NWNY Virtual Entertainment Selection

Even though events and venues have closed across the country, there is plenty of entertainment available online

Over six weeks ago now, theatres, museums, galleries, and venues shut their doors in New York City, and across the country. Our social lives and weekend activities took a hit, and we saw artists without a stage, an audience, or a crowd, in which to present their work. In trying times, content quickly and increasingly became virtually available, and self-isolation became a little more bearable. To help you find interesting options, we rounded up a selection of the very best free online entertainment available.

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MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
Upon closure of galleries and museums across the US, Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen co-curated an online exhibition titled How can we Think of Art at a Time Like This?, inviting artists like Mickalene Thomas (see an artwork by her on the right) to contribute with their views and insights on “futuristic pessimism, political outrage, or psychic meltdowns”. The site was also conceived as a platform for free expression, a space for open dialogue at a time of social distancing: visitors are encouraged to join the conversation and post their responses. Iconic museums across the globe are offering virtual tours. From NYC’s MoMA, to the Tate Modern in London, and the Louvre in Paris, check out which other museums you can wander through here.

BOOKS
From webinars to live readings, the New York Public Library has a wealth of resources to keep you entertained. From Tuesday (May 12) through Monday (May 18), every day at 6pm EST, the library will be featuring a special, full-length live reading of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, a haunting story of bravery and resilience. Chapters will be read by the author himself, along with LeVar Burton, Rosario Dawson, and Dakota Fanning. Register here. Cobble Hill’s independent bookstore Books Are Magic has shifted all of its in-store events to Zoom livestreams, including interviews, readings, talks, and workshops, with authors. From Drag Queen story time to thought-provoking discussions, there is a lot to choose from. On May 19, 7pm to 8pm, Iranian-born novelist Porochista Khakpour will talk about Brown Album, her collection of essays revealing the struggles, joys and quirks of immigrant life in this country. Register to attend here. Poppy Loves Book Club hosts book clubs for women across the globe on the last Wednesday of every month from 2.30 to 4pm. Many of the texts selected are female-authored, and the author typically frequents the discussions. 

PODCASTS
For podcast listeners, Between Us Girls is a weekly podcast run by a group of women, covering a variety of engaging topics over a glass of wine. Beginner follows a 24-year-old Pakistani-American immigrant, as she “learns to do the things she never did as a kid, and that are integral parts of an American childhood”. And with plenty of time to care for your plants, check out On the Ledge, a series run by an expert gardener who teaches listeners how to help plants thrive.

PERFORMING ARTS
If you’re missing the performing arts, Marquee TV is streaming dance, opera, and theatre on demand, with a 14-day free trial, and BroadwayHD is offering a 7-day free trial to view live theatre performances. Through May 29, the New York City Ballet presents digital streams of two ballets a week, along with online programming including free beginner ballet classes for children and adults. It’s possible to watch online, at the company website, YouTube Channel and Facebook page, as part of City Ballet’s digital spring season. Until May 11, check out Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH. The Canadian Play Thing is a virtual theatre that shares live readings of new and under-produced plays by Canadian playwrights, with multiple shows a week. The Free Improv House Party Show by the Second City presents online comedy shows each Tuesday and Saturday evening at 8pm.

WRITING & POETRY
Bowery Poetry runs Wednesday Writing Sessions every week at 12pm on Instagram, featuring the top poetry educators in the country. Running through May 9^th is the Loft Literary Center’s Wordplay festival, Minnesota’s largest celebration of readers, authors, and great books, which comprises of interviews and conversations with authors of different mediums. Self-Ish is a bilingual French-English monthly feminist open mic for women, trans, and/or non-binary. Check out their Facebook page here for upcoming events. Through July 29, the country’s longest running consecutive weekly poetry open mic, Wednesday Night Poetry, is hosting an event each week at 7.30pm.

MUSIC
Social media has become the latest concert venue; musicians are streaming real-time performances on their Instagram live stories and YouTube channels whilst in quarantine. Numerous classical music organizations are live-streaming concerts, such as The Metropolitan Opera, The New York Philharmonic, Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House; check out the full list here. For a comprehensive list of live jazz, rock, and folk, have a look here.

KIDS
For the little ones with lots of energy to spend, New York City ballet is offering a movement workshop for children ages 3 to 8 through Zoom. On May 16, at 11am, NYCB dancer Ashley Hod will lead the session with warm-ups and a coreography inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of the company’s most beloved ballets. Register here. Art Explorer shared a step-by-step hands-on art-making activity based on Vassily Kandinsky’s Lion Hunt, which is now “quarantining” at the Guggenheim museum. With drawing, exchange of ideas and a “move like an animal” game, the idea is to engage children and families in a fun and bonding project. MoMA also shared art-making activities to keep children away from screens. Available in English and Spanish. Still in the art-making side, The New York Academy of Medicine has collated coloring sheets from participating libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions, recognized by the hashtag #ColorOurCollections, and the The Metropolitan Museum is offering Saturday Sketching for 11-18 year olds on Instagram from 1-3pm. Previous classes are available at the museum’s Youtube channel.

For children fond of stories, the Brooklyn Public Library is offering a special bedtime edition of its virtual story time. On May 13, at 7pm, tune on to listen to a soothing story that will put children to sleep. The MET has its Story time with the Met each Thursday at midday, for children 18 months to six years. Each Thursday at 7pm through June 4^th, Dolly Parton will be reading bedtime stories in a series called Goodnight with Dolly on the Imagination Library official social channels. The New York Public Library is offering weekday online story time by its children’s librarians. The highlight is the Spanish-English reading of the beloved book Buenas Noches Luna (Good Night Moon), below:

MISCELLANEOUS
For something a little different, head out on a South African safari with WildEarth’s safariLIVE, held twice daily, at sunrise and sunset. Virtually visit a plethora of the country’s national parks, a list of which can be found here, or landmarks around the world, including Machu Picchu, and the Great Wall of China, here.