Highlights this week include an interactive play for toddlers in Flushing, an immersive exhibition honoring Robert De Niro in Lower Manhattan and a special Bastille Day celebration on Restaurant Row.
Also, check out some contemporary Arab film at BAM, West Site Fest at The Whitney goes and free ping pong in Times Square.
Family
“Treehouse Shakers Presents: Sail Away”
Flushing Town Hall Theater — 137-35 Northern Blvd., Queens (Flushing)
Sat. July 12, 10:30 a.m.
As it has for 28 seasons, local theater troupe Treehouse Shakers has created a new dance-play just for toddlers.
“‘Sail Away’ explores the magnificence of the ocean through a fully immersive sensory experiential journey of visuals, sounds, objects, some language, and an open concept of play,” Artistic Director Mara McEwin, who wrote and directed the production, told the Daily News.
The new kid-centric show follows the company’s tradition of creating original productions specifically made for babies, toddlers and young children to enjoy.
“[Its] sensory-rich, immersive elements are crafted to support early developmental milestones, ignite curiosity, and create moments of wonder for a very first performance experience,” she added.
McEwin will be on hand following the show for a sailing-themed arts workshop where participants can create stick puppets from the play, and engage in storytelling, nursery rhymes, and kid-friendly songs.
Flushing Town Hall’s Ellen Kodadek said their work with Treehouse Shakers adds to the venue’s love of “finding new ways to engage the youngest members of our community.”
Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children.
Art
“De Niro, New York”
Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology — 21 Dey St, Manhattan (Lower Manhattan)
Through July 13. Various times.
This is the last weekend to catch this installation celebrating the nearly 60-year career of the two-time Oscar winner and Tribeca Festival co-founder.
Directed by Sam Gill and Luke Neher, the 20-minute film installation allows you to experience Robert De Niro‘s roles through 360-degree projection, spatial audio and larger-than-life technological scale.
“It’s a celebration of film, memory, and the city that shaped it all,” De Niro longtime business partner, film producer Jane Rosenthal said about the project that first premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.
Tickets are $70, includes beverage and souvenir.
Music
“Celebrate Bastille Day”
Le Rivage — 340 West 46th St, Manhattan (Midtown)
Sun., June 13, 7 p.m.
Bastille Day is on Monday but Chef Paul Denamiel’s French bistro is getting an early start with a live music show that will delight guests as they dine.
Alongside absinthe specials and a curated Bastille Day menu, a trio of musicians led by Natasha Bergman set the mood with timeless French classics by Édith Piaf, Joe Dassin, and Françoise Hardy. Vocalist and violinist Camellia Hartman and guitarist Garrett Manley will join Bergman and guests toasting to French independence.
Reservations strongly recommended.
Film
“Contemporary Arab Cinema”
BAM Rose Cinemas — 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn (Fort Greene)
Through July 18. Various times.
Lebanese-American auteur Lina Matta returns with an eclectic array of feature films and documentaries for this year’s series shining light on contemporary Arab filmmakers.
The idea for the programming, launched in 2012, came from her frustration of how Arab people were depicted on screen by non-Arab people.
She told The Daily News: “Our region is complex, diverse, and full of extraordinary storytellers whose films rarely crossed borders. We set out to change that and to challenge audiences, broaden perspectives, and make space for stories told from within.”
Among the dozen of highlighted films — in Arabic with English subtitles — is the comedy “Il Signore” about a Saudi engineer pretending to be an Italian expert who gets mixed up with a dangerous gang. Director Aymen Khoja will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A on Saturday evening.
“Since Saudi Arabia lifted its 30-year cinema ban in 2018, a new wave of filmmakers has emerged, and Aymen Khoja is among the most commercially successful,” Matta said, adding that the “he turns the Arab foreigner complex on its head—using comedy to expose, question, and play with our belief that the Westerner always does it better.”
Director Laila Abbas will chat about her award-winning Palestinian drama, “Thank You For Banking With Us,” at BAM Harvey on Sunday afternoon. The film, starring Yasmine Al Massri and Clara Khoury, revolves around siblings developing a grand scheme for the large sum of money their late father left behind.
Tickets are $17 for adults, with discounts available.
Outdoors
Ping Pong
Broadway Plaza — 47th & Broadway, Manhattan (Times Square)
Fridays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Play some free outdoor table tennis in Times Square, brought to you by the ping pong social club SPIN New York Midtown, whose motto is “united by ping pong.”
In partnership with Times Square Alliance, the paddles and party vibes will be served every Friday all summer long. Everything’s included, too: paddles, balls, tables and the crossroads of the word as a backdrop.
“We … are always looking for new ways to elevate the public space experience by keeping it clean and safe, providing furniture and planters, and programming it with public art and live music,” Times Square Alliance president Tom Harris tells The Daily News. “So when Spin came to Times Square, it was a natural fit to bring their ping pong tables out from their location and into the plazas.”
Free.
Free
“West Side Fest”
The Whitney Museum of American Art — 99 Gansevoort St., Manhattan (Meatpacking District)
July 11 through July 13.
The Whitney in one of 19 organizations participating in this annual celebration of arts and culture on the West Side of Manhattan.
Enjoy free admission on Friday night and free admission all day on Sunday. Friday also brings live music by jazz artist Miles Okazaki performing Thelonious Monk compositions.
There’s a slate of special programs for all ages throughout the weekend, including live figure drawing, story times with librarians from The New York Public Library and artmaking workshop celebrating Disability Pride Month.
Whitney educators will lead guided exhibition tours of “Amy Sherald: American Sublime,” “Shifting Landscapes” and “Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night.”
Free, Reservations strongly recommended.
Free
“Family Day”
Perelman Arts Center (PAC NYC) — 251 Fulton St. (Tribeca)
Sat. July 12, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
One of New York City’s newest arts institutions is hosting a a free, fun-filled open house welcoming families of all ages to experience indoor and outdoor workshops, performances, live music, dance battles, food, face painting and more activities.
Hip-hop theater artist and poet Baba Israel, Broken Box Mime Theater, Kids Breaking League, Bubble America, The Shinbone Alley Stilt Band and China Institute in America are among the highlights of the event that’s inclusive and accessible for all. ASL interpretation and audio description will be available, alongside sensory tools and guides provided throughout the building.
Free. RSVP required.
If you have an upcoming weekend event you’d like to submit for consideration in an upcoming roundup, please email: nycevents@nydailynews.com with the full details. Consideration does not guarantee inclusion.
