With Oscars season finally over and the first of the summer blockbusters still months away, we’re in a bit of an entertainment doldrums at the moment. If you want to keep yourself entertained but you’ve already binged all of Netflix’s new releases, why not while your weekend away with one of these cheap arts events?
“PEN Out Loud: Layli Long Soldier and Claudia Rankine” at the New School, Mar. 1
Acclaimed poets Layli Long Soldier (“WHEREAS”) and Claudia Rankine (“Citizen: An American Lyric”) will speak in conversation and give readings of their own work. Presented by PEN America, the Academy of American Poets and the Creative Writing Program at the New School.
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: John L. Tishman Auditorium, 63 Fifth Ave., Manhattan [Greenwich Village]
Price: $20
Steinhardt Educational Theatre presents “Radium Girls” at the Provincetown Playhouse, Mar. 1 – 10
D.W. Gregory’s play draws its inspiration from the true story of the young female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from radium-based paint in the early 20th century. The Steinhardt Ed Theatre production includes a resource guide so history teachers and students can engage with the historical questions the show raises.
Time: Various
Location: 133 Macdougal St., Manhattan [Greenwich Village]
Price: $5 for NYU students, faculty and staff
“Black Women in Comedy Festival” in Brooklyn (21+), Feb. 28 – Mar. 3
With a lineup including more than 50 comedians, this four-day festival seeks “to create a community and safe space for black women to shine” while also exposing them to bigger audiences. The festival includes stand-up, sketch and improv, and features headliners including Jenelle Jackson, Meshelle, Pat Brown and Stephanie McRae.
Time: Various
Location: Various in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Price: $15 plus fees per show
“Target First Saturday” at the Brooklyn Museum, Mar. 2
March’s installment of the Brooklyn Museum’s monthly night of free performances, talks and art-making celebrates their exhibition “Half the Picture: A Feminist Look at the Collection.” The lineup includes a curator tour of “Half the Picture” at 5:30 p.m., performances by all-woman Indian dance collective Ajna Dance Company at 6 p.m. and Bronx-born rapper Quay Dash at 9 p.m. and a screening of Nia DaCosta’s 2018 film “Little Woods.”
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn [Prospect Heights]
Price: Free
“Queer EyeRL” at the Bell House, Mar. 2 (21+)
In this parody of the hit Netflix series “Queer Eye,” five queer comedians makeover an audience member live on stage. This weekend’s “(un)qualified” hosts are Larry Owens, Aaron Jackson, Zach Zimmerman, Pat Regan and Jon Wan.
Time: Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m.
Location: 149 Seventh St., Brooklyn [Gowanus]
Price: $10 in advance, $15 at the door
Live Tattooing by Doreen Garner at MoMA PS1, Mar. 3
The Long Island City exhibition space hosts a commissioned performance by tattoo artist and sculptor Doreen Garner this Sunday. As Garner tattoos her subjects, she “highlights the power dynamics, pain, trauma, and vulnerability inherent in the practice of tattooing as ink and needles penetrate human skin.” Presented as a part of VW Sunday Sessions 2018 – 2019.
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: 22-25 Jackson Ave., Queens [Long Island City]
Price: $15 plus fees
Email Alex Cullina at [email protected]
