The Frunchroom, the live storytelling series about the South Side of Chicago that makes its home in Beverly/Morgan Park is back with five new storytellers as it approaches its 4th anniversary.
The next show will be at 730pm on Thursday, January 17th at Beverly Arts Center (2407 W 111th St, Chicago). A $5 donation to benefit the Beverly Area Arts Alliance is requested.
Scheduled to appear at The Frunchroom’s January show are author Dennis Foley (The Blue Circus), poet Angela Jackson (Dark Legs and Silk Kisses, All These Roads Be Luminous), psychologist and former Cook County Jail warden Nneka Jones Tapia, photographer and musician Preston Thomas and Lisa Wilberding, co-owner of The Quilter’s Trunk.
“To paraphrase Whitman, the South Side contains multitudes,” said Scott Smith, host and co-producer of The Frunchroom. “Politics, justice, childhood memories, art and more all weave through the stories told at The Frunchroom. It’s a new, unique experience each time.”
Attendees are encouraged to dine before the show at Ellie’s Cafe and Catering (10701 S. Hale, Chicago). Anyone who brings a meal receipt from Ellie’s for that evening can show it at the door in lieu of a donation.
The unique mix of art, cocktails and stories at The Frunchroom is sponsored by The Beverly Arts Center. The event continues to be produced as a showcase for original written work, presented in partnership with The Beverly Area Arts Alliance, the organization responsible for local arts events like the Uprising Craft Market and Local Art on Tap.
Guests are encouraged to arrive early and partake of the pre-show lounge and pop-up art gallery in the BAC’s “Blue Room,” curated by Beverly Arts Alliance co-founder Sal Campbell.
The Frunchroom has played to packed houses since it began in April 2015. Previous readers include local residents and business owners; radio and podcast hosts, teachers, poets, politicians and artists. In addition, The Frunchroom has featured reporters and anchors from the Chicago Tribune, South Side Weekly, Bloomberg News, WBEZ-FM and WGN-TV.
Storytellers, clockwise from left: Lisa Wilberding, Dennis Foley, Preston Thomas, Nneka Jones Tapia and Angela Jackson.
The Frunchroom 