Hookup App Etiquette, QueerCom, and More Performance Picks

WEDNESDAY

Raw Bacon From Poland
Now through June 17 at Abrons Arts Center, 8 pm: $25 

I would say that most of us agree that war is bad. I would also say that most of us are able to state that opinion without having directly experienced the horrors of war ourselves. Guggenheim Fellow Christina Masciotti’s new play, currently running at Lower East Side’s Abrons Arts Center, revolves around a veteran who has been forever altered by a tour in Iraq. Through attempts to sedate his PTSD with pills, he finds himself sentenced to Brooklyn Treatment Court due to a domestic violence incident.

Theater is rarely free to attend, and often costs a pretty penny. So when the genre tells the stories of people typically cast aside by society, it can be difficult for these very people being portrayed to actually witness the work being staged. In an effort to make this play more accessible, the theater has set aside two free tickets per night specifically for veterans.

THURSDAY

Looking For: A Town Hall and Constitutional Convention
Thursday, June 15 at The Well, 9 pm: $5

Do dating apps confuse you? Does what you’re expected to do when you actually meet IRL confuse you even more? Sam Taggart and Bowen Yang, the brains behind gay comedy experiences Lake Homo High and Live On Broadgay, host this elaborate discussion on “etiquette standards pertaining to app hookups” to inform your perplexed little mind and assuage all your fears. Joining them will be seasoned experts Joe Castle Baker, Patti Harrison, Samantha Ruddy, Peter Smith, and Gabe Gonzalez.

The show is literally sponsored by gay dating app Scruff, and audience members will have the chance to win sponsored prizes. I’m really not sure what non-virtual prizes a dating app has to offer, but if anything they’ll probably be good conversation starters.

FRIDAY

QueerCom 2017
June 16-18 at The PIT, various times: various prices

It’s Pride month! While there is an array of events to attend from rallies to marches and even dance parties, sometimes you just want to sit back and laugh. Luckily, the PIT brings you three whole days where you can do just that at their annual QueerCom festival, deemed “Pride Weekend’s Unofficial LGBTQIA Comedy Festival.”

This festival isn’t just stand-up and traditional fare like that. Here, you can see drag, storytelling, film, sketch, regular improv, improv that’s also a hip-hop musical, and even discussions from a variety of comedic creatives across the LGBTQIA spectrum. Yes, everything is still bad about the world, but please take some time to laugh a little.

SATURDAY

The Moon Show
Saturday, June 17 at JACK, 7:30 pm: $5-15 suggested donation

The Moon Show is a recurring variety show aimed at creating “an anti-racist, queer, trans, intersectional, intergenerational, feminist space.” Their diverse lineup reflects this, featuring poetry by Tala Abu Rahmeh and Itiola Jones, music by Moonheart, and a performance by Chrysalisamidst with Athéna Archange and the House of Realité.

They also have their very own community choir on the lineup, and you can join it if you want. It’s for queer and trans individuals and their allies, and you can even perform in the choral segment of the next Moon Show if you attend at least one rehearsal beforehand.

SUNDAY

Boner Killer On Father’s Day
Sunday, June 18 at Joe’s Pub, 9 pm: $20

Comedic storyteller and cabaret artist Erin Markey is bringing her latest show creation back to the hallowed halls of Joe’s Pub, and just in time for the Day of Daddy Issues, more formally known as Father’s Day. I had the chance to catch a run of this show several months back when it was at The Public’s Under The Radar Festival, and can divulge that highlights may include interestingly-modified dolls and catchy songs sung about them, a pre-show funeral, methods to fund a trip to Europe before the advent of crowdfunding, pleasing vocal harmonies, and other treats.

Plus, Joe’s Pub is good even though their drinks are expensive, and the Public Theater just lost a ton of corporate funding because a bunch of people got mad at a Shakespeare play in the time they weren’t spending pushing for poor people to lose their healthcare. So you should support them the easiest way possible, which is seeing the shows they put on.