“blk ark: the impossible manifestation” by cat mahari, part of the “Chicago Performs” festival at the MCA/Photo: Lívia Sá. Courtesy of Culture Hub

1
/v. Anthology/
(Studebaker Theater)
The outstanding Para.Mar Dance Theatre presents an evening of short pieces in a traditional theatre setting – a premiere for the young, virtuoso troupe.
20 and 21 September

2
Chicago performs
(MCA)
The festival, which now takes place annually, includes three multidisciplinary performances: “Some Viscera” by the Indian-American duo Lykanthea, “Broken Aquarium” by Every House Has a Door and Essi Kausalainen, and “blk ark: the impossible manifestation” by Cat Mahari.
26 to 29 September

3
Harvest Chicago Contemporary Festival
(Ruth Page Center for the Arts)
Companies from Chicago and across the United States perform short pieces at this weekend festival. Local names include Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Giordano II, Lucid Banter Project, The Seldoms and South Chicago Dance Theatre.
27 to 28 September

4
Nasty, brutal and short: A puppet cabaret
(Left Hall)
Late-night puppetry at the Links regularly gives Chicago puppeteers the opportunity to try out new material, from the touching to the funny to the experimental to the downright bizarre.
9 September

5
Art on the Mart
(The Market)
Brendan Fernandes headlines the fall season of the world’s largest video installation with a work that imagines a new, decolonized architecture on the façade of The Mart, accompanied by house music designed to inspire dance parties by the river.
12 September – 20 November