Photo by Anthony Quintano on Wikimedia
A New York City landmark is looking to lift the spirits of New Yorkers and keep the light in the city bright during this challenging time. The Empire State Realty Trust on Friday launched a music-to-light show from the skyscraper’s famous tower, in partnership with iHeartMedia. A new show, designed by lighting artist Marc Brickman, will premiere every Friday night and play nightly for one week.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The current times are especially tough for children who are home from school and their parents who are struggling to keep up with remote learning and keep the kiddos occupied during downtime. Luckily, institutions and businesses are stepping up to offer all kinds of free fun and educational resources for youngsters. From cool virtual museum content to online homework help to virtual storytelling to penguin cams, 6sqft has put together a list of ways to keep your children entertained and educated while at home.
Comedian Bridget Everett is participating in The Trickle Up; Photo by John Morton on Flickr
With theaters and performance venues closed as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the livelihoods of many artists in New York City continue to hang in the balance. A new subscription-based streaming service launched this week to support local artists affected by these coronavirus-related shutdowns. “The Trickle Up” charges subscribers $10 per month to access original performances from 50 different artists, with proceeds going to artists struggling financially.
Photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash
With all Broadway, Off-Broadway, and any type of performance suspended through at least April 12th, Broadway.com is bringing back The Rosie O’Donnell Show for one night to benefit The Actors Fund. When her show was on air from 1996 to 2002, O’Donnell was a strong advocate for performance arts and often showcased Broadway ensembles performing numbers from their shows. The one-night event will take place on Sunday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. and will be live-streamed on Broadway.com and Broadway.com’s YouTube channel.
Photo by Ajay Suresh on Flickr
In times of uncertainty, rely on friends, family, and your favorite New York City cultural institution. Although the coronavirus has shuttered most of the city, many museums, performance centers, libraries, and other organizations are offering free (or nearly free) online resources to entertain New Yorkers throughout this difficult period. From virtual storytime with Brooklyn Public Library librarians to live-streamed performances by the Metropolitan Opera, support local organizations safely from your home. This list was lasted updated at 3:30 p.m. on March 26, 2020.
Photo by Dimitry Anikin on Unsplash
With city and state government closing schools until at least the end of April and shutting down restaurants and bars aside from takeout and delivery, NYC is in unprecedented times. 6sqft has begun compiling a list of closures, cancellations, and postponements, as well as information on how the subway, ride-share companies, and public entities like libraries are handling the outbreak and how refunds or credits are being issued. As the situation develops, we’ll be updating this list to the best of our knowledge. This list was last updated at 2:30 pm on Thursday, March 26.
Photo by Kreg Holt
With the weather finally warming up, it’s time to start planning spring and summertime activities. The Trust for Governors Island on Monday unveiled its lineup of free programming for the island’s 2020 season, which officially kicks off on May 1. Throughout the season, more than 30 organizations will bring installations, exhibitions, workshops, and more to the 172-acre site, with most programs focusing on visual art, climate change and environmental science, and culture.
Cellist Dale Henderson, photo by Phillip Guye, courtesy of Bach in the Subways
Classical music lovers, mark your calendars: Johann Sebastian Bach’s 335th birthday on March 21 will be honored with a whole week of spontaneous, free performances of his music throughout the city. From March 19th to 25th, Bach in the Subways will bring hundreds of performers to the city to share the German composer’s work. The name suggests you’ll have to ride underground for a chance to see them play, but you can expect performers to spring up in public spaces above ground as well.
Photo credit: Mihai Bojin via Flickr
As Coronavirus fears begin impacting Broadway attendance, producer Scott Rudin is slashing ticket prices to keep theatres full, Deadline reports. Starting this Thursday at noon, all remaining March tickets for Rudin’s popular productions—To Kill a Mockingbird, West Side Story, The Lehman Trilogy, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Book of Mormon—will be available for only $50.
Photos courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust
French artist Johann Perathoner has created a panoramic 3D replica of Manhattan that is currently on view in the Empire State Building’s lobby. Though compact in scale, the composition is ambitious in scope and captures an incredible amount of detail in its small size. Made up of vibrant colors and 100 different textures that include rhinestones and fake diamonds, the piece took Perathoner more than 1,000 hours to complete.
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