Back for its 47th year, Theater for the New City will hold its annual Village Halloween Costume Ball on Tuesday, October 31. The large outdoor festivity will take place outside of the theater on East 10th St between First and Second Avenues from 3:15-8 pm, with live performances, a costume competition and spirited dancing to swing and Latin bands.
Of the al fresco amusements, there will be fire juggling, belly dancing and stilt walking, as well as The Red and Black Masque, an annual Medieval ritual show written by Arthur Sainer, scored by David Tice and directed by Crystal Field, which is performed by torchlight with audience participation.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a costume ball without, you know, costumes! All costumed attendees are invited to march past a panel of celebrity judges and be divvied up into such categories "Most Booster-Shot," "Most Testosteroned," and "Most Inflationed." Adult winners will receive one-year passes to TNC and a bottle of Prosecco; children will get candy.
The fun will continue indoors for Halloween night, a hybrid model that began amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with performances ranging from cabaret and vaudeville to Flamenco dancing and Japanese Taiko drumming held from 9pm to midnight in the Johnson Theater and from 9pm to 11:30pm in the adjacent Community Space.
Outdoor events are free to attend; indoor performances will cost $20 for entry.