Arts & Entertainment
A Doc Film on Crypto Scams and a New Play From A Red Orchid Theatre: 4 Arts Picks for Your Week
Ben McKenzie in “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money.” (Sam Cullman / Easy Money Productions and The Forge)
Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.
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This week, a new study from the University College of London showed evidence that engaging in arts and culture regularly (“participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition”) reduces biological aging and is associated with improved health. Researchers said the results were “so dramatic that it is comparable to the difference between smokers and those who have given up smoking.”
“Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing,” said Dr. Feifei Bu, a senior author and UCL academic. “This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do.”
Should we view exploring the city’s cultural offerings as comparable to exercise and a good diet? I think so. Either way, the science shows it’s probably good for you.
Film: “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money” — Music Box Theatre
When you follow Ben McKenzie’s career, you’d first think he was on a conventional actor path. He was the heartthrob on the excellent teen drama “The O.C.,” a tortured cop on the underrated “Southland,” and starred in the D.C. “Batman” vehicle “Gotham.” The further you track his timeline, you’ll notice he wrote a book, on, uh, the risks associated with cryptocurrency with investigative tech journalist Jacob Silverman. It’s an excellent book and a primer into the scam-filled world of Bitcoin and crypto-trading. McKenzie, who studied economics in college, is a lucid writer and morally righteous prose stylist. That book has become a documentary called “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, “ and McKenzie will appear at the Music Box for a Thursday evening premiere screening. Buy tickets here.
Theater: “The Targeted” — Chopin Theatre
Written by Hanna Kime and directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng, A Red Orchid Theatre presents “The Targeted,” a brand new play that follows vast government conspiracies, repressive surveillance tactics and systematic torture of “Targeted Individuals.” Part sci-fi, part-satire and part “tragicomedy about community,” this production’s previews started earlier this month. It officially opens Sunday for a run at the Chopin Theatre that lasts until June 14. Buy tickets here.
Art: Planting Seeds: An Indigenous Zine Fest — Newberry Library
On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Newberry Library is hosting “Planting Seeds: An Indigenous Zine Fest.” It will feature “zines and prints by Indigenous creators from across the globe. The event will include hands-on art activities led by artists, and a display of zines and comics by Indigenous artists from the Newberry’s collection.” The event is free, and more info can be found here.
Art: “Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” — National Public Housing Museum
Next week, the acclaimed artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn will unveil his first solo exhibition at the National Public Housing Museum. It’s called “Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother,” and it “explores memory, identity, survival, and humanity through Quinn’s distinctive collage-like portraits and ‘paint-drawing’ technique, while also recreating the artist’s childhood living room from the Robert Taylor Homes.” There’s an opening celebration Thursday, May 21, from 5 to 8 p.m., but the exhibit runs until Aug. 23. For advance registration and more info, click here.
WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation.
