Calendar?id=103101&view=Detail group’s gala. 7:00pm Unitarian Church of Evanston ers includes open bar, silent auction, and Oct. 1-3. 7:30pm The Edge The- Photo by Hal Baim Evanston Tickets: http://www.brownpa- and buffet dinner with program to fol- ater, 5451 N. Broadway 312-725-3780 Thursday, Sept. 20 pertickets.com/nomob?event=3612727 low. $40 6:30pm Ann Sather - Belmont http://Artemisiatheatre.org New Zealand virtual travel Air New Zea- 909 W Belmont Ave Chicago 773-752- It’s Been a F*cking Year Join Jeff-award land virtual reality experience of New sic, wine, beer and light refreshments. Friday, Sept. 21 0058 Tickets: http://www.averchicago. nominee Matthew Huston as he explores Zealand & Australia with sight, sound, 40 Trust members, $50 non-members WERQ! Chicago Job Fair Sponsored by org coming out as a queer man, first love, touch, smell and New Zealand inspired 6:00pm - 8:00pm 951 Chicago Avenue, Windy City Times. From entry level to Gerber/Hart Library Fundraising Ben- and learning how to love and accept cuisine. Free. Enter to win roundtrip tick- Oak Park http://flwright.org/programs/ higher level experience in a range of efit Open History, Open Future, on-site himself. $10 8:00pm The Broadway, ets. Through Sept. 22 10:00am - 6:00pm afterhoursatthehomeandstudio fields. [email protected] at the Gerber/Hart, will feature a look Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway Pioneer Court, the plaza at Tribune Tow- LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois 11:00am - 3:00pm Center on Halsted at upcoming possible future projects 866-811-4111 http://www.pridefilm- er, 401 N Michigan Ave Young Professional Mixer 6:00p.m.- 3656 N Halsted Chicago and welcome noted LGBT history scholar sandplays.com Reeling, The Chicago LGBTQ+ Interna- 6:30p.m. Registration and Networking. Chicago CityKey ID and Voter Registra- John Demilio, Professor Emeritus, Uni- tional Film Festival Thirty feature films, 6:30p.m.-7:00p.m. Programming with tion During the WERQ! LGBTQ Job Fair versity of Illinois-Chicago, as its next Thursday, Sept. 27 nineteen shorts programs. Features in- Randy Ford of First Story. Strategies. Chicago CityKey ID kiosks run by City Board President. 7:00pm Gerber Hart LatinX’s en Accion Activism Panel More clude Mapplethorpe. Rupert Everett and 7:00p.m.-8:00p.m. Networking. $10 Clerk of Chicago offer an optional, valid, Library and Archives 6500 N Clark St information and ticket link to come Scud are scheduled to attend. Through members $15 non-members includes government-issued ID which unlocks Chicago Tickets: http://gerberhart.org 6:30pm - 8:30pm Center on Halsted Sept. 27. Various locations; http://reel- drink ticket light appetizers! 6:00pm - many things in the city and League of Pay It No Mind Ball Mothers LaSaia Lau- 3656 N Halsted St.; https://community. ingfilmfestival.org 8:00pm My Buddie’s Bar & Grill 4416 N Women Voters and Maggie O’Keefe as- ren and Jahari Mizrahi will present a centeronhalsted.org/pages/latinx Day trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Lau- Clark St http://http://business.lgbtcc. sist with voter registration. 11:00am free event will celebrate the life and rent House and Pettit Chapel Enjoy com - 4:00am Center on Halsted 3656 contributions of Marsha P. Johnson, a a late summer evening at Wright’s Oak The WOMB Open Mic Nite Open mic poet- N Halsted Chicago http://www.cen- drag queen/activist who was one of the Park Home and Studio. Relax with mu- ry event. Affinity Community Services is teronhalsted.org/newevents-details. prominent figures in the Stonewall upris- CONNEXIONS Mulryan

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