Pendulum Theatre Company to Present 
‘A Cozy Evening with George Bernard Shaw’
Sept. 18 at Oak Park Public Library

Pendulum Theatre company will present a biographical, one-man show 
entitled A Cozy Evening with George Bernard Shaw on Monday, Sept. 18,
at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St.  Performed by
Charles J. Likar, this free production is a celebration of the Irish-born dramatist 
who created a larger-than-life image for himself before he died 50 years ago. 
Shaw’s career as a playwright spanned over 50 years. Taking to task the
dramatic conventions of the late 19th century, Shaw treated social and political
issues which had long been ignored on the stage. Plays such as Major Barbara, 
Pgymalion (later made into the musical My Fair Lady) and Heartbreak House
endure as popular classics. Extraordinary dramatic experiments such as Man
and Superman and Back to Methuselah, unsuccessful as stage plays, still 
demand critical attention. 

The talents of Shaw were widespread and his interests even more so. His
contributions to the fields of drama, politics, religion and London society kept
minds churning and tongues wagging throughout his long life. 

“Today Shaw is universally accepted as one of the most spectacular and
interesting figures in modern literature,” notes Likar, who was first exposed 
to the works of Shaw as a student at the Goodman Theatre where he
auditioned for the Main Stage Acting Company with a scene from Pygmalion.
His first role as a member of the Acting Company was in Shaw’s The 
Millionairess, featuring the British actress, Patricia Jessel. Likar began a study
of the author five years ago in anticipation of performing a biographical 
one-person show to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Shaw’s death. 

Pendulum Theatre is a five-year-old non-profit professional theatre company 
which presents quality theatrical works designed to captivate a culturally diverse
audience and stimulate thought for the larger issues of life. Their recent production
of Abundance was presented with two Joseph Jefferson nominations. Pendulum
Theatre’s founder and artistic director, Bill Redding, directs Likar in this one-person,
one-hour performance. Likar will perform as Shaw in a two-hour show at the
Atheneum Theatre next spring.

The program is free and no reservations are required. For more information, 
call 383-8200, Ext. 119.

Small Business Coach and Author Hal Wright
Tells ‘How to Make 1,000 Mistakes in Business 
and Still Succeed’ at Library Sept. 19

Small Business Coach Hal Wright will share secrets of business success from
his popular book, “How to Make 1,000 Mistakes in Business and Still Succeed: 
The Guide to Crucial Decisions in the Small Business, Home-Based Business 
and Professional Practice,” at the Oak Park Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 
at 7 p.m. The program, which is free, is co-sponsored by the Oak Park - River Forest
Chamber of Commerce. Reservations are not required. The Oak Park Public Library
is located at 834 Lake St.

As founder and president of The Wright Track for Small Business Success,
Hal Wright has coached more than 1,000 small businesses since 1983. 
First published in 1990, “How to Make 1,000 Mistakes in Business and 
Still Succeed” still thrives. It remains a hot commodity for small business owners
after many printings and a second edition which includes a new chapter on
technology decisions.

“Success is created by good decisions,” suggests Wright. “But not all decisions
are equal.” In his presentation, Wright identifies specific areas in which crucial
decisions are most often found. Some are basic topics such as marketing,
finances, personnel, location and capacity. Others are not quite so easy to 
pin down – commitment, business focus, setting goals and planning.

Prior to starting The Wright Track, Wright held corporate level management
positions for over 20 years at Inland Steel Company, International Harvester
and Container Corporation. He is an accountant and an attorney who green 
up in family-owned businesses. He has started seven different companies in
his own entrepreneurial career. He graduated form the University of Iowa and
Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Wright was one of the founders of the Small Business Council of the
Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce and served as its first chairperson.
For more information on this program, call the Oak Park Public Library at 
(708) 383-8200, Ext. 119.

Art and Poetry of Carlos Cortez Featured 
at Oak Park Public Library Sept. 22

 Celebrate Latino Heritage Month when the Oak Park Public Library hosts a
reception and poetry reading for Latino artist and poet Carlos Cortez on Friday, 
Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Joseph Randall Shapiro Gallery, 834 Lake St.
in Oak Park. The bold linocuts and woodcuts of Cortez will be on display at the
library throughout the month of September.

 During the reception, poet Frank Varela will join Cortez in a poetry reading. 
Victor Pichardo, founder of the Sones de Mexico folk music group, will perform
Latino music. Admission is free and open to the public. For information, call
(708) 383-8200, Ext. 119.

 Carlos Cortez has been a familiar presence in Chicago art for a generation. 
Son of a Mexican/Indian organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World and
of a German socialist-pacificist, Cortez has joined the revolutionary traditions 
of his parents to the anti-war movement and Chicano and Native American 
movements of the 1960s and later. He has actively worked with and exhibited
with Movimento Artistico Chicano (MARCH), Chicago Indian Artists Guild and
Chicago Mural Group/Chicago Public Art Group. In 1994, the National Museum
of American Art in Washington, D. C., purchased six of his prints and invited 
him to read his poetry.

 Brooklyn-born poet Frank Varela is the author of Serpent Underfoot, a book 
of poetry published by MARCH/Abrazo Press in 1993. His children’s stories
have appeared in anthologies and a school text book. His poetry has been 
published in numerous journals and anthologies. Varela holds Master’s degrees
in English and Library Science from central Michigan University and the 
University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1997, he was named Hispanic Librarian 
of the year by the Illinois Secretary of State. A former Oak Park resident,
Varela currently heads the Office of Grants Management for the Chicago Public Library. 
 Mexico native Victor Pichardo, an Oak Park resident for the past four years,
travels frequently to remote Mexican villages to capture the written and oral 
music that reflects Mexico’s varied traditions. His work of teaching techniques
for using various musical instruments, including a traditional eight-string folk 
guitar, have been funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council under the
Ethnic and Folk Arts Master Apprentice Program for the past year. In 1994,
Pichardo helped found Sones de Mexico Ensemble, to share Mexican “son” – 
highly diverse regional music and dance tunes – with the world outside of Mexico.
Sones de Mexico has performed at street fairs, ethnic festivals, the Chicago
Cultural Center and at concerts in conjunction with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra Brass Ensemble.

“Ethnic Notions” Film Screening 
at Library Oct. 15

 Marlon Riggs’ ground-breaking study of African-American
images from the 1820s to the 1960s is illustrated in the film 
“Ethnic Notions” which will be screened at the Oak Park Public
Library on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. The film screening and 
discussion to follow are co-sponsored by Project Unity. The 
event is free and open to the public. 

 This 1987 film produced and directed by Marlon Riggs dissects 
a disturbing underside of American popular culture by revealing 
the deep-rooted stereotypes that have fueled prejudice against blacks.

 In a searing procession of bigotry, Loyal Toms, carefree Sambos,
faithful Mammies, and leering Coons scroll across the screen in 
cartoons, feature films, popular songs, minstrel shows, advertisements,
household bric-a-brac and children’s rhymes. From the 1820s to
the Civil Rights period, these caricatures of African-Americans were
used by white Americans to justify oppression of blacks. The have 
become imbedded in the American psyche and resurrected, in recent
times, in subtler but no less hurtful ways. Actor Esther Rolle narrates
“Ethnic Notions”, several scholars explain the film’s images and help
put them in a historical context.

 Positive change in the relations between races generally comes about as 
a result of honest conversation and the exchange of ideas, feeling and 
experiences, suggest Lauren Kucera and Milton Reynolds in the “Viewing
Race” Videography and Resource Guide produced by National Video 
Resources. “This type of interchange can help build respect for both our 
difference and similarities.” The film discussion will be led by Project 
Unity facilitators.

 For more information, call the Library at (708) 383-8200, Ext. 119.