Don’t-miss picks for January 25 through January 31, 2017

1 Dmitry Masleev

Classical:The quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition has, in its piano division, laureled the likes of Van Cliburn and Daniil Trifonov. The most recent first-place winner, Dmitry Masleev, a late-20-something with serious technical chops, tours a recital running the gamut from Scarlatti to Rachmaninoff, capped with the calling card of pianistic virtuosity, Liszt. After this concert, he hits Carnegie Hall.
1/26 at 7:30 p.m. $30–$40. Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago, Evanston. liskermusicfoundation.org

2 Faceless

Theater:In Selina Fillinger’s new drama, an 18-year-old is accused of plotting an act of terrorism. Fillinger only recently graduated from Northwestern University, but her career is moving fast: In 2015, the two-time winner of Northwestern’s Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival won the first-ever Judith Barlow Prize, a national student playwriting award.
1/26–3/4. $15–$70. Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie, Skokie. northlight.org

3 Chicago Restaurant Week

Food:This two-week celebration of Chicago’s culinary scene features prix fixe menus at more than 350 locations.
1/27–2/9. Dinner: $33–$44; brunch/lunch: $22. Various locations. choosechicago.com

4 Provoke: Photography in Japan Between Protest and Performance, 1960–1975

Art:This exhibit identifies the short-lived Tokyo magazine Provoke as Japan’s countercultural epicenter after World War II for its photographs of demonstrations and political performances in the traumatized postwar nation. The Art Institute—the exhibit’s solo North American host—displays nearly 500 photos and some 80 books, including those by Provoke’s chief contributors.
1/28–4/30. $14–$25. Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan. artic.edu

5 Chicago Winter Bike Swap

Recreation:Looking to upgrade your two-wheeler? You’ll be hard-pressed to find better deals on bikes, parts, and gear than at the 10th annual Bike Swap. More than an open market, it’s a chance to pick the brains of some of Chicago’s most knowledgeable riders.
1/29 at 9:30 a.m. $5. Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin, Palatine. chicagowinterbikeswap.com

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know-locals: Playwright Selina Fillinger, whose newest play, Faceless, begins previews January 26 at Northlight Theatre in Skokie.

“I’m going to be in tech rehearsals this week [for Faceless] and then Thursday is the world premiere. I won’t be at a ton of the Faceless performances, but during previews my role is listening to the audience—making sure all the jokes and lines are landing.

“After one of the Faceless performances, I might go to this bar called Ada Street. It’s a beautiful, tiny, dimly lit place, and they give incredible discounts to artists.

“I’m also trying to see The Hypocrites’ production of Wit by Margaret Edson this weekend. Marti Lyons, the director, is a friend of mine, and my roommate is an understudy. The Hypocrites is an incredible Chicago theater company. They’ve led the charge for diversity in casting. They’re a great theater to support—one of my favorites. And right around the corner from the Den Theatre, where Wit is playing, is this amazing ramen place I go to called Oiistar. I’m from Oregon, so I make it through Chicago winters by eating lots of warm soups.

“I’ll try and make it to the bookstore Women & Children First in Andersonville. It has all kinds of books, but it has a bent toward feminist and LGBTQ themes. I discovered them this year, and that's where I’ve gotten all my books recently. While I’m there, I’m also starting to do research for my next play for Sideshow Theatre’s The Freshness Initiative, where they commission three playwrights to write a play. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s about a grieving mother whose son was recently incarcerated, and it follows the mother over the course of his sentence.

“I do most of my writing in cafes. I sort of jump from coffee shop to coffee shop around Chicago, but I live in Rogers Park, so a lot of my places are up north. One of them is Heartland Cafe. I’ll probably be up there at some point this weekend. I also go to Kopi and La Colombe in Andersonville, and Bourgeois Pig in Lincoln Park. I recently got a desk in my room and that’s changed everything, but it can get isolating.” —As told to Jamison Pfeifer

Freebie of the Week

One Day This Kid Will Get Larger

Art:Millennials have never known a world without AIDS, but most know of the disease only through reality TV and celebrity gossip. This exhibition takes aim at our understanding of HIV and AIDS with works by artists who grew up in the shadow of the crisis, including Vincent Chevalier, whose home video of an HIV confession parodies a TV talk show.
1/26–4/2. Free. DePaul Art Museum, 935 W. Fullerton. museums.depaul.edu