The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, February 3 through February 9, 2016

1 The Flick

Theater Dexter Bullard directs Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize–winning exploration of a dying movie house and the three underpaid cinephiles whose passion transcends stale popcorn and sticky floors.
2/4–5/8. $20–$89. Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted. steppenwolf.org

2 Ginger Krebs

Dance Created with the support of a grant from the Chicago Dancemakers Forum, Buffer Overrun is an evening-length work from Krebs, a contemporary choreographer inspired by the post World War II Japanese dance form butoh.
2/4–2/7. $10–$15. Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph. gingerkrebs.com

3 Multiple Dimensions

Art Martin Puryear is one of the greatest living abstract sculptors. Dedicated to crafting unusual yet refined forms in metal and wood, he has also worked quietly in prints and drawings during his four-decade career. The exhibit focuses on Puryear’s rarely seen works on paper, with a dozen sculptures providing context.
2/5–5/3. Art Institute of Chicago. 111 S. Michigan. artic.edu

4 UChicago Presents

New Music Third Coast Percussion bangs out a crowd-pleasing program that includes Thierry De Mey’s rhythmic Table Music, the Chicago premiere of Donnacha Dennehy’s drumming piece Surface Tension, and the minimalist master Steve Reich’s Sextet.
2/5 at 7:30. $5–$25. International House, U. of C., 1414 E. 59th. chicagopresents.uchicago.edu

5 Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues

Blues Founded by Siegel-Schwall frontman Corky Siegel in 1987, Chamber Blues is exactly what it sounds like: a classically trained string ensemble playing 12-bar standards behind Corky Siegel’s famed harmonica. Because who said blues was only for guitarists?
2/6 at 8. $20–$40. SPACE, 1245 Chicago, Evanston. ticketweb.com

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals: Sommer Austin, assistant director of The Flick, which begins previews February 4 at Steppenwolf Theatre.

“Friday during the day, my husband and I offer free programming at our acting studio, Green Shirt Studio, at Montrose and Clark. We call it Free Fridays. We teach the Meisner approach to acting, and starting at 2 p.m. we have free yoga. After that, I’ll go see the Flick preview at 7:30, then probably go out for drinks. I really like O’Shaughnessy’s in my ’hood, Ravenswood.

“Saturdays I teach a class at Green Shirt. Before that, I’ll walk to get coffee at Eats & Sweets Café in Ravenswood. Since it’s been a rough week, I’ll probably schedule a massage with Ellen at Lincoln Square Massage. Then I’ll grab some lunch, maybe at Taste of Lebanon in Andersonville, and see the Flick preview at 3 p.m. After that, my theater company, No Shame, runs a late-night show on Saturdays at the Lincoln Loft (3036 Lincoln Ave.). It’s a theatrical open mike. We take the first 15 people in the door, and the only rules are that your piece must be original, no longer than five minutes, and you can’t break any laws—so we see a range of performers. It usually ends between midnight and 1 a.m.

“On Sunday, I’ll take my friend Amanda’s morning Vinyasa class at the Yoga Loft downtown. Then I’ll usually go to brunch at the Amazing Kale Burger in Evanston. After the Flick matinee, my friends Angie McMahon and Kevin Mullaney are directing a show at Under the Gun Theater called Bits and Pieces.” —As told to Matt Pollock

Freebie of the Week

Renaissance Society: Secrets of a Trumpet

Art The German artist Peter Wächtler has spent a month in Chicago creating new work for the gallery, watercolors, photographers, and his largest-ever bronze figures.
2/7–4/3. Free. 5811 S. Ellis. renaissancesociety.org