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Now that the Republican and Democratic conventions have come and gone, here are some fun and enlightening ways to keep the momentum going before the election season homestretch this fall.
Dream Ticket at the New York Fringe Festival
When playwright and former Hillary campaign worker Ryan Bernsten wrote this biting political satire back in 2012, he had no way of knowing that it would end up reflecting some of the craziest elements of the current presidential election. In Dream Ticket, a female populist and a male maverick with a not-so-political “history” are competing for their party's presidential nomination when the media forces them to run together on one ticket. Bernsten’s hilarious, ominous play asks audiences to consider “how we as Americans digest our media and whether we are meant to be so entertained by it.”
Two Beers: A Tipsy Political Roundtable at UCB
UCB Theatre veterans (and husband and wife) Cody Lindquist and Charlie Todd created a highly entertaining and informative podcast by combining two very dangerous elements: alcohol and politics. They will record their podcast live with special guests on August 22 at UCB East Village. Watch, laugh and learn a thing or two as they guzzle beers and debate hot topics. Panelists in the past have included writers from The Daily Show, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer and Late Night with Seth Meyers, as well as journalists from NY1 and Buzzfeed. Check out Lindquist and Todd’s pocast here and get tickets to their live show here.
Nan Goldin: The Personal Is Political in New York at MoMA
Photographer Nan Golden synthesizes her riveting, intimate photographs from the 1970s and 80s “and beyond” with a nostalgic musical soundtrack in her exhibit The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art. On Friday August 26, join lecturer Diana Bush at the museum to learn more about how the art of photography can be used as a tool for historical documentation, criticism and civics. Part discussion, part interactive activity, this event will get you thinking about unconventional ways you can be politically active.
A Global Town Hall: Foreign Policy and the Next President
Award-winning radio programs America Abroad (from PRI) and The Takeaway will combine forces for a panel discussion addressing the question, “What would the world like to hear from the next American president?” Live programs will be happening simultaneously in Europe and the Middle East, so questions on foreign policy and international relations will be streaming in from people around the world. Join Todd Zwillich of The Takeaway at The Greene Space on September 1 at noon to join the conversation. The event is free, though reservations are required.
Ava DuVernay’s The 13th at NYFF54
Though the New York Film Festival festival doesn’t start until the end of September, you’re going to want to set a reminder to get your tickets to see the premiere of the highly-anticipated documentary on racial inequality The 13th. It is the first work of nonfiction to open the festival in its 54 year history. The title of Selma director Ava DuVernay’s film, which was hailed by NYFF director and selection committee chair as “an act of true patriotism,” comes from the 13th Amendment of the Constitution. DuVerney says, “This film was made as an answer to my own questions about how and why we have become the most incarcerated nation in the world, how and why we regard some of our citizens as innately criminal, and how and why good people allow this injustice to happen generation after generation.” Tickets go on sale September 11 and the festival begins on the 30th.
Theater for the New City’s Election Selection, or You Bet!
Innovative and socially conscious company Theater for a New City is celebrating their Street Theater Company’s 40th Anniversary with a production of Election Selection, or You Bet! This new operetta will be performed at outdoor venues throughout New York City’s five boroughs as a part of their annual Summer Street Tour. Written by Crystal Field and Joseph Vernon Banks, the musical is billed as “a send-up of election-season madness, in which three New Yorkers take a consciousness-raising trip through time.” You and your family are sure to learn some history and be inspired at this free, fast-paced show. Check out the schedule here.