With Nolan and Grisel at Common Room

I feel a bit like Benno’s groupie for going to see Common Room‘s inaugural shows two weeks in a row, but the concept is so lovely you’d need a pretty rad alternative to give your Wednesday night to anything else.

For a mere $5 – which includes beer and cookies – you’re treated to scenes from a couple of plays and shows going on in Chicago at the moment, performed by their actual casts. Interspersed is live music and a couple of skits and performances by the regular hosts. And it’s all done in one of those little, intimate theatres which are basically always better than the big ones.

The idea they’re playing with is that theatre is hard to discover and navigate compared to, say, going to the cinema. How do you really know what’s on, and whether it’s any good? My answer in London was basically ‘go to the Tricycle’, but I do need a new strategy now, so the concept is perfect for me. And I feel lucky to have such a cool workplace where people do stuff like this.

Also pictured: FOOD

In other news… tonight I also caught up with my something-cousin-something-removed Sophia (who cares about the specifics). Last meeting was in California, three years ago! And it totally just whets my appetite for the great big family reunion in October for Jamie’s wedding – can’t wait 😀

Abigail Osbiston, Benno Nelson, Shelby King liked this post.

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