Slope Weekday Events Spotlight: July 18-21

Weekday events heat up with the thermometer. Check out cool insects, Avengers in the Park, theatre a-plenty, and more.

Rent Party: A Night of Musical Improv
When: Monday, July 18. 7:30pm — doors; 8pm — show
Where: Union Hall, 702 Union Street (near 5th Avenue)
What: Rent Party is a musical improv and stand up show that’s about as much fun as you can fit into one place. Yedoye Travis and his backing band, The Original Lineup, invite New York’s best comedians to tell jokes and stories set to some of the best music in the city.
How much: $8, tickets available online. $10 at the door.

Nellen Dryden: Little Stray Heart Album Release Party
When: Tuesday, July 19, 8:15pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Nashville based American singer-songwriter Nellen Dryden is mesmerizing audiences with the melodic and nostalgic music of her live show and  debut album “Little Stray Heart.” Drawn to the sensual and observant in her storytelling and performance,  Nellen sings stories of loss, hope, dreaming, wanderlust and her own family history. Nellen has been compared to many of her influences such as Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Mazzy Star and Buddy and Julie Miller. Nellen plays both duo and full band with her Telecaster-toting, partner-in-crime, Jules Belmont. Her band and players add a dreamy and brightly colored hue to her vocal range. Most recently, two songs from her debut EP, Final Say were featured on a new web series called Coffee House Chronicles and the entirety of the album was recently licensed for Television programming on Discovery Channel, A&E and MTV.
How much: $8, at the door

Summer Movies Under The Stars: The Avengers
When: Wednesday, July 20, 7:00pm
Where: Long Meadow North in Prospect Park
What: The first of four family-friendly movie nights under the stars presented by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adam.
How much: Free. Bring your own blanket. RSVP here.

A Celebration of Newcomers, with Michael Biggins & Gabriel Sanders
When: Thursday, July 21, 7:00pm
Where: Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue (between Garfield Place and Carroll Street)
What: Newcomers, the first volume of Lojze Kovacic’s three-part autobiography, opens in 1938 with the expulsion of the Kovacic family from their Swiss home and their eventual resettlement in Slovenia. Kovacic, writing as a 10 year old, describes his family’s journey with uncanny naiveté and in a style that is clear, direct and moving. Translator Michael Biggins and Gabriel Sanders join us to celebrate the first English-language publication of this pivotal Slovenian epic. Co-hosted by Archipelago Books.
How much: Free

Psycho Beach Party by Charles Busch presented by Piper Theatre at The Old Stone House
When: Thursday, July 21 – Saturday, July 23, 8pm [closing weekend]
Where: The Old Stone House, 336 3rd Street (between 4th and 5th Avenues)
What: Psycho Beach Party is a wild mishmash of subversive summer fun with hot beach bunnies and surfer dudes ready to ride the waves!  Meet Chicklet as she tries to be one of the cool kids, while battling her dangerous multiple personalities.  Charles Busch’s classic comedy parodies the 1960’s beach blanket movies of Annette Funicello and Sandra Dee and spoofs the psychological, suspense films of the 1950’s.  Join us for Psycho Beach Party this July as Piper brings the beach to the park this summer.  
How much: Free, however donations are encouraged.

Acoustic Night with Ruby Rae and Friends
When: Thursday, July 21, 7:00pm
Where: Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 543 Union Street (the entrance is on Nevins Street, and down the alley, and on the left)
What: Join us for our first acoustic night at our new location featuring our very own shopkeeper as Ruby Rae and fellow musician Colin Dempsey. It’s a great opportunity to check out GSS’ new digs on Union Street.
How much: Free drinks and no cover. Need we say more.

Richard III by William Shakespeare
When: Through Sunday, July 31, schedule varies.
Where: The Gallery Players, 199 14th Street, between 4th and 5th Avenues)
What: Richard III is the final play in Shakespeare’s first attempt at history plays, the four part story of the Wars of the Roses. Its title character, Richard Duke of Gloucester, emerged grinning and bragging from the chaos of those wars in the third part of Henry VI where he announced “I can smile and murder whiles I smile.” Shakespeare gave Richard, Duke of Gloucester, his own play Richard III: a one-man show, presided over by one of Shakespeare’s unforgettable characters, the ‘poisonous bunch-backed toad”, Richard. The play was Shakespeare’s first blockbuster combining in Richard the ruthlessness of the Godfather with the charm of Dracula. Four centuries later the play continues to be one of Shakespeare’s most popular.
How much: $18, $15 for children and seniors. Purchase tickets here.

Insect, Arachnid, and Reptile Petting Zoo with NYU Biology Student Aaron Rodriguez
When: Monday, July 18, 7pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue at 7th Street
What: Tonight Aaron will be holding a live animal show at the Morbid Anatomy Museum. Most of his animal specimens are insects, but also include arachnids, reptiles, amphibians and fish, all of which are harmless. The event will be an informal show-and-tell, a Q&A session where guests can touch and hold the animals while Aaron answer whatever questions they may have. People can also gather around to take pictures or videos of the animals. This event is a celebration of animals and their many different shapes, sizes and behaviors. This particularly applies to the animals we refer to as “bugs” or “creepy crawlies,” animals that are normally misunderstood and, as a result, feared. Aaron Rodriguez’s goal is for people to become open to the idea that even creatures like cockroaches and spiders get undeserved hatred. He will supervise guests and give them guidelines to properly handle his pets in a way that is positive for both the humans and the animals.
How much: $12, purchase tickets online.

Site:Lab: Nothing Is Destroyed
When: Exhibit runs through July 30. Regular hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 2pm-6pm.
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: Nothing is Destroyed is part of a larger conversation that began in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This exhibit contains objects extracted from and related to previous projects surrounding the church that trace the trajectory of interventions at and with the desanctified Rumsey Street Church. Nothing is Destroyed includes architectural artifacts and work by Paul Amenta, Lora Robertson and Nick Kline. The title of the exhibition, taken from Lorenzo Fusi’s essay on the work of Gordon Matta-Clark nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed, references Matta-Clark’s idea of “anarchitecture,” which described his interest in voids, gaps and leftover spaces related to architecture. Nothing is Destroyed focuses on these concepts, creating, like Matta-Clark, an expanded vision of space and its representation over time. Each recontextualization of the Rumsey Street Church adds a new history, creating new collaborations and connections which contribute to the project through both additions and subtractions.
How Much: Free

Personal Is Political Is Personal
When: Through August 6. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:00-7:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00am-7:00pm.
Where: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets
What: A national juried exhibition about the personal effects of politics, curated by celebrated artist and animal-rights activist Sue Coe. In this intensely political year we hear sound bites and promises that can seem abstract unless it affects us personally. Black Lives Matter. Gender Equality. Gun Control. It’s all just words until we see a child’s body washed ashore, a routine traffic stop becomes deadly, or a family home is destroyed at high tide. 440 Gallery’s theme show this year is centered on the personal effects of politics. Artists selected for the exhibition: Max Alper, Hannah Barnhardt, Lynn Benson, Eva M. Capobianco, Gordon Carlisle, Patricia Denys, Elise Dodeles, Richard Ferrari, Igor Gnedo, Mary Hood, Ibn Kendall, Katrina Majkut, Spencer Moore, Harry Newman, Steve Savitz, Nancy Siesel, Nomi Silverman, Stephen Spiller, Ann Stoddard, Bethany Taylor, Doug Turetsky, Divine Williams, Dale Williams.
How much: Free.

Free Yoga in the Park presented by Bend + Bloom Yoga
When: Thursday, July 21, 7pm-8pm
Where: Prospect Park’s Long Meadow, 7pm-8pm. Enter the park at Grand Army Plaza, Garfield, or 3rd Street. Proceed to Long Meadow and look for the sea of mats. Bring your own mat and water bottle plus a friend or two!
What: Join Bend + Bloom Yoga, lululemon athletica Brooklyn, and the Prospect Park Alliance every Thursday night from June 2 through August 25 for free, fresh-air yoga in beautiful Prospect Park.  The series draws hundreds of Brooklynites, of all experience levels, each week to celebrate and experience yoga and wellness in our treasured park.
How much: Free, however an RSVP is required to sign the online waiver form.