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2025
JUNE
-through -June 7 BLACK BOX Exhibition of photography of DONA ANN MCADAMS Pratt Manhattan Gallery, 144 W. 14th St. "combining 50 years of black and white photography with the photographer’s own short lyric texts. Her photographs, taken between 1974 and 2024, document astonishing moments and people across decades of American life. These striking historical images paired with personal reflections that read like prose poems work together to convey an unapologetic history of the Queer Liberation Movement, the Culture Wars, and the Performance Art scene of the 1980s and 1990s. This exhibition is timed to coincide with the release of McAdams' recent monograph, Black | Box: A Photographic Memoir, published by Saint Lucy Books."
-through Sept. 13 ROOM TO MOVE: DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP the legendary space (now NYLA) where so many of us made our work. New York Public Library of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Exhibition, performances.
through June 29 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING bilingual open-air version presented by The Public Theater throughout NYC. Original songs/music by Julián Mesri, directed by Rebecca Martínez. Free! Schedule
through July 3 AVIARY sound installation by Raven Chacon, taking advantage of the unusually sustained sound decay of the room, and a reference to Audubon's Birds of America. American Academy of Arts and Letters
4 & 11 THERE'S A RIOT GOING ON! The Real Music & True Story of Stonewall-a documentary concert. 9:30pm Joe's Pub. Directed by David Driver with musical direction by Ann Klein. We saw an earlier version of this project, revelatory and musically and historically powerful. A great group of singers/speakers that moves dynamically through the history of a revolt. @theres_a_riot
13-14 FRESH TRACKS/NEW WORKS by Maxi Hawkeye Canion, Kashia Kancey, Jade Manns, ayo ohs New York Live Arts
13-14 AMERICA, WHO HURT YOU? Sarah Jones, whose masterful solo BRIDGE AND TUNNEL became something of a legend, returns with a new solo work based on interviews. 7pm Joe's Pub at Public Theater
19 OH SANKOFA! A JUNTEENTH CELEBRATION Curated by Carl Hancock Rux. Free but best if RSVP. Starts 6pm in Hearst Plaza and moves to Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. Featured artists include actress/comedian Phyllis Stickney; multimedia artist Vinson Fraley; dancer and Urban Bush Women Co-Artistic Director Chanon Judson; blue jazz guitarist Marvin Sewell; and the Etienne Lashley choir
20-24 LETTER OF INTENT a new play by the always unique, inventive, brilliant John Jesurun. Set in an actual west village apartment. 7 pm Must reserve! with Asta Hansen, Claire Buckingham, Benjamin Forster, Dan Kuan Peeples.
21 MACHINE DAZZLE & GERARD KOUWENHOVEN Lincoln Center Plaza "an extravagant visual concert of original songs about individuality and community, the ebb and flow of human rights, how external forces shape our lives, and common philosophies like “patience is a virtue” and “live and let live.” The live musical performance will be followed by a Silent Disco, as the pair spins their favorites. 7pm and Free but RSVP
26-28 EVENING OF YOU-VICKY SCHICK and JULIETTE MAPP w/ Jennifer Lafferty, Marilyn Maywald-Yahel, Mor Mendel, Jimena Paz, Cherrie Yu. 7:30pm "Shick (since the 70’s) and Mapp (since the 90’s) have been involved in the downtown dance community performing, teaching, and choreographing. Among the artists involved in this evening’s work are teachers, performers, makers, and award-recipients. Lighting by Kathy Kaufmann, design by Jon Kinzel, and sound by James Lo" Presented by the Bang Group at Arts on Site
28- August 9 FREEDOM TIME: UNDANCED DANCES THROUGH PRISON WALLS Presented by Recess, created by California-based Dancing Through Prison Walls. Thurs-Sat 12-5
JULY
12 TAYLOR MAC'S 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC. Screening the film outdoors as part of River to River Festival. The Oculus, World Trace Center North Oculus Plaza 7-9pm
29 TAYLOR MAC: IN CONCERT and now live! Robert F Wagner, Jr. Park at 20 Battery Pl. Presented by River to River. 7pm Free but RSVP
through August 9 FREEDOM TIME: UNDANCED DANCES THROUGH PRISON WALLS Presented by Recess, created by California-based Dancing Through Prison Walls. Thurs-Sat 12-5
24-Sept. 13 CAN I BE FRANK? Morgan Bassichis in a kind of one-man show drawing on the work of Frank Maya, revered performance artist who died in the 1980's. Directed by Sam Pinkelton (OH MARY!). Soho Playhouse. Both the NYer and the great comic Reno are raving about this show.
AUGUST
cont. through Sept. 13 CAN I BE FRANK? Morgan Bassichis in a kind of one-man show drawing on the work of Frank Maya, revered performance artist who died in the 1980's. Directed by Sam Pinkelton (OH MARY!). Soho Playhouse. Both the NYer and the great comic Reno are raving about this show. And so am I. Captures Frank's work as well as an era with an energy that is exhilarating. Bassichis moves in and out of Frank Maya in a way that redefines ego and ambition.
23-24 THESE ARE THE BODIES THAT HAVE NOT BORNE Premiere of site specific dance by Maria Bauman/MBDance, 6pm in Healing Garden Meadow, Snug Harbor Dance Festival on Staten Island
Maria is a 2025 Jacki Apple awardee (via Franklin Furnace)!
25-Sept 27 WE COME TO COLLECT: A FLIRTATION, WITH CAPITALISM. The Flea. Written, co-directed, and performed by Jenn Kidwell. Co-directed by jaamil olawale kosoko and Adam Lazarus
28-Oct. 26 WORKS ON WATER TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION, performances, exhibits, workshops. The Arts Center on Governors Island
29-Sept. 7 DOWN TO EARTH FESTIVAL "international multidisciplinary performances, dance, theatre, in-situ events and contemporary circus" Free! Sponsored by CUNY Segal Center
SEPTEMBER
cont throughSept. 13 CAN I BE FRANK? Morgan Bassichis in a kind of one-man show drawing on the work of Frank Maya, revered performance artist who died in the 1980's. Directed by Sam Pinkelton (OH MARY!). Soho Playhouse. Both the NYer and the great comic Reno are raving about this show. And so am I. Captures Frank's work as well as an era with an energy that is exhilarating. Bassichis moves in and out of Frank Maya in a way that redefines ego and ambition.
cont. through 7 DOWN TO EARTH FESTIVAL "international multidisciplinary performances, dance, theatre, in-situ events and contemporary circus" Free! Sponsored by CUNY Segal Center
cont. through 27 WE COME TO COLLECT: A FLIRTATION, WITH CAPITALISM. The Flea. Written, co-directed, and performed by Jenn Kidwell. Co-directed by jaamil olawale kosoko and Adam Lazarus
cont. through December. WORKS & PROCESS presented at The Guggenheim and other locations. Lots of developing work by prominent artists. see the schedule
3-21 COLOR THEORIES Julio Torres (Fantasmas) blends stand-up, design, dream logic. Performance Space NY co-pro w/ Boundary Road
10-14 GAZA BIENNIAL hosted by Recess as part of international effort
13-Oct. 25 Saturdays 2-3pm BUFFALOUNIT FOR BISON BISON Dia Chelsea 537 W. 22nd St. "eagleswitheyesclosed and Tanya Lukin Linklater. Inspired by ideas of transmission and distillation, the performances combine music, dance, and text to express the most immaterial connotations of Duane Linklater: 12 + 2."
16-25 SOHO REP WRITER/DIRECTOR LAB Several teams present very promising new work. Check schedule for free tickets!
18-20 RINGELBLUM Hilary Easton choreography. The Theater at Gibney, 280 Broadway at 53A Chambers St. "a meditation on nostalgia, the limits of documentation, and the meaning we assign to the past."
18-October 5 DEGENERATE LAB Target Margin. A festival of new work based on subjects such as David Wojnarowiecz and Valerie Solanas (FAGGOT/TERRORIST) and a collection of new voices inspired by punk. And more.
18-Jan 11 COCO FUSCO: TOMORROW I WILL BECOME AN ISLAND a retrospective of this vital and enormously influential performer/artist/thinker/teacher at Museo del Barrio
25-Dec 13 POWERHOUSE: INTERNATIONAL curated by David Binder (former BAM) and happening at Powerhouse Arts. Work from around the world, and they are offering a lot of tickets at $30.
25-27 ALL RIGHT. GOOD NIGHT Rimini Protokoll at Skirball.
the Berlin-based company's production co-Presented with L’Alliance New York as a part of Crossing The Line Festival
"On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished mid-flight — an event that remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. In All right. Good night. (2021), acclaimed director Helgard Haug interweaves this unfathomable disappearance with a deeply personal story: her father’s slow fading into dementia. Through documentary storytelling and an evocative live score by Barbara Morgenstern and the Zafraan Ensemble, the production transforms loss into an immersive theatrical experience. How do we make the missing tangible? What remains when presence disappears? This haunting and powerful performance, featuring five musicians and two performers, invites us to confront the unknown."
cont. through Oct. 26 WORKS ON WATER TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION, performances, exhibits, workshops. The Arts Center on Governors Island
OCTOBER
cont. through Nov. 16 ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS. by Heather Christian, directed by Lee Sunday Evans. Signature Theatre. One of the most glorious sonic/sound/vocal experiences I've had in a long time. Beautifully staged and performed. An absolute do not miss!
cont. through October 7 11,000 STRINGS-GEORG FRIEDRICH HASS and KLANGFORUM WIEN. 50 micro-tuned pianos and a chamber orchestra surround the audience in the massive drill hall. Should be sonically special. Park Avenue Armory
cont. through December. WORKS & PROCESS presented at The Guggenheim and other locations. Lots of developing work by prominent artists. see the schedule
through Oct 5 DEGENERATE LAB Target Margin. A festival of new work based on subjects such as David Wojnarowiecz and Valerie Solanas (FAGGOT/TERRORIST) and a collection of new voices inspired by punk. And more.
through Oct. 25 Saturdays 2-3pm BUFFALOUNIT FOR BISON BISON Dia Chelsea 537 W. 22nd St. "eagleswitheyesclosed and Tanya Lukin Linklater. Inspired by ideas of transmission and distillation, the performances combine music, dance, and text to express the most immaterial connotations of Duane Linklater: 12 + 2."
through Jan 11 COCO FUSCO: TOMORROW I WILL BECOME AN ISLAND a retrospective of this vital and enormously influential performer/artist/thinker/teacher at Museo del Barrio
4 ASSES.MASSES engages the audience in 7.5 hours of live game play. created by a team of international artists led by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim. Multiple meal breaks! NYU Skirball
8-9 DAMBUDZO the expansive sensibility of nora chapaumire, who created this project, brings Zimbabwean dance/music/history to BAM
"dambudzo" means "trouble" in Shona
8-19 KRAPP'S LAST TAPE. Beckett's monologue performed by Stephen Rea. I believe Rea did a version of this several years ago for the series Beckett on Film. NYU Skirball
9-21 NEW FEST LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVAL in-person and virtual
14-November ? BLUE COWBOY. Written and performed by David Cale, directed by Les Waters. We saw a workshop version at Ancram Arts Center this summer and it's quite wonderful. David is a master storyteller and performer. Bushwick Starr
23-Nov. 3 THEATER IN QUARANTINE: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. "a fully remote world premiere inspired by the 1925 silent horror classic, created by Joshua William Gelb and Normandy Sherwood. Following 2023’s Nosferatu: A 3D Symphony of Horror, Phantom continues TiQ’s gothic experiments in digital performance—broadcast live from a labyrinth of miniature stages inside an East Village apartment. Unlike its more lavish musical cousins, this Phantom strips the story to its bones: a portrait of the artist as saboteur, trapped in a system that preserves tradition by suffocating change. Performed by TiQ’s largest cast to date and featuring a brand new dual-streaming system, audiences can toggle between the show and its behind-the-scenes construction, offering unprecedented access to the mechanics behind the illusions — unmasked and unmistakably live." NYU Skirball
NOVEMBER
cont. through December. WORKS & PROCESS presented at The Guggenheim and other locations. Lots of developing work by prominent artists. see the schedule
cont. through Nov. 16 ORATORIO FOR LIVING THINGS. by Heather Christian, directed by Lee Sunday Evans. Signature Theatre. One of the most glorious sonic/sound/vocal experiences I've had in a long time. Beautifully staged and performed. An absolute do not miss!
cont. through November ? BLUE COWBOY. Written and performed by David Cale, directed by Les Waters. We saw a workshop version at Ancram Arts Center this summer and it's quite wonderful. David is a master storyteller and performer. Bushwick Starr
through Jan 11 COCO FUSCO: TOMORROW I WILL BECOME AN ISLAND a retrospective of this vital and enormously influential performer/artist/thinker/teacher at Museo del Barrio
6-7 ARTSLINK ASSEMBLY 2025/DEFENDING EACH OTHER Annual gathering sponsored by CEC Arts to bring transnational artists together. LaMaMa
13-15 INFAMOUS OFFSPRING Ultima Vez/Wim Vandekeybus NYU Skirball
16 TAYLOR MAC & MATT RAY IN CONCERT 7pm 92nd St. Y (or 92NY as that venue is now known) Always a joy. Part of their Lyric & Lyricists series.
21-22 MY TOWN Jack Ferver's queer take on the classic OUR TOWN. Written, Choreographed, and Performed by Jack, Scenic Design, Music, and Video by Jeremy Jacob. NYU Skirball
DECEMBER
cont. through 17. WORKS & PROCESS presented at The Guggenheim and other locations. Lots of developing work by prominent artists. see the schedule
3-6, 10-13 TERE O'CONNOR TWO PIECES. New York Live Arts/NYLA Tere revives Construct-a-Guy, one of his earliest solos from 1980's, and a new piece. I've been watching Tere's work since 1984 and he's brilliant, inventive and challenging. Always.