On September 30, a large red paper hat with the words Make SNAP Great Again appeared on the wall of an Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) office in suburban Lincolnwood.  A staff member says she burst into tears after seeing the sign, which references President Donald Trumps maligned call to Make America Great Again, […] The post Make SNAP ...

Yorgos Lanthimoss Bugonia is a feverish mix of ecological panic and conspiratorial mania. It feels newly prophetic as it returns to the familiar nightmare of Jang Joon-hwans cult masterpiece, Save the Green Planet! (2003). In it, Joon-hwan asks: Why would anyone destroy the planet on purpose? No human would wreak such havoc willinglyonly extraterrestrials ...

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicagos independent and underground film scene has to offer. As this years Halloween season nears its end, Im reflecting on all the types of horror there are. The horrors of real life seem endless, but the horror genre is expansive. […] The post Strange behavior appeared first ...

November is National Native American Heritage Montha period when public attention is briefly directed toward Indigenous people more out of obligation than moral responsibility. So says Ernest M. Whiteman III, a Northern Arapaho filmmaker and codirector of the First Nations Film and Video Festival (FNFVF). The only time people think about Native peoples is ...

A few years ago, a cognitive behavioral therapist recommended sensory distraction to me as a tool for overcoming panic attacks. If the stresses of life are overwhelming your brain so much theyre manifesting in uncontrollable physical symptoms, she advised, surprise your body with something unexpected: Bite into a lime wedge. Take a cold shower. Play […] ...

The Windy City birthed a world-famous horn-rock sound in the late 1960s, led by the likes of the Mob and the band Chicago (formerly the Chicago Transit Authority). The citys rich jazz, R&B, and soul scenes prepared the ground for this development, producing horn players such as Eddie Harris, Von Freeman, Gene Barge, and Johnny […] The post Aura helped ...

Machine Made, through 11/23, MPAACT at Greenhouse Theater Center The post Power plays appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Jekyll & Hyde, through 12/21, Kokandy Productions at the Chopin Theatre The post Doctor and devil appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Mark, through 11/22, Babes With Blades at the Edge Theater The post Rage and rebellion appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Godspell, through 11/16, Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie The post Gospel truths appeared first on Chicago Reader.

On a brisk Tuesday night in mid-October on the citys west side, the National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) opened its doors after-hours for a conversation between Atlanta journalist Brian Goldstone and Chicago author, scholar, and organizer Eve L. Ewing. Goldstone recently published There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America, a compassionate, ...

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 5. October 30, 2025. The post Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 5 appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Blackbird, through 11/23, New Theatre Project at Servi-Sure The post Battle in the break room appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Sporting Life, through 11/22 at Factory Theater The post It’s no game appeared first on Chicago Reader.

In February 1996, veteran improvising musician Joe McPhee made his Chicago debut at the Empty Bottle, which had established itself only a few years prior as a go-to rock club. McPhee, whos best known as a saxophonist and trumpeter, came at the invitation of reedist and composer Ken Vandermark and curator and Reader contributor John […] The post The Bottle ...

Las Borinqueas, through 11/9, Visin Latino Theatre Company at Chicago Dramatists The post When the pill came to Puerto Rico appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Measure of a Man, through 11/2, Coalescence Theatre at Raven Theatre The post The chairman returns appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Four Places, through 11/2, 4 Chairs Theatre at Bramble Arts Loft The post Four Places maps the cracks in family relationships appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Chicago Fashion Week wrapped up Sunday after nearly two weeks of fashion education and social events, exhibitions, in-store activations, retail markets, galas, and runway shows, all aimed at elevating the city to be a major player in the international fashion industry. Launched last year, the second iteration again focused on local designers, designers of ...

Rosehills gothic entrance gate off Ravenswood Avenue casts a puzzle-piece shadow onto the pavement and grass. The sky is all blue, and the sun is already too hot on this late July morning. Looking west into the cemetery, theres a line of maple trees, a verdigris statue of someone named Charles J. Hull, and headstones. […] The post Five and a half feet ...

VR porn games have taken adult entertainment to the next level, thanks to huge leaps in headset technology and production quality. Gone are the days of static screens, now, you can step inside the action with hyper-realistic 3D visuals, smooth animations, and responsive gameplay that puts you in control. Whether curious or a longtime fan, […] The post ...

Were living in unprecedented timesits a phrase so often said that it feels like an infinite loop. From Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids to environmental catastrophes, Big Techs authoritarian lean, and genocidal violence on a constant stream, its hard not to feel like weve inherited a world on fire. For activist Kelly Hayes, organizing in […] The ...

The largest gathering of Asian American chefs in Chicago history is happening next Monday, November 3, at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. Thats according to Ed Marszewski of the Marz Community empire, who managed to rustle up some 41 chefs (and counting) in three weeks after a roundtable gathering at Maxwells Trading earlier this month […] The post Some ...

This years Chicago Fashion Week, which ran October 9 to 19, featured more than 60 events on the official calendaralong with various independent happeningsmaking it a dizzying stretch for the citys style crowd. From fashion shows and parties to lectures and workshops, there was something for every taste and budget.  Fashion event producer the Curio […] ...

Chicagos physical media lovers’ excitement was palpable when the Criterion Mobile Closet announced in mid-September that its final stop of the year would be the Windy City as part of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF). The Mobile Closet is a more compact version of the famed Criterion Closet, a room lined from ground […] The post ...