Slope Weekday Events Spotlight: August 29-31

The dog days of summer are almost behind us, but we have events to keep you celebrating. Weekday events include hell-hounds, orgies, and guacamole!

“The Hell-hounds Tremble When They See the King Dawning as a Soul”: The Funerary Texts of Ancient Egypt, an Illustrated Lecture with Egyptologist Ava Forte Vitali
When: Monday, August 29, 7pm-9pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue (at 7th Street)
What: For the ancient Egyptians, the journey to the afterlife was like a video game, full of different levels, riddles and risks their soul needed to traverse in order to be reborn into the afterlife. Integral to this were the many different funerary books, like cheat guides, that the Egyptians created to hold all of the spells required for the dead to overcome the dangers they would face along the way. While the ‘Book of Coming Forth By Day’ (now called the ‘The Book of the Dead’) is the most well known example, it is only one funerary text in a group of many lively, ghastly, and just plain weird examples, including “The Cannibal Hymns,” “The Book of Gates” and “The Book of the Heavenly Cow.” Join Egyptologist Ava Forte Vitali as she explains each texts nuances and takes us on a number of journeys to the afterworld, both there and back again.
How much: $8, tickets available online.

Pasic and Platt: Orgy
When: Monday, August 29, Doors at 8:00pm, Show at 8:30pm
Where: Union Hall, 702 Union Street (near 5th Avenue)
What: Mo Fry Pasic and Tim Platt are UCB trained stand up comedians, actors, and writers who create comedy theater events in New York City. Utilizing improv to push sketch comedy toward realism, Pasic and Platt perform slow, grounded scenes that illuminate universal human insecurities, vulnerabilities, and desires. ORGY follows a modern couple trying to organize an orgy for, undeniably, the wrong reasons. Pasic and Platt’s characters confront their issues with the help of their friends and love interests played by Carmen Christopher (MTV), Aaron Jackson (UCB), and Betsy Kenney (The Place We Live) with stand up from the hilarious Anna Drezen (How May We Hate You)
How much: $5, purchase advance tickets online. $8 at the door.

Chooptown’s Autobiography Plays
When: Tuesday, August 30, 7:00pm
Where: Freddy’s, 627 5th Avenue, between 17th and 18th Streets
What: Chooptown returns after its sold out “Harper’s Play” run at JACK, about which Kippy Winston said “I cannot imagine what it means,” to bring you the first reading of the “Autobiography Plays of Paul Ketchum and Marty Brown” on Paul Ketchum’s 31st birthday. That’s right: it’s Paul’s birthday! A bonus performance called “Josephine and the Case of Luchador Oscar Wilde” will be included in this reading inspired by 40 random biographies pulled from random sources on the internet. Combining the experimental sensibilities of the Brooklyn College playwriting scene with the playfulness of audio sampling and turntableism, Chooptown’s work is an extravaganza of self-deprecating navel-gazing and fast paced hilarity.
How much: Free.

Rolie Polie Guacamole’s Chips and Salsa Summertime Tour
When: Tuesday, August 30, 11:00am
Where:  Central Library of the Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza
What: Rolie Polie Guacamole has been entertaining families for almost a decade. They’ll bring their irresistible energy, wacky humor, and impeccable musicianship to their NYC homecoming shows, playing tasty tunes like “Bird Bellyful,” “Wake Up Shake Up,” “Apples,” “Always Brush Your Teeth,” and, of course, “Rolie Polie Guacamole.” Check out our interview with the duo during their album release.
How much: Free.

Veve Mechanique with Billy Martin and Friends
When: Tuesday, August 30, 8:30pm-11:30pm
Where: Threes Brewing, 333 Douglass Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues.
What:  Billy Martin’s (Medeski, Martin & Wood) experimental dance music project with special guests.
How much: $20, purchase tickets online.

Naomi Jackson in conversation with Jacqueline Woodson
When: Tuesday, August 30, 7:00pm
Where: Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue (between Garfield Place and Carroll Street)
What: The Star Side of Bird Hill is Naomi Jackson’s lyrical debut novel of community, betrayal, and love, centered on an unforgettable matriarchal family. Two sisters, ages 10 and 16, are exiled from Brooklyn to Bird Hill in Barbados after their mother can no longer care for them. When the father they barely know comes to reclaim them, the sisters must choose between the Brooklyn they once knew or the Barbados of their family. Jackson will be joined in conversation by National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson.
How much: Free

Nate Hook Double Drum Band, Test Subjects, and Smirk
When: Wednesday, August 31, 7:00pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Nate Hook Double Drum Band at 7pm, Test Subjects at 8:15pm, and Smirk at 9:30pm.
How much: $10, at the door

εὖτόπος, (Eutopia), a site-responsive installation by the Vanderbilt Republic
When: Through Sunday, September 11. Wednesdays-Sundays, 10am-5pm.
Where: Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island.
What: This large-scale, site-responsive exhibition connects artwork and installations by Sabrina Barrios, Sarah E. Brook, Charles Heppner, Carlton Scott Sturgill,TAXIPLASM, TJ Volonis, and Dale Williams to the storied past and bucolic present of Staten Island’s historic Snug Harbor — creating a space to present the energy and form of dreams made real. Curation, lighting & technical design by George Del Barrio. From Gowanus-based Vanderbilt Republic. Check out our review and why you should plan a day trip to see this exhibition.
How much: $5 Adults, $4 Seniors/Students and free for kids 12 and under.