Here are a few of the best events happening Thursday through Wednesday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).
An Alvin Ailey Gala
Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Facebook
The Alvin Ailey organization continues its monthslong effort to bring dance into our homes — this time with its first-ever “Ailey Spirit Gala” global broadcast. The event will feature Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the rising stars of Ailey II, young dancers from The Ailey School and students from AileyCamp — along with special guests including Angela Bassett, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Timothy Shriver, Lorraine Toussaint and Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. The D.J.s D-Nice and Ms. Nix will also be on hand. Among other things, the gala will raise funds to support scholarships to the Ailey School and AileyCamp.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Alvin Ailey Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo channels, as well as the “Ailey Spirit Gala” website and the Alvin Ailey website.
A Tribute to John Prine
Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on YouTube
John Prine, the country-folk singer-songwriter who inspired Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and others, died in April of complications from Covid-19 at 73. On Thursday, a virtual celebration of his life — “Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine,” featuring musicians, actors and friends — will premiere. The tribute includes memories and songs as well as never-before-shared footage of Prine. Along with other charitable organizations, the event will raise money the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Alive, whose grief center is providing free counseling sessions to anyone in Middle Tennessee who’s lost a family member to the pandemic.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: John Prine’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Explore Broadway as It Was and Could Be
Thursday at 7 p.m. on the New York Times Events website
Turn down the house lights. It’s showtime. “Offstage: Opening Night,” from The New York Times, is an expansive live program with some of the stage’s biggest stars — including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone Jeremy O. Harris and Mary-Louise Parker — who will gather virtually to perform and discuss songs, scenes and stories that defined a year like no other. Wesley Morris, a New York Times critic-at-large, will moderate a portion of the conversation. Afterward, Times critics and journalists — including Ben Brantley, Jesse Green, Aisha Harris, Amanda Hess, Nicole Herrington and Michael Paulson — will share some of their favorite moments of the season, and the moments that they wish they could have seen.
When: 7 p.m.
Where: The New York Times Events website. R.S.V.P. here.
‘Black and Queer in America’
Thursday at 6 p.m. on Instagram Live
The actor and dancer Dyllón Burnside (“Pose”) is bringing together friends and influential members of the L.G.B.T.Q. and black communities during Pride month with a new conversation series called “Black and Queer in America,” which premieres Thursday. First up: the Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Porter (“Pose”); Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign; the writer, director and activist Janet Mock; and Mayor Steven Reed of Montgomery, Ala. (You can also watch Burnside’s new PBS docuseries “Prideland,” which explores personal stories across the American South, on the PBS Voices YouTube channel.)
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Dyllón Burnside’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Stacey Abrams Talks With Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Thursday at 6 p.m. on 92Y Online
Stacey Abrams, a Georgia Democrat who vied to be the nation’s first black woman governor in 2018, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, will come together to talk about Abrams’s work to advance voting rights, the 2020 election and Abrams’s new book, “Our Time Is Now.” The live event is hosted by the 92nd Street Y. Tickets are $20.
When: 6 p.m., and ticket holders can access the discussion in the future.
Where: 92Y Online.
Dive Deep With Ocean Week
Thursday starting at 3 p.m. on the EarthX website
EarthX and National Geographic’s Ocean Week celebration wraps up Thursday night with a several online events, including talks, film screenings and reality experiences — drop in on conversations with experts and scientists about Australia’s ridges, reefs and sharks; and catch the virtual-reality film “Virtual Diving with Underwater Earth.” See the full calender here.
When: Events start at 3 p.m. and run until 11 p.m.
Where: The EarthX website.
‘We’re Still Here’
Friday at 3 p.m. on Eventbrite
Eventbrite has teamed up with New York City Pride, San Francisco Pride and other L.G.B.T.Q. organizations for a 12-hour digital Pride celebration, “We’re Still Here: Celebrating Pride in Solidarity,” to honor the roots of Pride and the current fight for civil rights and to showcase ways to lift up the black communities. Events include “A Mental Wellness Moment” with Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley; a rare full- length screening of a Fathers Project web-series that imagines the world if the AIDS crisis never happened; and “Drag Alive Drag Happy Hour.”
When: 3 p.m. through 3 a.m.
Where: The Eventbrite website. See the full calender, and find out how to sign up, here.
James Ijames’ ‘Kill Move Paradise’
Now on the Wilma Theater website
To support the Justice for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movements, The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia will stream its 2018 production of James Ijames’ “Kill Move Paradise,” directed by Blanka Zizka and featuring members of the Wilma HotHouse Company. The play — a New York Times Critic’s Pick and a winner of the Whiting Award and the Kesselring Prize — is inspired by the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer in 2014. To stream the production, audience members will be asked to make a contribution of any size to Black Lives Matter Philly. All proceeds will benefit that chapter.
When: Now through June 21
Where: The Wilma Theater website. Make a contribution here to get a link to the performance.
Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Finishing The Hat’
Friday at 3 p.m. on Facebook
As part of a celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday, “Poetry in America Live” — a new series from the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in partnership with PBS’s “Poetry in America” series — will focus on his song “Finishing the Hat” from the musical “Sunday in the Park with George.” This live event will include a performance of Sondheim songs and a discussion of the lyrics to this particular song. Elisa New, host of PBS’s “Poetry in America,” will be joined by the Tony Award nominee Melissa Errico, the New Yorker staff writer and author Adam Gopnik and the musical director Tedd Firth.
When: 3 p.m.
Where: The Sheen Center website, as well as its Facebook and YouTube channels.
A Star-Studded Pride Summit
Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on the Billboard website
Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter are holding their second annual Pride Summit virtually to celebrate the influence of the L.G.B.T.Q. community across music, media and entertainment. Participating stars including Billy Porter, Lena Waithe, Carson Kressley, Cyndi Lauper, Erika Jayne, Hayley Kiyoko, Indigo Girls, Mary Lambert, Noah Cyrus, Todrick Hall, Wilson Cruz, Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. The daylong event will feature discussions about being out in entertainment and the importance of representation in music, television, film and more — as well as a virtual Pride Prom, with performances, an interactive D.J. set and a drag contest.
When: 12:30 p.m.
Where: The Billboard Events website.
‘We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope’
Sunday at 2 p.m. on the ‘We Are Here’ website
“We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope,” a special concert event — presented by a network of more than 100 organizations across the world including the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Sing for Hope — will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Numerous actors, musicians and civic leaders will participate, including Whoopi Goldberg, Renée Fleming, Billy Joel, Lang Lang, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Joyce DiDonato, Mayim Bialik and many others. The program will also feature the world premiere of a new work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano based on a text by Kitty O’Meara, to be performed by Fleming.
When: 2 p.m.
Where: The “We Are Here” website
Norman Lear, Rita Moreno and RuPaul
Sunday at 7 p.m. on 92Y Online
The E.G.O.T. winner Rita Moreno and the legendary producer Norman Lear will sit down (virtually) with the Emmy Award winner RuPaul for a conversation about “One Day at a Time” and its influence on the entertainment culture — from Lear’s original vision for the sitcom’s 1970s version to its current incarnation. They’ll also discuss their shared interest in changing the status quo and the different ways each has worked to expand the margins of mainstream television. Tickets are $25.
When: 7 p.m.
Where: 92Y Online.
The Wiggles From the Sydney Opera House
Sunday at 2 a.m. on the Sydney Opera House website
The Australian children’s band the Wiggles are making their Sydney Opera House debut in a new performance that will be streamed as part of the opera house’s digital season, “From Our House to Yours.” This will be the Wiggles first show on a stage since their national tour was postponed. They will perform their new single “Social Distancing,” which teaches kids how to keep safe and stay connected with friends during isolation.
When: 2 a.m., and the performance will remain available on-demand globally until September 30.
Where: The Sydney Opera House website.
‘Criminal Queerness Festival’
Sunday through June 29 on Zoom or Facebook
The National Queer Theater and Dixon Place, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and NYC Pride, are hosting the second annual “Criminal Queerness Festival” (of course, this year’s showcase is virtual). Through online performances, conversations and master classes, the “Criminal Queerness Festival” brings together queer and transgender artists from countries that criminalize or censor L.G.B.T.Q. communities. Find the calendar of events here.
When: Sunday through June 29.
Where: Most events will stream via Zoom or Facebook Live.
Anna Deavere Smith on Confronting Hate
Monday at 7 p.m. on 92Y Online
The playwright, actor and professor Anna Deavere Smith is joining the 92nd Street Y’s “Confronting Hate” programming for a discussion that coincides with two of her most renown works becoming available: “Twilight: Los Angeles,” the filmed version of her one-woman play on the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the beating of Rodney King, which will air on PBS’s “Great Performances” anthology series; and “Notes from the Field,” a 2018 film based on her play of the same name that explores racial inequality in the justice system, which is available on HBO’s online platforms.
When: 7 p.m.
Where: 92Y Online.
‘World’s Largest Lesson Live’ Premieres
Tuesday at 11 a.m. on YouTube
The actors Millie Bobby Brown and Sofia Carson will join Amina Mohammed, the United Nations deputy secretary-general, and Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF, in the debut episode of “World’s Largest Lesson Live.” The 30-minute educational show puts experts and young people in conversation to reflect on the past few months and to encourage young people to reimagine the world post-Covid-19. Savannah Sellers, an NBC News and MSNBC anchor, will host.
When: 11 a.m., and the episode will be available afterward on the World’s Largest Lesson website and YouTube’s Learn at Home website.
Where: The Unicef YouTube channel.
Lucy Dacus, for the Royal Albert Hall
Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on the Royal Albert Hall website
The indie-rock singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus will deliver an exclusive set from her home as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s “Royal Albert Home” sessions. Dacus’s sophomore album “Historian,” was called “emotionally raw and intimate” by Joe Coscarelli, a New York Times culture reporter, in 2018. At the time, she described the album as a song cycle about “living through loss and the inevitable darkness of life, and doing so hopefully and joyfully.”
When: 3:30 p.m.
Where: The Royal Albert Hall website.
Mariel Wamsley contributed research.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
