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Free events for Thursday, 10/08/09
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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 October 8, 2009?

51 free events take place on Thursday, October 8 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 October 8 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 October . 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 Thursday, October 8, 2009

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Lesson | Tai Chi in the Park


A tai chi class are for all ages and experience levels. Rain or shine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Lecture | The Place of Contemporary Art


In this lecture, Alexander Alberro, Associate Professor of Art History, explores forms of art and spectatorship that have emerged in the past two decades and are referred to as "contemporary." The new modes are varied, covering a span from digital productions and sculptural installations that overwhelm cognition and produce sheer affect, to relational practices that seek to immerse art in the world of everyday life. Together, they have significantly realigned the manner in which art addresses its spectator—indeed, they have constructed the spectator in a new way. Alberro is the author of Conceptual Art and the Politics of Publicity. His essays have appeared in a wide array of journals and exhibition catalogues. He has also edited and co-edited a number of volumes, most recently Art After Conceptual Art and Institutional Critique: An Anthology of Artists' Writings.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 am
Free

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. Five tours daily on the hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 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

Discussion | New Tools in Map Research


In this hands-on class, participants learn how to research antiquarian maps using traditional methods as well as new Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.) accessible only in the Map Division. Limited to 6 people.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:30 am
Free

Lecture | The United States and North Korea


A lecture with Charles Armstrong, The Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, Director, Center for Korean Research, Columbia University; Gerald L. Curtis, Burgess Professor of Political Science, Director, Toyota Research Program, Columbia University; Evans J.R. Revere, President, The Korea Society; and Dorothy Stuehmke, Former USAID Senior Advisor to U.S.-DPRK Food Aid Program.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Wall Street and Downtown Tour


Weaves together history, events, architecture, and people of birthplace of NY, financial capital of the world, and hottest new neighborhood in the city. Stops include U.S. Custom House, Trinity Church, Wall Street, NY Stock Exchange, other architectural and cultural sites. Rain or shine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Daryl Sherman, Jazz Pianist


Sherman has been a fixture for many years playing Cole Porter's Steinway at the Waldorf-Astoria and recently at the Algonquin Hotel Oak Room. She performs internationally at jazz venues, concert halls and her numerous recordings are in regular rotation on Cable TV's Music Choice and Sirius XM Radio. A frequent guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, she's also a favorite at St Peter's Midday Jazz Series and will be artistic director for a Lyrics & Lyricists program at the 92nd St.Y in February.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:15 pm
Free

Talk | Former People: The Destruction of the Russian Nobility in the 20th Century


Author and historian Douglas Smith speaks. Smith is an awarding-winning historian and translator and a Resident Scholar at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. He is the author of Working the Rough Stone Love and Conquest and The Pearl.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:15 pm
Free

Concert | “Bach at Noon”: Organ Works


Features the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free

Author Reading | Football star Fran Tarkenton reads from his book Every Day Is Game Day


Tarkenton played in the NFL for eighteen seasons and has founded and built twelve highly successful companies. A consultant to numerous Fortune 500 firms, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Concert | Abigail Nims, mezzo-soprano


A rapidly rising young mezzo-soprano, Nims has garnered critical acclaim in opera, concert, and recital performances singing repertoire which spans from Bach, Handel and Mozart, to Britten, Crumb, and contemporary premieres. Her incisive characterizations combine with a brilliant and agile instrument to deliver performances which delight both audiences and critics alike.
   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 | Documentary: Steve Lawrence and Phil Lucas' Vis à Vis: Native Tongues (2003)


Indigenous performing artists James Luna (Luiseño) and Ningali Lawford (Walmajarri) compare perspectives on life and society, using dialogue via satellite, scenes of their performances, and video diaries to inform the conversation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Concert | Elebash String Quartet performs Shostakovich and Ravel


Program: Maurice Ravel's Quartet in F Major, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, op. 110 The talented Elebash String Quartet, comprised of players from the DMA performance program. These young instrumentalists, all of whom have appeared nationally and internationally, are Heesun Shin, violin; Karen Rostron, violin; William Hakim, viola; and Marta Bedkowska, cello.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Introduction to MS Excel


An introduction to the basic features of Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program designed for the Windows environment. Topics include entering data & formulas, moving & copying data, formatting & print previewing worksheets. Introduction to MS Word is a prerequisite.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Investigating New York City Architecture


This class introduces print and online resources to assist you in researching the architecture of New York City buildings. The library's collections are emphasized, but important resources throughout the metropolitan area are also introduced.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:15 pm
Free

Screening | Documentary: Steve Lawrence and Phil Lucas' Vis à Vis: Native Tongues (2003)


Indigenous performing artists James Luna (Luiseño) and Ningali Lawford (Walmajarri) compare perspectives on life and society, using dialogue via satellite, scenes of their performances, and video diaries to inform the conversation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Concert | Listen to “The Auerglass,” a two-person pump organ


The Auerglass is a two-person wooden pump organ designed by the artist Tauba Auerbach with her friend Cameron Mesirow of the band Glasser. The instrument cannot be played alone. It requires two people to play. One player has to pump in order for the other to play and vice versa. There is a four-octave scale that is divided so that each of the two players plays every other note. Auerbach and Mesirow will play a composition written specifically for the instrument. It combines music that Auerbach wrote as a child, songs from Glasser and new material. Ida Falck Øien, who creates the costumes for Glasser, has created special costumes with shifting states for the Auerglass players to wear.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Showtunes in Translation


Learn about the similarities and differences between various musical productions around the globe and NYMF's own international shows. Panel includes Joe DiPietro, Mark Hollman, Will Aronson, Kyoung-Ae Kang and Eric Wainaina.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Screening | Documentary: Steve Lawrence and Phil Lucas' Vis à Vis: Native Tongues (2003)


Indigenous performing artists James Luna (Luiseño) and Ningali Lawford (Walmajarri) compare perspectives on life and society, using dialogue via satellite, scenes of their performances, and video diaries to inform the conversation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Talk | Investing: Smart Ways to Make It Work for You


Session 3 of a series of three programs for National Financial Planning Week.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Photography Exhibition: Adia Millett's The Birth of Bardo


A solo exhibition of new works by Adia Millett. She will introduce her first film, photographs selected from her most recent installations, and a new life-sized installation. Visitors are invited to participate in the scene, sit, contemplate, and implicate themselves in a dream-like environment teetering between fantasy and reality.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Lecture | Political Theory


With Simon Stow. This series features scholars who re-imagine the meaning and practice of politics by reworking the tradition of political theory. Each speaker will demonstrate different aspects of political theory as a distinctive critical practice, partly by exploring how the vocabulary of political theory can be used to cross disciplinary boundaries and illuminate contemporary issues. The goal of the series is to see how it is possible to reconstruct and use the legacy of a canon that is often reified and confined to the past.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | 5 Exhibitions: Beyond Boarders / Four Degrees of Abstraction / Sensorial Realities / The Portal of Tranquility / The Saturated Palette


Featured Artists: Beyond Boarders: Anne Barkley, Clôde Beaupré, Erin Brekke Conn, Mary Byers-Brule, Paul Kelley, Ami Muranetz, Michel Picotte, Chad Redl, Jen Romnes, Sergey Shaevitch, Alberto Velazquez, VéroniKaH Four Degrees of Abstraction: Kristina Garon, Sung Hong, Suzete Martins, Christopher Voss Sensorial Realities: Michael Berger, David Jeffery Frank, Melissa Norenberg, Ren Seffer, Christopher Stone, Tineke Wilde The Portal of Tranquility: Alexei Adamov, Kerstin Arnold, Abdelkhalek Idmalk, Paul Tappenden and Joanna Dickey, Marc van der Leeden The Saturated Palette: Taras Borovyk, Jenifer Carey, Lenore Sempert, Kensuke Shimizu
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Gone to the Dogs, A Canine-Themed Exhibition


Showcasing the work of 22 artists and 3 painting pooches, the exhibition encompasses painting, photography, video, and mixed media sculptural assemblage, featuring works that run the gamut of the conceptual and aesthetic continuum. A celebration of man's best friend exploring our multi-faceted relationship with the beloved dog, the works are endearing, nostalgic, laugh-out-loud funny, regal, and profoundly beautiful. Artists include: David Barnett, Sophie Blackall, Boyce Cummings, Peter Drake, Katherine Fraser, Eric Ginsburg, Lauren Grabelle, Catherine Hnatov, Serge Hollerbach, Brooke Jacobs, Michel Keck, Susan Kuhlman, Damon Lehrer, Laelia Mitchell, Jane O'Hara, Amy Ross, Nancy Schutt, Raychael Stine, Jenny Toth, Tim Vermeulen, Doug Wirls, Susan Woolf.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Potpourri, a Group Show


Featuring artists Edward Avedesian, Seymour Boardman, Norman Bluhm, Ernest Briggs, Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Joseph Fiore, Buffie Johnson, Albert Kotin, Richards Ruben, Thomas Sills, David Hayes, Mark Gibian,
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | Brooklyn Philharmonic performs Schubert and others


Music Director Michael Christie and Brooklyn Philharmonic present the best new music of our time while shining light on the great repertoire of the past. Musicians from the Brooklyn Philharmonic will perform classical and contemporary mixed chamber works by Ibert and New York composers Eric Ewazen and Daniel Bernard Roumain. The performance will culminate with a rousing performance of Schubert’s Octet in F major. Tables, chairs, and picnics are welcome on the lawn.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Imagination First: An Imagination Conversation


With Scott Noppe Brandon, Eric Liu, and special guests.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | “Moods of Norway”


The youth-oriented fashion label Moods of Norway has garnered unprecedented international acclaim in just under five years. Co-founders Peder Børresen and Simen Staalnacke will discuss how they established their fashion line-and in the process brought renewed attention to their homeland.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Obie winner Ntozake Shange reads and talks about her work


The Trenton-born Obie-winning author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf reads selected work and discusses her life in letters with interviewer Claude Sloan.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Lecture | Old and New Net Wars over Free Speech, Freedom, and Secrecy


A seminar in the humanities with Gabriella Coleman, Assistant Professor of Media Culture, and Communication at New York University. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Coleman examines ethics and online collaboration as well as the role of the law and new media technologies in extending and critiquing liberal values and sustaining new forms of political activism. Her book Coding Freedom: Hacker Pleasure and the Ethics of Free and Open Source Software is forthcoming.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Lecture | Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present


With Mark Weston. Enjoy a lively talk about a kingdom that is oil-rich, devoutly Muslim, and a vital American ally. It includes a vivid account of Ibn Abdul Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, and King Abdul Aziz, the founder of Modern Saudi Arabia. Learn about the many positive changes in Saudi Arabia since 9/11, which was as much of a shock to them as it was to us.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Discussion | The Children of Burroughs: The Legacy of Naked Lunch Among New York Artists


A panel discussion with Robert Fitterman, Lytle Shaw, Jurgen Ploog, and Penny Arcade. Moderated by Marvin J. Taylor.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Discussion | 39+: Hot Topics


Engage in thought-provoking discussions that spark controversy and encourage a diversity of opinions. Help identify the social and political hot topics or just come share opinions with an intellectually stimulating group of your peers and join the fun.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Christopher Bram reads from his book Mapping the Territory: Selected Non-Fiction


Novelist Bram, author of Gods and Monsters, which was made into the Oscar-winning movie, will read from his first collection of non-fiction. It features essays with topics like the power of gay fiction, coming out in the 1970s in Virginia, low-budget filmmaking with friends in New York, and the sexual imagination of Henry James.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Coming Out in Teen Fiction


Authors Lee Bantle, Nick Burd, and Brian Sloan read from their novels and discuss writing gay characters in young adult books.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Jeannette Walls reads from her book Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel


Following her memoir, The Glass Castle, the author's new book tells her grandmother's story told in a first-person voice that is authentic, irresistible, and triumphant.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Mary Gaitskill reads from her book Don’t Cry


Gaitskill is the author of the novels Two Girls, Fat and Thin and Veronica nominated for the 2005 National Book Award, as well as the story collections "Bad Behavior" and "Because They Wanted To," nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1998. Her new story collection is titled Don’t Cry.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Morris Dickstein reads from his book Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression


Cultural historian Dickstein discusses high and low culture during the Great Depression in his timely new book.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Performance | Obie Winner Hanne Tierney's My Life in a Nutshell


Guided by eighty strings, life-sized marionettes enact a witty melodrama of lust, death, and the geometry of human relationships. Accompanied by live vocals, manual overhead projection, toy piano & double base.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Professor Happycat discusses How to Take Over The Wurld


In I Can Has Cheezburger?, Professor Happycat brought LOLcats to the world. Now he has gone back to his lair for 200 all-new LOLcats that give all aspiring kittens the lessons they need to take over the world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Shelley Fishkin discusses Mark Twain's Book of Animals


Twain wrote "man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to," and he was among the few prominent Americans of his era to offer outspoken support in the cause of animal welfare. Join editor Fishkin for a reading and discussion of "Mark Twain's Book of Animals," a collection of both familiar and unpublished works by Twain that elucidates his special attachment to animals.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Book Signing | Barbara Berg signs her book Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future


Berg's book debunks the many myths about how far women have come and the pervasive belief that ours is a postfeminist society.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Claremont Ensemble performs works by Stravinsky, Carter and Adams


Program: ADAMS: Son of Chamber Symphony VARÈSE: Octandre CARTER: Asko Concerto STRAVINSKY: Septet WUORINEN: Arabia Felix
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Ethan Gilsdorf reads from his book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms


Commune with your inner fantasy fan or gaming geek with author of this travel memoir/pop culture narrative. The book is an exploration and celebration of fantasy and gaming subcultures. On a quest that begins in his own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, former D&D addict Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to Wisconsin, France to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to Middle-earth to the realm of Aggramar. He asks game-players and fantasy fans---old, young, male, female, able-bodied and disabled—what attracts them to fantasy worlds, and for what reasons. What he discovers is funny, poignant, and enlightening. The event begins with a "geek trivia contest" with prizes that tests the audience's knowledge of all things Tolkien, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons and more. Prizes will also be given to anyone arriving in costume as their favorite fantasy character or creature (elf, orc, warrior, wizard, Harry Potter, etc).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | Opera Conversations with Joseph Colaneri


Featuring students and Joseph Colaneri, who heads the Opera Program and conducts at the Metropolitan Opera, in a captivating discussion-scene study setting.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Performance | Raw Material: New Dance


As fresh and motley as its name implies, this is a juried performance series that encourages burgeoning artists to bring new work to a live audience, and to experiment with new ways of crafting their work. This season's artists include Eleanor Goudie-Averill/Stone Depot Dance Lab, Indah Boyle, Catherine Galasso, GoGoVertigoat Dance, Amanda Szeglowski/cakeface, and Makiko Tamura/small apple co.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble) performs works by Cage and others


Music by John Cage, Andrew Hamilton, Frederic Rzewski, Louis Andriessen. Led by cellist and artistic director Clarice Jensen, ACME is dedicated to the outstanding performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, primarily the work of American composers. In addition to cellist Clarice Jensen, core members of ACME include violist Nadia Sirota, violinists Miranda Cuckson, Yuki Numata, Ben Russell and Caleb Burhans, pianist Eric Huebner, flutist Alex Sopp, clarinetist Gilad Harel, and percussionist Chris Thompson. ACME members are graduates of The Juilliard and Eastman Schools of Music.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Theater | William Shakespeare's Richard III


Shakespeare's villainous tale of cold-blooded ambition, in a production directed by Stephen Fried. The Yorks have taken over the throne of England and Edward IV is king, but his ambitious younger brother Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, is dissatisfied. Deformed by a hunchback and a cruel nature, he sets his brothers against each other in order to clear his own way to the crown – by whatever means possible.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
Free

Conference | Walk21: The 10th International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities


New York City will host Walk21, the annual international walking conference. The goal of the Walk21 conference series is to support and inspire professionals to evolve the best policies and implement the best initiatives for creating and promoting environments where people choose to walk as an indicator of livable communities. The Walk21 conference attracts delegates from around the world to hear from leading professionals about programs, policies and projects that really work and explore those themes in action through walking tours and visits arranged in the host city. This year’s conference themes are: (1) Walkable communities are sustainable communities; (2) Paved with gold: investing in the public realm for a successful city; (3) There is more to walking than walking: design strategies for urban quality; and (4) Fit cities: community design for active living.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 pm
Free
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