Week 23 More Theatre

 "Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing."  Ben Franklin

World's largest food distibution center

My energy and willingness to do almost anything has found me with friends at the Food Bank for New York City fairly often lately.  I found myself at their site deep into the Bronx one day, and again at their Downtown offices on another.  I hated taking the MBTA around the Boston area, and although the MTA here in NYC has been a bit crazy this winter, I still find it to be an adventure.  So far, I absolutely do not miss my car.

From Andy Clayburn's website

Of course I kept up with my Monday and Tuesday music nights at Sojourn.  This week Gus was joined by Andy Clayburn, an amazing classical guitarist.  I am so blessed in my comfort and familiarity with this wonderful neighborhood gathering place. (and the food has never disappointed!).

An evening spent on Broadway with my Library friend was a treat, as I haven’t seen a Broadway show for awhile.  We met for a glass of wine and light bite with happy hour prices at L’ybane in Hell’s Kitchen right around the corner from The Music Box theatre.  Pippin was great fun, a circus-like play for adults.  From Timeout magazine’s review:  “Diane Paulus brings her magic to Pippin.  The innovative director behind Hair and Porgy and Bess infuses the Broadway classic with circus thrills.”  It won the 2013 Tony award for Best Musical Revival and Diane Paulus also won the Tony for Best Direction.  (Ms Paulus is also the artistic for the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Ma.).



From the website

Another evening spent with OBP and some of my NYC Friends “My Father’s Ashes” was wonderful, and still a treat.  Many of us, including Kristi, continued the evening having some food, wine, and laughter at Sojourn.  Closing that establishment, we continued on to its sister wine bar, Vero around the corner. 

 

From the Website

 

My weekend was spent at the inaugural Women’s Travel Fest hosted by Kelly Lewis of GO Girl Guides..  Saturday was a jam packed day of talks, panels, information, food and wine at one of my favorite spaces in NYC, the Angel Orensanz Center.  It’s too hard to choose the best as the list was long with many great Women, but it was a thrill to hear Samantha Brown, and very moving to hear Sarah Shourd.  From the Fest’s bio “..working as a journalist and teaching for the Iraqi Student Project, when she was captured by Iranian forces somewhere along the unmarked border between Iran and Iraq in July ’09 while on a weekend trip in semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. She was subsequently held hostage in solitary confinement for 410 days and then released without ever being tried or charged. … Her memoir A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran—co-authored by Shane Bauer (now her husband) and Josh Fattal—will be published by Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt in March 2014." 

From Facebook

Scene on Houston St.

As if that wasn’t enough, I scooted up to Hell’s Kitchen to catch some of International Women’s Artists’ Salon Symphony.  It was a celebration of International Women’s Day.  The League of Professional Women celebrated amazing women artists from around the world in song, poems, readings, and short theatrical pieces.  Very interesting in yet another cool space, TheaterLab.

From their website

Sunday’s session of  Women’s Travel Fest was held at a really great space in Chelsea amongst all the funky studios, Drift Studio.  The woman who was supposed to present the seminar “Work Digitally Anywhere” got stuck in Mexico due to illness.  Ashley Castle and Annelise Sorenson gave us a wonderful day, impressively, as I’m guessing it was very last minute!