If you’re a theater geek, a history buff, or someone who likes to ride the subway without any pants, believe it or not there is an event for you this week in New York City. As we enter the middle of January, check out some of our Untapped Picks for things to do this week:
Friday, January 11th
Bring you Christmas tree to a designated chipping site to be turned into mulch during the NYC Parks and New York City Department of Sanitation Mulchfest! Now until 2:00p.m. on Sunday, January 13th (this weekend is Chipping Weekend!), bring your tree to a chipping site in any of the five boroughs and go home with a bag of mulch for your own yard or a winter bed for a street tree. More than 25,000 trees were recycled last year. You can find a chipping site near you on the Mulchfest website.
Celebrate the theater at BroadwayCon, a three-day expo where fans can meet and interact with their favorite Broadway stars and see a showcase of some of Broadway’s newest and most exciting shows. Activities include panels, dance workshops, meet-ups, autograph sessions. You can buy passes for all-three days or a single day of the event here.
Saturday, January 12th
Join Untapped Cities to cross one of New York City’s most iconic spans, the Brooklyn Bridge! On our guided Secrets of the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour, uncover the hidden histories of this over 100-year-old landmark including the abandoned park, the hidden statue of the family of engineers who built the bridge, the location of the first White House and learn about the bridge’s secret Cold War fall out shelter and champagne vaults. The Secrets of Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour
Explore the abandoned hospital complex at Ellis Island on Untapped Cities’
Gain access to spaces that have been closed off to the public for over sixty years such as the hospital’s contagious disease wards, autopsy room and laundry facilities. You can also see pieces of the site specific art installation Unframed by world renowned artist JR all over the 22-building complex.
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the debut of HBO’s hit series The Sopranos by visiting some of the series’ filming locations on a bus tour with On Location Tours. Stop at some of the most iconic sites like the Bada Bing, Pizzaland and Barone Sanitation and sit on the spot where pivotal scenes took place like the steps where Chris was shot and the restaurant booth featured in the final scene of the series.
Watch a performance that fuses classical and traditional Chinese aesthetic genres with contemporary shadow theater technique at Flushing Town Hall.Four Seasons, a show that combines poetry, music, dance, opera and puppetry, was conceived and created by the award-winning ensemble, Chinese Theatre Works. You can purchase tickets here.
Sunday, January 13th
Don’t be too alarmed if you see someone riding the subway without their pants today, it is the annual No Pants Subway Ridepresented by Improv Everywhere. What started as a small prank has grown into an “international celebration of silliness” with dozens of cities around the world participating each year. If you are feeling brazen, you can RSVP to the event here.
Monday, January 14th
Inspired by City Center’s production of Call Me Madam, a political satire that follows a brassy ambassador for the fictional European nation of Lichtenberg, The Museum of the City of New York will host a conversation with director Casey Hushion and musical theater librettist John Weidman about how musicals can get political. The conversation will be moderated by critic and professor at The New School, Garrett Eisler. The event will also feature a live performance and wine and beer will be available for purchase before the program. You can purchase tickets here!
Join Harlem Stage Board Members and multi-award winning artists LaChanze, Tamara Tunie and Ron Simons for a discussion on “creating your own narrative, using your social capitol to feed the larger pantheon of the performing arts and the importance of philanthropy in sustaining culture.” The conversation will be moderated by Jonathon McCrory, Director of Theatre Arts—National Black Theatre. This event,Navigating the Hyphenated Space: Theater-Music-TV-Film is part of the Harlem Stage’s 2019 conversations series Dive Deeper.
Wednesday, January 16th
Check out the latest exhibit inside the Central Park Arsenal, Power to the People. This exhibition, curated by the NYC Parks’ Ebony Society, “shares artists’ interpretations of public demonstration, drawing on both the city’s rich history of protest and current social conflicts.” Works featured were created by artists including are Kathleen Celestin-Parks, Mira Gandy, and Suprina, Burroughs, as well as historical images from the NYC Parks Photo Archive. The exhibition is free and open to the public from January 17 to February 28. Closed on holidays.
