Center Stage
Great Ideas: The University of Chicago and the Ideal of Liberal Education, through September 6. Drawing on the papers of Robert Maynard Hutchins, Mortimer Adler, William Benton, and Walter Paepcke, this exhibit explores the cultural milieu that made the "Great Ideas" central to the University's educational mission both on and off campus. Special Collections; call 773/702-8705.

Ancient Near East film series, through September 29. Documentary films on the Dead Sea Scrolls, mummies, the pharaohs and their pyramids, and Cleopatra are followed by guided tours of Oriental Institute collections. Oriental Institute; call 773/702-9520.

Racine's Phèdre, September 5-October 6. Court Theatre opens its 48th season with Racine's 17th-century version of this ancient Greek tale, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, AB'60. Queen Phèdre lusts after her handsome stepson Hippolytus. Spurned, she pursues a vengeful path that ends in tragedy. Court Theatre; call 773/753-4472.

The Virtuous Image: Korean Painting and Calligraphy from the Late Choson Dynasty, September 14-December 15. Korean scholar or "literati" painting flourished during the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), when members of the wealthy scholar-gentry class and civil officials created scroll paintings and albums of lyrical poetry, idealized landscapes, austere bamboo, and other refined subjects. In the first public presentation of the Smart Museum's collection of Korean scholar and Buddhist paintings and calligraphy, items date from the 18th-century apogee of Korean court culture to royal rule's tumultuous end in the early 20th century. Smart Museum; call 773/702-0200.

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