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

TASTE WILLIAMSBURG GREENPOINT

East River State Park
Sunday, September 18, $35-$100, 1:00 – 5:00
www.tastewg.com

North Brooklyn will be strutting its culinary stuff on September 18 at the seventh annual Taste Williamsburg Greenpoint, where you can sample food and drink from more than fifty purveyors of edibles and potent potables from the neighborhood. Among those establishments that will be dishing out delights in East River State Park are Amami, Anella, Black Flamingo, Brooklyn Cupcake, the Brooklyn Star, Cheeseboat LLC, Delaware and Hudson, Delaney BBQ, El Born, Hail Mary, Harvey, Le Fond, Lighthouse, Lilia, Maison Premiere, MatchaBar, the Meatball Shop, Midnights, Nitehawk Cinema, Randolph, St. Mazie, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Sugar Couture, and Zona Rosa. There are three ticket levels (twenty-one and over only, no pets): The Tastes Firehouse package ($35) gets you four tastes and two drinks, the Firehouse Plus ($60) eight tastes and four drinks, and the Firehouse VIP ($100) twelve tastes and six drinks. There will also be live music, cooking demonstrations, and a beer garden, and first-time Lyft users can get twenty bucks off their ride by using the code TASTENYC now. All proceeds benefit the Firehouse North Brooklyn Community Center on Wythe Ave., which seeks to “renovate and operate the former Engine Co. 212 Firehouse for community activity [to] provide a permanent home to neighborhood social justice organizations for continued advocacy and direct services to Williamsburg and Greenpoint [and to foster] civic and cultural engagement with original arts programming and community gatherings.”

CELEBRATING RED HOOK 2016

BERST will return for the third annual Celebrating Red Hook festival in Erie Basin Park (photo courtesy Red Hook Star-Revue)

Erie Basin Park behind IKEA, 1 Beard St.
Saturday, September 17, free, 12 noon – 9:00 pm
redhookstar.com

The third annual Celebrating Red Hook festival takes place September 17 from 12 noon to 9:00 in Erie Basin Park behind the IKEA. Hosted by the Red Hook Star-Revue, the all-ages event features live entertainment, face painting, henna tattoos, a local marketplace, a Tiki bar, fireworks, and more. “Celebrating Red Hook is a day when we bring so many pieces of Red Hook into a single place in order to display all of the culture that makes our community special,” Red Hook Star-Revue publisher Kimberly G. Price said in a statement. The music lineup consists of Stan Kosakowski (1:00), HAPPS (1:35), the Eephus Band (2:00), William Robertson (3:00), Berst (4:00), the Sanghatones (5:00), Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers (6:00), Andi Rae Healy and the Back River Bullies (7:00), and Union (8:00). Among the more than fifty participants with booths are Red Hook Winery, Sixpoint Brewery, Cora Dance, the Red Hook Art Project, the Red Hook Justice Center, Giant Jenga, Tarot Cards with Serena, the Brooklyn Bridge Rotary Club, Friends of the Red Hook Library, Addabbo Health Center, Dolce Brooklyn, Brooklyn Whatever, and the Red Hook Conservancy.

LENORE SKENAZY: WORLD’S WORST MOM

“World’s Worst Mom” Lenore Skenazy will be at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on September 14 to talk about fear and freedom when it comes to raising your kids

Who: Lenore Skenazy
What: “How Did We Come to Believe Our Children Are in Constant Danger from Creeps, Kidnapping, Germs, Grades, Flashers, Frustration, Failure, Baby Snatchers, Bugs, Bullies, Men, and the Perils of a Non-Organic Grape?”
Where: Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Pl., 646-437-4202
When: Wednesday, September 14, $12 (includes one drink), 7:00
Why: Just in time for back-to-school season, Lenore Skenazy, the creator of Free Range Kids and the facilitator of the Discovery Life Channel reality series World’s Worst Mom, will be at the Museum of Jewish Heritage to explain why it’s okay to give more freedom to your kids. On the show, Skenazy has dealt with such scenarios as children riding their bike, walking the dog, or taking the bus for the first time without parental or other adult supervision. She attempts to calm the fears of overprotective, paranoid mothers, but instead she gets such responses as “I’m very irritated with you, Lenore,” from a young mother whose two children just walked the three blocks from school to home by themselves one afternoon. “It’s setting them up for something unrealistic. They’re not going to walk to school by themselves,” the mother argues, even as her husband thinks it was a good thing. Skenazy also writes the Free Range Kids blog, examining news stories and setting everyone straight on statistics involving such issues as child abduction and abuse. “Children deserve some unsupervised time” is one of her rallying cries, but not everyone agrees. You can join in the heated debate on September 14 at MJH, although you should bring your sense of humor as well, because Skenazy promises that this is a funny talk; tickets are $12 and include one drink.

TICKET ALERT: THE DREAM-OVER 2016

Dream-Over participants sleep under a specially selected work of art at the Rubin Museum chosen to impact their dreams

Rubin Museum
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 13, $125, 11:00 am
Event takes place October 15, 8:00 pm – 9:00 am
212-620-5000
www.rubinmuseum.org

Tickets go on sale September 13 at eleven o’clock for a uniquely satisfying and rewarding program at the Rubin Museum. The Dream-Over, which began in 2011, offers adults the opportunity to spend a special evening inside the museum, exploring the inner workings of their mind in a fascinating way. Each lucky participant fills out a Dreamlife Questionnaire in advance, giving details about themselves that will help consultants, under the leadership of dream facilitator Dr. Vanessa Sinclair, who curates the “Art and the Occult” series at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn, select a specific work of art in the museum under which they will sleep; hopefully the painting, photograph, or sculpture will influence their dreams. The evening will begin with a talk on the significance of dreams with Khenpo Lama Pema Wangdak and Dr. Sinclair and include lullabies and bedtime stories. Dreamers are required to arrive at the Rubin already in pajamas, robe, and slippers and must bring their own bedding. Food and drink are not allowed; there will be a midnight snack and a Tibetan breakfast. Couples can sleep and dream under the same work of art (each paying full price). In the morning, Dream Gatherers and Dream Interpreters will speak individually with the participants to figure out what their dreams might mean. Tickets for the Dream-Over sell out immediately, so don’t hesitate if you want to take part in this ultracool event.

BAM NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL: PHAEDRA(S)

(photo courtesy of Odéon Théâtre De L’Europe) Avec: Isabelle Huppert, Agata Buzek, Andrzej Chyra, Alex Descas, Gael Kamilindi, Norah Krief, Rosalba Torres Guerrero. (photo by Pascal Victor/ArtComArt)

Isabelle Huppert appears as multiple Phaedras in Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe production at BAM (photo courtesy of Odéon Théâtre De L’Europe)

PHÈDRE(S)
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Harvey Theater
651 Fulton St.
September 13-18, $30-$95
718-636-4100
www.bam.org

In 2005, French superstar Isabelle Huppert was devastating in Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychose, part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Four years later she returned to the festival in Robert Wilson’s Quartett, a wild adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses for Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe. Huppert and Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe are now back at BAM with Krzysztof Warlikowski’s Phaedra(s), a two-hundred-minute production in which the award-winning Huppert (La Cérémonie, The Piano Teacher) plays three versions of the title character from Greek mythology, taken from Kane’s Phaedra’s Love and writings by Wajdi Mouawad and J. M. Coetzee. Huppert and Warlikowski previously worked together in 2004 on The Dybbuk and 2010 in A Streetcar Named Desire. The dramaturgy is by Piotr Gruszczynski, with sets and costumes by Malgorzata Szczesniak, lighting by Felice Ross, music by Pawel Mykietyn, video by Denis Guéguin, and choreography by Claude Bardouil and Rosalba Torres Guerrero. The show runs September 13-18; in addition, Huppert will participate in a discussion about Phaedra(s) with Simon Critchley on September 17 at the Hillman Attic Studio ($25, 5:00), and Charles Mee, Caridad Svich, and moderator Kaneza Schaal will gather for “Phaedra Interpreted” on September 18 (free, 11:00 am) at Borough Hall Courtroom as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival, in conjunction with BAM and the Onassis Cultural Center New York.

TICKET ALERT: FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL 2016

fall for dance 2016

New York City Center
131 West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 10, 11:00 am
Festival runs September 26 – October 8, $15
212-581-1212
www.nycitycenter.org

One of the hottest tickets of the season is always the annual Fall for Dance Festival at City Center, ten days of performances by twenty-one companies from around the world, each show a mere fifteen bucks. This year’s lineup includes some of our faves, with performances by STREB Extreme Action, Grupo Corpo, and Alvin Ailey along with works choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Frederick Ashton, and Wayne McGregor and a dance lesson led by recently retired Ailey stalwart Renee Robinson. Most evenings will be preceded by free dance lessons by members of one of that night’s performing companies, open to all ticket holders; more advanced dancers can sign up for master classes ($15) with Cie Accrorap on October 1 at 12 noon and with Wendy Whelan on October 8 at noon. Tickets go on sale Saturday, September 10, at 11:00 am, so don’t waste any time if you want to see any of the below programs, because these events sell out ridiculously fast.

Monday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 27, 8:00
STREB Extreme Action, world premiere of Airslice, choreographed by Elizabeth Streb (preshow dance lessons September 26 at 6:45)
Dada Masilo/The Dance Factory, world premiere of Spring, choreographed by Dada Masilo
American Ballet Theatre, Monotones II, choreographed by Frederick Ashton
Farruquito, New York premiere of Mi Soledad (Solea), choreographed by Farruquito (preshow dance lessons September 27 at 6:45)

Wednesday, September 28 and Thursday, September 29, 8:00
Richard Alston Dance Company with Montclair State University Vocal Accord, New York premiere of Rejoice in the Lamb, choreographed by Richard Alston
Aszure Barton & Artists, Awáa, choreographed by Aszure Barton (preshow dance lessons September 28-29 at 6:45)
Wendy Whelan and Edward Watson, U.S. premiere of The Ballad of Mack and Ginny, choreographed by Arthur Pita
Grupo Corpo, New York premiere of Suíte Branca, choreographed by Cassi Abranches

Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, 8:00
CCN de la Rochelle / Cie Accrorap, U.S. premiere of Opus 14, choreographed by Kader Attou
Ayodele Casel, While I Have the Floor, choreographed by Ayodele Casel
Hong Kong Ballet, U.S. premiere of Shape of Glow, choreographed by Jorma Elo
Bangarra Dance Theatre, U.S. premiere of Spirit, choreographed by Stephen Page & Djakapurra Munyarryun (preshow dance lessons September 30 at 6:45)

Wednesday, October 5 and Thursday, October 6, 8:00
Jessica Lang Dance, New York premiere of Tesseracts of Time, choreographed by Jessica Lang
Royal Ballet Flanders, U.S premiere of Fall, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cry, choreographed by Alvin Ailey (preshow dance lessons by Renee Robinson October 5 at 6:45)
Alina Cojocaru, Friedemann Vogel, choreographed by Johan Kobborg
The Sarasota Ballet, Marguerite and Armand, choreographed by Frederick Ashton

Friday, October 7 and Saturday, October 8, 8:00
Shantala Shivalingappa, Shiva Tarangam, choreographed by Shantala Shivalingappa
Nederlands Dans Theater, U.S. premiere of Woke up Blind, choreographed by Marco Goecke
Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo, world premiere, choreographed by Wayne McGregor
Cloud Gate 2, U.S. premiere of Beckoning, choreographed by Cheng Tsung-Lung (preshow dance lessons October 7 at 6:45)

NEW YORK OYSTER WEEK 2016

Oysters are on the menu at annual culinary festival featuring bivalve mollusks

Multiple venues
September 16 – October 3, $75-$125
www.oysterweek.com

“Do you consider the eating of oysters to be moral and the eating of snails to be immoral?” Marcus Licinius Crassus (Sir Laurence Olivier) asks Antoninus (Tony Curtis) in Stanley Kubrick’s sword-and-sandals epic Spartacus. Fortunately, you don’t have to answer that question during New York Oyster Week, which features numerous culinary, ecologically friendly events over the course of eighteen days. The fifth anniversary of this wonderfully slimy celebration begins on September 16 with the NY Harbor Regatta & Regatta Bash on Governors Island ($125-$1,000, 2:00), hosted by Willie Geist and with commentary by Gary Jobson, live reggae music, a full oyster bar, and seafood specialties from Betony, Blue Fin, Crave Fish Bar, and other restaurants. On September 17 in Brooklyn Bridge Park ($95, 5:00), the Brooklyn Oyster Riot boasts a collection of a dozen East and West Coast oysters curated by Master Mermmelier Kevin Joseph of the OysterHood, with dishes created by chef Marc Murphy of Ditch Plains and wine and Brooklyn Brewery beer pairings, along with live music by Jan Bell and the Maybelles and oyster education from the Billion Oyster Project. This year Oyster Week debuts the Big Gay Oyster Brunch, taking place September 18 at 12 noon at Lot 45 in Bushwick ($75), with six ultrapremium oysters, ten craft beers, oyster wine, a trio of special cocktails, and DJ music. Dorlan’s Tavern & Oyster Bar will be home to Cocktail Oysters on September 21 ($75, 5:00) for a lucky fifty people, three hours of five oyster varieties and accoutrements courtesy of Joseph and chef Rob McCue, drinks from mixologist and Dorlan’s owner Jeremy Dahm, and some history about cocktail oysters. On September 23 it’s back to Lot 45 for Shellebration (6:00), consisting of a dozen oyster varieties, sustainable seafood dishes from Lot 45 and chef Behaya Samia, craft beer, cocktails, oyster wine, and more. On September 24 at the Fulton Stall Market ($85, 4:00), the inaugural Old Seaport Oyster Revival honors the rebuilding of the area with oysters, a signature seafood showcase from five old Seaport restaurants, Spirited Pearls and Accoutrement Premier by Joseph and McCue, live music from Mama Juke, and live shucking at the Shuck Truck. The Merroir + Terroir dinner on September 28 is sold out, but you can continue your oyster extravaganza on September 30 with ShuckEasy, comprising a “rare and exotic” raw bar, Spirited Pearls and Accoutrement Premier, and craft cocktails and beer at a secret location. Oyster Week comes to a close on October 1 with OystoberFest at the South Street Seaport ($85, 4:00), with a raw bar of twenty oyster varieties, the Shuck Truck, a beer garden, a cidery, a wine bar, and specialty docktails. And there’s nary a snail in sight.