free things to do in New York City
Free events for Wednesday, 08/01/12
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on August 1, 2012?

54 free events take place on Wednesday, August 1 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out August 1 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of August . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

54 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, August 1, 2012

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Sunrise Tai Chi


Tai chi is a Chinese exercise system that uses slow, smooth body movements to achieve a state of relaxation of both body and mind. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing. Heavy rain will cancel the event.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 am
Free

Tour | National Historic Landmark Tour of Governors Island


Join a National Park Ranger and an array of persons from the past as you explore the island's historic landmark district, which features structures dating back to 1794. In seeing the island historical landmarks, you may get a chance to meet the people who lived and worked in them in their heyday! The tour is approximately 1.5 miles walking with little time for breaks. There is no food, water, or restroom access during these tours, so please plan accordingly. Start times: 10am and 2:15pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Screening | Daily Screenings: Arctic Summer, Part I


For their Celebrating American Nations! series, they present three works from Arctic Canada, two animations and a short documentary on the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Start times: 10:30am and 11:45am.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Tour times: 11:15 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:15 am
Free

Workshop | Elements of Nature Drawing


Enjoy drawing in the parks and gardens with an artist/educator. Materials provided. For adults.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:30 am
Free

Concert | Mariachi & Mambo: Mariachi Flor de Toloache / Afro Andes


Mariachi Flor de Toloache (12pm-1pm) - Mariachi Flor de Toloache is an all-female mariachi band representing Mexican music with their own edgy and versatile sound. Afro Andes (1pm-2pm) - An Afro-Andean fusion group
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Native American Summer Dance with Thirza Defoe


Storytelling and interactive Native dance sessions. Start times at 12pm and 2pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | U.S. Customs House Building Tour


Museum Ambassadors provide a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Film | Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise's 2-Time Oscar Winner Beauty and the Beast (1991): Disney Animation


With Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson and Richard White. Belle, whose father is imprisoned by the Beast, offers herself instead and discovers her captor to be an enchanted prince. 84 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:15 pm
Free

Tour | National Monument Tour


Get an in-depth look at the two historic forts that compose the Governors Island National Monument. These tours will take you through all the historic nooks and crannies of Fort Jay and Castle Williams. As part of this tour, visitors will be escorted into the interior and to the roof of Castle Williams, which has never before been open to the public. The tour is approximately 2/3 of a mile walking, and there is no food, water, or restroom access available. Please plan accordingly.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:15 pm
Free

Discussion | Debut Novelists: Cristina Alger / Karl Taro Greenfeld / Karen Walker Thompson / Jean Zimmerman


The Darlings author Cristina Alger, Triburbia: A Novel author Karl Taro Greenfeld, The Age of Miracles author Karen Walker Thompson, and The Orphanmaster author Jean Zimmerman tell all on what it's like to be new writers on the author's block. Hosted by Catherine Chung.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Tour | Grand Central Terminal Tour


Tour of this magnificent Beaux-Arts landmark.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
$10 suggested donation

Concert | Michael Pemberton, Singer-Songwriter


Michael Pemberton is a NYC-based singer/songwriter/actor. Most recently his song “Eye to Eye,” co-written with singing sensation Sara Ramirez, was released on her self-titled EP. Over the years he has had the opportunity to sing and play his music for and with many of NYC's finest artists and in many of its best venues from the Joe's Pub to The Bitter End. Currently he is working on writing a conceptual rock concert inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Jazz | Sue Maskaleris, Grammy-Nominated Pianist


Pianist, singer, composer, lyricist, arranger and producer Sue Maskaleris has performed worldwide solo and as bandleader for over three decades. Her CD, Unbreakable Heart, features jazz legends Eddie Gomez, Lenny White, Mark Murphy and others on her songs and has received airplay worldwide.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Tour | “The Castle and its Kingdom” Tour


Take a walk around the lands dominated by the Castle, situated high on Vista Rock. Visit the tiny 55-acre realm on an eclectic tour of history and nature. Tour is approximately one hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Infinity of Nations Guided Tour


Emily gives a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Screening | Daily Screenings: IndiVisible


In conjunction with the exhibition “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas,” they present two documentaries that explore the history, culture and contemporary reality of people who share African American and Native American ancestry. Start times at 1pm and 3pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Midtown Jazz


A jazz concert for the midtown community. These popular midday concerts feature well-regarded artists. The programming is overseen by jazz pianist Ronny Whyte.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

Dance Performance | Young Dancemakers Company


An ensemble of 19 talented, ethnically diverse high school dancer/choreographers, under the expert eye of director/founder Alice Teirstein, will participate in the 17th year of Young Dancemakers Company, performing their original works. Themes and music choices are always wide-ranging and, in addition to their own dances, the group always learns and performs work by established choreographers, providing another important addition to their development. This year, the eager students will learn choreographies by Robert Battle and Sean Curran. Past concerts have featured dances by Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Jose Limon, Bill T. Jones, and others. All performances end with the lively and popular "Dance With Us," in which audience members are invited onto the stage for some post-concert improvisation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Figure al Fresco Drawing


Learn figure drawing outdoors with a clothed model and an artist/educator. Materials provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Stay Well Exercise


Join us for a free Stay Well exercise session. Stay Well volunteers certified by the NYC's Department for the aging will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. Exercise equipment will be provided. All participants are required to sign a personal medical waiver at the beginning of the class.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Tour | U.S. Customs House Building Tour


Museum Ambassadors provide a 45-minute in-depth look at the unique architecture and design of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Volleyball Clinic


Sharpen your skills with knowledgeable instructors who will cover the fundamentals of beach volleyball in this series of free, public clinics. More advanced techniques including serving, setting, spiking, passing and ball control, and diving and rolling drills will also be reviewed. 3:00 - 4:30 is for children under the age of 16. 4:30 - 6:00 is for adults.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Book Club: The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss


A boy in Poland falls in love and writes a book when World War II arrives, and both the love and the book are lost. Leo Gursky, now in his eighties and living in New York City, struggles to be noticed each day so that people will know he has not yet died. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Alma Singer wants her brother to be normal and her mother to be happy again after the death of Alma's father. In a quest for the story behind her name, Alma and Leo find each other, and Leo learns that the book he wrote so long ago has not been lost.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:30 pm
Free

Book Signing | Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary signs copies of the kids book It's Raining, It's Pouring


The original 1960’s chart topping trio Peter, Paul and Mary return with their new children’s book, IT’S RAINING, IT’S POURING featuring a CD with three songs performed by Peter, Paul and Mary, tucked inside a fun, fanciful, full-color picture book illustrated by Christine Davenier. Yarrow will also do a "mini-performance."
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Citizen Cartography Workshop


Help NYPL build the geospatial library of the future! This workshop will get you oriented with the a set of tools the Library has developed that enables librarians and the general public to add valuable geographic context to old maps. The workshop will focus on the core activity of the website: georectification, or "warping" maps. This means overlaying digital images of historic maps onto a contemporary digital map (similar to Google Maps), transforming them into tiles of a virtual atlas.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Artists Panel Discussion


With Benjamin Armstrong, Pedro Barbeito, Motoko Dobashi and Jennifer Tee.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Recess


House Team members take a break from the norm. Come and watch as they play and explore new forms during recess.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Masterworks: Bill Traylor


Jeffrey Wolf, filmmaker, will revisit the world of Montgomery, Alabama, artist Bill Traylor in the light of new contextual discoveries of sources related to his works on paper. Plus, a sneak preview of Wolf’s soon-to-be-released film, Bill Traylor.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Paintings: Les Rogers' Summer Swells


Rogers has been shown at Leo Koenig Gallery.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Talk | Returning to the Workforce After a Long Break or Sabbatical


John Crant shows how to overcome many of the challenges that job seekers face when looking to rejoin the workforce after an extended leave.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | The Dan Wilensky Quartet, Jazz Band


Music to start the end of your day The Dan Wilensky Quartet performs jazz standards and originals from their latest release, Back In The Mix. With piano, bass, drums, and saxophone, "Wilensky and his crew will thrill you from start to finish" (Midwest Record).
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Volleyball After Work


Summer’s here! Time to play! Leave your workday behind and join other adults for good-natured, fun, and cooperative pick-up games of volleyball. Everyone gets to play! Participants can also learn the basic rules and strategies of volleyball. Scorekeeper and volleyballs are provided. No experience is necessary.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | An Evening of Folk Music


An evening of stellar folk music with Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Sloan Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche. Suzzy and Maggie Roche have been singing together for most of their lives. Together with sister, Terre, they formed The Roches and recorded ten albums, performed all over the US and Europe for over twenty years. Sloan Wainwright is “..a masterful amalgam of folk, rock, jazz, blues and an occasional tincture of funk, discovering her music is like finding a treasure,” (The Boston Globe). Hard to categorize, her musical style melds the best of pop, folk, jazz, and blues to create a soulful hybrid. Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of Suzzy Roche and Loudon Wainwright III, is an indie-folk singer-songwriter. With a refreshingly, pure voice, NPR has compared her to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Patti Griffin.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Checkmate 101


Brooklyn chess instructor Zebedee Collins is back to teach skills and strategies to help you take your game to the next level! Best for beginning players; limited boards available.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Slide Lecture | Vegetables: A Voyage Through the Seasons


With James Peterson, author of Vegetables, Revised, and former chef and proprietor of Le Petit Robert. The illustrated lecture is a master class on vegetables with award-winning cookbook author and renowned cooking instructor. Treat yourself to an in-depth education with "vegetables," You will learn how to identify select, and prepare vegetables--from amaranth to zucchini -- with information on dozens of varieties and cultivars.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Yoga - Evening Salute to the Sun


End your day with relaxing Hatha yoga in a beautiful sunset setting. Suitable for all fitness levels. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring your own mat.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Concert | African Music: uKanDanZ / Khaira Arby & Her Band / Yemen Blues


7pm: Crackling and swaying with the vibrant spirit of Addis Ababa—and French rock, jazz and noise—“Ethiopian Crunch” quintet UkanDanz features the swelling vocals of Asnake Guebreyes atop explosive, throbbing Ethiogrooves. 8pm: Possessing one of Africa’s greatest voices, Northern Malian singer Khaira Arby creates trance states while singing about life, love, and spirituality in at least three languages, energized by searing lead-guitar lines that can hint at both Jimi Hendrix and Arby's cousin Ali Farka Touré. 9pm: A high-energy multinational hybrid of North African grooves, Middle Eastern modes, and American funk fleshed out with oud, gimbri, strings, and percussion, Yemen Blues is led by the charismatic Israeli-Yemenite singer Ravid Kahalani and go-to jazz bassist-arranger Omer Avital.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Guy Gugliotta reads from his book Freedom's Cap: The United States Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War


In his engaging new book, Guy Gugliotta tells the story of the rebuilding of the U.S. Capitol with a narrative that ties together engineering, politics and history.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Harold Holzer reads from his book Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory


Civil War history, politics, economics, biography - popular topics to stimulate your mind.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Film | Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy (1949): Guys and Molls


With John Dall, Peggy Cummins and Berry Kroeger. A well-meaning crack shot husband is pressured by his beautiful marksman wife to go on an interstate robbery spree, where he finds out just how depraved and deadly she really is. 87 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Performance | Old School Sketch Comedy Show


Old School Sketch Comedy Show features a short set of improvised sketches prompted by you, the audience, at the end of the show!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5

Reading | The Shrinks Are Away Reading


Inaugurate the month of August, when most shrinks are away, with a reading of humorous work to soothe the savage urban psyche and avoid a nervous breakdown. This year, the line-up is: Matthew Hutson (The Seven Laws of Magical Thinking), AJ Jacobs (Drop Dead Healthy), Beth Bernstein (My Charmed Life), Devan Sipher (The Wedding Beat), and Susan Shapiro (Five Men Who Broke My Heart, Lighting Up).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Balance Your Life with Music, Sound & Vibrational Healing


Explore the healing power of music and sound. Look at the latest scientific research on the topic and learn how to apply its insights in our own lives and/or our healing practices. With Barry Goldstein.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Camille A. Brown & Dancers


Along with selections from her exciting repertoire, Camille A. Brown & Dancers will unite with vocalist and composer, Imani Uzuri, as they premiere a work set to music from Uzuri’s new album, The Gypsy Diaries, which will be performed live. Princess Grace Award winning choreographer, Camille A. Brown has choreographed works for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco and Ballet Memphis- among others. She recently debuted as a choreographer on Broadway for the revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers is famed for its high theatricality, gutsy moves and virtuosic musicality leading the The New York Times to claim, “Ms. Brown seamlessly melds modern, hip-hop and West African dance.” The company excels at the exploration of real life situations ranging from literal relationships to more complex themes with an eye on the past and present. Innovative vocalist and composer Imani Uzuri is an eclectic artist who creates and performs across various genres including concerts, recordings, experimental theater, performance art and sound installations. Uzuri’s work has been called “stunning” by New York Magazine and incorporates her interests in world culture, experimentation and sacred music. She has earned critical acclaim for her debut album, Her Holy Water: A Black Girl’s Rock Opera as well as for her collaborations with diverse artists such as Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Wangechi Mutu and Vijay Iyer. Her new album The Gypsy Diaries is a vibrant lyrical and spiritual soundscape. Malcolm Low is a 2012 New Directions Choreography Lab Fellow chosen by Robert Battle, Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is also the director of Malcolm Low Formal Structure. He has performed with a number of premiere companies such as Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Ballet British Columbia, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Complexions, and most notably the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Co. Join Formal Structure as they premiere Stable Freedom, a high energy celebration of life featuring solos, duets, trios and a quartet set to a suite of mixed and arranged music by music.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Screening | Documentary: Asif Kapadia's Senna (2010)


This documentary tells the story of Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, a three-time F1 world champion, who died at age 34. 106 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Theater | Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine's Into the Woods, the Broadway Smash


A witch's curse condemns the Baker and his Wife to a life without children. They embark on a quest to find the four items required to break the spell: the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold. Will they succeed? And what happens after "happily ever after?" A masterpiece by musical theater giants Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Into the Woods is a witty and irreverent reimagining of beloved classic fairytales: Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. Featuring Amy Adams, Jack Broderick, Gideon Glick, Cooper Grodin, Ivan Hernandez, Tina Johnson, Josh Lamon, Jessie Mueller, Donna Murphy, Laura Shoop, and Tess Soltau.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Film | Neil Burger's Limitless (2011): The Ultimate Steroid


Starring Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel and Abbie Cornish. A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities. 105 min. Movie starts at dusk.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 pm
Free

Film | Oscar-Nominated French Film: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie (2001)


An innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her. Along the way, she discovers love. 122 min. Pack a picnic, bring a friend and settle in. Open Captioned.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 pm
Free

Performance | Gandhi, Is That You? Comedy Show


Stand-up comedy show (that has been featured on MTV, and that fills to standing-room only each week). The show is produced by Brendan Fitzgibbons (The Onion, McSweeney's) and Lance Weiss (Carolines on Broadway) with comedians from David Letterman, Vh1, MTV, The Onion, and Comedy Central. Free pizza!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 pm
Free

Jazz | 5/5/5 After Hours Set


A great way to hear some of the most talented young lions of jazz while enjoying spectacular views of Manhattan.
   New York City, NY; NYC
11:00 pm
$5 cover, $5...

Performance | Comedy :Improdome


Stretch your improv muscles in the longest running free improv jam in New York! Hosted by the duo of Julia Morales and Oscar Montoya.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 pm
Free
Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Broadway | Broadway Show!

Regular Price: $101
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Classical Music | Piano Works by Chopin and More

Regular Price: $30
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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