this week in literature

VIRTUAL BOOK LAUNCH EVENT: RAPHAEL MONTAÑEZ ORTIZ

El Museo del Barrio will celebrate the publication of Raphael Montañez Ortiz’s first monograph on July 22

Who: Javier Rivero Ramos, Chon Noriega, Kevin Hatch, Ana Perry, Marcos Dimas, Pedro Reyes, Juan Sanchez
What: Virtual book launch of Raphael Montañez Ortiz monograph with conversation and live Q&A
Where: El Museo en Tu Casa Zoom
When: Wednesday, July 22, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: In 1969, Brooklyn-born artist and educator Raphael Montañez Ortiz founded and became the first director of El Museo del Barrio. “The cultural disenfranchisement I experience as a Puerto Rican has prompted me to seek a practical alternative to the orthodox museum, which fails to meet my needs for an authentic ethnic experience. To afford me and others the opportunity to establish living connections with my own culture, I founded El Museo del Barrio,” he said. In 2014, El Museo honored Ortiz with the exhibition “Museum Starter Kit: Open with Care”; on July 22, they’ll pay tribute to the eighty-six-year-old Nuyorican multidisciplinary deconstructionist with a virtual launch party for his first monograph, featuring a live conversation on Zoom, followed by a Q&A; among the participants are monograph editor Javier Rivero Ramos, contributors Chon Noriega, Kevin Hatch, and Ana Perry, and artists Marcos Dimas, Pedro Reyes, and Juan Sanchez.

“One of the most radical creators and pioneers of his generation, Raphael Montañez Ortiz offers El Museo del Barrio an opportunity to push the boundaries of identities, showcase moments of harmony and tension in our lived history as a museum, and challenge and expand limited visual art narratives. Entropy speaks about the need for transformation, about the irreversible changes that are generated within complex systems. This spirit is evidenced in El Museo del Barrio today and for years to come,” El Museo executive director Patrick Charpenel said in a statement. Ramos added, “For far too long, canonical art history devoted to American art of the second half of the twentieth century neglected one of its most innovative artists. Premised on the Eurocentric myth of the homo faber, it failed to comprehend the trailblazing character of Raphael Montañez Ortiz and his lifelong endeavor to harness the human condition’s primal energies. At once a painter, performance artist, sculptor, filmmaker, teacher, community organizer, and writer, the work of Raphael Montañez Ortiz defies disciplinary categorization. This publication offers for the first time a panoramic view of a prolific career spanning more than six decades.”

PLAYBAC: PERFORMANCES FROM THE ARCHIVE SERIES 2

Who: Baryshnikov Arts Center
What: Free virtual series
Where: Baryshnikov Arts Center online
When: Thursdays at 5:00, free (available through the following Tuesday at 5:00)
Why: Baryshnikov Arts Center is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary virtually, streaming a wide range of archival performances that display its diversity, from dance and music to theater and poetry. Its second series of “PlayBAC: Performances from the Archive” begins July 16-21 with Trisha Brown Dance Company’s Opal Loop / Cloud Installation #72503, filmed ten years ago in the Howard Gilman Performance Space, where Leah Morrison, Nicholas Strafaccia, Laurel J. Tentindo, and Samuel von Wentz move quietly around a smokey stage, with costumes by Judith Shea, lighting by Beverly Emmons, and visual presentation by Fujiko Nakaya creating a mystical atmosphere. The look back continues with Aszure Barton’s Over/Come July 23-28 (with members of Hell’s Kitchen Dance), the Quodlibet Ensemble July 30 – August 4, Company SBB / Stefanie Batten Bland’s A Place of Sun August 6-11, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith reading Catalan poetry August 13-18, and doug elkins choreography, etc.’s Scott, Queen of Marys August 20-25, featuring Javier Ninja. The videos will be introduced by founding artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov and several of the artists. The first series consisted of works by Rocío Molina, the Latvian National Choir, Rashaun Mitchell, Merasi: Master Musicians of Rajasthan, Vertigo Dance Company, and singer/songwriter Somi, but you cannot see them anymore because they are available for only a limited time, so don’t miss this opportunity to see this second collection of cutting-edge presentations, for free.

July 16-21
Trisha Brown Dance Company, Opal Loop / Cloud Installation #72503 (1980), Howard Gilman Performance Space, filmed April 10, 2010

July 23-28
Aszure Barton, Over/Come (2005), Studio Showing, Rudolf Nureyev Studio, filmed June 16, 2005

July 30 – August 4
Quodlibet Ensemble: Music by Biber, Martynov + Sharlat, Jerome Robbins Theater, filmed December 5, 2018

August 6-11
Company SBB / Stefanie Batten Bland, A Place of Sun (2012), world premiere, Jerome Robbins Theater, filmed May 17, 2012

August 13-18
Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith: A Reading of Catalan poetry, Howard Gilman Performance Space, filmed March 23, 2007

August 20-25
doug elkins choreography, etc., Scott, Queen of Marys (1994), Howard Gilman Performance Space, filmed December 7, 2012

AMERICAN UTOPIA MEETS UTOPIA AVENUE: DAVID BYRNE AND DAVID MITCHELL IN CONVERSATION

David Mitchell and David Byrne will discuss the concept of utopia and the state of the world i 92Y conversation

David Mitchell and David Byrne will discuss the concept of utopia and the state of the world in 92Y conversation

Who: David Byrne, David Mitchell
What: Online discussion and Q&A
Where: 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center
When: Tuesday, July 14, $35, 6:00
Why: In his Broadway show American Utopia, Scotland-born former Talking Heads American lead singer David Byrne adapted songs from throughout his career into a stunningly conceived stage musical with a mobile, untethered band, choreography by Annie-B Parson, and a narrative delving into the nature of the human brain and our experience on this planet, featuring such songs as “Here,” “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody),” “Bullet,” and “Road to Nowhere.” In his brand-new novel, Utopia Avenue, English author David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green) follows the life and times of a fictional British psychedelic band; the first chapter is titled “Abandon Hope.” On July 14 at 6:00, Byrne and Mitchell will discuss their latest work and the state of the world in a livestreamed discussion from wherever they are sheltering in place; the event is hosted by the 92nd St. Y’s Unterberg Poetry Center and the Community Bookstore in Park Slope. Tickets are $35 but come with a signed copy of Utopia Avenue; the first one hundred purchasers will get the opportunity to briefly chat virtually one-on-one with Mitchell.

COMMUNITY DAY: SAY IT LOUD — A REFLECTION ON THE ’67 NEWARK UPRISING, THEN AND NOW

Robert Curvin speaks out during the Newark Riots of 1967 (Bettmann, 1967/ image © Getty Images)

Rutgers graduate and Congress of Racial Equality leader Robert Curvin speaks out during the Newark Riots of 1967 (Bettmann, 1967 / image © Getty Images)

Who: Sharon Owens, Moya Mathison, Arruna D’Souza, Alexis Green, Gimmidat, Ras Baraka, Linda C. Harrison
What: Newark Museum of Art virtual community day
Where: Newark Museum of Art Facebook Live and Zoom
When: Sunday, July 12, free (advance registration required for Zoom programs), noon – 5:00
Why: On July 12, 1967, after an incident of police brutality committed by white officers on Black taxi driver John Smith in Newark, New Jersey, a civil rebellion broke out, with four days of anger, riot, looting, and racial tension exploding during a tumultuous time across America — it was clearly not the Summer of Love for everyone. With parallels that are happening in the country today, the Newark Museum of Art looks back at that turbulent period with “Community Day: Say It Loud — A Reflection on the ’67 Newark Uprising, Then and Now.” The free, virtual afternoon consists of a series of special programs exploring social justice, including storytelling, performance, and talks, taking place between noon and 5:00 on Sunday afternoon, the fifty-third anniversary of the uprising. “Our country is fractured, and its most vulnerable communities are in mourning and looking for reprieve,” museum director and CEO Linda C. Harrison said in a statement. “The Newark Museum of Art stands by its commitment to not only aid in the healing process through art but to also be a catalyst for discussions on systemic racism, equity, and inclusion to help shape a more hopeful future.” Below is the full schedule; some events require advance registration on Zoom. (On July 18, the museum will host “Community Day: Celebrating Pride,” with drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam, Amanda Simpson of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, LGBTQIA musical artists Wafia and Calvin Arsenia, the LGBTQ+ Rights Panel: “Where Are We Going?,” fashion designer Marco Hall, DJ Kenneth Kyrell, and more.)

Sunday, July 12
“Storytime Live: Undoing Racism,” with Sharon Owens of the Newark Public Library reading Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, written by Douglas Wood and illustrated by Jon J. Muth, followed by a conversation with child therapist Moya Mathison, noon

“Inequality in Art,” with Aruna D’Souza, author of Whitewalling: Art, Race, and Protest in 3 Acts, 2:00

Poet Alexis Green and Music by Gimmidat, Zoom only, 3:00

Ras Baraka and Linda Harrison in Conversation: “Newark, the Progressive City,” with Newark mayor Ras Baraka and Newark Museum of Art director and CEO Linda C. Harrison, 4:00

RemarkaBull PODVERSATIONS: CHUKWUDI IWUJI

Chukwudi Iwuji will discuss and perform from Henry VI on June 29

Who: Chukwudi Iwuji, Nathan Winkelstein
What: Live discussion of the title character, “a homely swain,” of Henry VI
Where: Red Bull Theater’s website, Vimeo, Facebook Live
When: Monday, June 29, free, 7:30
Why: Red Bull Theater’s RemarkaBULL Podversations streaming series continues June 29 with Shakespearean star and Olivier winner Chukwudi Iwuji discussing Henry VI with Red Bull associate producer Nathan Winkelstein; Iwuji will also perform a passage that includes: “Would I were dead! if God’s good will were so; / For what is in this world but grief and woe? / O God! methinks it were a happy life, / To be no better than a homely swain; / To sit upon a hill, as I do now, / To carve out dials quaintly, point by point, / Thereby to see the minutes how they run, / How many make the hour full complete; / How many hours bring about the day; / How many days will finish up the year; / How many years a mortal man may live.” The Nigerian-born British thespian portrayed Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s three-part production in 2006-8; on these shores he has played Edgar in King Lear and the title character in Othello for Shakespeare in the Park, Hamlet for the Public Theater Mobile Unit, and the Duke of Birmingham in Richard III at BAM while also winning an Obie for Bruce Norris’s The Low Road. You should also check out Iwuji’s Brave New Shakespeare Challenge performance of the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet, delivered from his home in Harlem. Future RemarkaBULL Podversations feature the “I am I” speech from Richard III with Matthew Rauch on July 6 and the “All the World’s a Stage” soliloquy from As You Like It with Stephen Spinella on July 13.

YES! REFLECTIONS OF MOLLY BLOOM

molly bloom

Who: Aedín Moloney of the Irish Repertory Theatre
What: Livestreamed performances adapted for onscreen viewing
Where: Irish Rep onine (link sent after RSVP)
When: Tuesday, June 16, 7:00; Wednesday, June 17, 3:00 & 8:00; Thursday, June 18, 7:00; Friday, June 19, 8:00; Saturday, June 20, 3:00, advance RSVP required (suggested donation $25)
Why: The Irish Rep has become one of the busiest theater companies in New York City during the pandemic, presenting a brand-new coronavirus-related work and hosting the Meet the Makers and The Show Must Go Online series. On May 27 it premiered The Gifts You Gave to the Dark, Darren Murphy’s short, heartbreaking work about a man (Marty Rea) in Belfast with Covid-19 unable to visit his dying mother (Marie Mullen) in Dublin, who is being cared for by her brother (Seán McGinley). Directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, the play gets right to the heart of the crisis as only Irish tales can; it will be available online through October 31.

The Irish Rep now turns its attention to adapting several recent stage productions for the internet, beginning with Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom. The award-winning seventy-five-minute one-woman show, based on James Joyce’s epic Ulysses, was adapted by Aedín Moloney and Colum McCann, directed by Kira Simring, and features music by Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains (and Aedín’s father); it originally ran at the company’s home on West Twenty-Second St. in June and July of last year, with Moloney as Molly Bloom in the early morning hours of June 17, 1904, as she considers love, loneliness, and isolation. The full team has now reimagined the play for onscreen viewing, with Aedín Moloney reprising her role; it will be performed live from June 16 — Bloomsday, when Joyce’s iconic tome takes place — through June 20. Admission is free with advance RSVP, with a suggested donation of $25.

The Irish Rep continues its online foray with “Meet the Maker: Frank McCourt . . . And How He Got That Way: A Conversation with Ellen McCourt and Malachy McCourt” on June 18; “Meet the Maker: Conor McPherson” on July 2; a special gala screening with new video of Frank McCourt’s The Irish . . . and How They Got That Way on July 13; “Meet the Makers: John Douglas Thompson and Obi Abili on Breaking Barriers in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones” on July 16; Dan Butler, Sean Gormley, John Keating, Tim Ruddy, and Amanda Quaid in an online version of Conor McPherson’s The Weir from July 21 to 25; and a virtual version of Barry Day’s Love, Noël, a musical about Noël Coward starring Steve Ross and KT Sullivan, from August 11 to 15. I’m exhausted just thinking about it, but I can’t wait to be at my computer to experience the joy of live theater, even if it’s through a screen.

VIRTUAL BLOOMSDAY ON BROADWAY

bloomsday

Who: Rita Wolf, Zach Grenier, Fiona Shaw, Nuala Kennedy & Caoimhín Vallely, Peter Francis James, Malachy McCourt, Mia Dillon, Chris Ranney & Caitlin Warbelow, Kate Mulgrew, Cynthia Nixon, Hugh Dancy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Colum McCann, Claire Danes, Dan Stevens, Juliana Canfield, Brenda Castles, Denis O’Hare, Kirsten Vangsness
What: Annual marathon reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses
Where: Symphony Space YouTube channel
When: Tuesday, June 16, free, 8:00 am
Why: Every June 16 since 1981, Symphony Space has been presenting “Bloomsday on Broadway,” a marathon all-star reading of James Joyce’s iconic 1922 novel, Ulysses, the book each one of us has but very few have finished. “Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him by the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned: — Introibo ad altare,” the seven-hundred-plus-page tome begins. The story takes place on June 16, 1904, following Leopold Bloom, Molly Bloom, and Stephen Dedalus in a modernist retelling of Homer’s Odyssey.

A coproduction with the Irish Arts Center, “Bloomsday on Broadway” ventures online this year, with the performers reading from wherever they are sheltering in place instead of onstage at 2537 Broadway at Ninety-Fifth St. That turned out to be a bit of a blessing, as the lineup, curated by Jonathan Goldman, is even more impressive than usual: sharing episodes will be Zach Grenier, Fiona Shaw, Malachy McCourt, Mia Dillon, Kate Mulgrew, Cynthia Nixon, Hugh Dancy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Colum McCann, Claire Danes, and Denis O’Hare, with musical interludes by Brenda Castles, Nuala Kennedy & Caoimhín Vallely, and Chris Ranney & Caitlin Warbelow. The event, which is part of “At Home with Irish Arts Center” and Symphony Space’s “Your Home” online programming during the pandemic lockdown, is free and will be streamed on YouTube from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Below is the full schedule, detailing who will be reading excerpts from each section at which time.

8:00 am
Episode I: Telemachus, by Stephen Colbert

8:45 am
Episode II: Nestor, by Rita Wolf

9:30 am
Episode III: Proteus, by Zach Grenier

10:15 am
Episode IV: Calypso, by Fiona Shaw

10:45 am
“Love’s Old Sweet Song,” by Nuala Kennedy & Caoimhín Vallely

11:00 am
Episode V: Lotus Eaters, by Peter Francis James

11:45 am
Episode VI: Hades, by Malachy McCourt

12:30 pm
Episode VII: Aeolus by Mia Dillon

1:00 pm
“The Heath Bald/Miller’s Maggot/Calliope House,” by Chris Ranney & Caitlin Warbelow

1:15 pm
Episode VIII: Lestrygonians, by Kate Mulgrew

2:00 pm
Episode IX: Scylla and Charybdis, by Cynthia Nixon

2:45 pm
Episode X: Wandering Rocks, by Hugh Dancy

3:30 pm
Episode XI: Sirens, by Donna Lynne Champlin

4:00 pm
“Porthole of the Kelp,” by Chris Ranney & Caitlin Warbelow

4:15 pm
Episode XII: Cyclops, by Colum McCann

5:00 pm
Episode XIII: Nausicaa, by Claire Danes

5:45 pm
Episode XIV: Oxen of the Sun, by Brian Cox

6:30 pm
Episode XV: Circe, by Dan Stevens

7:15 pm
Episode XVI: Eumaeus, by Juliana Canfield

7:45 pm
“Raglan Road,” by Brenda Castles

8:00 pm
Episode XVII: Ithaca, by Denis O’Hare

8:45 pm
Episode XVIII: Penelope, by Kirsten Vangsness