It may not yet be the Festive Season, but it certainly is the Festival Season. Now through November, there seems to be an unending string of performing arts Festivals that are long on theater. Here's some of what to expect.
Rhinoceros Theatre Festival—Produced by Chicago's oldest established permanent avant-gardists, the Curious Theatre Branch, this 16th annual—and quite possibly final—edition runs through Nov. 20 at the Curious Theatre, 7001 N. Glenwood. This year's galloping Rhino offers 17 programs running from one-night-only to 10 performances. The material includes new work by solo writer/performers, new plays (there's one about Mark Twain and why he wore white suits out-of-season), musical cabaret, vaudeville, story telling and even some Dylan Thomas and Brecht. However, this year's Rhino centers on the 16 candles theme, offering '16 Grandmothers' (Sept. 18), '16 Students' (Oct. 10) and '16 Assholes' (Nov. 7) featuring stories by or about those respective categories of individuals. Which one are you? Info/tickets: (773) 274-6660; $12 or 'pay what you can.' Of special interest: The Fine Art of Italian Cooking, written and performed by BoyGirlBoyGirl, a/k/a Susan McLaughlin Karp, David Kodeski, Stephanie Shaw, and Edward Thomas-Herrera Nov. 19-20 at 7 p.m.
Playing French: Chicago's First Festival of Contemporary Plays from France, various venues, Oct. 1-Nov. 28. You've eaten haute cuisine, worn haute couture, made French love; are you ready for haut theatre? When French consular officials in Chicago observed that all the modern French plays being done here were 40 or 50 years old—Beckett, Anouilh, Genet, Giraudoux, Ionesco—they decided to do something about it. They engaged a dozen local theater companies and two universities and offered them translations of over 70 plays by living, current French dramatists. This unique festival is the result. Playing French offers seven fully produced plays, 11 staged readings, a film series, special performance events and a scholarly symposium at such venues as the Chicago Cultural Center, Chopin Theatre, Evanston Arts Depot, the Athenaeum, Prop Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, the Alliance Francaise, Northwestern University, the Storefront Theatre and others. Among the participants are the European Rep, Trap Door, TUTA, Steppenwolf, Next, Wing & Groove, Piccolo and The Hypocrites theater companies, and others. All details are available online at www.PlayingFrench.org
Chicago Humanities Festival, various venues, Oct. 30-Nov. 14. This unique festival is a veritable orgy of liberal (in the true, non-political sense of the word) discussion, exploration and performance covering nearly every category of human endeavor. The theme for this 15th anniversary year is Time. Among the several hundred programs spread over two very full weeks are several score theatrical, musical and dance performances plus literary readings. Among the highlights: Ladies First, in which Steppenwolf ensemble members Joan Allen, Martha Lavey and Molly Regan deliver passages from the letters and writings of America's Presidential Wives; Nov. 4, Thorne Auditorium; Tan Manhattan, a reconstruction of a long-lost, legendary musical by composer Eubie Blake and lyricist Andy Razaf, staged by Andres DeShields; Nov. 6, Symphony Center; ASCAP Cabaret, Songs of Our Times, featuring Andrea Marcovicci and others singing contemporary tunes, co-produced by Chicagoan Dan Stetzel, Nov. 6, Harris Music & Dance Theatre; You Might As Well Live, in which Karen Mason does Dorothy Parker in a one-woman musical play, Nov. 7, Harris Theatre; Johnny G. and Noel C., a performance piece about the life-long friendship between theatrical giants and gay icons, Sir John Gielguid and Sir Noel Coward, featuring Richard Easton, Simon Jones and Rosemary Harris; Nov. 8, Thorne Auditorium. No Chicago Humanities Festival regular event is more than $15, and most are $5-$10. Call (312) 661-1028 for a Festival brochure, or log in to www.chfestival.org
Dance Chicago, Athenaeum Theatre, Nov. 6-Dec. 5. The 10th annual festival of Chicago dance is the biggest yet, with some 200 dance troupes, choreographers and solo performers offering 24 performances of nine different programs over the five weeks of Dance Chicago. Dance styles will range from traditional to experimental, including ballet, modern, jazz, folk, percussive and hip-hop. The full roster reads like a 'who's who' of Chicago dance. Dance Chicago typically is more fun and far more accessible than most dance program, offering such singular events as the annual Dance Slam and the Best of New Dance, plus a range of child-friendly (and often participatory) performances. For full info about Dance Chicago, go to www.dancechicago.com .