For as long as this planet has been flat, humans with verve have been milling and seething amongst us. But what even is verve? Well, verve is verve. Those with verve are typically magnetizing, which unearths a whole new question: How does a person possess so much vigor and spirit that it becomes intoxicating, rendering the everyday plebeian totally susceptible to Human-With-Verve's charms?

Tyler Anthony Smith's "I KNOW YOU NEED MY VERVE" is a raw, focused, challenging, questionable, bold, fresh, dated, futile, dazzling, timely, grim, obscure, pretentious, snappy, wicked, tremendous, fishy, exhausting, and exciting piece of theatre. Smith says, "I'm honored to be back at Rhino Fest, premiering my new show that talks about things like warmth, coldness, and how all homosexuals engage in tax evasion. See back page for details."

Written & Performed by Tyler Anthony Smith
Directed by Stephanie Shaw
Stage-Managed by Jenna Raithel

image credit: Tyler Anthony Smith

A BeauTown Cabaret event curated by Curious co-founder Beau O'Reilly. Victor Sanders and Rae Novich, T-Roy Martin, Dennis J. Leise, Lena Brün, Heather Riordan and Beau O'Reilly will perform songs and readings by Bob Dylan, in celebration of the songwriter's 82nd birthday.

A ship made of eyes, a sea with a lousy case of ennui, and two captains who wish they were one. 

A king has built the greatest, most terrifying, and most beautiful ship in the world, but can it even stay afloat? 

No. 

It can't. 

Written and Directed by Chris Bower
Performed by Kristy Lockhart, Andrew Schoen, Vicki Walden and Penny Lou Zimmerman
Stage Manager - Marz Allswede

For as long as this planet has been flat, humans with verve have been milling and seething amongst us. But what even is verve? Well, verve is verve. Those with verve are typically magnetizing, which unearths a whole new question: How does a person possess so much vigor and spirit that it becomes intoxicating, rendering the everyday plebeian totally susceptible to Human-With-Verve's charms?

Tyler Anthony Smith's "I KNOW YOU NEED MY VERVE" is a raw, focused, challenging, questionable, bold, fresh, dated, futile, dazzling, timely, grim, obscure, pretentious, snappy, wicked, tremendous, fishy, exhausting, and exciting piece of theatre. Smith says, "I'm honored to be back at Rhino Fest, premiering my new show that talks about things like warmth, coldness, and how all homosexuals engage in tax evasion. See back page for details."

Written & Performed by Tyler Anthony Smith
Directed by Stephanie Shaw
Stage-Managed by Jenna Raithel

image credit: Tyler Anthony Smith

A ship made of eyes, a sea with a lousy case of ennui, and two captains who wish they were one. 

A king has built the greatest, most terrifying, and most beautiful ship in the world, but can it even stay afloat? 

No. 

It can't. 

Written and Directed by Chris Bower
Performed by Kristy Lockhart, Andrew Schoen, Vicki Walden and Penny Lou Zimmerman
Stage Manager - Marz Allswede

Written and performed by Willa Marie O’Donnell.

This piece was created as part of my Senior Project for the Chicago Waldorf School. It is the representation of a female martial artist’s experience told through movement and language. The stories shared in the piece were collected during interviews I conducted with three of my most trusted mentors at Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center as well as some of my own stories. I have also drawn from folklore depicting women martial artists from the past in order to give the sense that our stories are part of a long and always evolving experience. It was important to me to create a project that would encompass my interest and passion for both martial arts and theater arts.

Buy Tickets

For as long as this planet has been flat, humans with verve have been milling and seething amongst us. But what even is verve? Well, verve is verve. Those with verve are typically magnetizing, which unearths a whole new question: How does a person possess so much vigor and spirit that it becomes intoxicating, rendering the everyday plebeian totally susceptible to Human-With-Verve's charms?

Tyler Anthony Smith's "I KNOW YOU NEED MY VERVE" is a raw, focused, challenging, questionable, bold, fresh, dated, futile, dazzling, timely, grim, obscure, pretentious, snappy, wicked, tremendous, fishy, exhausting, and exciting piece of theatre. Smith says, "I'm honored to be back at Rhino Fest, premiering my new show that talks about things like warmth, coldness, and how all homosexuals engage in tax evasion. See back page for details."

Written & Performed by Tyler Anthony Smith
Directed by Stephanie Shaw
Stage-Managed by Jenna Raithel

image credit: Tyler Anthony Smith

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Her family isolates together during the pandemic. She often thinks, “Didn’t I already serve this sentence when they were babies?” Wait. Did she manifest a global health crisis to keep them from leaving? 

We enter the bunker to find that things have gotten out of hand. Escape is going to take choreographed distance and closeness, the fanciest of footwork, and words felt but not understood.

How did they survive? Through K-Pop? Surely, not. And yet. 

This is not a show about motherhood, or the pandemic, or isolation, or letting go, or finding a common language in pop culture … It's the opposite of all of that.

Written by Kristin Garrison
Directed by Jayita Bhattacharya
Performed by Kristin Garrison, Lola Zimmerman, Penny Lou Zimmerman

Written and performed by Willa Marie O’Donnell.

This piece was created as part of my Senior Project for the Chicago Waldorf School. It is the representation of a female martial artist’s experience told through movement and language. The stories shared in the piece were collected during interviews I conducted with three of my most trusted mentors at Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center as well as some of my own stories. I have also drawn from folklore depicting women martial artists from the past in order to give the sense that our stories are part of a long and always evolving experience. It was important to me to create a project that would encompass my interest and passion for both martial arts and theater arts.

Buy Tickets

A ship made of eyes, a sea with a lousy case of ennui, and two captains who wish they were one. 

A king has built the greatest, most terrifying, and most beautiful ship in the world, but can it even stay afloat? 

No. 

It can't. 

Written and Directed by Chris Bower
Performed by Kristy Lockhart, Andrew Schoen, Vicki Walden and Penny Lou Zimmerman
Stage Manager - Marz Allswede

Buy Tickets

For as long as this planet has been flat, humans with verve have been milling and seething amongst us. But what even is verve? Well, verve is verve. Those with verve are typically magnetizing, which unearths a whole new question: How does a person possess so much vigor and spirit that it becomes intoxicating, rendering the everyday plebeian totally susceptible to Human-With-Verve's charms?

Tyler Anthony Smith's "I KNOW YOU NEED MY VERVE" is a raw, focused, challenging, questionable, bold, fresh, dated, futile, dazzling, timely, grim, obscure, pretentious, snappy, wicked, tremendous, fishy, exhausting, and exciting piece of theatre. Smith says, "I'm honored to be back at Rhino Fest, premiering my new show that talks about things like warmth, coldness, and how all homosexuals engage in tax evasion. See back page for details."

Written & Performed by Tyler Anthony Smith
Directed by Stephanie Shaw
Stage-Managed by Jenna Raithel

image credit: Tyler Anthony Smith

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Dan Nelson and Michele Walker are a married couple that buy properties and rehab them all over Chicago and Evanston. My Wife Steals Cats is the true story told by Dan Nelson about what that was like during the pandemic and how they came out the other end.

poster design: Troy Schremmer

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A ship made of eyes, a sea with a lousy case of ennui, and two captains who wish they were one. 

A king has built the greatest, most terrifying, and most beautiful ship in the world, but can it even stay afloat? 

No. 

It can't. 

Written and Directed by Chris Bower
Performed by Kristy Lockhart, Andrew Schoen, Vicki Walden and Penny Lou Zimmerman
Stage Manager - Marz Allswede

Buy Tickets

An afternoon of readings. This event runs approximately two hours. Tickets to this event are free. Donations are always welcome.

RSVP here