The Ten

Don’t-miss picks for December 13 through December 19, 2018

1 La Ruta

Theater:For decades, women have been disappearing in and around Ciudad Juarez. Reports have speculated about the possibility of a serial killer preying on women in the area, but the disappearances are largely unsolved. Playwright Isaac Gomez gives voice to the missing through interviews and music, creating a story of resilience, resistance, and mourning.
12/13–1/27. $20–$89. Steppenwolf Theatre. steppenwolf.org

2 Story Party: True Dating Stories

Comedy:This live storytelling series has toured the world with funny and true tales about all the awkward, humiliating, yet occasionally sweet moments that occur on the dating scene. Come ready to share an anecdote of your own: At the beginning of each performance, audience members are asked to write down a laughable dating experience to be read anonymously at some point during the night.
12/13 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. $20. Reggies. reggieslive.com

3 The King’s Singers

Classical:The aces of the King’s Singers make their first Chicago-area appearance since 2009, touring for their album Gold, a 50th-anniversary compilation of 60 tracks of the group’s wide-ranging a cappella repertoire. In addition to the obligatory holiday trolling, the sextet samples all the way back to medieval chant, forward to contemporary commissions, and orthogonally to stuff that’s a cappella more in the Pitch Perfect sense.
12/13 at 7:30 p.m. $35–$135. Harris Theater. harristheaterchicago.org

4 Schweddy Ball

Party:Before its exhibit Saturday Night Live: The Experience closes at the end of the year, the Museum of Broadcast Communications is honoring a classic sketch from the TV series with a holiday blowout. Guests are encouraged to either dress Schweddily or in the guise of another favorite SNL character. The night includes access to the exhibit, live band karaoke, bites from the Billy Goat Tavern, and some Schweddy Balls for dessert.
12/15 at 7 p.m. $75. Museum of Broadcast Communications. eventbrite.com

5 Post Animal

Rock:This quirky postpsych rock group is more than just a side gig for Stranger Things actor Joe Keery. Post Animal was already well established in underground circles for its eclectic sound, a mix of hard-charging stoner rock and glowing melodies. Join fellow local fans in what’s sure to be a festive homecoming show after a year filled with touring and festival hopping across the country.
12/15 at 8 p.m. $19–$21. Metro. metrochicago.com

6 Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

Dance:A new work by associate artistic director Gary Abbott, Parallel Lives is an abstract approach to everyday experiences among working-class women, set to original music by Kansas City–based composer Evangelos Spanos. Revivals by Abbott and artistic director Kevin Iega Jeff complete the evening.
12/15–16. $35–$55. Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. deeplyrooteddancetheater.org

7 Naotaka Hiro

Art:The Los Angeles painter is capturing the eye of curators and collectors with his psychedelic, abstract canvases and sculptures, appearing here in his first solo show in Chicago.
FREE 12/15–1/26. Shane Campbell Gallery. shanecampbellgallery.com

8 The Midnight Hour

Hip-Hop:Producer and musician Adrian Younge crafts soul, funk, and R&B backdrops that somehow sound like hip-hop samples. Take his collaborations with Ghostface, which mirror the dusty quality of RZA’s mid-’90s peak but are in fact recorded entirely on live instruments. So it makes sense he’d link up with Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the jazz-expert DJ behind A Tribe Called Quest, for a new project that serves as a musical tribute to the Harlem Renaissance.
12/16 at 8:30 p.m. $18–$20. Empty Bottle. eventbrite.com

9 Chicago Works: Jessica Campbell

Art:Every now and then the MCA’s Chicago artist series goes deep into the city’s creative underground. This season, Jessica Campbell debuts a new collection of her famous rug paintings — colorful renderings of comical situations, like someone watching pornography on their smartphone while driving a car — detailing the life of Canadian artist Emily Carr.
12/18–7/7. Free–$15. Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. mcachicago.org

10 Peace in Chicago

New Music:The new-music ensemble Fulcrum Point, which prizes pieces that cross geography and genres, throws its 20th annual Peace in Chicago concert, this year subtitled An Intergenerational Celebration. Guests include the Chicago Children’s Choir and Nico Segal, the artist formerly known as Donnie Trumpet, who will perform the world premiere of an oratorio mashing up new music, hip-hop, and poetry.
12/19 at 7:30 p.m. $15–$30. Harris Theater. harristheaterchicago.org