Make American Gay Again, Theater As Light, and More Performance To Ease The Pain

January 18, 2017 By Cassidy Dawn Graves

WEDNESDAY

(image via Ars Nova / Facebook)

Make America Gay Again
Wednesday, January 18 at Ars Nova, 8 pm: $15

By now, the phrase Make America Great Again pretty much seems like old hat. Which is also a pun I didn’t mean to make, but there it is. Tonight, performance artist Chris Tyler hopes to put his own ribald spin on MAGA with this spangled variety show, claiming while that America has never been particularly great or even particularly good, it has indeed been “more than a little bit gay.” Republicans are welcome to this affair, though it’s unclear what their fate shall be when they arrive. The lineup includes “drag queens, poets, and punk musicians” such as performance artist Emily Oliveira, drag queen Kelsey, local rockers Gandor Chorale, Pussy Grabs Back: The Band, writer Jess Goldschmidt, and more. Advance tickets are sold out, but a waitlist begins at the theater at 7:30. More →

Tags: ACLU, Ars Nova, Bushwick, chris tyler, comedy, Emily Winter, Fundraiser, Ghostlight Project, inauguration, Jenn Welch, MAGA, performance art, queer, rough trade, Starr Bar, the annoyance theater, theater, variety show, What A Joke Fest, Williamsburg

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Spectacle Theater Seeks Help to Stay in Williamsburg After ‘Tumultuous Summer’

October 6, 2015 By Nicole Disser

(Photo: Nicole Disser)

“There’s a lot that we’ve been able to accomplish in five years– in this space, in this neighborhood– and say, ‘We’re still here,'” explained Mark Freado, one of the longer standing volunteers at Spectacle, an independent 30-seat movie theater run solely by other volunteers like him. “There’ve been a lot of similar spaces around here that we’ve had to say goodbye to recently, which sucked. I think we were all really nervous that we were going to get added to that list and have to say, ‘Now what?’”

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Tags: film, Fundraiser, kickstarter, movies, spectacle, spectacle theater, theaters, Williamsburg

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Go Watch a Puppet Variety Performance Fundraiser for Matt and Nora Brooks

July 31, 2015 By Rob Scher

Next Tuesday at The Connelly Theatre puppetry meets philanthropy as some of NYC’s top puppeteers perform a “one-night only puppet variety show” in support of Matt and Nora Brooks, who some might recall lost their entire livelihoods in the March 26 gas explosion. The performers are all friends and colleagues of Matt Brooks, a former Jim Henson master puppet maker.

“They all just wanted to help out,” said organizer Craig Mingus, a seasoned fundraiser, talking with us over phone about the performance that will see all proceeds going to the Brookses. Mingus got involved after Emmy nominated Noel MacNeal and James Wojtal, both former Henson puppeteers, reached out to him for assistance. “In total we’ve got a cast and crew of around 28 people, all donating their time for free,” said Mingus.

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Tags: East Village, Fundraiser, gas explosion, Matt Brooks, Puppets

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St. Mark’s Bookshop Is Raising Funds For an Early Summer Move

February 28, 2014 By Jenna Marotta

(Dave Ratzlow, NYMag.com)

St. Mark’s Bookshop launched another fundraiser this week, this time aiming to draw $50,000 via Indiegogo. So what’s the latest with the bookshop’s attempt to relocate? Co-owner Bob Contant doesn’t want to say until he has a lease in hand, but he did reveal that the Bookshop has seen three previous deals fall through.
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Tags: Fundraiser, Jerry's Artarama, Robert Contant, st. mark's bookshop, terry mccoy, Utrecht Art Supply