The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, September 30 through October 6, 2015

1 Chicago Architecture Biennial

Architecture: The three-month celebration of contemporary architecture officially kicks off with a reception at the Stony Island Arts Bank, golden boy Theaster Gates’s latest derelict South Side building-turned-arts space. The event is free and open to the public (10/3 at 5 p.m.), but RSVP is required.
10/3–1/3. Free. Various locations. chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org

2 Chicago Sinfonietta

Classical: The never-dull orchestra invites flamenco and tap dancers to its stage on a program that includes contemporary composer Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos and Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird.
10/5 at 7:30. $18–$60. Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan. chicagosinfonietta.org/1516season/tap-in-turn-up

3 Bloodlines

Dance: Stephen Petronio, known for his magnetic, fast-paced pieces, pays tribute to the iconic postmodern choreographers who influenced him.
10/1–10/3. $30. The Dance Center at Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan. colum.edu/dance-center/performances

4 Margaret Cho

Comedy: The first Asian American woman to nab a network sitcom (ABC’s ill-fated All-American Girl), Grammy-nominated Cho eviscerates pop culture’s inanities in the manner of her late mentor Joan Rivers.
10/3 at 8. $29.50–$59.50. The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State. thechicagotheatre.com

5 The Cheats

Theater: Actor Hamish Linklater (The Newsroom, The New Adventures of Old Christine) turns to playwriting with a comedy that sounds like it’s part Rear Window, part Desperate Housewives, and part Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
10/1–11/7. $25–$35. Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn. steeptheatre.com

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: performance artist Eileen Tull.

“Friday, I’ll go right to Uncharted Books for my show, Bad Dates, or: What Killed That Monkey in Indiana Jones Only Makes Me Stronger. It’ll be at a bunch of locations through October and November. It’s about life, love, and Harrison Ford movies. It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s a little touching, and it’s super nerdy.

“After the show, I’ll go over to the Rocking Horse, which is just down the street from Uncharted. It’s one of my favorite bars. They have this really great sandwich—I hope they still make it, but I haven’t had it in years—it’s just apple and blue cheese. It’s the best sandwich I’ve ever had.

“Saturday, I’m hoping to go for a run on the lake path. I live in Lincoln Park, so I can jump right out on the path, do a couple miles. And then I tentatively have a Tinder date. We’re meeting at Bourgeois Pig Café in Lincoln Park, which is where I do a lot of first dates.

“In the evening, I’ll catch a drag show at the Call, which is probably my favorite bar in the city, up in Andersonville. They just have the best and most fun drag in town, so it’s always a good time.

“Sunday, I’m performing the show again in Elgin at the Blue Box Café, which is a Doctor Who–themed café. That evening, I’ll try to catch the Matt Damon Mars movie, The Martian. I want to go to the Regal Webster Place 11 Theater. It makes me feel like a renaissance king; it’s the most luxurious experience.” —As told to Hannah Nyhart

Freebie of the Week

SITE Specific Architectural Drawings

Art: In conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the gallery hosts watercolors and sketches by noted New York architect James Wines, whose structures are often referred to as “filtering zones” between interiors and the landscape.
10/1–10/24. Rhona Hoffman, 118 N. Peoria. rhoffmangallery.com