this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

RESISTANCE: TORI AMOS IN CONVERSATION WITH ESQUIRE’S JEFF GORDINIER

tori amos

Who: Tori Amos, Jeff Gordinier
What: Online book launch
Where: 92nd St. Y online
When: Thursday, June 4, $10, 5:00
Why: On the back cover of her new book, Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage (Atria, May 2020, $26), North Carolina Music Hall of Famer Tori Amos writes, “What follows in this book is my journey to engage, examine, and then reassess the artist’s role in society and, by doing so, to create a way forward for us as we commit to resist those dark forces that would wish to subjugate us instead of lifting us up and giving a voice to be the best in us. . . Join me on the path of resistance — of the art that will set us free.” Resistance has come to mean a whole lot more during this pandemic and the George Floyd protests, so it should be fascinating to hear Amos, an activist whose albums include Little Earthquakes, Under the Pink, Boys for Pele, and Native Invader, talk about that with Esquire’s Jeff Gordinier on June 4 at 5:00, bringing together the personal and the political as part of the continuing 92nd St. Y at Home programming. Registration is ten dollars, with proceeds going to 92nd St. Y’s Help Now campaign.

#KIDLIT COMMUNITY RALLY FOR BLACK LIVES

Rally

Who: Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Jerry Craft, Raul the Third, Renée Watson, Christopher Myers, K. A. Holt, more
What: Children’s book community call to action
Where: Facebook Live and Zoom
When: Thursday, June 4, free, 7:00
Why: In another part of my life, I work for a major children’s book publisher. During the pandemic, many parents, teachers, and children have turned to books more than ever, not just reading them at home but watching authors, celebrities, and others read stories online. The industry has also been a strong leader in the diversity movement, and on June 4 at 7:00, members of the kids’ book community will gather for a virtual call to action and rally for black lives. Hosted online by the Brown Bookshelf, which “is designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers,” the #KidLit Rally for Black Lives is organized by Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, and Jason Reynolds, who will be joined by Gene Luen Yang, Jerry Craft, Raul the Third, Renée Watson, Christopher Myers, K. A. Holt, and others. At 7:00, there will be a live discussion with young people, followed at 7:45 by a talk with parents, educators, and librarians. As the Brown Bookshelf explains, “People around the nation are hurting. This is a time to come together and stand up. Our kids need us, and we are here for them.”

THE NERVE TANK: THE ATTENDANTS 2020

Brookfield Place

Who: Admiral Grey, Bizzy Barefoot, Brandt Adams, Irene Hsi, James (Face) Yu, Julienne Marié, Karen Grenke, Mark Lindberg, Robin Kurtz, Stacia French
What: Virtual reimagining of 2011 interactive performance at Brookfield Place
Where: Arts Brookfield website
When: Live each Wednesday in June, replayed Sundays in June, free, noon – 6:00
Why: In May 2011, the Nerve Tank presented the three-day performance installation The Attendants at the World Financial Center Winter Garden, an interactive work in which the audience could text barefoot actors in dark suits, gloves, and sunglasses moving inside and around a large transparent plexiglass cube; you can see clips from the show, in which the actors respond to the texts with only their body, here. The New York City-based Nerve Tank is teaming up again with Arts Brookfield for The Attendants 2020, which will take place in the small rectangular box of the internet instead of a large cube in a spacious, lovely atrium, a different kind of confinement. Part of the #BFPLatHome program, The Attendants 2020 will be performed live every Wednesday in June (June 3, 10, 17, 24) from noon to 6:00 and will be replayed every Sunday (June 7, 14, 21, 28) at the same time. Chance Muehleck conceived the piece and wrote the lyrics; the director and choreographer is Melanie S. Armer, while Stephan Moore composed the score and designed the sound. The prerecorded voices are Annie Dorsen and Jonathan Vandenberg; the cast features original Attendants Karen Grenke, Bizzy Barefoot, Stacia French, James (Face) Yu, Robin Kurtz, Mark Lindberg, and Irene Hsi in addition to Admiral Grey, Brandt Adams, and Julienne Marié, responding from wherever they are sheltering in place, prepared to address current issues that have the whole world on edge.

PARKLAND RISING LIVESTREAMING PREMIERE AND PANEL CONVERSATIONS

parkland rising

Who: The Black Eyed Peas, Pearl Jam, Katie Couric, will.i.am, Manuel Oliver, Greg Kahn, Cheryl Horner McDonough, Manju Bangalore, Rebecca Boldrick Hogg, Kevin Hogg, Jammal Lemy, John E. Rosenthal, Meghna Chakrabarti
What: Livestreamed movie premieres and panel discussions
Where: Parkland Rising YouTube and Facebook
When: Tuesday, June 2, free with RSVP, 8:00, and Wednesday, June 5, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: June 2 marks the sixth National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which started in 2015 to call attention to the rash of school shootings and do something about it; just because there is no in-person school across the country right now, resulting in no recent mass murders at educational institutions, doesn’t mean we still don’t have a horrific problem in America. And what happens when schools reopen? This June 2, the day will be honored and the victims remembered with the livestream premiere of Cheryl Horner McDonough’s 2019 documentary Parkland Rising, which examines the February 14, 2018, shooting that killed seventeen students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. The film features interviews with David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, Matt and Ryan Deitsch, Emma Gonzalez, Fred Guttenberg, Cameron Kasky, Patricia Padauy-Oliver, and Manuel Oliver. “We are grieving, we are furious, and we are using our words fiercely and desperately because that’s the only thing standing between us and this happening again,” Gonzalez says in the film. The event is hosted by the Black Eyed Peas and Pearl Jam; executive producer Katie Couric will introduce the film and moderate a postscreening conversation, which brings together executive producer will.i.am, Change the Ref founder Manuel Oliver, Gun Safety Alliance co-lead Greg Kahn, former March for Our Lives LA chapter co-lead Manju Bangalore, and two-time Emmy winner McDonough.

Three days later, June 5, is Wear Orange Day, a tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed in a Chicago park in 2013 at the age of fifteen, a week after performing at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration parade. At 7:00, Parkland Rising will have an encore Wear Orange screening, followed by a discussion with Marjory Stoneman Douglas student and parent activists Corin, Oliver, Padauy-Oliver, Rebecca Boldrick Hogg, Kevin Hogg, Jammal Lemy, and Stop Handgun Violence cofounder John E. Rosenthal, moderated by WBUR host Meghna Chakrabarti. Guttenberg, the father of shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg, said in a statement, “Since the coronavirus outbreak began, gun sales have skyrocketed to an all-time high in the US, potentially putting millions of new deadly weapons into unlicensed, untrained, unsafe hands. Now more than ever, we must take action on the issue of gun violence to prevent the kind of tragedy my family experienced in Parkland. I’m glad this powerful film will be available for all American voters to learn what we went through and to inspire more people to join the fight for change.”

TUESDAYS IN JUNE 2020: RAPPING WITH THE ARTISTS & PLAY READINGS

S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson will inaugurate New Federal Theatre online initiative

Who: S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Howard Craft, Petronia Paley, Larry Muhammad, Tyler Fauntleroy, Kim Sullivan, André DeShields, Chuck Smith, Ron Bobb-Semple, Joyce Sylvester, Clinton Turner Davis
What: Live play readings and theater discussions
Where: New Federal Theatre Facebook page
When: Tuesdays in June, June 2-30, free with advance registration, 3:00 and/or 7:00
Why: Woodie King Jr. founded the New Federal Theatre in 1970 to highlight and focus on minority drama. Its fiftieth anniversary is being celebrated virtually, the latest initiative being “Tuesdays in June 2020: Rapping with the Artists & Play Readings.” The five-week program brings together actors, directors, and playwrights to continue NFT’s mission: “to integrate artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theatre by training artists for the profession, and by presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences — plays which evoke the truth through beautiful and artistic re-creations of ourselves.” The schedule is below; admission is free (although donations are welcome) with advance registration here.

Tuesday, June 2
Rapping with the Artists: S. Epatha Merkerson, Barbara Montgomery, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson discuss their artistic journeys, 3:00

Tuesday, June 9
Rapping with the Artists: Actor J. Alphonse Nicholson and book writer Howard L. Craft discuss the theatrical realization of the play Freight: the Five Incarnations of Abel Green, which ran at the Castillo Theatre in fall 2017, 3:00

Tuesday, June 16
Rapping with the Artists: Director Petronia Paley and playwright Larry Muhammad on the birth of the production Looking for Leroy, which ran at the Castillo Theatre in March 2019, 3:00

Play Reading: Looking for Leroy, featuring Tyler Fauntleroy and Kim Sullivan, directed by Petronia Paley, 7:00

Tuesday, June 23
Rapping with the Artists: Playwright Bill Harris, actor Denise Burse-Fernandez, and bluesman Guy Davis discuss their collaboration on the play Trick the Devil and more, 3:00

Tuesday, June 30
Rapping with the Artists: Actor André DeShields and director Chuck Smith talk about creating theater centered around historical figures, including Knock Me a Kiss about W. E. B. Du Bois and The Gospel According to James about James Cameron and Mary Ball, 3:00

Play Reading: Trevor Rhone’s Two Can Play, which was running at the Castillo Theatre when the lockdown came, with Ron Bobb-Semple and Joyce Sylvester, directed by Clinton Turner Davis, 7:00

LIFE ANEW: WRITERS IMAGINE THE WORLD AFTER THE PANDEMIC

life anew

Who: Gabriela Adameșteanu, Ioana Nicolaie, T. O. Bobe, Simona Popescu, Robert Șerban, Andreea Răsuceanu, Carmen Firan, Ioana Ieronim, Ioana Es. Pop, Andrew K. Davidson, Carrie Hooper, Andreea Scridon
What: Weekly online literary performances
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute Facebook page
When: Tuesdays from June 2 to August 4, free with RSVP, 2:00
Why: The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York (ICR New York) is a small gem in Murray Hill, for decades offering unique arts events while serving the needs of Romanians and Romanian Americans here in New York City. The organization has been busy during the Covid-19 crisis, hosting daily online sociopolitical talks, concerts, film screenings, theater presentations, and more. Its latest initiative, held in conjunction with the National Museum of the Romanian Literature, is “Life Anew: Writers Imagine the World after the Pandemic,” taking place every Tuesday at 2:00 through August 4. Each week, authors, some with translators, will share their thoughts through poetry and prose about what the world might be like once we get back to normal, if normal is ever possible again. The lineup features authors Gabriela Adameșteanu, Ioana Nicolaie, T. O. Bobe, Simona Popescu, Robert Șerban, Andreea Răsuceanu, Carmen Firan, Ioana Ieronim, and Ioana Es. Pop and translators Andrew K. Davidson, Carrie Hooper, and Andreea Scridon. Admission is free with advance RSVP here.

WE ARE ONE PUBLIC

Who: Todd Almond, Troy Anthony, Antonio Banderas, Laura Benanti, Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Danielle Brooks, Michael Cerveris, Glenn Close, Jenn Colella, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Danaya Esperanza, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Fonda, Nanya-Akuki Goodrich, Holly Gould, Danai Gurira, Anne Hathaway, Stephanie Hsu, David Henry Hwang, Oscar Isaac, Brian d’Arcy James, Nikki M. James, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Grace McLean, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Margaret Odette, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, Mia Pak, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Hyde Pierce, Jay O. Sanders, Liev Schreiber, Deandre Sevon, Martin Sheen, Philippa Soo, Meryl Streep, Trudie Styler, Sting, Will Swenson, Shaina Taub, Kuhoo Verma, Ada Westfall, Kate Wetherhead, more
What: Virtual gala celebrating the Public Theater and special honorees
Where: Public Theater website, Facebook, YouTube
When: Monday, June 1, free with RSVP (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: Among the cultural institutions I miss the most during the pandemic is the Public Theater. Founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 as the Shakespeare Workshop and located on Lafayette St. since 1967, the Public features six spaces for theatrical productions including Joe’s Pub, home to cabaret, comedy, and concerts as well. In addition, the Public has been offering us Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte for nearly sixty years; this summer’s scheduled shows were Richard II and As You Like It in addition to Cymbeline from the Mobile Unit.

The Public, which has been streaming previous performances from Joe’s Pub and presented the best new Zoom play about the pandemic, Richard Nelson’s What Do We Need to Talk About?, available on demand through June 28, will hold its annual fundraising gala online on June 1 at 8:00, a virtual ninety-minute, one-time-only cavalcade of stars honoring actor Sam Waterston and philanthropists Audrey Wilf and Zygi Wilf. Cochairs Kwame Anthony Appiah, Candia Fisher, Joanna Fisher, Laure Sudreau, and Lynne Wheat have amassed quite a lineup, with appearances by Glenn Close, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Claire Danes, Jane Fonda, Anne Hathaway, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Keys, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sandra Oh, Kelli O’Hara, David Hyde Pierce, Liev Schreiber, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, Sting, and many more. (The full lineup is above.) The evening will be directed by Kenny Leon and hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, with music direction by Ted Sperling; the event is free, but donations are accepted to support the Public, one of New York City’s genuine treasures.