Stories by chloe riley

Mrs. Helen Moyer holding a large model of an eel in 1947. (Photo courtesy the Field Museum)

Photos: Bizarre Vintage Field Museum Taxidermy

Archival photos from the Field Museum depict researchers and the taxidermy they worked on – and loved posing with.

Joffrey Ballet's 10 new dancers (Photos courtesy Joffrey Ballet)

New Joffrey Ballet Recruits Talk Dance in an Increasingly Digital World

The Joffrey Ballet just hired 10 new dancers; you may have already met 2 of them

New Joffrey Ballet dancers speak about their experience with crafting public persona in the world of professional ballet. 

Chicago director Kimberly Senior (Photo c/o Goodman Theatre)

The ‘First Contemporary American Play’: Kimberly Senior on ‘Disgraced’

Prize-winning drama begins previews at Goodman Theatre Saturday

Chicago director Kimberly Senior talks about her experiences directing – for the fourth time – playwright Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced

Weekend Events Around Town: Sept. 11-13

Evening kayak, wine fest, and free outdoor opera

Take advantage of the still warm weather and go for a kayak, sample over 300 wines at Buckingham Fountain, and listen to free music from around the world. It'll be boot weather soon enough.  

Fall Arts Chicago: 25 Events for Your Eyes, Ears, Brain

Art, dance, music and theater: Get the best of everything in our guide to fall arts in Chicago.

A photo of Evarra tlahuacensis, an extinct fish species. The Field Museum houses the only known remaining specimen. (Chloe Riley / Chicago Tonight)

Fish at Field Museum is Only One of its Kind in Existence

Go Behind the Scenes with Chicago Tonight

At first glance, the small, brown, formaldehyde-soaked Evarra tlahuacensis doesn’t come off as a terribly striking fish. But the little minnow is actually the only remaining specimen of its kind on Earth – and it's housed at Chicago’s Field Museum.

Labor Day Weekend Events Around Chicago: Sept. 4-6

Five Fests and a Q&A with Queen of Earth Director Alex Ross Perry

It's Labor Day weekend, Chicago. You won't be able to wear white after Monday, so flash your brights at this great lineup of festivals, including Turkish Fest, Jazz Fest and the Chicago Fringe Fest. Oh, and don't miss a Q&A at Music Box Theatre with Queen of Earth director Alex Ross Perry. Take your pick.

Squidward and Steven Tyler

The SpongeBob Musical: Songwriting Celebs and their SpongeBob Twins

In light of The SpongeBob Musical, we matched up songwriting celebs to their SpongeBob counterparts.   

Plus-size model Emme (Photo by Lilly Cummings)

Plus-Size Model Emme Decries Fashion Industry in Chicago-Made Documentary

The plus-size model speaks out in Model Diet, a locally-produced documentary criticizing the fashion industry’s standards. 

TV Land's upcoming series "Teachers" debuts in January (Photo c/o the Katydids)

Chicago Improv Group The Katydids Gets Airtime Following Video Music Awards

TV Land’s female-driven comedy series – from Chicago-based improv group the Katydids – airs in January, but VMA viewers got a sneak peek on Sunday after the awards show.

Chicago actor Bobby Richards in "Bobby & Iza"

Chicago-Based 'Bobby & Iza' Pilot Up for NBC Comedy Web Series

Two Chicago actors could see their pilot picked up by NBC for a web series. 

SpongeBob SquarePants about to get his own musical. (Antonio Perez, Flickr)

SpongeBob SquarePants Musical to get Pre-Broadway Tryout in Chicago

The musical, directed by Steppenwolf’s Tina Landau will feature original songs from David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, among others. 

Hypocrites 'American Idiot' (John Evan Hanover)

Hypocrites' Director on 'American Idiot': It's Not About '3 White Boys'

Previews for Green Day musical American Idiot begin Friday in a staging by The Hypocrites at the Den Theatre in Wicker Park.

Louise Rohr of Fine Wine Brokers (Rebecca Palmore / Chicago Tonight)

Rising Rent in Lincoln Square Drives Out Fine Wine Brokers

Lincoln Square's Fine Wine Brokers, a 20-year neighborhood staple, will close Aug. 31, according to the shop’s co-owner Louise Rohr, who cited rising rent as the deciding factor in the store’s closure.

Weekend Events Around Chicago: Aug. 28-30

Ogle the Stanley Cup, Brush up on Film Noir and Catch The Psychedelic Furs

This weekend, you can hang out with the Stanley Cup, revisit new wave '80s band The Psychedelic Furs, walk through a garden in the city, take in a movie or two, and more.

Three original Japanese sliding door paintings from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition were discovered in a Park District storage facility (Photo c/o city of Chicago)

Original 1893 World's Fair Paintings Discovered in Storage Facility

Three original Japanese sliding door paintings from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition were discovered in a Chicago Park District storage facility, the CPD announced Wednesday.

Chicago Dramatists artistic director, Meghan Beals (Photo c/o Chicago Dramatists)

Chicago Dramatists Names Meghan Beals New Artistic Director

West Town-based theater company Chicago Dramatists has named Meghan Beals as artistic director, following the death of longtime artistic director Russ Tutterow in May. 

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