Billy McEntee has been fortunate to work for arts non-profits in Boston, Denver, Berkeley, and now New York. His writing has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Vanity Fair, American Theatre, HowlRound, Observer, and others. He's usually getting wine at Dandelion or eating cookies at Archestratus.
Triskelion Arts (190 Calyer Street) will preset Annalyn Lehnig in LAMB/WOLF, an unlikely love story between a wolf who longs for company and a lamb who dreams of sovereignty. Written and performed by Annalyn Lehnig, LAMB/WOLF is a brutal, sensual tale for anyone who’s felt deeply connected or deeply alone with enough courage to ask themselves:
Who am I’? Have you ever felt hunger that’s buckled your knees? A longing so hollow that your bones start to thin? Loneliness. Or have you yearned to hear the sound of your own voice above the deafening babel of the flock? Sovereignty.
Using rhyme, music and stylized movement Lehnig seamlessly weaves a universal tale of becoming, of the life/death/life cycle, amounting to a brutal, unpredictable end. LAMB/WOLF is physical and vulnerable, dangerous and sensual. In Lehnig’s capable hands, the audience is always cared for.
LABM/WOLF performs March 5–7 at 8 PM in Triskelion’s Muriel Schulman Mainstage Theater. Tickets are $18 in advance or $22 at the door. They can be purchased here.
About the Artist Annalyn Lehnig is an actress, dancer, teacher and writer living in Brooklyn. She has shared her work in Seattle, San Diego, New Orleans, Minneapolis, New York, and Lewiston, ME.
Get ready for an evening of live music and drawing in an immersive art experience. Hosted by Etta Shon, Trip N Draw comes to The William Vale (111 N 12th Street) on February 25 from 7-9 PM. Electric cello and drum duo Live Footage will be improvising their lush tunes as our models pose in bondage looks by Chaos Theory. Art by Etta Shon will be projected live. Leave your stress at the door and be ready to be lifted into a meditative state as you lose yourself in the music and focused drawing.
Drinks and art materials will be provided, and there’s absolutely no art experience necessary. Tickets to this unique event are $25 and can be found here. More info can be found below:
Trade your albums, share your stories, take home new music: on February 22, Greenpoint event space Dobbin St (64 Dobbin Street) is hosting its first-ever Music Exchange. From 12 to 6 PM, attendees will find LPs, 45s, cassettes, audio electronics, instruments, books, and memorabilia ephemera, encompassing all aspects and musical genres. See more about the hip venue here on their Instagram.
The idea is to bring together, under one roof, the most dedicated seller/collector music enthusiasts in Brooklyn and beyond. Stop by for a special day dedicated to a true and intimate exchange of music. This is a free event, open to the public and for all music fanatics. Dust up those old albums and converse with fellow music lovers!
Oscar season is upon us, and with it come opinions aplenty about the snubs (there are many), surprises (just a few), and — most importantly — the hot takes. Podcaster, neighbor, and local comedian Stewart Fullerton invites Greenpointers Arts Editor Billy McEntee on the air to discuss this year’s Academy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 9 at 8 PM EST.
In the hour-long episode on Stayin’ Humble with Stew— previously featured in our Thursday Spotlight series — Stewart and Billy dive into their thoughts on this year’s Best Picture nominees (why is Joker included?) and everything from the state of Rebel Wilson’s career to the armed burglary of Jennifer Lopez’ robbed Oscar. On a more poignant note, these cultural omnivores also lament the heavy and misogynist implications of the all-male nominated Best Director category. Tune in for some opinions and laughs, and listen here!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, one of the most electrifying (and scariest?) contemporary bands comes to the Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Avenue) in Williamsburg. GosT will be on tour supporting his most recent full-length album Valediction, which came out this past October. With the release of Valediction, the metal synthwave producer breaks the mold by mixing 80s synth, guitar, gothic vocals and blastbeats that’s propulsive enough to compel the stodgiest of underground metal fans to dance instead of mosh.
Last year Century Media Records welcomed the mysterious producer known as GosT to their roster. GosT embodies the character of Baalberith on his propulsive synthwave solo project, channeling his fascination with the occult, John Carpenter, and 80s slasher flicks. As a teenager he played in metal bands, but eventually drifted toward electronic music which would later become the foundation of his powerful synthwave/retrowave sound. With its haunting atmosphere and aesthetics, influenced by the blackest corners of the metal world, his music quickly garnered GosT a loyal following within the rock and metal community worldwide. Apart from playing his own headlining tours in North America and Europe, he has performed with the likes of Black Dahlia Murder, Power Trip, Khemmis, Havok, Skeletal Remains, Carpenter Brut, and Pallbearer.
Tickets for February 12 are available for purchase here!
The trifecta approaches! Get ready for roller disco, mimosas, and music from the ’80s, all under one roof. Starting this Saturday, January 18 — and then returning again on Saturday, January 25 and Saturday, February 15 — Schimanski (54 North 11th Street) in Williamsburg will host a series of Roller Disco Brunches.
Ticket holders are invited to transport back to the ‘80s at this pop-up event, which will feature two hours of live entertainment and special performances by professional roller dancers, a live DJ, and brunch items (available for purchase if you work up an appetite).
Each Saturday, the sessions will run from 12 to 2 PM, 2 to 4 PM, and then 4 to 6 PM. See below for ticket info and more details!
📌 Venue: Schimanski
👤 Age requirement: 21+ with valid ID
⛸️ Skate rental: You can bring your own skates or rent some.
❓ Please note: Food will be available for purchase. Tables are first come first served. This venue is wheelchair accessible.
On Sunday, January 19 at 2 PM, acclaimed recording artist Caroline Polachek will be performing an exclusive free acoustic keyboard set and album signing at Rough Trade in Williamsburg (64 North 9th Street).
One of 2019’s most buzzed-about artists, Caroline Polachek released her critically-acclaimed album Pang, which landed on numerous Best Of 2019 Year-End lists, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the former Chairlift singer and has yielded the inescapable pop hit “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings.”
Pang is the most ambitious, hardcore and beautiful album of her career to date. With her signature ‘organic autotune’ and liquid lyricism finally center stage, the record positions her firmly as one of the most singular and captivating singers of a generation.
BEST OF PRESS DAZED (#1 Best Albums of 2019)
Pitchfork (#47 Best Songs of 2019)
NPR (#16 Best Songs of 2019)
Paste (#37 Best of 2019)
VOGUE (#24 Best Songs of 2019)
TIMEMagazine (#8 Best Songs of 2019) GQ (#21 Best Albums of 2019) TinyMixTapes (Favour 100 Songs of the Decade)
Feeling overwhelmed by all the buzzed-about movies at the height of awards season? Consider tossing those cares away and indulging in some classics, playing all winter long at Nitehawk in Williamsburg (136 Metropolitan Avenue). See the full deets below!
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE A dinner and a movie presentation with James Beard Foundation Greens NYC January 10 – February 1
After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Mallinger). When Jonah calls in to a talk-radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.
Menu Popcorn with Old Bay Seasoning and Butter Cedar Plank-Roasted Salmon with Chanterelles, Parsnip-Carrot Purée, and Crab Beurre Blanc Berger Cookie with Seattle Coffee Tiramisu
The Deuce Bozos celebrate Valentine’s Day with released-only-on-video CHERRY 2000, the futuroid love story made in 1987 but set in 2017!
In the future, a man travels to the ends of the earth to find that the perfect woman is always under his nose. In this sci-fi adventure, a futuristic bounty hunter goes on a mission to find a robot replicant of a rich man’s short-circuited wife.
When successful businessman Sam Treadwell (David Andrews) finds that his android wife, Cherry model 2000 (Pamela Gidley), has blown a fuse, he hires sexy renegade tracker E. Johnson (Melanie Griffith) to find her exact duplicate. But as their journey to replace his perfect mate leads them into the treacherous and lawless region of The Zone, Treadwell learns the hard way that the perfect woman is made not of computer chips and diodes, but of real flesh and blood!
And here are the other features happening this week:
Allison Anderegg, Nicholas Walther, and Cameron Stuart.
The Exponential Festival continues! Today, we speak with playwright Cameron Stuart who, alongside the Bushwig-based theater company Saints of an Unnamed Country, is presenting Police in the Wilderness. Featuringa sci-fi plot, poetry, magical rituals, shredded-up bits of 20th century philosophy, and psychedelic humor — all tangled up along with some genuine end-of-the-world angst — the new play will run at Patch Works Theatre (98 Moore Street) in East Williamsburg, January 22nd – 25th. To get a sense of play, watch the teaser here, and learn more from Cameron in this week’s Thursday Spotlight!
Greenpointers: For those unfamiliar with your theater company Saints of an Unnamed Country, can you explain a little bit about what you do and what your ethos are?
Cameron Stuart: Started in 2012, Saints of an Unnamed Country is a Bushwick-based theater company. We perform original plays in the neighborhood, mostly in non-traditional spaces for theater, like art galleries, museum bookstores, and DIY spaces . Most of the folks involved in Police in the Wilderness are returning collaborators. The Saints’ foundation is an admiration for trees, especially their root systems, and other hidden networks that rely on collaboration between organisms of different sizes and lifespans.
Your new play takes us into something akin to a police state. Was this at all a reflection of current politics, or something more original?
One of the inspirations for Police was an experience I had while camping in the woods with friends, including folk singer Frank Hurricane. A police officer emerged from the woods and started questioning us about our impromptu music jam. This unreal experience left me imagining scenarios where police would need to venture into the woods. But I also reflected on the vulnerability of an officer out in the wilderness, at the very limit of their authority. The theme continues to be relevant today, as various surveillance initiatives continue to expand.
How did you hear about Exponential and what attracted you to working with that festival?
In 2016, I opened a DIY performance space with my close friends. Located in Bushwick, The Glove hosted all sorts of different types of performances, including my play Germany, 1933. It was one of The Glove’s first shows and launched our iconic stage design. I’ve known Theresa Buchheister since moving to NYC. She asked me if the Glove would like to participate in the 2017 Exponential Festival. I’ve been involved with the festival ever since, mostly through the Glove, but continuing to curate and admin since the Glove has closed.
Stephanie Beattie
This play is also further fleshed out in a book. Tell me about composing this story for these two mediums?
I originally wrote and produced this play in 2010–2011 in Atlanta. I wanted to do it in NYC, but after several years had elapsed, the play needed some revising. Instead of just touching it up, I decided to rewrite it from scratch—purely from memory. The result was a very dense and philosophical look at the original plot that works best on the page. I did revise the original, and then the idea of having the two plays available together after a performance seemed fun and original to me.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Saints showcases the talent of many folks from all sorts of disciplines. We have wonderful actors, set designers, artists and artisans, video designers, and more. And we’ve been supported by a beautiful community in Bushwick over the years. You can learn more about our past here. It is equally wonderful to be part of the beautiful community of the Exponential Festival. Please see all the shows that tickle your fancy. It will be fun!
Community Week is coming to Eckford Street Studio! The local art studio is kicking the new year off with pay-what-you-wish classes for babies and toddlers from January 7 to 11. See the full schedule and further information below:
Tuesday 1/7
ARTLAB Original (2.5–4 years), 10:30–11:15 AM
ARTLAB Storytime (6–18 months), 12:30–1:30 PM
Wednesday 1/8
ARTLAB Junior (15 months–2.75 years), 10:30–11:15 AM
