Studio5 Announces Spring Line-Up

This winter and spring, get ready to see some more great live jazz, innovative dance performances and some of the funniest films ever made at Studio5, one of Evanston’s newest performing arts spaces, located at 1934 Dempster St.

One of the most anticipated events of Studio5’s spring season is Dance Center Evanston’s 25th Anniversary Performance, featuring choreography by faculty members and alumni dancers, including Enid Smith, Glenn Leslie, Christina Ernst, Tim Tsang, Shelby Moran, and Kara Roseborough. The event will also include one dance with 22 current and former faculty members, including Dance Center Evanston director Bea Rashid.

“We are so proud to have been a part of the Evanston community for the past 25 years, and we are excited to celebrate this milestone with a performance that shows off the amazing talent of both our faculty members and our accomplished alumni,” says Bea Rashid, founder of Dance Center Evanston and co-founder of Studio5.

Rashid founded Dance Center Evanston in 1994 in a two-room building on Davis Street, and the organization moved to its current location at 1934 Dempster St. (next to Studio5), in 2004. Today, the Center offers 165 classes a week and services more than 700 students.

The 25th anniversary show will take place on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

In addition to the Dance Center Evanston performance, Studio5’s spring line-up will also include 15 different live jazz performances showcasing a wide range of talent, including vocalist Paul Marinaro singing hits from Frank Sinatra and Antonio Jobim; a CD release concert for Lapis Trio; the eclectic, world music-influenced jazz of Doug Lofstrom & the New Quartet; Studio5 co-founder Steve Rashid performing some of his original music as well as music by Nat “King” Cole; and more.

Studio5 is also pleased to bring back the Studio5 Sunday Film Festival, curated and hosted by screenwriter Dana Olsen (The ‘Burbs, Inspector Gadget). Olsen launched the film festival in the fall of 2018 with a series of films known for their music. This time, he will be showcasing five of Hollywood’s most beloved comedies: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Producers (1967), Love and Death (1975), and Lost in America (1985).

“The first film series was so successful, and people really loved all of the films that Dana selected and learning something new about the process of filmmaking, so we were excited to do the series again,” says Steve Rashid. “And with so much negativity in the world today, who doesn’t need a little comedy?”

The films in the series are all held on Sunday afternoons and tickets are $10 at the door.

Advanced tickets are now on sale for many of the winter and spring shows and more tickets will be available soon at http://studio5.dance/.

Studio5

Where: 1934 Dempster St., Evanston, IL 60202

Info: 847-328-6683 or http://studio5.dance/

UPCOMING EVENTS

Jan. 20 – Studio5 Sunday Film Festival – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
3:30 p.m. (Please note earlier start time due to the long length of this film)
Join your Studio5 friends, grab some popcorn, order a drink and enjoy a screening of the acclaimed movie It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), starring Spencer Tracy and Milton Berle, about a mad-cap cross-country rush to find some treasure. With pre-show commentary by screenwriter Dana Olsen.
Tickets: $10

Jan. 25 – Paul Marinaro sings Sinatra & Jobim
8 p.m.
Vocalist Paul Marinaro performs the classics of Frank Sinatra and bossa nova singer Antonio Carlos Jobim. These newly created arrangements are respectful to and inspired by the originals and are both rhythmic and romantic, playful and sensual, world-wise and deeply poetic. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB!
Tickets: $25 for general seating, $30 for cabaret seating

Feb. 2 – Dance Center Evanston’s 25th Anniversary Performance
7:30 p.m.
Dance Center Evanston celebrates 25 years in the Evanston community with a presentation of choreography by faculty members and alumni dancers! The evening will include works by Enid Smith, Glenn Leslie, Tim Tsang, Shelby Moran and Kara Roseborough and will feature a dance with 22 current and past faculty members, including Dance Center Evanston’s founder and director, Bea Rashid.
Tickets: $10

Feb. 9 – Luciano Antonio
8 p.m.
Brazilian jazz guitarist and vocalist Luciano Antonio leads this quartet featuring Luiz Ewerling on drums, Jack Zara on bass and Adrian Ruiz on piano. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

Feb. 15 – Steve Rashid
8 p.m.
Studio5 Artistic Director Steve Rashid is back with a performance featuring his own compositions and some of his personal favorites by other artists, with an emphasis on the music of Nat “King” Cole, as we celebrate Nat’s centennial this year. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

Feb. 17 – Studio5 Sunday Film Festival – Some Like It Hot
4 p.m.
Join your Studio5 friends, grab some popcorn, order a drink and enjoy a screening of the acclaimed movie Some Like It Hot (1959), a hilarious comedy starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe about two male musicians who hide from the mob by joining an all-female band,. With pre-show commentary by screenwriter Dana Olsen.
Tickets: $10

Feb. 23 – Lapis Trio
8 p.m.
Innovative composer/guitarist Casey Nielsen successfully straddles both the classical and jazz worlds in a way that is quite rare. With his Lapis Trio he has created a new recording, “The Travelers”, which embraces multiple genres and has a quasi-narrative structure. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

March 1 – Sarah Marie Young
8 p.m.
DETAILS COMING SOON! This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

March 2 – Ede2: On Time
4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Inspired by Abha Dawesars 2013 TED Talk, "Life in the Digital Now," the Evanston Dance Ensemble’s Ede2 company explores through dance our varied relationships with time: How it affects our lives and informs our perspectives. Through improvisation, interviews, and other research, this company of talented 7th and 8th grade performers, led by Artistic Director Allison Kurtz Volkers, calls upon its signature theatrical style to present 50 minutes of layered, inventive, and thought-provoking dance.
Tickets: $6

March 3 – Ede2: On Time
4 p.m.
Inspired by Abha Dawesars 2013 TED Talk, "Life in the Digital Now," the Evanston Dance Ensemble’s Ede2 company explores through dance our varied relationships with time: How it affects our lives and informs our perspectives. Through improvisation, interviews, and other research, this company of talented 7th and 8th grade performers, led by Artistic Director Allison Kurtz Volkers, calls upon its signature theatrical style to present 50 minutes of layered, inventive, and thought-provoking dance.
Tickets: $6

March 8 – Chi-Town Jazz Festival: Don Stiernberg Quartet & Fred Simon Quartet
8 p.m.
Help us raise money for hunger relief at this special fundraiser concert featuring the Don Stiernberg Quartet and the Fred Simon Quartet. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

March 22 – The Last Word
8 p.m.
This unique quintet combines music, lyrics and poetry to take spoken word into a whole new realm. Featuring vocalist Al Day and poet Marc Kelly Smith, backed by pianist Bob Long, bassist Doug Lofstrom and saxophonist Brian Gephart.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

March 24 – Studio5 Sunday Film Festival – The Producers
4 p.m.
Join your Studio5 friends, grab some popcorn, order a drink and enjoy a screening of The Producers (1967), of the funniest Mel Brooks films of all time, starring Gene Wilder. With pre-show commentary by screenwriter Dana Olsen.
Tickets: $10

April 6 – Richard Johnson
Jazz pianist and singer Richard Johnson has performed with Wynton Marsalis’ Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. The evening’s presentation will involve lots of swinging, toe tapping and hand clapping music that transports you to the future of jazz using all the techniques of the past. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

April 12 – Brian Gephart
8 p.m.
Acclaimed Chicago jazz saxophonist performs with his sextet featuring trombone, guitar, piano, bass and drums. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 general seating, $25 cabaret seating

April 14 – Studio5 Sunday Film Festival – Love and Death
4 p.m.
Join your Studio5 friends, grab some popcorn, order a drink and enjoy a screening of Love and Death (1975), a classic Woody Allen comedy about a neurotic soldier in czarist Russia who teams up with his cousin to assassinate Napoleon. With pre-show commentary by screenwriter Dana Olsen.
Tickets: $10

April 20 – Andy Brown Trio
8 p.m.
Well-known Chicago jazz guitarist is joined by Dennis Carroll on bass and George Fludas on drums. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 general seating, $25 cabaret seating

April 26 – Ben Lewis Trio
7:30 p.m.
A monsterous, energetic pianist and vocalist, Ben Lewis has performed with Patrick Mulcahy on bass and Jon Deitemyer on drums. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 general seating, $20 cabaret seating

May 3 – Doug Lofstrom & the New Quartet
8 p.m.
Doug Loftrom & the New Quartet are known for performing jazz from all eras, as well as world music and Loftstrom’s original music, which is heavily influenced by both. A typical set can include early Ellington, tangos by Piazzolla, Middle-Eastern music and elements of free jazz. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 for cabaret seating

May 12 – Studio5 Sunday Film Festival – Lost in America
4 p.m.
Join your Studio5 friends, grab some popcorn, order a drink and enjoy a screening of Lost in America (1985), starring Albert Brooks, about a husband and wife who quit their jobs and cruise around the country in a Winnebago. With pre-show commentary by screenwriter Dana Olsen.
Tickets: $10

May 17 – Larry Schanker: Silent Films
8 p.m.
An evening of classic silent films with live music by brilliant pianist Larry Schanker. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 cabaret seating

May 18 – Christy Bennett
8 p.m.
Vocalist Christy Bennett and her band present a preview of the group’s upcoming recording that features the music of Irene Higginbotham, a composer from the 1940s whose music is rarely heard today. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 cabaret seating

May 24 – Bill Overton Trio
8 p.m.
Accomplished saxophonist and singer Bill Overton will be presenting all the songs from the iconic recording, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, as well as selections from Coltrane’s and Hartman’s individual careers. This concert will be recorded live for Chicago Jazz Live on WDCB.
Tickets: $20 for general seating, $25 cabaret seating

About Studio5
Studio5 is a performing arts venue that opened in Evanston in 2016, bringing professional dance, music, film and spoken word events to a 123-seat theater. Founded and curated by Dance Center Evanston director Béa Rashid and Emmy-award winning composer and jazz musician Steve Rashid, Studio5 provides North Shore arts-goers with a venue that is both state-of-the-art and intimate, connecting audiences and artists. Studio5 boasts great sight lines; comfortable seats; excellent sound; ample, free parking; and a cash bar that opens a half an hour before each performance.