Stoop Music on Every Block! Mother's Day Pop-ups! Mark Ruffalo! Madama Butterfly!
Plus: NYT's Frank Rich! Sax in the Cemetery! Making Giant Puppets! 'Mamma Mia' Screening to Support Abortion Access!
Welcome back to your Park Slope events newsletter. As always, links to sources are in (parentheses) after each event. Follow our IG for updates as events change.
Book Now
We have a habit of knowing what sells out.
🎭Mark Ruffalo in ‘Ironweed: An Evening Of Art & Humanity’ on 5/17: “Four-time Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo and two-time Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht star in an innovative mix of live performance and recorded sound directed by Jodie Markell and produced by Brad Gilbert, based on a new play adapted from William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The evening includes select readings of scenes from a new stage version of the novel, adapted by Kennedy and Markell. Following the performance, Ruffalo and Hecht discuss the timeliness of Ironweed and the current crisis of the unhoused with local advocates, moderated by The New Yorker writer and author Vinson Cunningham.”(7:30 PM, BAM, $35)
🤣Caleb Hearon New Material & Special Guests on 6/8: Hearon always sells out fast. Tickets go on sale Friday AM. (10:00 PM, The Bell House)
🤣Summer Jobs Tour: Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker on 6/7: 3 SNL cast members touring. (7:30 PM, The Bell House, $35.45)
Get Involved
Vote on Participatory Budgeting: “Projects on the ballot came from New Yorkers just like you! All New Yorker’s 11 and older, regardless of citizenship, are eligible to vote. You may vote only one time, but you can vote for as many projects as you want.” (NYC.gov)
🏃Run a Half Marathon to Support Brooklyn Public Libraries on Saturday: “Our day will begin at BPL's Greenpoint Library at 8AM. From there, we'll run to Vanderbilt Avenue, making our way to Central Library where the 10K concludes. Then, through Prospect Park and down Ocean Parkway, stopping at Kensington Library along the Greenway. We'll make our fourth and final stop at Coney Island Library and conclude with an optional jump in the ocean.” (Browse the Branches)
Weigh in on the Future of 4th Ave on 5/15: “We had over 600 respondents to our recent community survey! Now we have a great meeting lined up with many elected officials, city agency reps and community leaders to respond to top concerns. We are very excited about the energy and response so far.” (6PM, Old Stone House)
News and Links
Celebrate Brooklyn Schedule Announced: Fishbone! (Prospect Park IG)
Download the App to Navigate Open Stages 2024: When music starts humming out of every block in North Slope on Saturday, you’ll be glad you’re not trying to squint at a jpeg to find who’s playing where. See full details in our Saturday events section below. (Bloomberg Connects)
Mother’s Day Prep
Beyond shopping for gifts—at Annie’s Blue Ribbon and Lumiere in North Slope, Homebody Boutique and Rider in South Slope, and True Love Always in Windsor Terrace—check out these pop-ups:
🪴Teen Time: Teeny Tiny Flower Pots For Mother's Day Today at Park Slope Library: “A great little gift for a mom, grandmom, sister, aunt, bestie... or someone who is like a mom to you! Join us and meet other teens for an arts and gardening afternoon.... or just Grab n' Go!”(4:00 PM, Park Slope Library)
🏷Mother's Day Pop Up Sale All Weekend @ Industry City: “Define you style with fashion from around the globe. This pop up sale includes apparel, shoes and accessories for men and women at amazing prices. Great for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts. Some of the brands are Desoto, Naadam, Trippen, Christopher Calvin, TW3 and more.”(12 PM, Industry City)
🪴North American Rock Garden Society’s Spring Plant Sale Saturday: “Last year, most of the plants sold very quickly but this year we have way MORE plants! Lots and lots of perennials — and annuals too. ”(10:00 AM, 463a 7th Street)
🛒Mother's Day Crafts @ Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket on Saturday: “Stop by the info tent between 10:30am and 12:30pm to create a beautiful card to celebrate Mother's Day! To customize your card, use heart-shaped stamps made with apples, dried flowers, and petals. Ages: 3+ The apples and some flowers have been sourced from the Greenmarket.” (8:00 AM, Prospect Park)
Events
Events with a 🔥 emoji are going fast.
Thursday, 5/9
🏷Mother's Day Pop Up Sale: See Mother’s Day Prep above.(12 PM, Industry City)
🍄Central Cookbook Club: Mushrooms: “Join the Central Cookbook Club as we slice and dice all things mushroom”(3:00 PM, Central Library)
🪴Teen Time: Teeny Tiny Flower Pots For Mother's Day: See Mother’s Day Prep above.(4:00 PM, Park Slope Library)
👗The Patterns Gala: “Register to bid in the auction and get your patterned duds ready. Join us Thursday evening for art, food, drinks, live music, raffles, and a fabulous time!”(6:00 PM, Old Stone House)
🔥🤣Greta Titelman: The Gift - Pt. III: “Greta is a comedian, actress, and writer known for her breakout role as ‘Ambassador Gibbons' on both seasons of HBO’s hit series LOS ESPOOKYS. Greta stars in season 5 of HBO Max’s SEARCH PARTY. Greta stars opposite Tilda Swinton in the upcoming feature film PROBLEMISTA for A24 – directed by Julio Torres. ”(7:00 PM, The Bell House, $30)
🍿Baldwin's N****r + Step Forward Youth: “From seminal Black British filmmaker Horace Ové, this documentary follows James Baldwin and comedian-activist Dick Gregory as they speak to a group of radical West Indian students in London about everything from the state of the civil rights movement to the perils of false consciousness.”(7:00 PM, BAM, $16)
🍿'Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story' Followed By Q&A With Director Andrew Reich: “Born Innocent makes the case for Redd Kross as the seminal US West Coast band of the last half century. Passionate praise for the band started by ‘freak brothers’ Jeff and Steve McDonald – one of the most unique and influential American rock bands of the past four decades. ”(7:00 PM, Nitehawk)
🪦Morbid Anatomy Book Launch: Deaths Of Artists By Jim Moske: “Deep in the Archives of The Metropolitan Museum of Art are two strange scrapbooks packed with century-old newspaper obituaries of painters, illustrators, sculptors, and photographers, famous and forgotten alike. Somber death notices of luminaries like Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin are preserved on their crumbling pages, side by side with tragic and often grisly stories of obscure artists who met their demise as victims of accident, murder, poverty, and disease.”(7:00 PM, Industry City)
Friday, 5/10
🏷Mother's Day Pop Up Sale: See Mother’s Day Prep above. (11:00 AM, Industry City)
🍿Asian American And Pacific Islander Heritage Family Movie Night: Moana. “Moana convinces the mighty demigod Maui to join her mission, and he reluctantly helps her become a wayfinder like her ancestors who sailed before her. ”(3:30 PM, Park Slope Library)
🪦🎷Graveyard Shift: Colin Stetson: “Graveyard Shift series returns with experimental musician and film composer Colin Stetson, (Hereditary and The Menu). Stetson’s uniqueness lies in his masterful use of extended techniques on the saxophone, crafting an unconventional and evocative sound that defies traditional genres. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in his boundary-pushing artistry in one of New York City’s most distinct stages, The Green-Wood Cemetery.”(7:00 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery, $40)
📕Kalpana Raina Presents For Now, It Is Night In Conversation @ Community Bookstore: “Kaul, one of the most celebrated Kashmiri writers, published most of his work between 1972 and 2000. His short stories, shaped by the social crisis and political instability in Kashmir, explore – with a keen eye for detail, biting wit, and deep empathy.”(7:00 PM, Community Bookstore)
🎭Molière In The Park: The Miser: “Join Prospect Park Alliance and Molière in the Park for a free full production of The Miser at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park.”(7:30 PM, LeFrak)
🔥🤣Hack City Comedy With Mic Nguyen And Jenny Arimoto: “If having an Asian guy on a comedy show is unusual, then having two is just overkill. But that’s what the hosts of the Asian Not Asian Podcast, Jenny Arimoto and Mic Nguyen, are trying to do with their Hack City comedy show — overkill on the funnies. ”(7:30 PM, Union Hall, $18.98)
🎺NYC Ska Orchestra: “A unique 20-piece big band that creates and performs lush original compositions and arrangements of songs from the rich, historic, and culturally-iconic Jamaican music styles of ska, mento, rock steady, reggae, and jazz from the 1950s and 60s. ”(7:30 PM, Shape Shifter Lounge, $20)
🔥🎸The Sloppy Boys: “A Los Feliz, CA based party-rock band led by Mike Hanford, Jefferson Dutton and Tim Kalpakis from the sketch comedy group The Birthday Boys. The group is well-known for their IFC television series (The Birthday Boys) produced by and co-starring Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul)”(8:00 PM, Littlefield, $18.67)
Saturday AM, 5/11
🛒Greenmarket @ Grand Army Plaza: Mother's Day Crafts!: See Mother’s Day Prep above(8:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🐦🐤Wonderful Warblers @ Prospect Park: “Join the Alliance to discover why Prospect Park is an important place for over 250 species of birds.
Migration Games 10 – 11 am: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a migrating bird? Wonder no longer, because the Prospect Park Audubon Center offers a series of floor games designed to replicate all the stages of a bird’s long journey.
Animal Encounter 11am – 12pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection.
Bird Walk 12pm – 1pm: Did you know that 25 types of warblers stop by Prospect Park in May? Learn how to identify these cute and colorful birds on a bird walk.”(10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🪴North American Rock Garden Society’s Spring Plant Sale: See Mother’s Day Prep above.(10:00 AM, 463a 7th Street)
🌼Puppet Workshop: Make Giant Flowers: “Puppet workshop where you can make giant flowers with performer, puppeteer, Theresa Linnihan. These flower puppets will take part in the RIGHT OF SPRING, an annual pageant performed by The Puppeteers Cooperative in Washington Park on May 19th”(10:00 AM, Old Stone House)
📸The L.E.N.S. Method: A Five-Week Creative Photography Workshop For Adults: “Over the course of five weeks, participants will take photos using Carey Kirkella's L.E.N.S. (Light, Empathy, Now and Storytelling) Method, then share the photos in a group setting. The series will culminate in a celebratory photography exhibition at Park Slope Library on Thursday, June 20, from 6–7:30 pm.”(10:30 AM, Park Slope Library)
🌳👣Prospect Park Tours With Turnstile Tours: “Discover hidden treasures, natural wonders and little-known tales on interactive guided tours of Prospect Park in the heart of Brooklyn, presented by Turnstile Tours in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance. Explore everything about Prospect Park, from its flora and geology, to the architectural movements that shaped the park, to the evolution of recreation and play.” (10:30 AM, Prospect Park)
🏷Mother's Day Pop Up Sale: See Mother’s Day Prep above. (11:00 AM, Industry City)
🎨Street / Art, Gowanus: “Rich Garr leads this comfortable open-air exploration through the Gowanus waterfront. He is a longtime area collage artist focusing on public art and community. These walks respond to both current events and history, and a central component of his interdisciplinary collage art practice.”(11:30 AM, Gowanus Dredgers Club, $20)
Saturday PM
🎭Live Screening: ‘Madama Butterfly' “Extraordinary soprano Asmik Grigorian tackles the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the loyal geisha at the heart of Puccini’s devastating tragedy. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman stars as the callous American naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong reprises the role of the steadfast maid Suzuki, and baritone Lucas Meachem is the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang takes the podium to conduct Anthony Minghella’s vivid production.”(12:00 PM, BAM, $34)
🎶Open Stages 2024: “Stoops, schoolyards, parks and local cafes throughout Park Slope will host 150+ inspiring artists sure to amaze families. Past acts have included Grammy Award-winners, talented teen rockers, high-octane marching bands, hip-hop artists, and music-makers of all kinds. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable day of music, art, and community. Mark your calendars and join us for Open Stages 2024 – a world of music outside your door!”(3:00 PM, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music)
🎺Open Stages 2024: The Dance Floor Stage On 4th Street Plaza: “Upon the historic cul-de-sac by the Old Stone House, these talented performers will have you moving all afternoon and into the evening”(3:00 PM, Old Stone House)
🎧Monthly Mixer @ Leroy's Place: DJ’s spin records from Psychic Records in Leroy’s back yard! (4:00 PM, Leroy's Place)
🎭Molière In The Park: The Miser: See listing above. (7:30 PM, LeFrak)
Sunday, 5/12
Note: Libraries are closed Sunday due to city budget cuts.
🛒Sunday Greenmarket At Bartel-Pritchard Square: “Opening this week! Expected:
Greentopia Farm Mushrooms from Delaware County, NY
Haywoods Fresh Beef, pork, chicken, and eggs from Columbia County, NY
Nolasco's Farm Vegetables, Mexican specialty produce, herbs, and cut flowers from Warren County, NJ
Pura Vida Fisheries Wild ocean fish and shellfish from Suffolk County, NY
Wave Hlll Breads baked goods from Fairfield County, CT
Williams Fruit Farm Orchard fruit from Ulster County, NY”(9:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🌳🧹Park Pitch In: Green And Go: “Help Prospect Park Alliance keep our park green and vibrant! Explore the park while tackling litter and helping with other greening opportunities. Supplies can be checked out at various locations around the park and include all necessary tools for your volunteer experience.”(11:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🍖🍛🌮🥙Smorgasburg: “Presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, is considered the “Woodstock of Eating.” The celebrated open-air food fair is back in Prospect Park for the 2024 season! Over 60 local businesses will gather on Breeze Hill, near the Lincoln Road entrance, to offer a range of food and drink every Sunday ”(11:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🏷Mother's Day Pop Up Sale: See Mother’s Day Prep above. (11:00 AM, Industry City)
🍿Mother's Day Mamma Mia! Screening At Nitehawk Cinema: “All proceeds from this event will go towards the New York Abortion Access Fund's Fund-a-Thon. The New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) provides financial support to anyone living in or traveling to New York who needs help paying for the cost of an abortion. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, NYAAF has seen an unprecedented increase in people who need support.”(1:00 PM, Nitehawk, $22)
🍞Open Baking Day At The Old Stone House: “Bring any dish or recipe, (bread, chicken, cookies, pie!) and cook it yourself in the outdoor wood-fired oven!”(1:00 PM, Old Stone House)
🎭Molière In The Park: The Miser: See listing above. (3:00 PM and 8PM, LeFrak)
Monday, 5/13
🎤️Cheryl Pepsii Riley's Black Velvet Mondays Experience: “Chart-topping R&B vocalist Cheryl Pepsii Riley created a sensation with Black Velvet Mondays, the warm, welcoming weeknight concerts and jam sessions she initially launched in Greenwich Village. Now, she’s bringing it all back home to Brooklyn, the borough where she was born and raised, with a new series serving up free live music.”(8:00 PM, BAM)
Tuesday, 5/14
✍️Ken Siegelman's Brooklyn Poetry Outreach Featuring Diane Block: “Block is a classically trained violinist whose musical sensibility informs her poetry. Her poetry is widely anthologized and has been featured on the NYC poetry scene as well as in Philadelphia and South Wales. She is thrilled to put her first poetry book, When Ice Melts to Green, out into the world. ”(5:30 PM, Park Slope Library)
🪦📕Mortality & Me: Featuring Special Guest, Author Alix Strauss: “Author and New York Times contributor, Alix Strauss, makes a return appearance to Green-Wood! This time, Alix will lead our popular book club series, Mortality & Me. She’ll read excerpts from her two her books, The Joy of Funerals: 20th Anniversary Edition, and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous, and the Notorious”(6:00 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery)
📕Book Launch: The Streets Of Brooklyn By Henry Stewart: “A portrait of street life in the borough in the late 19th century, just after the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. This annotated collection of Brooklyn Eagle columns from 1886–87 written by someone known only as “E.R.G.,” detailing Third Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Henry Street, Union Street, and more, offers a fascinating glimpse into old New York.”(7:00 PM, Industry City)
🎭Molière In The Park: The Miser: See listing above. (7:30 PM, LeFrak)
🍿Dune (1984) Introduced By Max Evry, Author Of "A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch's Dune, An Oral History": “”(8:30 PM, Nitehawk)
Wednesday, 5/15
🌹Plum Paper Craft: Origami Rose: “Learn to fold an origami rose. Supplies provided. Beginners welcome! ” (1:00 PM, Park Slope Library)
🎭Molière In The Park: The Miser: See listing above. (3:00 PM, LeFrak)
🇭🇹Haitian Flag Day Selebrasyon: “Join Haiti Cultural Exchange in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance for a Haitian Flag Selebrasyon! Featuring live music by the renowned singer-songwriter, BélO, artisanal vendors and more! Please note that performances will begin at 6:30 pm.”(5:00 PM, Prospect Park)
Community Meeting To Review “What Do You Think About 4th Ave?” Survey: See Get Involved section above. (6:00 PM, Old Stone House)
🎻The Boathouse Jam: “Hosted by the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club to activate our shoreline while fostering the continued resurgence of acoustical collaborations in Brooklyn. We are inclusive of all – young & old, new & seasoned musicians. Just bring a smile and your musical instrument and/or your voice to join our one night makeshift band.”(6:00 PM, Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse)
🪦🎺Phantom Waves: Gelsey Bell And Erin Rogers: “Phantom Waves is an innovative music series crafted for the distinctive acoustic spaces of Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel and Catacombs. Headlined by musicians making waves with experimental approaches to voice, instrumentation, and composition, the series offers immersive sonic journeys that blur the line between the living and the spectral.”(6:30 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery, $40)
📕Frank Rich Delivers The 2024 Kahn Humanities Lecture: “BPL Presents invites you to the 2024 Kahn Humanities Lecture with Frank Rich—a journalist, author, and television producer. A writer-at-large for New York magazine, he was previously chief drama critic and an opinion columnist for The New York Times. In this unique talk, he flips the script by taking the pulse of the audience on questions relating to the precariousness of our times, and how history and other humanities can help us make sense of this chaotic world.”(7:00 PM, Central Library)
📕Book Club: The Corner That Held Them @ Community Bookstore: “Sylvia Townsend Warner’s The Corner That Held Them is a historical novel like no other, one that immerses the reader in the dailiness of history, rather than history as the given sequence of events that, in time, it comes to seem. ”(7:00 PM, Community Bookstore)
🔥🪐Sean Carroll & The Biggest Ideas In The Universe: Quanta & Fields: “Theoretical physicist, bestselling author & host of the acclaimed Mindscape podcast, Sean Carroll takes us on an adventure through the biggest ideas in the Universe!”(7:30 PM, The Bell House, $34)
Thursday, 5/16
📕Lisa Ko & Lisa Hsiao Chen In Conversation: “In her new novel, Memory Piece, Lisa Ko, the award-winning author of The Leavers, offers a visionary novel of friendship, art, and ambition that asks: What is the value of a meaningful life? Ko will be in conversation with friend and fellow novelist, Lisa Hsiao Chen, author of Activities of Daily Living. ”(7:00 PM, Central Library)
🍿'Carrie' with Pre-Show Drag Performance: “Pre-Show Performance by Miss Malice & special guests God Complex, Fem Appeal and Nyx Nocturne. Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, this “absolutely spellbinding horror movie” (Roger Ebert) has become a pervasive, pop-culture touchstone for anyone who’s ever wanted to get even.”(8:30 PM, Nitehawk)
Did we miss an event? Are you doing a stoop sale? Put in the comments!