Anne Hollister Berkowitz

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

New York-based actor Janice Theard, who graduated from Northwestern University just a little over a year ago, was bored and frustrated at her survival-job-du-jour when she decided to peruse the internet for some inspiration. That’s when she discovered W Magazine’s Casting Call. It is a fascinating online video series, shot by Lynn Hirschberg, that puts well-known actors in the vulnerable position of having to cold read a monologue made famous by an actor of the opposite gender. For example, Eddie Redmayne takes a whack at a speech iconically performed by Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’ It is very casual; the actors hold their lines and often break character or start over. Theard summed it up by saying, “It’s about the process of auditioning and brings it down to a human level.”  However, she wanted to take it a step further. Theard showed some of the series to her former classmate, Phoebe Gonzalez. Gonzalez noted, “It was just white face after white face and then Samuel L. Jackson and then more white people.”  The two women recognized the skill of the actors involved in Casting Call, yet they couldn’t help but feel an opportunity had been missed by having so few people of color involved. “If you’re opening up the world to cast whoever in this time period, and showing how styles of acting have evolved over time, why would you not extend that to people of color and make sure you have an even wider range of people represented?” said Gonzalez, who is a Latina/Mexican-

As a Brooklynite, I’m often met with the most incredible excuses from those of you who live in Manhattan as to why you can’t hang out with me in my borough. Here are some totally legitimate excuses for you not to come to me, despite me journeying to you on a regular basis. 1. You just broke your foot: Totally understandable—it must be hard to move! You stay put and rest up and we can go dancing at C’mon Everybody when you’ve recovered. 2. You don’t know how to tell time: Got it—numbers are confusing. Keep working on your skills, though, so you can learn it doesn’t take as long to get to Fort Greene as you think. 3. You thought I was talking about the movie Brooklyn: Oh, you’ve already seen Saoirse Ronan’s masterful performance and would rather watch something else? No problem. Come here and we can watch another film. Maybe at Nitehawk? 4.You thought I was talking about the musical Brooklyn: Girl, that closed 12 years ago! (and was playing in midtown) 5. You lost your monthly unlimited Metrocard: Been there—it's the WORST. Let me know when you get a new one so I can figure out which of Brooklyn’s many free outdoor music concerts are going on then. I'd love to take you. 6. You just left for vacation: I thought I saw something on Facebook, but didn’t realize you were leaving today. No problem, I can show you around Brooklyn’s hoppin’ art scene some other time. Interested in blogging for Time Out? Contact us here

So you're going on a coffee date with someone you haven't seen in a while. Congratulations! With busy schedules, social anxiety, crazy commutes and poor texting habits, this is not an easy thing to do in New York. Here are some things you can talk about the next time you go out so that this rare opportunity does not go to waste. Mutual friendsThis is a great topic if you're meeting up with a friend from college. It gives you the chance to look cool for knowing some gossip or the chance to learn some more. If the mutual friend you're talking about isn't doing so great, the subject can allow you to bond over even the most mediocre of personal successes. Beware though of talking about friends who are doing "better" than you, as this can easily lead to feelings of existential despair. BeyoncéWhat's great about bringing up Beyoncé is that everyone knows who she is (unlike, say, William H. Macy who I once talked about with someone for 10 minutes before realizing they thought we were discussing William Shatner). If you both love her, great! This conversation can then go in so many beautiful directions. If one of you is not too keen on Queen B, a harmless and possibly fun argument will likely follow. It is very rare that two people who don't like Beyoncé cross paths. "Would you ever work as a barista?"This is a good question to ask if there's a lull in the conversation and you look around and see a barista. It is a gateway to bigger topics like why you are stuck in your current job,

Last night, as I polished off what was left of a bottle of vodka from my birthday party, I deleted Tinder from my phone and took a moment to reflect upon some noteworthy gentlemen I met in Brooklyn this past year. By noteworthy, I mean unfortunate, and I just hope that other New York women can avoid the same pitfalls.  The artist I'll start with this flannel-clad lad you see approximately 17 times whenever you go outside in Brooklyn. This man is such a hipster stereotype that I actually laughed at some things he said at first because I truly didn't think he was serious. Things like, "I have a lot of thoughts, and I like to turn these thoughts into [dramatic pause to take drag from a cigarette] art." He got me back, though, when he asked if I was on Girls after I said, "I just moved to Brooklyn and I don't know what I'm doing with my life."  The networker As an actor, I am used to networking, but not the kind of networking this guy does. In my Tinder bio, I stated that I worked as a "nanny and a dog walker to pay the bills." When we met for coffee, he smoothly steered the small talk into a conversation about my experience as a dog walker. After we parted ways, he hit me up that night...to ask me if I could get him in touch with my boss at the dog-walking agency. He now works for them—I do not. The former child star When I saw this guy's pic on Tinder, I immediately swiped right, as I recognized him as the actor who played a major role on a TV show from the '90s. When we met fo