THU.MAR.30
Schoolhouse Roxx
PS122’s series presents a double bill of dangerous women. Internationally known performance artist Nao Bustamante will be performing her new work, entitled “Hero,” and rising downtown art star Dynasty Handbag brings her own peculiar blend of music and deranged monologue to the stage. Bustamante’s work encompasses performance art, sculpture, installation, video, pop music, and experimental rips in time. Bustamante’s character transforms, via video, from a gentle princess who has lost her puppy in a lush fall forest into an icy nefarious hag trudging through the snow. Dynasty Handbag is the one-woman music, comedy, performance meltdown, and portable electro-ballad vehicle of Jibz Cameron—of indie rock bands Dynasty, The Roofies, and Camp Winnarainbow. On stage, Cameron performs with a backing track containing original songs and dialogues of her innermost personal thoughts and horrible feelings. Through Apr. 1 at 9 p.m. P.S.122, 150 First Ave. at E. Ninth St. $20, $15 students & seniors, $10 members at 212-352-3101 or theatermania.com. For more information 212-477-5288 or ps122.org.
A forerunner in the movement of performance art and minimalist rock, Bitch’s live performances are wild, personable, and outspoken. Alternating among violin, bass, and ukulele, she is known for her bold stage persona, wild fashion sense, and expert musicianship. Bitch has toured around the world as a solo artist and as half of the wildly popular duo, Bitch and Animal. She has released four albums, two on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. Her upcoming solo debut, “Make This/Break This,” will be featured on Showtime’s “The L Word.” Bitch and The Exciting Conclusion, featuring “The L Word’s” Daniela Sea, is in the last half of its four-week run. 7:30 p.m. at Mo Pitkins, 34 Ave. A, btwn. Second & Third Sts. $13 at 212-777-5660.
FRI.MAR.31
Bulrusher
Water is a source of magic and power in this poetic and evocative new play written by Eisa Davis. In the redwood country north of San Francisco, a multi-racial abandoned baby girl is found floating in a basket on the river. Raised in a predominately white town with its own homespun language, and outcast for her lack of family and painfully accurate clairvoyance, Bulrusher discovers an entirely new self when a stranger from Alabama arrives. Directed by Leah C. Gardiner at UrbanStages Theater, 259 W. 30th St., btwn. Seventh & Eighth Aves. Tue.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sat. & Sun. at 2 p.m. Through Apr. 9. $40 at 212-868-4444 or urbanstages.com.
Extemporization
The fifth “Improvised and Otherwise: A Festival of Sound and Form” is an annual event established to encourage and support the momentum of experimental composers and performers, including The Body Cartography Project. In an effort to represent a diverse group of artists, “Improvised and Otherwise” strives to cross-generational and geographic boundaries. The driving force behind this event is to foster a new opportunity for a broad range of media and performance aesthetics. Tonight & Apr. 1 at 8 p.m. BRIC Studio, 57 Rockwell Pl., second floor, btwn. Fulton and Dekalb in Brooklyn. $15, $10 students/seniors, $25 for a festival pass at brooklynx.org/bricstudio.
Superstar Duets
Performance art superstar Neal Medlyn presents a program of duets with other performance art superstars—including Adrienne Truscott of the Wau Wau Sisters, Kenny Mellman of Kiki and Herb, plus ironic dance stars VIDS. Unique evenings of in-your-face entertainment, riffing on R. Kelly, H20, gender, lookin’ for beats, and monsters. And blood. It’s a whole different duet, and a whole different show, every night! 8 p.m. Galapagos Art Space, 70 N. Sixth St., btwn, Kent & Wythe Aves. in Williamsburg. $ 10 in advance, $12 at the door. 718-782-5188.
SAT.APR.1
LGBT Family Night
Brooklyn Children ‘s Museum hosts an evening of humor and high jinks at the LGBT Family Night: April Fool’s Magic. Magician Nicholas Blumm will stroll through the exhibits, performing tricks using cards, ropes, and coins, and other amusing acts. Children can experience the traveling exhibit, Joshua’ s Journey: A Black Cowboy Rides the Chisholm Trail, which features hands-on activity areas where kids can saddle a horse, cook by the campfire, learn to handle a lasso, and see authentic cowboy artifacts. In the other galleries, kids can play musical instruments from around the world, meet live lizards and snakes, run a pizza shop, examine plant life, dress up and put on a show, and view cultural artifacts such as dolls, bones, jewelry, and masks. Pizza and refreshments will be served throughout the evening, and representatives from various community organizations will be on hand to provide information for families about upcoming events, services, and resources. There will also be a raffle contest for tickets to the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, “You Oughta Be In Pictures,” and to a New York Liberty basketball game. $7/$5 members. RSVP at 718-735-4400 ext. 325. 145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Marks Ave. For information, hours, and directions, 718-735-4400 or brooklynkids.org. 6-8 p.m.
SUN.APR.2
Feminist Book Club
The feminist book club reads books and discusses feminism, but makes no claim about what feminism is or whom it serves; this is not a forum for affirming any predetermined feminist platform. Rather, feminism(s) are relied upon as a lens for examination. The club reads theoretical texts, literature and primary works. The book club is open to everyone, and welcomes people of all genders, political persuasions and levels of familiarity with feminism. Meetings take place the first Sunday of every month. Books are chosen by consensus. This month’s reading is “How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America” by Cristina Page. For more information, feministbookclub@yahoo.com. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., btwn. Stanton & Rivington Sts. 212-777-6028. 2:30 p.m. Free.
The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode
Written by LA Weekly Theatre Award-winner Jamie Morris, this unauthorized parody features an all-male cast as the girls from Eastland. The lost episode in question is a two-part, viewer-discretion-advised, musical entitled “The Best Little Whorehouse in Peekskill.” Budget cuts are threatening to force Mrs. Garrett to leave Eastland and the girls will do anything to raise enough money so she can stay. So, they become hookers. And they sing and dance about it! Add an evil Headmaster who has a thing for Mrs. G, lesbian overtones between Jo and Blair, and a guest cameo by cousin Gerri, and it adds up to an unforgettable evening of tragedy and triumph. Directed by Chris Melohn with set design by Michael Lee Scott, “Facts” features lyrics by Brooks Braselman and Jamie Morris with musical arrangements by Hank Bones. Today and Apr. 16 and 30 at 7 p.m. Ace of Clubs, inside Acme at 9 Great Jones St. $17 at 212-352-1010 or TheaterMania.com.
Orthodykes
Winner of the Israeli Oscar for Best Documentary, as well as eight international awards, Ilil Alexander’s stunning debut film boldly documents the clandestine struggle of three women fighting for their right to love within their beloved Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. All three are pious, religiously committed women—and lesbians, members of a secret support group called the Orthodykes. Though their life choices exact a devastating price, these women are committed to confronting their duality, and accept the toll with a profound compassion toward their society. Miriam-Ester fights her aversion to a man’s touch for the sake of her family and ten children, while Ruth’s husband shockingly permits his wife to see her female lover twice a week. Yudith, a Rabbi’s daughter, declares her sexuality openly as she believes “lies are the worst sin on earth.” BAM Rose Cinemas at 6:50 p.m.
MON.APR.3
Smut
Smut presents New York City Perverts’ Saloon, a special sex bloggers night headed up by Audacia Ray of $pread Magazine and SugarClick. Galapagos Art Space, 70 No. Sixth St. btwn. Kent & Wythe in Williamsburg. 718-782-5188. 8 p.m., frontroom, free.
TUE.APR.4
Made in Palestine
The first museum-quality exhibition devoted to the contemporary art of Palestine to be held in the United States is a survey of work spanning three generations of Palestinian artists who live in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, parts of Israel, Syria, Jordan, and the U.S. The exhibition was curated by James Harithas during a month long stay in the Middle East, aided in his mission by Palestinian artist Samia Halaby. The artists utilize a multiplicity of techniques, mediums, and aesthetic styles such as realism, abstraction, and conceptual art. They have been influenced by ancient and contemporary art of the Near East and Egypt as well as by such Western approaches to art as Arte Povera and Installation Art. The works range from monumental pieces to those of a more intimate nature that invite close attention. The Bridge Gallery, 521 W. 26th St., third floor. 646-584-9098. Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Apr. 22. Free.
Stripped
A play on anonymity and identity, “(Un)masked” showcases the work of three contemporary photographers. In the tradition of American realism, Crackerfarm continues their subversive inquest into the aesthetic and historical valuation of past and present cultures. Traditional imagery is fused with the aggressiveness of a punk rock road movie, forcing a rethinking of the relationship between the past and the present. In George Duncan’s work, subjects find themselves standing in a sublime space, implicit in the background, and sensuousness is balanced with the formal. Judy Linn’s photographs are typified by great richness and sensuality of surface detail. Documents of her friendship with Patti Smith, the majority of the pictures were taken after Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, who had lived together in a variety of locations in New York City, moved from the Allerton Hotel to the Chelsea Hotel in 1971. Envoy Gallery, 535 W. 22nd St., sixth fl. Through Apr. 15, Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at 212-242-7524.
WED.APR.5
ISO Something Else
Stephen McCauley reads from his newest novel, “Alternatives to Sex” at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 675 Sixth Ave., at 212-727-227. 7 p.m., free.
Cyborg Futures
The MFA Computer Art Department, in collaboration with the New York Digital Salon, will host Zachary Lieberman as a part of its Public Lecture Series. Lieberman’s work uses technology in a playful and enigmatic way to explore the nature of communication and the boundary between the visible and the invisible. His performances, installations and online works investigate gestural input, augmentation of the body, and kinetic response. School of Visual Arts, 133 W. 21st St., 10th floor, 6-8 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Queer Posters
Posteritati Movie Posters is proud to present “Queer as Film: Classic Gay and Lesbian Movie Posters,” a new exhibition showcasing vintage movie posters from gay and lesbian-themed film classics from around the world. Posteritati specializes in rare, vintage movie posters and is also the exclusive seller of contemporary film posters by film distributors such as Zeitgeist Films, Rialto Films, Magnolia Pictures, and First Run Features. The gallery has over 13,000 original movie posters from over 38 different countries in stock and features customer kiosks with iMacs for visitors to browse Posteritati’s extensive inventory, which can be viewed at posteritati.com. The exhibition will feature international posters from acknowledged landmarks of queer cinema, including French comedy smash “La cage aux folles” (1979), “Pink Narcissus” (1971), “Querelle” (1982), “The Life And Times of Harvey Milk” (1984), “My Beautiful Laundrette” (1987), “My Own Private Idaho” (1992), “Aimee & Jaguar” (1999), and more. 239 Centre St. btwn. Broome & Grand Sts. Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m. Through Apr. 30.
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