Altar egos

Play God  
Renting theater space is tough for cash-strapped storefront companies, so many, including TimeLine Theatre Company, City Lit Theater Company, the Silk Road Theatre Project and Caffeine Theatre, perform their plays on the cheap in local churches. This week, check out TimeLine’s production of Tesla’s Letters, a drama about self-discovery set against the work of physicist Nikola Tesla (through December 23 at Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, 615 W Wellington Ave, timelinetheatre.com; $15–$25) and City Lit’s showcase of holiday stories and songs, A City Lit Christmas (through December 30 at Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W Bryn Mawr Ave, citylit.org; $25).

LET’S GET PHYSICIST TimeLine Theatre Company sets up shop at Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ this week with Tesla’s Letters, a play involving the work of Nikola Tesla..

Faith fest
Dedicated to providing a wide array of educational and entertainment programming that helps people of all faiths understand the Jewish experience, the new Spertus Museum (610 S Michigan Ave, spertus.edu) will host the Something Else! community festival on December 25 from 11am to 2pm. Headlined by “rockin’ rabbi” Rav Shmuel, this free, family-friendly fest will feature mini chess tournaments, hands-on craft projects and tours for children. The museum will host events throughout January, including the American debut of the Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Troupe and the premiere of Cut!, a documentary on circumcision.

On the South Side, St. Sabina Catholic Church hosts an annual African-American speaker series (1210 W 78th Place, saintsabina.org; $15). The 2008 lineup includes Grammy Award winner Harry Belafonte and Pulitzer Prize nominee Maya Angelou.

Cross training
Luther Memorial Church of Chicago (2500 W Wilson Ave, luthermemorialchicago.org), St. James Presbyterian Church (6554 N Rockwell St, stjameschicago.org) and St. Paul and the Redeemer (4945 S Dorcester Ave, sp-r.org) all offer yoga classes, while Concordia Lutheran Church (3300 N Whipple Ave, concordia-avondale.org) hosts fitness classes that range from gymnastics to martial arts and line dancing ($6–$30).

Live in harmony
Arts Academy Chicago, held in Luther Memorial Church (2500 W Wilson Ave, luthermemorialchicago.org/arts-academy-chicago.html), offers voice, piano, cello, violin, recorder and musical-theater classes. Courses are designed for all ability levels and taught either privately or in groups by certified music instructors. Costs range from free to $100 for eight classes.