Things to do at NU: May 22 to 28

As the end of the year approaches, there’s no shortage of things to do. We’ve got everything from business pitches to glam-rock performances for your calendar this week.

Future CEOs

Celebrate Northwestern’s most promising student founders at the VentureCat public showcase. The annual student startup competition’s finalists will present their pitches, and attendees will get the chance to vote for the audience favorite prize. Prize winners, including the $100,000 grand prize winner, will be announced at the end of the night.

The showcase is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, in White Auditorium, Kellogg Global Hub, 2211 Campus Drive, Evanston. Register here to attend in-person or virtually.

Jam out to glam rock

Eddie is jobless high school dropout who suffers from crippling social anxiety. To cope, he imagines himself as the charismatic front man of a glam rock band. Watch Eddie’s two lives unfurl in parallel, then merge as he realizes his life must change in “Eddie the Marvelous.”

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, Thursday, May 23, and Friday, May 24, at Wirtz Theater (203), Abbott Hall, 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. Buy tickets here.

Super students

Learn what Northwestern’s undergraduate researchers have been up to this year at the 2024 Undergraduate Research & Arts Expo. See poster and oral presentations during two daytime sessions, then catch a variety show of original works during the evening’s Creative Arts Festival.

The Undergraduate Research Expo begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, at Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston. The Creative Arts Festival is at 7 p.m. on the same day in the Black Box 101, Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston.

Putting mental health on the big screen

Mark Mental Health Awareness Month with the Chicago Mental Health Film Showcase. Two days of films and conversations offer a chance to think deeply about mental health and its portrayal on the screen.  

The showcase kicks off with a screening of “Island of the Hungry Ghosts” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, at The Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Learn more about the other screenings here.  

Mozart with a modern twist

With Mozart’s memorable melodies and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s comedic libretto, “Così fan tutte” has become an enduring audience favorite. In this present-day setting of the classic tale, two men agree to a wager with a reality show producer to test their fiancées’ fidelity.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston.  Buy tickets here.

Show some gratitude

Come to the Wildcat Excellence Gratitude Celebration to recognize and honor outstanding members of the Northwestern community. Enjoy food, music and gratitude card making.

The event is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28, in the Louis Room, Norris University Center, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston. Register here.