This “convergence of Chicago artists,” presented by Performing Arts Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, runs weekends through April 18. The avant-garde showcase features presentations by some of the city’s most adventurous artists working in the disciplines of theater, performance, circus arts, storytelling, dance, music, video, and sound and installation art. Participants include Plasticene, Local Infinities, A Red Orchid Theatre, Sheldon B. Smith, 500 Clown, Mathew Wilson, Lucky Pierre, Goat Island, David Kodeski, Mad Shak Dance Company, Connor Kalista, the Walkabout Theater Company, Carol Genetti, the Bumblinni Brothers, and the Curious Theatre Branch.
FRIDAY, MARCH 26
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Conceptual artist Mathew Wilson will, according to a press release, “be available for a confidential, one-on-one consultation regarding the client’s need to surrender to any person, object or idea. . . . At a mutually ageed upon time and place, Mr. Wilson will surrender on your behalf, wielding a large white flag and noble demeanor.” Wilson’s stated goal is to remain “earnest in the face of the ridiculous.” Yet his task can be tinged with profundity. Wilson admits that in this piece he’s a cross between a two-bit private eye and a third-rate psychoanalyst, yet his symbolic act has the potential to yield genuine results. (JHa) Coat check room, 7-10 PM. Free. Wilson and collaborator Adam Brooks will also team up for a weekly stunt on the streets–dates and times to be posted online at www.industryoftheordinary.com. Free.
My Name Is Mudd
Swedish immigrant Malin Lindelow explores her cross-cultural identity in this linguistic examination of the pledge of allegiance. Lobby studio, 8 and 10 PM. $15.
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A Red Orchid Theatre remounts its 2003 staging of French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltes’ 1986 existential drama, in which two men–the Dealer and the Client–meet at “the hour when, ordinarily, man and beast are falling savagely one upon another.” In this taut, mystifying, and deadly difficult work, the characters trade dense poetic monologues for 75 minutes, dissecting the indeterminacy of human desire. While the playwright’s fascination with the dealer-client relationship seems at times more obstinate than evocative, his images are tantalizing, and his unsparing approach fascinates. Director Dexter Bullard avoids all gimmicks in this bare-bones production, letting the play proceed on its own maddeningly secretive terms. (JHa) Main-stage balcony lobby, 10 PM. $15.
