The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, April 1 through April 7, 2015

1 The Herd

Theater: See longtime Chicago actor John Mahoney in playwright Rory Kinnear’s drama about a severely disabled man and the familial contentions his 21st birthday party spark.
4/2–6/7. $20–$86. Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. steppenwolf.org

2 Patti Smith

Music: Smith just can’t get enough of Chi-Town. The rock pioneer returns to the Old Town School of Folk Music, where she played in November, for another set of intimate shows.
4/2–4/4 $73–$75. Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln. oldtownschool.org

3 B-Rooted

Dance: Featuring panels and dance workshops, this two-day hip-hop festival emphasizes the role women play in the street art form.
4/3–4/4. Free. Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan. colum.edu/dance-center/performances

4 Mivos Quartet

New Music: The Mivos Quartet plays ‘This Mind,’ a piece by the experimental composer Eric Wubbles, that uses extremely high electronically-produced pitches to trick the ear into perceiving that the sound originates in the listener’s head. This could be mind-blowing, horrifying, irritating, or some combination of all three.
4/5 at 8:30. $10–$15. Constellation, 3111 N. Western. constellation-chicago.com

5 Annoyance Film Night

Film: The improv mainstay has Sunday night film screenings for only $2.
4/5 at 7. $2. The Annoyance Theatre and Bar, 851 W Belmont. theannoyance.com/events/event/annoyance-film-night

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: Elana Green, director of operations at Land and Sea. Longman & Eagle’s Adult Easter Egg Hunt takes place on Sunday, April 5.

“This Friday is Passover, so, as a good self-identifying Jew, I’ll be traveling to my friend’s house in Evanston for Passover Seder complete with Uncle Robert’s self-titled Passover hit, “There’s No Seder Like Our Seder.” I am making my mom’s charoset, an apple and walnut mixture resembling mortar. I won’t be the youngest this year, so no one will know I know very little Hebrew.

“Saturday, I’ll brunch with one of my dearest friends at the Winchester. We love their avocado toast and their black coconut rice dish. To balance my life of eating and drinking, I’ll meet my trainer to burn a few calories doing his variations of push-up torture. After the gym, I’ll swing by tiki bar Lost Lake. The banana daiquiri is my favorite. I’ll have a quick snack from Thank You, the takeout restaurant next door. Their egg rolls with house made plum sauce are irresistible. I like to stay in on Saturday nights and cook dinner, especially due to this weekend’s early Sunday start. I’ll probably grab a whole chicken from Dill Pickle and roast it with whatever looks great.

“Easter Sunday, every year, I help host an Adult Easter Egg Hunt (our fifth annual this year) launching from Longman & Eagle. (Still Jewish, just also a supporter of anything fun!) We have 300 participants (or more) and they hunt for hand-colored eggs in teams of two. Longman & Eagle has boiled 6,000 eggs. This year’s profits benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, who will be present at the event (10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), introducing their organization and signing up interested participants. Entry to the event is $5 a person. We’ll also have the pet adoption agency Alive Rescue on site and Black Dog Gelato.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

Freebie of the Week

Chicago Chamber Musicians Ensemble

Classical: Although Chicago Chamber Musicians canceled its 2014–15 season, several of its members have continued performing under the name Chicago Chamber Musicians Ensemble, notably in their first Monday slot at the Cultural Center.
4/6 at 12:15. Free. Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. cityofchicago.org