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 May 4, 2012?

51 free events take place on Friday, May 4 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 May 4 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 May . 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!

51 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Friday, May 4, 2012

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

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Workshop | Qi Gong Workshop

Qi Gong is the philosophy and practice of aligning breath, physical activity and a wide range of exercises developed in China to promote energy (Qi/Chi) circulation in the body. No special clothing, footwear, or equipment is required. Heavy rain will cancel the event.

New York City, NY; NYC

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9:30 am
Free

Symposium | Coloring Fashion: A Seminar on Natural and Synthetic Dye in Textiles Today

This one-day seminar and panel discussion brings together international experts from several fields to discuss economic, environmental, and socially sustainable improvements in the design of fashion and textile industries.

New York City, NY; NYC

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10:00 am
Free

Fair | Street Fair

MAY 4TH 10am - 4pm CINCO DE MAYO AT GRAND CENTRAL FAIR (ON 43RD STREET from LEXINGTON - 3RD AVE.)

New York City, NY; NYC

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10:00 am
Free

Symposium | Within & Against Modernity: Spinoza on Imagination & Revolution

10:00am-10:15am Welcoming Remarks Omri Boehm and Chiara Bottici 10:30am-12:00pm The Politics of Imagination: Spinoza and the Origins of Critical Theory Thomas Hippler 12:15pm-1:45pm Genius or Prophet: Kant's Critique of Judgement vs.Spinoza's TTP Omri Boehm 3:15pm-4:45pm Spinoza and the Revolutionary Laws of Human Nature Hasana Sharp 5:00pm-6:30pm Jura Communia as anima imperii: The Symptomatic Relationship between Law and Conflict in Spinoza Fillipo Del Lucchese

New York City, NY; NYC

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10:00 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

Festival | Bike Expo New York

Bike New York is bringing the largest free bike expo in the United States to New York City. This expo gives residents and visitors an unprecedented look at urban cycling against the backdrop of New York. Presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, Bike Expo New York will feature more than 130 vendors, live performances, hands-on programming, bike gear giveaways and of course, free bicycle classes for both youth and adults.

New York City, NY; NYC

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12:00 pm
Free

Concert | Bach at Noon

This Organ Meditations Series features the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach.

New York City, NY; NYC

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12:20 pm
Free

Tour | Grand Central and Its Neighborhood

Discover architecture and social history of Grand Central neighborhood; learn secrets of Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Terminal; gaze upon hubcaps and roadsters on side of Chrysler Building; discover favorite Midtown Manhattan hangout of Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva; learn why Pershing Square isn’t really square; visit original Lincoln Memorial by Daniel Chester French. Award-winning tour led by urban explorer, historian, and storyteller Justin Ferate.

New York City, NY; NYC

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12:30 pm
Free

Park Walk | “Amble Through the Ramble” Tour

Over streams, under arches, through the woods along a maze of pathways in a 38-acre woodland respite. Tour will be approximately one hour.

New York City, NY; NYC

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12:30 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

**Film | Garry Marshall's Georgia Rule (2007): 3 Generations of Trouble**

With Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman. Lily decides she has no choice but to take her rebellious daughter Rachel to her mother's home in Idaho. Matriarch Georgia is not your typical grandmother as she lays down very strict and unbreakable rules. She finds that her structure begins to change Rachel as all three women come to a hard earned understanding of each other. 113 min.

New York City, NY; NYC

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1:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Enacting Innocence: Barack Obama's Speech on Race in the Context of American Exceptionalism

Barack Obama's election has been understood as the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement, tangible proof that the African American community's pursuit of full equality in America has reached a high-water mark. The key to Obama's election, however, was not the calls for reform that characterized the rhetoric of the Civil Rights Movement, but a ceaseless invocation of American exceptionalism that supported - indeed reinvigorated - the premise of American innocence. This is most evident at the pivotal moment in Obama's campaign: his speech, "A More Perfect Union," delivered during the tumult resulting from Reverend Jeremiah Wright's critical comments about American foreign policy. Jonathan W. Gray, a writer in residence in the Allen Room, is Assistant Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Jusitce. This talk is adapted from his forthcoming book, Innocence by Association: Civil Rights in the White Literary Imagination.

New York City, NY; NYC

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1:15 pm
Free

**Film | Robert Rossen's All the King's Men (1949): 3-Time Oscar Winner**

With Broderick Crawford, John Ireland and Joanne Dru. A political demagogue governor of a Southern State believes that every man has his price and that the end justifies the means. Based on the life of Huey Pierce Long, governor of Louisiana and senator. 109 min.

New York City, NY; NYC

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2:00 pm
Free

Book Signing | Neil Sedaka signs copies of his children's book Dinosaur Pet

Pop/rock singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka talks about his career, performs some of his songs and signs copies of Dinosaur Pet, his new picture book for young children.

New York City, NY; NYC

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3:30 pm
Free

Concert | College Piano Recital

With Allegra Chapman.

New York City, NY; NYC

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4:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | NYU Alumni Reading

With Matthew Cariello, Fran Castan, Sheela Chari, Joanne Diaz, Rashad Harrison, Marcus Jackson (pictured), Austin LaGrone, Laren McClung, Jillian Medoff, Ann Napolitano, Stephanie Stiles, Michael Vizsolyi, and Barry Wallenstein.

New York City, NY; NYC

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5:00 pm
Free

Concert | Free Music Fridays

Featuring Jalopy Theatre Presents: The Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues. .

New York City, NY; NYC

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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | 2 Art Shows: Chitra Ganesh / Simone Leigh

Chitra Ganesh is known for her paintings, drawings and large installations that take inspiration from the traditions of mythology, science fiction, Bollywood films, and comics (pictured). In beautifully executed narrative works, she reveals and comments upon many of the underlying, often concealed, issues such as those defining femininity, eroticism, or violence that pervade our culture. Simone Leigh engages in an object-based, sculptural exploration of female African American subjectivity, informed by both ancient African and African American object-making. Her work is at once highly abstracted and grounded in timeless recognizable objects, such as the pottery jar or cowrie shell. Using pre-historical ceramic techniques, Leigh challenges the boundaries between art and craft, between past and present.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Alice Neel's Late Portraits & Still Lifes

With a practice spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, Alice Neel (1900-1984) is widely regarded as one of the greatest figurative painters of the twentieth century. Based in New York City, Neel chose her subjects from her family, friends, and a broad variety of locals: writers, poets, artists, students, textile salesmen, psychologists, cabaret singers, and homeless bohemians. Her eccentric selection was thus also a portrayal of, and dialogue with, the city in which she lived. Through her forthright and at times humorous touch, her work engaged with ongoing political and social issues, including gender, racial inequality, and labor struggles. Shown: "Geoffrey Hendricks and Brian," 1978. Oil on canvas, 44 x 34 inches (111.8 x 86.4 cm)

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Collages, Paintings and Sculptures by İrfan Önürmen

The first solo exhibition in North America by İrfan Önürmen. The exhibition will present a selection of works produced since 2004, comprised of collages, paintings and stacked newspaper sculptures; all addressing the impact of the media on human experience and its visual representation. İrfan Önürmen was born in Bursa, Turkey in 1958. His work has been shown extensively throughout Turkey, and in Europe including solo exhibitions at Pi Artworks, Istanbul; The Göruntü Art Gallery, Adana; Siyaz Art Gallery, Bursa and many others. Önürmen's work has been included in numerous group exhibitions at venues such as the Museo Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, Polignano a Mare, Italy; Istanbul Biennial, Antrepo, Turkey; Akademie Der Künste, Berlin, Germany; Kulturdezernat der Stadt Frankfurt, Germany and others. Önürmen lives and works in Istanbul, Turkey. Shown: "Gaze Series #12," 2012, Tulle, 77.95 x 53.54 in. (198 x 136 cm)

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | College Viola Recital

With Kyle Miller.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

**Discussion | Franca Sozzani, Vogue Italia's Editor-in-Chief, discusses her career**

Join legendary Franca Sozzani, the Editorial Director of Condé Nast Italy and editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, l'Uomo Vogue and Vogue Gioiello, for a discussion about her impressive career.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Paintings: Jan De Vliegher's Treasury

A new exhibition of paintings by Belgian artist Jan De Vliegher. For his first solo exhibition in the United States, De Vliegher creates a series of monumental paintings which reference the artist's obsessive hunt for otherwise overlooked porcelain plates. United in their ritualistic and repetitive compositions the series of circular abstractions reveal De Vliegher's fascination with the painting experience while also speaking to broader themes of contemporary collecting.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Sculpture & Painting: Florian Schmidt's Spot

An exhibition of new work by Florian Schmidt that consists of sculpture and three separate but interconnected 'painting' series: Immunity, Hold and Ribbon. The title of the exhibition shares its title with a sculpture or 'construction' that fills the center of the gallery and consists of 32 parts that are divided into four sections. Small scraps of paper have been pasted onto the sculpture. These bits of paper, which were taken from wall calendars filled with painting reproductions, interrupt the white paint that dominates the construction. The monochrome colors found in these fragments mirror the colors used in Schmidt's paintings.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Art Museums of the Avantgarde: Life and Work of Alexander Dorner

Alexander Dorner (1893-1957) was already one of the most innovative and influential museum directors of the early 20th century Germany before he emigrated to the US in 1937. He was one of the first curators to acquire works of art by international avant-garde artists and was at the height of modern movements and ideas like the Bauhaus when he was forced to leave. Dorner’s story is a tale of choices and consequences. He advocated the democratic ideals of the Weimar Republic, but later behaved sympathetically to the Nazis. His tenure at the RISD museum was equally problematic and, after having been dubbed a “dangerous Nazi spy,” his active museum career ended. Dorner’s story is ultimately a tragic one, and Dr. Katenhusen will address his complex life and legacy as the basis of her research for a full biography of this little-understood figure. Dr. Ines Katenhusen is an associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, Leibniz University Hannover.

New York City, NY; NYC

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6:30 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Pace is Sketchy

Pace University’s Sketch Writing and Performance class presents the best sketches they’ve written over the past semester, live on stage! Everything you’ll see is written, performed, and a third thing by the students in the class, and no one else! NO ONE!

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
$5

Concert | Experimental Sounds: Alpha Couple / Sky White Tiger

Canadian duo Alpha Couple - former gallery owners Kristel Jax and Mark Wolgemuth - craft kaleidoscopic sound collages comprised of textural instrumentation and found soundbites. At once conceptual and emotionally raw, Alpha Couple's compositions are haunting in their ability to communicate ineffable psychic states. Sky White Tiger is a dreamy rock/electronic act that plays with live projection mapping to create a visual and dense soundscape that is accessible, but decidedly left-of-center. For this one-man appearance by Louis Schwadron (who has toured / performed with The Polyphonic Spree, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, David Bowie, Sufjan Stevens, and Radiohead), Sky White Tiger is pared down to a piano, a sampler, a projector, and a microphone to yield a raw and electrifying multimedia performance.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Jen Lancaster reads from her book Jeneration X

Jennsylvania Governor and bestselling author Jen Lancaster talks about her latest book.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Open Studio Weekend

Representing all media and genres—from painting and sculpture to installation, photography, video, and performance; from poetry and fiction to playwriting and creative non-fiction—artists and writers will present the work they’ve been making since the start of their residencies in September 2011.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Performance Art: Yve Laris Cohen's Waltz

An exhibition spatially conceived for and generated through a series of performances by Yve Laris Cohen (b. 1985, San Diego, CA). Hesitation Change, Drag Hesitation, and Cross Hesitation are three styles of a fast waltz, where the dancers suspend movement for a full measure at a time. Working in sculpture, performance and dance, Laris Cohen, rather than literally playing or performing a waltz, instead uses the ¾ time signature as a template for the architecture and objects with which he interacts. Yve Laris Cohen's work has been performed and exhibited at locations such as SculptureCenter, Dance Theater Workshop, Abrons Arts Center, Danspace Project, and Movement Research at the Judson Church (all in New York). Laris Cohen is a 2010-2012 Movement Research Artist in Residence, and received the Rema Hort Mann Foundation’s Visual Art Grant Award in 2011. He has two upcoming performances in May 2012, at Danspace Project, NY; and the ICA Philadelphia, PA. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

**Screening | Senegalese Documentary: Moussa Sene Absa's Yoole, The Sacrifice (2010)**

In April 2004, a boat was found in Barbados with eleven dead bodies on board; the boat had left Senegal bound for Europe four months earlier. Absa, lecturing in Barbados at the time, decided to go home to Senegal to explore the lives of the men found on the boat. 75 min.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
$10 suggested admission

Jazz | The Brazilian Ensemble

Directed by Richard Boukas.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

Poetry Reading | William Johnson reads from his book Dogwood

Idaho poet William Johnson’s latest book is from Limberlost Press.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:00 pm
Free

**Theater | The Judith of Shimoda by Bertolt Brecht, a Student Production**

The Judith of Shimoda draws on historical events that occurred after Commodore Perry compelled Japan to open to the West in 1854. The play was first performed in 2008 and has been performed sparingly since. The piece examines the ways society create and tear down its heroes.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:30 pm
$5

Open Mike | Open Mic Night with Stu

Come to Open Mic Night with Stu Richards. Bring your works of poetry, music, thoughts and good vibes. Sign-up begins at 7:00 pm.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:30 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Spring 2012 Student Dance Production

The Arts Program at Eugene Lang College is proud to present the annual Spring Dance Production. Featuring a restaging of an original work by Trisha Brown (pictured), recreated by the Trisha Brown Company; a newly created piece by Juliana May from Movement Research, as well as an original work created by Neil Greenberg and his First-Year Repertory students. All pieces are performed by students of Eugene Lang College.

New York City, NY; NYC

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7:30 pm
$5

Concert | Cinco De Mayo Celebration! Art Songs by Composers from México, the Caribbean and Latin America

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna and pianist Max Lifchitz join forces for an evening of art songs by composers from México, the Caribbean and Latin America. The program will feature art songs by Carlos Chávez, Alicia Oliva, Manuel M. Ponce and Silvestre Revueltas (from México); Alejandro García-Caturla (from Cuba); Enrique de Marchena (from the Dominican Republic); Luis Pales-Matos (from Puerto Rico) and Ramiro Cortés (from the US).

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | College Cello Recital

With Hiro Matsuo.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | College Senior Voice Recital

Featuring Amanda Bollag.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | College Violin Recital

With Joo Young Kim.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Screening | Global Spirit Film Series: Dreams, Visions and Realities

In this Global Spirit program, host Phil Cousineau presents different interpretations and domains of dreaming - blending recent scientific discoveries from an American dream specialist with rare insights on the native wisdom of “The Dreamtime” by an Australian Aboriginal elder.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
$5 suggested donation...

Concert | Guitar Ensemble, Spring 2012

Under the direction of Terry Champlin, students explore chamber music repertoire for guitar performing small and large ensemble works, sometimes in combination with other instruments or voice.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | NYU Contemporary Music Ensemble

From the Program in Instrumental Performance.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Jazz | NYU Jazz Orchestra

From the Department of Music And Performing Arts Professions.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | String Chamber Music Concerts

From the Program in String Performance.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | Student Piano Recital

With Teng Fu.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | The Art Mob, A Cappella Singers

The Art Mob, an uncommon a cappella chorus of sixteen or so intrepid accomplices, wows you with an oddball mix of offbeat, witty and occasionally heartrending music from bygone days. They specialize in Victorian parlor songs, Sacred Harp hymns, early radio gospel and scary children’s ditties. The Art Mob is Brent Fredrick (music director), Connie Beckley, Hannah Campbell, Aldo Ceresa, Gaynor Coté, Martine Donach, Frank Donno, Ruby McNeil, Cheryl Morrison, Dean Rainey, Dan Rosenbaum, Nancy Moore Simpson. Kirsten Skrinde, Jared Stamm, Confidence Stimpson and Vicki Watson.

New York City, NY; NYC

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8:00 pm
Donations asked

Jazz | Vocal Blues Ensemble

Directed by Danny Mixon.

New York City, NY; NYC

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9:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Undefined

Come out to Undefined, a monthly variety show hosted by Jeremy Wein. Come see some of the best stand-ups comics, sketch and improv groups, musicians and other awesome weirdness come together right before your eyes every month. Previous performers have included Seth Herzog, Myq Kaplan, Death By Roo Roo, Doppleganger, Carla Rhodes, Kurt Braunohler, Neal Brennan, and Joe Mande. So you never know who will show up.

New York City, NY; NYC

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9:30 pm
$5

Performance | Mixed Nuts: An Improvised Character Jamboree

According to Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. president, you can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jelly beans. Come see a bunch of oddballs figuratively eat jelly beans* in this grab bag of the wacky, weird and wonderful. *This means literally improvise some character monologues.

New York City, NY; NYC

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11:00 pm
$5

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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