Daily Rehearsal: Start planning your Oscar night

Daily Rehearsal: Start planning your Oscar night
Daily Rehearsal: Start planning your Oscar night

Daily Rehearsal: Start planning your Oscar night

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1. “You’re not supposed to sound good. You have to keep it kind of ragged,” E. Faye Baker told the Sun-Times, of her performance as Pearl in Black Pearl Sings! I’m betting the former star of the critically acclaimed Caroline, or Change at Court Theatre sounds pretty good anyway. She’ll also be performing “classics from the great American songbook” on February 13 in Millenium Park with Jeremy Kahn on piano and Eric Schneider on saxophone.

2. An Evening with the Stars, a benefit Oscar party for Autism Speaks, or the award show at home on your couch with several Trader Joe’s pizzas? Hosted by WGN’s John Williams, comedian Patti Vasquez will be interviewing guests on a real, live red carpet as they make their way to this glamorous viewing party. As long as I can wear my sweatpants, I’m in. Remember, it’s all going down on February 26.

3. The Mary Kay Letourneau Players are opening a new show at i0 this Sunday. They’re familiar names; it’s Katie Rich and Kate Duffy. They’ll be doing every Sunday at 10:30 through February 19.

4. LiveWire Chicago Theatre wants you to vote on which piece will inspire all the plays submitted to their 4th annual VisionFest short play festival in June. From January 28 to February 5, work from ten artists will be at Tom Robinson Gallery; see them all at the opening reception on the 28th from 6 to 10 pm. Wine and cheese y’all. The details: “Playwrights will be required to use the image with the most votes as inspiration for the original plays they submit to VisionFest 4: Where the Image Meets the Stage. The selected artist will be announced February 13, and the image will be posted on the LiveWire website. LiveWire will be accepting short play submissions for VisionFest February 13 through May 5.”

5. The comments on Timothy Douglas’ abrupt resignation are rolling in. “Anon” at Timeout wrote that “Nick Sandys is a talented, well respected Chicago artist and will be a good fit for Remy Bumppo, but nevertheless one can’t help feel that this is a sad day for Chicago Theatre in general. A giant step backwards for diversity and inclusion behind and on the Chicago stage.” But “Abner Kravitz” was looking backwards in his comment at the Reader, not fore: “I saw Mourning Becomes Electra. It was god-awful. Maybe the resistance he encountered had something to do with that.”

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.