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Summer and Eve will be performing at ANT fest
Photograph: Ben AronsSummer and Eve will be performing at ANT fest

The week's best festivals: May 31–June 6, 2012

Brooklyn art studios invite the public inside; and an experimental theater series kicks off.

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Bushwick Open Studios 2012
Friday 1–Sunday 3
Glimpse into the work spaces of visual artists, performers and designers who make up Bushwick’s creative community during this weekend-long event. Among the hundreds of participants, catch animator Jonathan Monaghan showcasing surreal digital films and 3-D printing at Brooklyn Brush Studios, as well as Shawna McLeod’s watercolors and sculptures based on vintage silk scarves. But the event isn’t just about checking out artists’ digs: BOS also features curated exhibitions, such as the group show “Seeking Space” at the Loom Gallery, which presents paintings, site-specific installations and more from area artists. That show’s opening coincides with a kickoff event on Friday 1, where you can party with the creators while enjoying music courtesy of DJ Nanohumans, a projected light show, and Brooklyn Lager ($3) and snacks. The following night, Pine Box Rock Shop hosts an evening of performance art with dancers wearing sound-activated LED displays, Amery Kessler’s Drum Casket (which is played by a person inside the instrument), theatrical ensemble bacKspace and DJ Tony manning the decks. To help you navigate the more than 500 studios on display, download Arts in Bushwick’s mobile app to pinpoint galleries as well as hubs where you can attend orientation sessions or pick up maps and event guides. Locations and times vary; visit artsinbushwick.org for more information. Free.

ANT Fest
Friday 1–June 28
For the past five years, Ars Nova has filled the lineup for its All New Talent Festival through an open-submission process with one criterion: “If you can do it live on our stage, you can apply.” Given the organization’s mission to nurture creative risk-taking and innovation, it’s no surprise that the resulting mix of performance art, sketch comedy, music and theater is collectively wacky and often absurd. For instance, Bea Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table—which explores the world of live-action role-playing and imagines a battle between Sir Lancelot and the Golden Girls—is on a double bill with Sacrament Burger, an experimental one-act about wasted food that’s acted out with toys (Sat 2). But it isn’t all wild and crazy: An Innocent Evening of Drinking (June 22), performed by Declan Bennett (Broadway’s American Idiot), is a one-man show about addiction and recovery recounted through music, traditional storytelling and video projections. On Thursdays after the shows, enjoy a Summer Slammer (PBR with a shot of whiskey, $5) at special ANT editions of the variety-show–party hybrid Showgasm, where up-and-comers try out new material in the 99-seat theater. Ars Nova, 511 W 54th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves (212-489-9800, arsnovanyc.com). Mon–Sat 8pm; $10. Showgasm: June 7, 14, 21 at 10pm; $10, ticket holders $5.

Related:

20 Off and Off-Off Broadway shows to see this summer

Top summer art exhibitions

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