Results tagged “rent”

Back in 1989 urban planners proposed a plan to develop the South Loop into an arts community that would provide fixed affordable housing for artists alongside studios, galleries, and performance spaces. At the time, a decline in manufacturing and warehousing business in the area north and west of the Chicago River had opened up an abundance of cheap loft space that seemed suited for working artists and galleries.

Musical theater has been on our minds lately because frankly, we’re having trouble finding it in Chicago. Not just any musical theater - new work that originates in the second city. Sure Wicked had a nice run but the show began with an out-of-town try-out in San Francisco. Jersey Boys is still going strong, but the show’s ticket prices don’t really appeal to the masses. National tours come through all the time, most rrecently with Rent opening this week. But let’s face it: it’s just a cheap ploy to make a lot of money. (Original cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal are way too old to play struggling 20 year olds in the East Village.) And to add insult to injury, each one of those shows is based on some prior piece of work.

No repartee this week, all business. - We've received e-mails from concerned people and had to check it out for ourselves, and it looks as though Cereality at 110 South Wacker has closed down, only a couple years after Chicagoist (among other media) made a big fuss about its opening. There's even a "For Rent" sign in its front window. This kind of reaffirms our faith in the human race; if people won't pay $4.50...

Schadenfreude put media professionals and bloggers on stage at their near-monthly Rent Party Friday night for an Alternative Media Slam/ Free For All / Put Down Insult Tournament. The Schad organized this inaugural competition out of respect for our work and because they wanted to see four local institutions sling muck at each other. And sling we did. Before we get into who called who what and who’s momma was being disrespected, let's be...

You may remember our former editor Scott Smith's performance at Schadenfreude's December Rent Party, where he read his infamous correspondence with Richard Marx. Chicagoist is having a bad week, so we were cheered up when Mark Bazer from the RedEye sent us a link to a video of his performance that night as the Ravinia programming director. Tune in for a preview of Ravinia's upcoming season, but if you don't want to watch the...

We can’t turn our backs for a minute without those creatives making all sorts of trouble. Good for them. Let’s catch up and find more excuses to get out of the house this winter: Comedy/Theater Schadenfreude holds their December Rent Party tonight, where Chicagoist editor Scott Smith will read his correspondence with Richard Marx. Will the mulleted 80s rocker show up? No, but he’ll be played by a special guest. The monthly showcase of local...

Topics great and small are fodder for discussions here in the Chicagoist offices. In getting to know some of our new writers last week, we were having a discussion about neighborhoods. Surprisingly, we discovered that some of us didn’t actually hang out on the streets where we live. More than one person said something along the lines of “I like this about my neighborhood, but I don’t like that.”

As if 130 bands, overpriced food, kids’ shows, an art exhibit, and people watching weren’t enough, Lollapalooza 2006 will serve up afternoons of interactive entertainment on the Mindfield Stage. Good to see three local comedy offerings on the bill but, with all due respect, they’re pretty much the opening act everyone’s sitting through to get to the headliner. To any of our readers coughing up $60 or more just to see Chicago comedy in Grant...

"2781: for the love of country - buy their gucci, their fendi, their prada, their christian dior, their louis vuitton, their versace, their dolce & gabbana, and their roberto cavalli - merchandise." by only-connect

Chicagoist never gets the last word. Shows run long after we’ve weighed in, discussions evolve beyond our ramblings, companies grow, companies fold, artists work hard to make a living or to make the next news cycle. For our curious and attention-deficient readers, some quick updates on previously reported stories. Art Fairs and Festivals At the eleventh hour, the Merch Mart saved Art Chicago 2006. Soon after the exhibitors packed up came word that Merchandise Mart...

The Chicago Improv Festival kicks off tonight at the Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown with Schadenfreude’s first Chicago stage performance since…probably last year’s fest. The “Schadenfreude Rent Party” is an evening of all new material from a group that routinely packed the house at past CIFs, their late night revues, and the national college circuit until Chicago Public Radio got a hold of them. Then they were too busy hobnobbing with, and making fun of,...

As sure as the return of the fully-unveiled Bean draws fresh hordes of gawking tourists and grateful photographers, the return of reliable cash-cows to the stage draw pieces of that same audience back for a familiar good time. We’ve already covered the return of the anti-musical musical that is Urinetown, bunking at the Mercury Theater for the foreseeable future. A few old favorites follow their lead downtown:

As has been pointed out elsewhere, Thanksgiving is often a time for families to get together and share some quality time. You just threw up in your mouth a little, didn’t you? Somewhere around Hour Four of your Familial Celebration of Overeating and Passive-Agressive Conversation, you’ll be looking for an out. If two hours of sitting in the dark while no one sharing your DNA says a thing sounds like heaven, then it’s off to...

While the CTA’s budget woes are well-known, the cries of poverty that occasionally emanate from its suburban counterpart often go unheard by those in the city limits. So Metra has to find creative ways to make ends meet like picking up some acting work. Various Metra trains and stations appear in the Jennifer Aniston/Clive Owen film Derailed, which comes out this weekend.

Note: This is Part 3 of an occasional series.