The 20 companies in this first-time event (presented in conjunction with the fifth annual Bucktown Arts Fest) may not define the state of avant-garde theater on Chicago, but they offer a look at the diverse visions that operate under that very loose category. Performances are held at three venues: the Garage, 1843 W. North; the Firehouse, 1625 N. Damen; and the Society for New Things, 1573 N. Milwaukee. The festival climaxes this weekend with an afternoon Free Theatre Festival on August 25 and 26 at the Holstein Park field house, 2200 N. Oakley. The telephone number for all theater events is 235-1944. Single-ticket admission to shows at the Garage, Firehouse, and Society for New Things costs $7; package prices are $25 for four tickets, $36 for six, and $50 for ten. Admission to shows at Holstein Park field house are free. This week’s schedule follows.
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OPEN SYZYGY–SOME MADRAS PARABLES See the regular theater listings for a description of this performance piece. At the Society for New Things, August 24; Friday, 8 PM.
THE DIMMED HEART Patricia Duff’s play about an encounter between an arts aficionado and a con woman, is “one of the most unpretentious, delightful, sensorially exciting pieces I’ve seen in a long while,” says Reader critic Diana Spinrad. The Theatre of the Reconstruction production is directed by Duff and Peggy Dunne. At Holstein Park field house, August 25; Saturday, 1:45 PM.
BIG DEAL Steve Heller and Rich Sparks’s new work is a “vicious but often funny musical parody of Cinderella, set in deepest, darkest corporate America, [that] gives full vent to a seething anger,” says Reader critic Jack Helbig. At the Garage, August 25; Saturday, 10 PM.
