Spotlight I
‘Go take a hike’ may be a brush-off in the bars, but it’s a call to order for Theater-Hikes, the professional troupe that presents shows al fresco (outdoors), allowing audiences to discover each scene as they follow a hiking trail or nature walk. Theater-Hikes’ current combo of art and exercise is an original adaptation of the beloved tale, The Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It’s performed in weekend matinees at the West suburban Morton Arboretum through August 28; (630) 968-0074; $15. There’s one show in town at the North Park Village Nature Center (5801 N. Pulaski); (312) 742-7529; $10.
Spotlight II
We know what you want to see: naked bodies, writhing male and female flesh. Well, that’s what you get in The Living Canvas 2005, at Victory Gardens Theater through August 28. The only things dressing up these eight live bodies are light and the digitally projected images—sometimes beautiful, sometimes eerie, sometimes amusing—of photographer Pete Guither, who conceived this blend of theater, art and movement in 2001, and has come up with a new Living Canvas each year since. Each 70 minute show is followed by a question and answer session with the cast. (773) 549-3000; $20.