O+ Festival
October 6-8
Kingston's 13th annual festival elevating the exchange of art, music, and wellness takes over the town this month, featuring live appearances by comedians like Bobcat Goldthwait and Amy G; live music by Amythyst Kia, Gail Ann Dorsey, Cassie Blanton, Amber Rubarth, Delicate Steve, and others; spoken word by Richard Buckner, Carolita Johnson, and others; art by Mahogany L. Browne and many more; and wellness clinics and practitioners.
"Skeleton Crew"
October 6-22The third play in playwright Dominque Morriseau's Detroit trilogy, "Skeleton Crew," presented this month at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville, has been called "warm-blooded, astute, deeply moral, and deeply American" by the New York Times. The tale, which takes place in 2008, follows the lives of a make-do family of auto workers as they deal with being trapped in a collapsing economic system and "the line between blue collar and white collar becomes blurred."
David Cross
October 7
With the SAG-AFTRA strike still happening at the time of this writing, alternative comedian and comedy writer David Cross ("Mr. Show," "Arrested Development") has pivoted to the standup he does so well for this riotous evening at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie. Cross will donate $2 from every ticket sold for the 18+ show to the Innocence Project, which works to free the innocent and wrongfully convicted. 8pm.
Joan Baez: I Am A Noise
October 9
In this documentary, legendary singer and activist Joan Baez takes an honest look back and a deep look inward as she tries to make sense of her large, history-making life, and the personal struggles she's kept private. After the screening at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, Baez will be on hand for a Q&A. The film is part of a chockfull fall season at the center, with screenings of first-run films like Killers of the Flowers Moon alongside cult and horror classics like The Wicker Man and American Psycho.
Jonathan Lethem and Sean Howe
October 10The small Catskills town of Andes boasts one of the region's coolest bookstores: Diamond Hollow Books. The shop will be packed with literary star power when Jonathan Lethem and Sean Howe get together to discuss their new books, both of which offer rollicking riffs on America in the `70s. Lethem, best known for his coming-of-age novel Fortress of Solitude, will read from his new book Brooklyn Crime Novel. Howe will read from Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Fourcade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s.
"Chinwag" with Paul Giamatti
October 14"Chinwag" is a new hit podcast featuring award-winning actor Paul Giamatti and professor of philosophy Stephen Asma that finds the pair delving into and discussing deep and fascinating topics from well outside the mainstream. Here, Giamatti and Asma come to Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, for a live taping of an episode focusing on Nostradamus, clairvoyants, and prophets. Expect some unforeseen tangents.
FilmColumbia
October 20-29
The long-running Chatham-based film fest returns with an opening weekend screening of Laura Gabbert's documentary Food and Country, featuring Ruth Reichl. The food maven, who lives in Columbia County, will be on hand to discuss the country's broken food system. The curated selection of more than 40 of the best domestic and international features and documentaries includes many fresh from the festival circuit that have not yet opened commercially, like Todd Haynes's new film starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, May December.
"You Don't Know the Lonely One"
October 20-29Acclaimed artists David Cale, Dael Orlandersmith, and Matthew Dean Marsh and director Robert Falls make their way back to the Ancram Opera House in Ancram with a fully staged production of their moving new work, "You Don't Know the Lonely One," a story and song cycle inspired by paintings and albums that weaves a collective portrait of loneliness in an ever-changing society.
"Sweet and Sad"
October 27-November 12Presented by Performing Arts of Woodstock at the town's Mescal Hornbeck Community Center, "Sweet and Sad" is the second in playwright Richard Nelson's celebrated series about the Apple family, a clan who live in contemporary Rhinebeck. In the story, the Apples gather for dinner on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and navigate the changes between each other and the world around them.
"Copenhagen"
Through October 29Staged all this month at the rustic Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, is the Berkshire Theater Group's production of Michael Frayn's Tony Award-winning play "Copenhagen." Directed by Eric Hill and described as "a must-see for anyone interested in history, science, or politics," the play is set in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II and is a gripping exploration of the ethics of science and the consequences of humanity's actions.
Beacon Bonfire
November 4-5
Beacon takes its name from the signal fires lit atop Mount Beacon during the Revolutionary War. The city's current resident creatives have seized on the fire metaphor for a weekend of performance and celebration. Now in its third year, Beacon Bonfire presents two days of immersive programming and activations at 23 venues across the city, featuring 150 performances from music to theater and more.
Fall for Art
November 4-10This fall marks Kingston juried art show and sale Fall for Art's 27th year of showcasing and supporting talented Hudson Valley artists. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Ulster County, the virtual celebration of creativity presents a wide selection of top-tier visual art in diverse media: painting, pottery, photography, ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, and more. Proceeds from the show go to local causes.
"Sympathetic Magic"
November 9-19Bridge Street Theater in Catskill presents Lanford Wilson's 1997 Obie Award-winning play. "Sympathetic Magic" follows a group of friends and family in San Francisco as they confront various personal crises—an unwanted pregnancy, marital strife, AIDS—against the backdrop of a discovery of astronomical (literally) proportions. Directed by John Sowle and starring Brian Sheppard, Molly Parker Myers, Timothy Dunn, Abby Burris, and Seth McNeil.
Bodytraffic
November 10-11
Los Angeles-based dance troupe Bodytraffic has made waves from coast to coast with its varied repertoire of contemporary works. Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett leads a masterful troupe, all nimble interpreters of each choreographers' distinct vision, this absorbing, thought-provoking, and vividly theatrical company assures an entertaining evening of dance at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Surprising and unforgettable, Bodytraffic is "one of the most talked-about companies nationwide" (LA Times).
Lewis Black
November 17The King of Rant returns to Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill with his "Off the Rails" tour. Black's trademark style of comedic yelling and finger pointing exposes the absurdities and hypocrisies of contemporary life. A winner of two Grammy awards, Black has published three bestselling books and he keeps his fans up to speed with his current annoyances via his "Rant Cast" podcast.
Samantha Bee
November 17
Stand-up Bee's new live show, "Your Favorite Woman" celebrates the fact that women are really f*cking cool, despite what six Supreme Court Justices seem to think. The former host of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," which ran for seven seasons on TBS, Bee brings her pointedly pro-woman comedy to the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie.
"Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley"
December 1-17This holiday season at Shadowland Stages in Ellenville: One of the most produced plays in the country since its premiere in 2016, this hilarious sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is set two years after the novel ends. Bookish Mary has grown tired of her role as the dutiful middle sister in the face of her siblings' romantic endeavors. But things change when an unexpected guest shows up for the family's Christmas gathering at Pemberley, sparking Mary's hope for independence, an intellectual equal, and maybe even love.
The Civilians: "Sex Process, 1941"
December 11-17Considered the leading investigative/documentary theater company in the US, New York troupe the Civilians will be in residency this December at PS21 in Chatham with "Sex Process, 1941," a new work inspired by Dr. George Henry, who gathered life histories from LGBTQIAP+ Americans in the 1930s. It's written and directed by the Civilians' artistic director, Steve Cosson, in collaboration with media artist Jessica Mitrani and music director Ada Westfall, a transwoman actor and musician.
