Category > PreviewsStories and Beer
Stories & Beer Presents: The Out of Towners | Indi Go | Saturday 5-8 | BYOB | Free This Saturday, a couple of the folks who throw together Stories and Beer will be presenting you with a crew of talented writers (and apparent weirdos) from Southern Illinois University's MFA Program. Now, I know what you're probably thinking: why are you bringing writers from the most backwards region of Illinois (and perhaps the USA) to come read about whatever they write about …
burlesque [ber-lesk] noun an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus Ludicrous parodies and provocative stage shows were just the beginning for Champaign-Urbana's premiere burlesque troupe when it formed just over eighteen months ago. Carnivàle Debauche has come …
I don't remember details about the first time I saw Bob Fosse's 1972 film, Cabaret. It was 1978 (give or take a year), and I was either 12 or 13 years old. We had HBO, and I think that's how I first gained access to the movie (I know it wasn't at a theater). I didn't catch all of the references; I certainly didn't understand the sexual themes. But I remember being utterly captivated by the music, the costumes, the …
This is what I said at the moment of my conversion: I said, ‘Fuck it. Come in.I quit.'~~Anne Lamott This Friday, R. Dale Smith will bring his one-man show, Jesus Phreak: The Story of a Very UnLiKeLy Disciple, to Champaign-Urbana. Smith's show tells the story of one man's struggles, doubts, reluctance, and eventual acceptance of God. But this story is not morose; it is not meant to be a sermon, or even a lesson. Rather, Smith's goal is to show …
Last Thursday evening, I attended the premier of Patrick Barlow's The 39 Steps at the Station Theater in downtown Urbana. What first caught my attention when entering the theater was that the stage was much smaller than what I was used to. Furthermore, the stage décor consisted of nothing but a brown armchair against a gray backdrop. Given that the Station has used its space to create such expansive, imaginative sets in the past, I was curious to see what …
Premiering Thursday, July 21 at the Station Theater in downtown Urbana is Patrick Barlow's The 39 Steps. I had the opportunity to speak to director Mathew Green about the upcoming performances. Here's what he had to say. Smile Politely: Can you give us a brief synopsis of this play? Mathew Green: It's a classic Hitchcock "Wrong Man" story, but played for laughs. Richard Hannay meets a mysterious woman, learns of a secret plot to overthrow his government, is accused of …
Saturday evening at 8 p.m. in the Channing-Murray Center (1209 W. Oregon, Urbana), the New Revels Players will be performing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I saw a poster in the basement of the Independent Media Center and couldn't find anything about it online, but any theater performance for $5 immediately piques my interest. So, I tracked down Erik Allgood, New Revels veteran and director of the show, to give you good people an idea of what you might be …
Monolith Reception | Indi Go | Friday | 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Free Cocktails/Hor d'oeuvres It's not exactly fair to call Michael Curtin a newcomer to the C-U art scene. He's also not quite a veteran. As a townie, a resident of downtown Champaign and a graduate of the U of I's school of Art & Design, Curtin has been around the scene for longer than many of the folks who end up showing their art in town. …
Camp Out is one of the films showing at the LGBTQA Film Festival this Saturday, June 11, at The Art Theater. The time is 5:30 p.m. The film is 78 min. In the summer of 2004 an unprecedented event occurred in rural Minnesota. A group of teenagers attended the first gay Christian bible camp. This is their story.
The UP Center of Champaign County is holding its 2nd Annual LGBTQA Film Festival this Saturday afternoon and evening at the Art Theater to celebrate Pride Month. A list of films, show times, and other details are available on the Facebook page for the event. One of the films being shown at the festival is The Kids Are All Right, which was released last year, and was nominated for four Oscar Awards. The film was directed and co-written by Lisa …
Most Recent Arts Comments
Local, I forgot to offer you a piece of sage advice. Don’t bag on 39 south because they represent your potential collector pool. Even though I haven’t lived in Champaign since 1997, 39 south is still the only arts entity that has promoted my work as an…
Lest 39 South feels picked on: Check this from the Urbana City Public Arts Program: “Calling all Champaign County Artists! We’re pleased to announce a Call for Entries for a new initiative called Murals on Glass, which will feature artwork reproduced in adhesive vinyl displayed on the…
You forgot Jonathon Fineberg was also personal pals with the Christo’s. I’ll agree that Dr. Fineberg has done a tremendous job communicating to undergrads why this stuff is important, but I won’t kiss the ring because he also contributed to the dismantling of crafts at the U…
And boom goes the dynamite.
I think the best and most exciting arts programming in Champaign-Urbana is at the Krannert Art Museum. The depth and quality of the museum’s permanent collection speaks highly to the intelligence of the art history faculty at the University. I have to say taking Art History with…
Another mystifying thing is 39 South touts the fact that when you consider all things that are considered “art”, i.e. music, exhibits, movies, performances, craft fairs, circuses, ect; art in Champaign County apparently generates $60 million dollars of “economic activity” every year, so says 39 South. And…
I have to agree, I’m a bit confused as to the purpose of 40 North, although I am aware that the organization is in a period of restructuring and re-examination. And yes, the “staff of 1” does work tirelessly to keep the operations afloat, but the fact…
“Making art accessible to everyone and cultivating the art and artists in Champaign County is 40 North’s main mission.” FACT: When the Urbana City Council proposed to form a new public arts council of its own in 2008, 39 South actually sent letters from board members Cody…
On behalf of the New Art Film Festival, I’d like to thank you for highlighting our event in this article. It is our pleasure to put together this showcase for the community and the recognition is highly appreciated by all of us involved in the NAFF. Also,…
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Most Recent Comments
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
What? Echo! (Echo!) Where’s the dischord and dissent?
This weekend will mark the first appearance of Kayla Brown’s Fire Doll Candle booth at the Market. Check it: http://www.facebook.com/firedollcandles
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Thanks for the sage advice Mary Anna, but I’m long done with the sucking up and being thankful for the scraps. The most important thing an artist can do to live with yourself is tell the emperor he’s got no clothes, and spray paint something on his…