free things to do in New York City
Free events for Monday, 05/20/19
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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 May 20, 2019?

36 free events take place on Monday, May 20 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 20 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!

36 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Monday, May 20, 2019

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc La Bohème: Puccini's Classic Featuring the Stars of the New York City Opera
free events nyc Geopolitics of Contemporary Art: Art as a Tool for Influence
free events nyc Winter Journey: A 24-Song Cycle by Schubert
        

Workshop | Writing Club


Want to meet local writers? Commit to a writing schedule? Practice your craft through writing prompts? Read original work to get and give feedback? Then come to the biweekly meetings of the Writing Club. Writers of all genres and styles, at all levels, are welcome to participate. No sign-ups required. For adults (ages 18 and up).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:15 am
Free

Workshop | Pilates Workshop


Monday morning Pilates, presented by the Pilates Initiative and Return to Life Center. Mats are provided by Balanced Body and are available to the first 30 attendees at each class. Mondays, May 6-August 26, 2019
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Workshop | Park Birding Tour


Discover the surprising diversity of birds that call the park home during migratory season with guided tours. Located in the heart of midtown, the park is a hot spot for avian visitors and birders alike. Past sightings include warblers, tanagers, vireos, thrushes, and even a Chuck-will’s-widow.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 am
Free

Workshop | Morning Meditation


Balance mind, body, and spirit in this Primordial Sound Meditation led by an instructor. Work with a personal mantra, a specific sound or vibration. Take part in a regular meditation practice that lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and strengthens the immune system. Mondays, May 6-July 8, 2019
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:45 am
Free

Tour | 13 Tours, All City Neighborhoods, Any Time Of The Day, Choose One Tour Or Many


These free tours take place at various times during the day, all day long. You can make reservations for as many tours as your schedule allows. SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights + DUMBO 3 Hour Lower Manhattan Harlem Chelsea and the High Line 6 Hour Downtown Combined Greenwich Village Central Park Lower Manhattan Midtown Manhattan Grand Central Terminal Graffiti and Street Art Tours World Trade Center
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Tour | Tour of Gracie Mansion, Home of New York's Mayors


In 1799, a prosperous New York merchant named Archibald Gracie built a country house overlooking a bend in the East River, five miles north of the then-New York City limits. Little did he know that, more than 200 years later, his home would be serving as the official residence of the First Family of New York City - a place where history is made, not merely recorded. As a historic house museum run by the Parks Department, sitting on 11 acres of grounds now known as Carl Schurz Park, Gracie Mansion has served as the home of 10 mayors, beginning first with Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1942. Today, Gracie Mansion is occupied by the de Blasio family, which has opened its doors in the spirit of the administration's motto: one city, rising together. In keeping with that theme, Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray have introduced a new art installation, titled “Windows on the City: Looking Out at Gracie’s New York.” This tour repeats every Monday.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Creative Writing Workshop


Instructor Jeremy Wechter is the writer and director of the feature film The Viral Demon, and the short films “Shake Things Up,” “Popcorn,” “Skewed,” “Hand Off,” “Big Decisions,” and “Bad Connection.” He has directed numerous commercials, and written and directed numerous plays, including the Off-Broadway musical Little House on the Ferry, and he served as artistic director for Directors ‘n’ Actors Collaborative.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Tour | Tour of Gracie Mansion, Home of New York's Mayors


In 1799, a prosperous New York merchant named Archibald Gracie built a country house overlooking a bend in the East River, five miles north of the then-New York City limits. Little did he know that, more than 200 years later, his home would be serving as the official residence of the First Family of New York City - a place where history is made, not merely recorded. As a historic house museum run by the Parks Department, sitting on 11 acres of grounds now known as Carl Schurz Park, Gracie Mansion has served as the home of 10 mayors, beginning first with Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1942. Today, Gracie Mansion is occupied by the de Blasio family, which has opened its doors in the spirit of the administration's motto: one city, rising together. In keeping with that theme, Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray have introduced a new art installation, titled “Windows on the City: Looking Out at Gracie’s New York.” This tour repeats every Monday.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Workshop | French Class


The park speaks French with instruction by inlingua. Learn a new language in these standalone beginner classes. Classes are not cumulative, so you may attend any class throughout the season without needing to play catch up.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:45 am
Free

Concert | Piano in the Park: Ragtime, Stride, and Jazz


Summertime, and the livin’ is easy... so swing on by for toe-tappin’ performances by New York’s finest, playing ragtime, stride, and jazz to your heart’s delight. Ayako Shirasaki is a virtuoso pianist with a “tender touch.”
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Infinity of Nations: Exhibition Tour


A 45-minute tour of some 700 works of Native art from throughout North, Central and South America demonstrates the breadth of the museum's renowned collection and highlights the importance of many of these iconic objects.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Bach Plus One Concert


The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Julian Wachner, conductor. This season, Bach at One evolves into Bach + One: featuring one Bach cantata each week paired with a complementary work from composers early to modern. Trinity’s presentation of Bach’s entire monumental output of vocal sacred music has been praised by The New York Times for its “dramatic vigor.” Program Johann Sebastian Bach Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, BWV 11 Georg Philipp Telemann Concerto in D for 3 Trumpets, Timpani and Strings, TWV 54:D4 Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations as well as for vocal music such as the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. "The term ‘baroque’ has been widely used since the 19th century to describe the period in Western European art music from about 1600 to 1750... Many famous composers from the first part of the baroque period came from Italy and have a link with Venice, including Claudio Monteverdi and Antonio Vivaldi. Monteverdi was born in Cremona, but moved to Venice where he was ‘maestro di capella’ at the San Marco basilica. Vivaldi was born in Venice and was one of the greatest baroque composers. It is thanks to these strong musical traditions of Venice that we have today’s music. Without Venetian church music and Monteverdi’s advances with polyphony, the great traditions of choral music in England, France, and Germany would never have developed. Without the operas written by Monteverdi, Cavalli and Vivaldi, not only would the later styles of opera never have been invented. There would be no basis for the American Musical or the German and Viennese Operetta, the Spanish Zarzuela, and even rock, pop, and contemporary music as we know it." The Venice Insider
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Lunchtime Meditation


Take a mid-day pause to refresh your mind and re-establish your center in the midst of bustling city life. Meditation is a powerful tool to eliminate stress, to heal the body, mind, and brain, and to enhance your personal well-being and positive relationship with the world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

Classical Music | Organ Performance


Cathedral organists provide a 30-minute break for mind, body and spirit on Mondays at 1 pm with an entertaining and informative demonstration of the Cathedral’s unparalleled Great Organ.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$8

Film | The Enemy Below (1957): Struggle Between United States And German Forces In Second World War


During World War II, an American destroyer meets a German U-Boat. Both captains are experts, and so begins a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. 98 min. Director: Dick Powell. Starring Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, David Hedison.  The Enemy Below received the 1958 Academy Award for Best Special Effects. The film was based on a novel by Denys Rayner, a British naval officer involved in anti-submarine warfare throughout the Battle of the Atlantic.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Resume Help


Need help with resume writing? Not sure how to edit it? Get one-on-one assistance with writing your resume. Please bring a hard copy of your resume or a USB flash drive to save and edit it.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Meditation For Healthy Living


Join Dr. Andrew Vidich, author, educator, consultant and international speaker who has been practicing meditation for over 40 years. Andrew Vidich, PhD will present research on how meditation can improve our physical, mental and spiritual health. He will present effective methods for creating a more satisfying lifestyle including harmonious relationships and a deep sense of peace. In this presentation, you will learn effective strategies and a simple but profound meditation technique that will help remove stress and worry. The audience will have a chance to practice this simple technique that can reduce stress, enhance relaxation and promote inner growth.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Game Nights in the Park


Weekly Game Nights are the perfect place to learn a new game, challenge yourself with new opponents, swap strategies, and meet like-minded people. Mondays through Fridays, May 1-August 31, 2019 Mondays: Mah Jongg (starts May 20) Tuesdays: Word Game Night Wednesdays: Catan Game Night Thursdays: Mah Jongg (3pm-5pm, starts May 23); Beginner Chess Fridays: Learn a New Game Night
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Dance And Sculpt


Move your body to the beat! Have fun while you exercise! Bring a towel or an exercise mat. Come in comfortable clothing. This workshop takes place every Monday.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Chaste as Ice, Pure as Snow: Fantastic Dreamscapes


An exhibition of new paintings by Satoshi Kojima. Both surreal and bizarrely familiar, Kojima's transportive paintings are fantastic dreamscapes. Rendered in dusty pastel hues with the softest of brushstrokes, these works boast a delicate ethereality that almost - but not entirely - conceals the painter's hand. While their geometric composition achieves a Futurist and Op-Art sensibility, Kojima's paintings simultaneously look inward towards a hazy, alien narrative, homesick for another world. They seek introspection beneath the façade of nightlife and digital clamor and grapple with themes of identity, sexuality, desire, and displacement. Interstitial and interplanetary, Kojima's paintings balance a dollop of kink and mischief with a disquieting sense of malaise.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opera | La Bohème: Puccini's Classic Featuring the Stars of the New York City Opera


Be transported to the Latin Quarter of 19th century Paris without leaving the park as you bask in the lush melodies of Puccini’s La Bohème. Hear the stars of New York City Opera sing some of the most famous melodies in opera, all from the comfort of your very own blanket!
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Roy Lichtenstein: The Impossible Collection


A presentation of the book by its author, Avis Berman, will be followed by a conversation between Berman and Dorothy Lichtenstein, the widow of the artist, as well as a book signing. A seminal figure in American art, Lichtenstein helped to define Pop Art’s ironic detachment, with his comic-inspired canvases.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Screening | Short Movies From Martin Scorcese And More


How to Look at a City (1964) 29 min. Director: George C. Stoney; Narrator: Eugene Raskin. Eugene Raskin paints a word portrait of New York, as seen by lovers, adventurers, and the star-struck, against a background of jazz. He contrasts old neighborhoods with the bustle of the business world and discusses three fundamental standards used by architects and planners to judge the quality of a neighborhood - human scale, density, and variety. Italianamerican (1977) (26 min). Director: Martin Scorsese. Profiles the experiences of Italian-American immigrants through the eyes and lives of one couple, Catherine and Charlie Scorsese, interviewed by their son, film director Martin Scorsese. Includes informal footage of the family at the dinner table, reminiscences about the Scorsese family in Sicily and New York, and treasured family snapshots.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | The New York Yankees In Popular Culture


The New York Yankees' dominance on the baseball diamond has been lauded, analyzed and chronicled. Yet the team's broader impact on popular culture has been largely overlooked, until now! Author David Krell will be present for an evening to discuss the Yankees' mystique in film, television, theater, music and advertising. David Krell is the volunteer chairman of the Spring Training Research Committee and the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He often speaks at SABR conferences, the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, and the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture at the Baseball Hall of Fame. David is also the author of Our Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers in History, Memory and Popular Culture.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Film | Searching (2018): Father searching for his daughter


After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her. 102 min. Director: Aneesh Chaganty. Starring John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee. Searching is the first mainstream Hollywood thriller headlined by an Asian-American actor. The film was a financial and critical success, grossing over $75 million worldwide against a $1 million budget and receiving praise for its direction, acting, unique visual presentation and unpredictable storyline.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:15 pm
Free

Author Reading | Geopolitics of Contemporary Art: Art as a Tool for Influence


French gallerist Nathalie Obadia, along with Benjamin Sutton, editor of Art Market News at Artsy, hold a discussion Obadia’s newly published book, which analyzes the link between visual arts and geopolitics in today’s world. The book posits that Le Louvre in Abu Dhabi, Art Basel in Miami, and Jeff Koons’ tulips in Paris are all manifestations of contemporary art as a tool for influence. Art is not only a marker of power, it argues; it also measures a country’s degree of autonomy, its attractiveness, and its place in the world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | The Farm: Story Of An Immigrant In Upstate New York


It's a luxury retreat in upstate New York with all the amenities. The highest quality organic meals, personal trainers, and daily spa treatments: all free of charge. In fact, women are paid incredible sums to stay for months at a time. The only catch is that they can't leave, their movements are monitored, and they are cut off from outside contact while they make the perfect baby for someone else. Jane is an immigrant from the Philippines and in search of a better life when she commits to being a "Host" at the "Farm," as residents call it. But she becomes torn between life inside and outside, her past and her dreams of the future. Author Joanne Ramos is a staff writer at The Economist and serves on the board of The Moth.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Strike Wave: Organized Labor in the 21st-Century Workplace


The American labor movement is experiencing an exciting revival. Low wages, exploitative practices, poor conditions, and lack of support are motivating workers to unionize and, when necessary, to strike. Organizing and unionizing are sweeping through both new and traditional workplaces, including online media, magazines, newsrooms, retail stores, and diners. At this event, folks involved in the contemporary labor movement will discuss recent successful rebellions across the country—from teachers to graduate students, museum staff to fast-food workers—the causes for this wave of strikes, how social media interacts with unionizing and strike efforts, and what lessons can be taken for workers, organizers, and activists. With: -- Eric Blanc, writer for Jacobin and author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics -- Kim Kelly, writer, labor activist, columnist for Teen Vogue’s “No Class” and council member of the Writers Guild of America East -- Bianca Cunningham, writer and organizer at Labor Notes, co-chair of NYC DSA, and former Communications Workers District 1 -- LeNair Xavier, worker and organizer at The Pleasure Chest, represented by RWDSU.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Mindfulness and Its Discontents: Education, Self, and Social Transformation


Mindfulness, a way to alleviate suffering by realizing the impermanence of the self and our interdependence with others, has been severed from its Buddhist roots. In the late-stage-capitalist, neoliberal, solipsistic West, it becomes McMindfulness, a practice that instead shores up the privatized self, and is corporatized and repackaged as a strategy to cope with our stressful society through an emphasis on self-responsibility and self-promotion. Rather than a way to promote human development and social justice, McMindfulness covertly reinforces neoliberalism and capitalism, the very self-promoting systems that worsen our suffering. With author David Forbes.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | The American Museum of Natural History and How It Got That Way:


Scientist and author Colin Davey celebrates the release of his book which delves into the rich history of this New York landmark. It is the first book to chronicle the Museum's evolution from the selection of a rocky, hilly, swamp known as Manhattan Square to the iconic institution of present day.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Staged Reading | The Misanthrope: Molière in the Park


A staged public reading of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur’s translation of Molière’s The Misanthrope, directed by Molière in the Park’s Founding Artistic Director Lucie Tiberghien, with original songs by Tony- and two-time Obie Award-winner Stew. Starring  McKinley Belcher III, Chris Henry Coffey, Jessie Dean, Naomi Lorrain, Mandi Masden, Jennifer Mudge Postell Pringle, Tamara Sevunts
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War


From the spymaster and inspiration for the movie Argo: how brilliant but undersupported CIA operatives developed spy tactics that helped turn the tide of the Cold War. As experts in disguise, Antonio and Jonna Mendez were instrumental in creating a series of tactics that allowed officers to finally get one step ahead of the KGB. Jonna Mendez will be discussing and signing The Moscow Rules.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | New Books: The Buddha Sat Right Here / The Modern Witchcraft Book of Natural Magick


The Buddha Sat Right Here by Dena Moes Dena was a busy midwife trapped on the hamster wheel of working motherhood. Adam was an eccentric Buddhist yogi passing as a hard-working dad. Bella was fourteen and wanted to be normal. Sophia was up for anything that involved skipping school. Together, they shouldered backpacks, walked away from their California life of all-night births, carpool schedules, and Cal Skate, and criss-crossed India and Nepal for eight months--a journey that led them to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the tree where the Buddha sat, and the arms of Amma the Divine Mother. The Modern Witchcraft Book of Natural Magick by Judy Ann Nock The magic of witchcraft never dies. Harness the power of nature-based magick, including herbal charms and remedies, cleansing rituals, crystal healing, astrology, and more with this new guide in the popular Modern Witchcraft series—perfect for millennials.Modern-day interest in witchcraft and wicca isn’t surprising—who wouldn’t want to focus their energy into rituals of change and healing in today’s troubled and chaotic times? Right now, many of the most popular types of magick are nature-based.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Winter Journey: A 24-Song Cycle by Schubert


Program: Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Winterreise/Winter Journey Isabel Pfefferkorn (*1991) Wüstenschrei/Desert Scream Towards the end of his life, composer Franz Schubert wrote a cycle of 24 songs (Lieder) based on poems by the German Romanticist poet Johann Wilhelm Müller that he named Winterreise (Winter journey). Originally composed for tenor voice, mezzo-soprano Isabel Pfefferkorn, accompanied by pianist Hanna Bachmann, will present the full cycle which will be juxtaposed by Pfefferkorn’s own contemporary composition entitled Wüstenschrei (Desert Scream). Isabel Pfefferkorn, mezzo-soprano Hanna Bachmann, piano
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Staged Reading | The Fishing Play: Pike and Privilege


A staged reading of Tony Award winner John Lahr’s play The Fishing Play, directed by John Hancock. In The Fishing Play, two middle-aged Yalies, whose lives and careers have taken different turns, chew over old privileged times as they troll for pike. Then the Big One hits – and it’s more than a fish.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Experiments in Dance


A free, high visibility low-tech forum for experimentation, emerging ideas and works-in-progress held in the Fall and Spring seasons. Artists are selected by a rotating committee of peer artists, and join each season in performing at the historic church. Featuring: La Mujer Maravilla Project ILIANA OLALDE Inés Terra Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free
Complimentary Tickets

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

Theater | Family Theater Showcase

Regular Price: $49.50
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Play | "Absorbing" Drama at a Major NYC Theater

Regular Price: $89
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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