BY SCOTT STIFFLER | I WAS A SIXTH GRADE BIGFOOT Whether prowling local burlesque stages as slinky and sweet alter ego Cherry Pitz or exposing her true self on the storytelling circuit, Cyndi Freeman has an uncanny knack for coaxing epic images from intimate moments. The two-time NY Fringe Festival award-winning solo performer — whose work as an instructor with The Moth Community Outreach Program has empowered disabled adults, nurses and the incarcerated tell their stories — has a brand new tale of her own, inspired by the long shelf life of radioactive lies.
A world premiere in Horse Trade Theater Group’s annual Frigid Festival, “I Was a Sixth Grade Bigfoot” draws upon the myths, misunderstandings and outright lies that define an 11-year-old’s public image. Obsessed with the Bigfoot phenomenon, Freeman discovers that her homeroom classmates are far more adept at telling whoppers than those grown adults roaming the forest with footprint-shaped show shoes. By convincing the faculty that she was a violent pathological liar, parents lived in fear and only the bullies knew the truth. Writer/performer Freeman peppers this true tale of malicious falsehoods with fun Sasquatch trivia, perhaps arriving at some conclusions about what motivates us to spin yarns that can’t be controlled once that ball gets rolling. Occasional basketball columnist and burlesque performer Sara Peters directs. And that’s the truth!
At UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place, btw. First Ave. & Ave. A). Feb. 19 at 7:10 p.m. Feb 22 at 3:30 p.m. Feb 28, at 10:30 p.m. March 4 at 8:50 p.m. March 8 at 5:10 p.m. For tickets ($10, $8 for students/seniors), visit FRIGIDnewyork.info. For info on the artist, visit heroicsinhotpants.com.
THE BRAINWAVE FESTIVAL
Say what you will about Taylor Swift — but even haters have to admit her “Shake It Off” song has planted in tween hearts and minds the notion that the path to inner peace begins at the point where we let go of toxic thoughts. Whether you’re still in your juice box years or a jaded adult in need of a philosophical reboot, the Rubin Museum of Art is the place to expand your mind and satisfy your soul.
Now through April, their Brainwave Festival is exploring the Buddhist notion of attachment. “We’re looking at the basic idea of where satisfaction exists…through a diversity of perspectives on the very human tendency to cling to the things that we think will make us happy,” says RMA Director of Public Programs Tim McHenry, who has filled the festival with on-stage conversations, films and art that further the museum’s overall mission to “break down the ego-driven behavior that we have, and recognize that we are just one element of many that are connected.”
Upcoming installments of their “Conversation” series, which pairs artists with scientists, include an April 8 event at which Shaolin Master Shi Yan Ming and neuropsychologist Tracy Dennis discuss “Discipline as an Art.” Curated by Oscar-nominated writer-director Guillermo Arriaga, the “Words with Gods” series (March 4–April 22) screens short cinematic meditations on faith and consciousness, followed by dialogues between faith practitioners and scientists who study the mind. A Friday night film series addressing the theme of “fixation” includes Hal Ashby’s 1971 romp between a very young Bud Cort and a very old Ruth Gordon (“Harold and Maude” on April 17). A Wednesday lunchtime series (“Lunch Matters”) screens past recorded Brainwave events. On March 4, a 2014 conversation between Hunter College neuropsychologist Tracy Dennis and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski has the duo discussing the mindset required to endure extreme space missions.
Brainwave Festival events take place through April 22, at the Rubin Museum of Art (150 W. 17th St. at Seventh Ave.). Ticket prices vary. Museum Hours: Mon. & Thurs., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed., 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Sat. Sun., 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Call 212-620-5000 or visit RubinMuseum.org/brainwave.
GREENWICH VILLAGE ORCHESTRA presents “MOMENTOUS MAHLER”
It’s a case of the Fifth on the first, when Greenwich Village Orchestra’s March 1 “Momentous Mahler” program comes in like a lion and never goes the way of the lamb. “From the opening fanfare to the closing chords, through marches, dances, storms and the famous Adagietto, a love song to his wife,” promises the GVO, “Mahler’s Fifth Symphony will envelop you in an intense musical world filled with humanity, spirituality, and emotion. The classy cultural venue has yet to ban selfie sticks, so bring them to post-concert reception, in anticipation of mingling with Music Director Barbara Yahr and the musicians.
GVO’s 12th season continues on April 12, when they return to Washington Irving Auditorium for an all-Tchaikovsky program led by guest conductor Pierre Vallet (from the Metropolitan Opera), and featuring young virtuoso Siwoo Kim. May 17’s “Summer in the City” program has favorites by Gershwin and Rossini, with mezzo-soprano Naomie O’Connell singing Berlioz’s song cycle “Les nuits d’été” — and “Symphonie Fantastique” anchors the orchestra’s first-ever music video.
“Momentous Mahler” is performed on Sun., March 1, 3–5 p.m. at Washington Irving Auditorium (40 Irving Place, at 17th St.). Suggested donation: $20 ($10 for students/seniors). Visit gvo.org or call 212-932-0732.
AXIS COMPANY presents “THE GROUNDLING”
Set on playwright Marc Palmieri’s home turf, “The Groundling” gets its gears turning when Bob Malone comes upon an outdoor Shakespeare production somewhere in Manhattan. Inspired, the Long Island landscaper returns home and resolves to pen a play depicting scenes from his troubled marriage. Cast with neighborhood oddballs and set to premiere in his cleared out garage, Malone hires two skeptical New York theater professionals to oversee the creative process — which, from your seat in the Axis Theatre, plays out like a heartfelt meditation on the waning moments of “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” That title’s last word is the operative one here, as the motley crew (all fish out of water in some sense) find themselves deeply affected by the shared experience of putting on a play.
Feb. 19, 25, 26; March 4 & 5 at 7:00 p.m. Feb. 20, 21, 27, 28; March 6 & 7 at 8 p.m. Feb. 22; March 1 & 8 at 3 p.m. At Axis Theatre (One Sheridan Square, just off Seventh Ave.). For tickets ($50, $35 for students/seniors), call 212-807-9300 or visit axiscompany.org.
