THU.JUL. 20
Hot & Queer
Dixon Place Presents HOT! The 14th annual New York City celebration of queer culture. The grandmother of LGBT performance festivals features new works by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered artists including theater, dance, music, poetry, fiction, performance art, and homoeroticism for the whole family! Each year audiences flock to what amounts to an annual survey of New York City’s vibrant queer culture. This year, an eclectic roster of artists and performers appear in nearly 100 performances for six weeks at Dixon Place’s intimate space on the Bowery. Through Aug. 13 at Dixon Place, 258 Bowery, second fl., btwn. Houston & Prince Sts. unless otherwise noted. $0-15 or TDF vouchers; student and senior discounts. After a 10-year sabbatical from New York City, Jeffrey Essman presents all new work that moves from “Autobiography” to “The Secret Language of Tits,” from funeral oration to cybersex, and from the personal to the political to the punch line. Oscar Wilde said art should be a veil, not a mirror. With “Skin Deep,” Essmann takes on a series of hilarious veils that end up reflecting him far more than any mirror could hope to. Tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. 212-219-0736 or dixonplace.org.
Symbiosis: Photographic Sculpture
Stephen Barnett’s series of black and white images juxtaposed with color abstract images demonstrating the “symbiosis” between the mind and the soul. This exhibit is made possible by a Premier Grant from the Council of the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, with public funding from the New York State Council on the Arts. Through Sept. 12. The Alice Austen House Museum. 2 Hylan Blvd., at Edgewater St., Staten Island. Free. 718-816-4506
FRI.JUL. 21
Return of Squares’ Madame
After an 18-year hiatus, two time Emmy Award-winner and “Hollywood Squares” star Madame returns with her first full-length live show. Alongside her new partner Joe Kovacs, the legendary comedienne will present a limited engagement workshop of her new show “A Comeback From Abroad” beginning July 17th at The Cutting Room. A Comeback From Abroad runs until July 31, Mondays at 8:00pm. The Cutting Room, 19 West 24th St. $15 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com.
SAGE History & Heritage Series
Authors’ readings of “Stonewall – The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution” by David Carter and “Gay-2-Zee” by Don Reuter. “Stonewall,” soon to be made into a motion picture, is an exhaustively researched and definitive account of the Stonewall Inn riots of June 1969, and this presentation will feature vintage photographs and a panel of Stonewall Inn riot participants and survivors. “Gay-2-Zee” is a fun and irreverent dictionary with cartoon photos that elucidates gay male terminology through the decades. Autographed copies of both books will be available for sale. The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St. 6 p.m. $5 at the door. 212-620-7310.
SAT.JUL. 22
Brotherly Love
The Philadelphia Film Society presents the 12th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, a 13-day affair that runs through Jul. 25. Tonight, playwright, screenwriter, actor, and now film director Charles Busch is honored and his autobiographical film, “ A Very Serious Person” screened, 7:15 at Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St., at South St. The winner of both the Dramatic Audience and Dramatic Jury Awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, “Quinceañera” will close out this year’s festival Jul. 24 at 7:15 p.m., also at Prince Music Theater. “Quinceañera” chronicles Magdalena as she prepares for the traditional Latino rite of passage that signifies a 15-year old girl’s passage into womanhood. But when religiously devout Magdalena tells her conservative family that she is pregnant, her parents quickly ostracize her. She seeks refuge with her Uncle Tomás (Chalo González) and her openly gay cousin, Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Her new family unit is soon jeopardized when Carlos starts to bond emotionally with one of the men who have been using him for their sexual pleasure. Using the British “kitchen sink dramas” of the late 1950s as a model, openly gay directors Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland, and executive director Todd Haynes have created gay characters who are flawed yet sincere, adding an element of authenticity and raw emotion in their frank depiction of sexuality and sweet, gentle humor. The directors will be in town for the Philadelphia premiere. For complete information, schedule, and ticket purchase, visit Phillyfests.com.
“Bleeding Through Kingdoms: Cinderella’s Rebellion”
Tired of seeing weak “heroines” in so-called happily-ever-after stories, writer and filmmaker Riley LaShea has crafted a modern take on tradition, a genuine fairy tale about courage, friendship, freedom and self-worth, with healthy doses of humor, mayhem, magic, and girl-girl love. The author appears for a reading. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St. btwn. Stanton and Rivington Sts. 212-777-6028. Free, 7 p.m.
Summer Garage Classics: Hot In the City
Dance 208 returns this July for another triumphant Garage Classics night. While away the summer night grooving to the sounds of the legendary ‘70s gay club, the Garage, and enjoy some time in our garden under the stars. DJ Carlos Sanchez spins all your favorite Garage favorites, with prizes to be raffled away. 9 p.m.-1 a.m., $10/$6 (for members arriving before 10 p.m.). LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St. 212-620-7310.
Dancing on the Beach 6
This year, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center celebrates 23 years of service to New York City’s LGBT community, and the East End of Long Island is getting in on the celebration. The Center offers nearly 30 mental health, social service, public policy, educational, and cultural programs for queer adults and youth. Each week, more than 6,000 people come to the Center, and more than 300 groups meet in our home. 4-8 p.m., general admission starts at $85. 41 Two Mile Hollow Road, East Hampton. 212-620-7310
SUN.JUL. 23
Opposing Anti-Semitism in the Movement
Anti-authoritarians and social justice activists often think they’re immune from anti-Semitism, but the experiences of many Jewish activists show otherwise. Aside from driving away many Jewish activists, anti-Semitism on the left profoundly impacts work as a movement. This workshop brings together three activists who have studied left anti-Semitism for an evening of instruction and experience-sharing that will help us understand and combat its effects in and on the activist community. Presenter April Rosenblum is a Philadelphia-based activist and author of “The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere,” a pamphlet for radicals on resisting anti-Semitism. Peter Staudenmeier is a faculty member at the Institute for Social Ecology and author of “Fascist Ecology: The ‘Green Wing’ of the Nazi Party and its Historical Antecedents.” Eric Laursen, who will moderate the discussion, is a writer, organizer and longtime global justice and antiwar activist. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St. btwn. Stanton and Rivington Sts. 212-777-6028. $10 suggested, 7 p.m.
Post-Photography
“It’s not a photo” is an exhibition of abstract photography and electronic media. Photography has long since passed its status as a document of truth. The old chestnut of popular wisdom, that “the camera does not lie,” seems quaint and even naïve today. 21st century photography lies most of the time, given the ubiquity of digital tools and techniques. Even the most amateur photographer is capable of undermining and confusing established conventions. More than what is real, the questions become what is real that or can be made to look as if it were fake—and vice versa. Artifice and manipulation reign. The group of artists selected for “It’s not a photo” has abandoned representation to focus on the media itself. Like abstract painting, photography has become increasingly self-referential, medium to investigate the tools of its own making—light, paper, chemicals, digital processes, etc. Opening tonight from 6-8 p.m. Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St. Through Aug. 26. Tue.-Sat. noon to 6 p.m., Thu. Noon to 8 p.m. $6/$3 students & seniors at 212-255-0719.
MON.JUL. 24
BAM Animation Block Party
Brooklyn’s finest short animation festival, Animation Block Party screens 80 minutes of professional, student, and independent shorts from all over the world. This evening focuses on the best narrative pieces from 2006. The popular festival receives over 600 submissions per year, and these are the best of the best. An introduction with curator Casey Safron will precede the 6:50 p.m. screening. 6:50, 9:15 p.m. BAM Rose Cinema, 30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Pl., near Flatbush Ave. $10, 718-636-4100 or bam.org.
Getting a Gimmick
Dr. Lucky’s School of Burlesque brings you classroom learning with cabaret entertainment. In a retelling of the history of theater through the undervalued tradition of burlesque, this evening will feature students from New York University’s Undergraduate Drama Department enrolled in “The History of American Burlesque” performing original and historically-based songs, dances, skits, and comedic bits in the burlesque spirit of parody, gender inversion, and the deconstruction of the split between highbrow and lowbrow culture. Students will be joined by guest lecturers who also happen to be stars of the neo-burlesque scene including Dirty Martini, James “Tigger!” Ferguson, Jo “Boobs” Weldon, Julie Atlas Muz, Scotty the Blue Bunny, The World Famous Bob, and, of course, their professor, Dr. Lynn “Lucky” Sally. 9:30 p.m. Galapagos Art Space. 70 North Sixth St. at Wythe Ave. $5. 718-782-5188
Growing Through The Pain
In his empowering work drawing on extensive research, clinical psychologist Alan Downs outlines a path to emotional well-being for gay men in his new book, “The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man’s World,” 7 p.m. Barnes & Noble Bookstore. 2289 Broadway at 82nd St. 212-362-8835.
TUE.JUL. 25
Thomas And Smith
“Gwenn Thomas Revisits Jack Smith” is a photographic narrative organized as a cinematic sequence of Thomas’ black and white images starring the legendary performance artist and filmmaker Jack Smith. Taken more than 30 years ago on the bosky grounds of the Cologne Zoo during the Kölner Kunstverein’s Projekt 74, these interpretive, unmediated views show a costumed Smith in performance, and reveal the artist in a hilarious yet serious project critical of the implications of national boundaries, landlords, and the concept of rent. Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closes Jul. 28, 2006. Yvon Lambert, 564 W. 25th St. 212-242-3611.
Women’s Poetry Jam, Open Mic
Carole Maso is at work on a novel concerning the nature of human suffering and the possibilities of salvation. Her transcendent, lyric prose tells of the great sorrows and mysteries of our time. Stephanie Romeo’s “Conjure New York” is a historical novel in progress that journeys through the parallel lives of three transplanted Southerners in early twentieth-century New York. Women’s poetry jam is hosted by vittoria repetto. Open mike sign-up starts at 7 p.m., so come and deliver up to eight minutes of your poetry, prose, songs and spoken word. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St. btwn. Stanton and Rivington. 212-777-6028. $5 suggested, 7 p.m.
WED.JUL. 26
Cultural Currency
Schroeder Romero opens its new group exhibition “Money Changes Everything.” The exhibiting artists have chosen to use currency as the medium itself, captivated by the image and symbolism of money as the ultimate representation of power. Money as a raw material is loaded with a political, social, and emotional charge and directly raises the question of the monetary worth of a work of art and blurs the boundaries of cash, commodity, and culture. Participants include Michael Asente, Ray Beldner, Barton Lidice Benes, Robin Clark, Peggy Diggs, Jed Ela, Stuart Elster, Kim MacConnel, Elizabeth Sisco, David Avalos and Louis Hock, Ken Solomon, Oriane Stender, Mark Wagner, and C.K. Wilde. 637 W. 27th St. 212-630-0722. Closes Jul. 28, Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Uncommon Threads
This retrospective exhibit showcases 30 years of designer Alexander Julian’s innovative contributions to men’s and women’s fashion, textiles, and home furnishings. Also included are historic sports uniforms and original costumes from the Robert Altman film, “The Player.” Briggs Robinson Gallery 527 W. 29th St. 212-560-9075 or briggsrobinson.com. Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closes Jul. 27
gaycitynews.com
