theater for the new city

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Performance Picks: Drag Karaoke, Bread and Puppet Theater, and More

THURSDAY

(image via BEEF Show / Facebook)

Yell Club
Thursday, December 14 at Rockbar NYC, 9 pm: FREE

People seem to like karaoke, and people seem to like drag shows. These two groups don’t necessarily seem to always overlap, but come Thursday night they will unite at Yell Club, where one person sings karaoke while a drag performer lip-synchs that very same song. So, those of you who feel uninterested or afraid of doing drag but like singing songs when weird MIDI tracks and projected lyrics are involved (shoutout to Sun Fly, the weird karaoke backing track brand bug mascot I have taken a liking to), this will be your night to shine while also giving other performers some material.

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Immersive EDM Musical Celebrates Cleopatra, ‘the Beyonce of Her Day’

Talia Thiesfield as Cleopatra. (Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Hill).

Over the past couple decades, electronic dance music has expanded beyond the realm of raves, nightclubs and festivals and received mainstream exposure as Kanye West, Lady Gaga and other major pop acts have included EDM elements in their chart-topping songs. Now, EDM has expanded to new horizons: musical theater.

Opening Sept. 21 at the East Village’s Theater for the New City, “Cleopatra: The New Pop Experience” fuses an EDM score with musical theater for an immersive audience experience that includes a live DJ and a dance floor.

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A Streepshow, a Neutral Milk Hotelier, and More Performance Picks

THURSDAY

Paul Alexander by Valentin Xtravaganza (via Howl Happening / Facebook)

Inside Out Upside Down
Thursday, June 1 at C’mon Everybody, 8 pm: FREE

Movement Research shows typically happen in places formally designated for performance, where people gather in chairs and observe dance pieces and exit when they are done. Tonight, they’re switching it up. As part of their annual Spring Festival, curated by Laurie Berg, Monstah Black, and Amy Khoshbin, dancers and movers and beyond will be congregating at Bed-Stuy bar C’mon Everybody. There, the night will shift in between performance and party, as a variety of movement artists, DJs, MCs and more explore the question: “What is the role of the club in activating a community and creating a cross-cultural blend?”

The night’s performers include Richard Kennedy, Tendayi Kuumba, and Larissa Velez-Jackson of the group Yackez. In addition to dancers and DJ sets, there will also be a special MC workshop led by producers from “nightclub hybrid” Jackie 60.

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Composers of Color, Macaulay Returns to Shea Stadium, and More Performance Picks

WEDNESDAY

(image via Joe’s Pub)

Lift Every Voice
Wednesday, April 12 at Joe’s Pub, 9:30 pm: $20-30

Musical Theater Factory, a production company created by Difficult People actress and multi-hyphenate Shakina Nayfack, presents this concert of songs penned by musical theater composers of color. The show is curated by members of MTF’s People of Color Roundtable, one of two regularly occurring “representation round tables” that provide a forum for people in marginalized groups to share new composition and creative work.

If you dare say musical theater is so predominantly white because there aren’t many other types of writers out there, this show will surely prove you wrong. Lift Every Voice will be showcasing over 15 composers in just one night, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg in regards to the wide array of non-white writers and composers working to breathe new life into the genre today. More →

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Performance Picks: Riot Grrrl Antigone, Marionettes Abound, Toasty Roasts

WEDNESDAY

(flyer via Room Service / Facebook)

(flyer via Room Service / Facebook)

Room Service
Wednesday, February 15 at The Jane Hotel, 8 pm: 

Valentine’s Day has technically passed, so all you single people can breathe a sigh of relief and all you non-single people can also breathe a sigh of relief because the pressure to give into capitalism has maybe lessened a little. Depending on who you are, of course. But if you’re longing to stay in the spirit of flowers, chocolates, and a pink n’ red color palette, this edition of Greta Titelman’s Room Service comedy show at The Jane has got you covered. With a lineup full of love-worthy folks like Bowen Yang, Lorelei Ramirez, Alyssa Stonoha, Petey DeAbreu, Blair Socci, Tom Thakkar, and Ricky Velez, you’ll be sure to spend the night feeling warm inside, expelling laughs from your gullet in only the most loving of fashions. Rounding out the bunch will be two individuals aiming their Cupid’s arrow in a more musical way: Ruby McCollister and Tim Platt as “resident songbird” and “heartthrob,” respectively. More →

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Join a Community Arts Dialogue, See Queer Latinx Art, and More Before the Clock Strikes 2017

(Photo: Natalie Rinn)

Art Start Up!
Tuesday, December 27, 7 pm to 10 pm at Theater for the New City, RSVP by Email info@theaterforthenewcity.net to RSVP

This Tuesday, one of the last independent East Village art spaces still hangin’ on, Theater for the New City, will welcome a group of artists as well as an array community organizations to engage in a conversation about the East Village and Lower East Side arts scene. There’s a lot to survey: the current state of things, what’s missing, what improvements should be made to best suit the community the arts (hopefully) serve, and economic barriers that may be in place. That last one is sure to be a long conversation.

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This Halloween, Step Outside For Canoe Rides, Bike Jousting, and Medieval Rituals

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If you’ve taken a gander at our rundown of Halloween parties and decided that sweating into your Babadook costume at a bar or warehouse rave is literally your worst nightmare, consider one of these action-packed outdoor throwdowns instead.

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Watch Your Fixie Become a Star of the Stage in ‘Bike Shop: The Musical’

(Photo courtesy)

(Photo courtesy Liz Barkan)

Liz Barkan’s one-woman bike-themed off-off-Broadway musical is not autobiographical. Well, OK, it kind of is. The part about owning a bike shop is true. The part about being a bike messenger is true. The part about being Jewish is true. Let’s go with semi-autobiographical, even though Barkan insists, “None of the play is autobiographical.”
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Mark Your Calendar For These Two Outdoor Arts Festivals in the East Village

2012's FAB! Festival. (Photo: Whitney Browne)

2012’s FAB! Festival. (Photo: Whitney Browne)

The East Village’s cultural institutions are taking it to the streets again, as the details of two big outdoor arts festivals were announced today.

Theater for the New City is preparing to kick off its annual Summer Street Theater Tour, which has been bringing free outdoor theater to low-income communities since the 1970s. This year they’ll be hitting up neighborhoods in all five boroughs, including Bed-Stuy, the South Bronx, Jackson Heights, Coney Island, Harlem, West New Brighton, and the East Village.
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Burlesque for Nerds and a Dance Party with Imelda Marcos

Tburlesque Blitzhe prolific Horsetrade Theater Group, which operates the Kraine Theater and Under St. Marks in the East Village, is getting even busier than usual, with a Summer Burlesque Blitz beginning July 18. Four days of live performances include GeekBoys (a “Nerdy-Burly review” with bearded strip-tease artists making pop culture references) and RAWR! Burlesque, which has performances in honor of classic cult films. Expect jokes about light sabers at either or both. Visit Horsetrade’s website for the full schedule, and read on for our July theater round-up.
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