Out & About
Robert Jordan Baily, left, plays the Actor and Kurt Naebig is Kipps in Buffalo Theatre Ensemble's "The Woman in Black," in previews today at College of DuPage.
Start fall with a visit to Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch in Hampshire.
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's perform in DeKalb.
"The Woman in Black," preview 8 p.m. today at the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Runs 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 14. $27, $17-$30. (630) 942-4000. www.atthemac.org.
Just in time for Halloween, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble opens its 21st season with Stephen Mallatrat's ghost story thriller, "The Woman in Black," about a lawyer assigned to settle an estate who uncovers some weird goings-on at the family residence.
-- Barbara Vitello, critic at large
Crown Family PlayLab, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Free with general admission ($12 adults, $7 ages 4-11, under age 4 free). (312) 922-9410. www.fieldmuseum.org.
Young visitors to the Crown Family PlayLab can grind corn in a pueblo or visit an Illinois woodland to dress up like animals and stage a play, complete with lighting and sound effects. Or, they can examine specimens in the Scientists' Lab and learn about the stegosaurus in the Dinosaur Field Station. If there's time left, they can tap on percussion instruments or mold a clay pot. It's all aimed at children ages 2 to 6, but designed to engage kids up to 10.
-- Pam DeFiglio, staff writer
A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today through Sunday at Butler Field in Grant Park, 201 S. Columbus Drive, Chicago. Free. (800) 490-0773 or www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Doctors Without Borders sponsors this traveling exhibit to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world fleeing war or other conflicts. Experienced aid workers are on hand as guides, sharing their own personal experiences in camps and explaining the difficulties faced in providing services for basic survival.
-- Scott C. Morgan, staff writer
Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Columbus Day. Runs though Oct. 31 at two locations: 40 W. Higgins in South Barrington or Route 47 and Reinking Road in Hampshire. Admission is free but there are fees for the zoo and hay ride. (847) 428-6727 or (847) 464-5952. www.pumpkinfarms.com
It's open! This fun, family outing -- a fall tradition for many suburbanites -- is more than just an open field filled with pumpkins. The South Barrington location features a large, feed-the-animals zoo, hay rides, a haunted house, corn mazes, fresh-popped kettle corn, shopping and more. You'll be hard-pressed not to leave with at least two pumpkins, a piece of fudge and a homemade apple pie (yum!).
-- Jamie Sotonoff, staff writer
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's with Inspector Owl and Skybox, 7 p.m. today at The House Café, 263 E. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb. $8 in advance, $10 at the door. (866) 468-3401. www.thehousecafe.net.
Like a Midwestern Arcade Fire, Indianapolis' Margot & the Nuclear So and So's pile people onstage to stimulate the swell of their chamber pop. Fans can expect new tunes from the band's forthcoming second LP. Opening are locals Inspector Owl and Skybox, both rising stars featured at Beep's SubVersion 2.0 this past July.
-- Jeff Pizek, staff writer