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Nerd Nite Hudson Valley
January 9 at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon
Be there and be square at the next Nerd Nite Hudson Valley, where three presenters turn trivia into delight. At the upcoming January 9 edition, Dr. Hannah Brooks shares gut-wrenching surgical tales, Trace Dominguez (PBS’s “Star Gazers”) proposes invading New Jersey with squirrels (yes, you read that right), and artist-taxidermist Mike Price explores the beauty of going skin deep. It’s like a TED Talk with beer: smart, quirky, and genuinely entertaining. A wonderfully oddball addition to the regional cultural scene. 7:30pm.
Isabel Hagen
January 10 at Assembly in Kingston
Kick off the new year with something that’s equal parts clever and unexpected: Isabel Hagen. She isn’t your typical stand-up—Hagen’s a Juilliard-trained violist turned nationally touring comedian, twice featured on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and spotlighted as a “New Face of Comedy” at Just for Laughs in Montreal. Her sets fuse sharp observational humor with wry musical insight, the kind of smart, surprising comedy that makes you laugh and think. This show’s a perfect way to warm up winter with brains and belly laughs in Kingston. Local comedians Jess Edelman and Jill Mary open. 8pm.
“In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel”
January 10, 17, 24, and 31 at Savage Wonder in Beacon
Savage Wonder Art Center reimagines Tennessee Williams’ rarely staged “In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel” as an immersive, bar-infused theatrical experience that collapses the distance between audience and action. Set in a live hotel bar environment, the play traces the psychic wreckage of a once-celebrated painter and his estranged wife as ambition, ego, and love curdle into emotional freefall. Directed by Christopher Paul Meyer, this intimate production invites audiences to arrive early, order a drink, and sit inside the play’s charged atmosphere before and after the performance. It’s raw, poetic Williams, served close and undiluted. 6pm.
Orgasmic Birth
January 14 at Upstate Midtown in Kingston
Orgasmic Birth: The Best-Kept Secret isn’t your typical maternal documentary. Filmmaker Debra Pascali-Bonaro invites audiences into 11 intimate birth stories that challenge how we think about labor and delivery, showing how childbirth can be emotional, powerful, and even blissful rather than solely painful or clinical. Interwoven with commentary from midwives, obstetricians, and childbirth experts, the film reframes birth as a natural, deeply human process shaped by support, trust, and connection. Expect candid moments, personal triumphs, and a nuanced exploration of how culture, medicine, and belief influence one of life’s most profound experiences. 5:15pm.
1950s Space Invasion Double Feature
January 17 at the Rosendale Theater
For anyone who’s ever wondered what flying saucers, monolith monsters, and mysterious interstellar scientists looked like through 1950s eyes, the Rosendale Theatre has your perfect January night out. On Saturday, January 17 at 7 p.m., settle in for a 1950s space invasion double feature with This Island Earth (1955) and The Monolith Monsters (1957), two epoch-defining sci-fi thrillers on the big screen with big theater sound. Writer Tony Albarella kicks things off with fun backstories, trivia, and behind-the-scenes photos that add fresh context to these vintage classics. Costumes are encouraged, so come ready to channel your inner alien invader. 7pm.
Michael Blaustein
January 18 at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie
Shake off the post-holiday haze with a night of sharp wit and bracing laughs when Michael Blaustein brings “The Taste Me Tour” to the Bardavon. Blaustein is one of stand-up’s fastest-rising stars, his viral clips boasting hundreds of millions of views and a sold-out touring track record that reads like a comedy riff on overnight success. Expect high-energy crowd work, sly observational humor, and that deliciously unfiltered comic honesty that cuts through winter’s gloom like a punchline. 7pm.
Shattered Wine Fair
January 19 at the Restaurant Kinsley in Kingston
Discover the Shattered Wine Fair, a relaxed tasting spotlighting Central and Eastern European wines that many Hudson Valley oenophiles have yet to explore. Curated by Sam Hewitt of Kingston Wine Co., the event brings 30+ wines from regions like Georgia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to the gorgeous dining room at Restaurant Kinsley, poured by 11 New York–based importers. With two tasting sessions, approachable vibes, and full lunch service (including a casual gnocchi special), it’s a friendly way to sip under-the-radar bottles and connect with fellow wine lovers.
The Problem with Plastic Book Signing
January 22 at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck
Join environmental champion Judith Enck for a conversation and signing of her urgent new book The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late. Enck, former EPA regional administrator and president of Beyond Plastics, pairs incisive reporting with frontline stories to reveal how plastic pollution harms oceans, air, human health, and frontline communities—and why recycling alone won’t cut it. More than a critique, it offers practical tools for change and pathways to collective action. 6pm.
Psychic Stand-up with Karen Rontkowski
January 23 at City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery
Comedy and clairvoyance collide in a show unlike anything you’ve seen on stage. Karen Rontowski brings 35 years of stand-up experience and 25 years as a tarot reader to the mic, blending sharp, seasoned comedy with live tarot readings that tease fate and tickle funny bones alike. After a solid set of original material, she taps into the energy of the room with crowd readings that turn personal curiosities into communal laughter. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, expect surprises, sharp humor, and a night where the future looks downright funny.
“Black Comedy”
January 23-25 and January 30-February 1 at the Ghent Playhouse
The Ghent Playhouse kicks off the new year with “Black Comedy,” Peter Shaffer’s deliciously inverted farce, directed by Ed Dignum, who returns after last season’s crowd-pleasing “Lend Me a Tenor.” Set in swinging-’60s London, the play follows an ambitious young sculptor whose plan to impress a future father-in-law and an art-world bigwig collapses during a sudden blackout. Shaffer’s inspired gimmick flips stage logic on its head: when the lights are on, the characters are blind; when they’re off, they can see. The result is a riot of physical comedy, slapstick timing, and beautifully choreographed chaos. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm.
Squalid Gold
January 24 at Assembly in Kingston
You might think an amateur showcase can’t deliver belly laughs—then you haven’t seen Squalid Gold. This stand-up comedy showcase spotlights Kingston’s freshest voices straight from Lauren Kincheloe’s Squalid Gold Comedy School, a local incubator where aspiring humorists sharpen their voice and timing before a live audience. What starts as nervous energy quickly morphs into sharp observations, wild riffs, and genuine comic payoff that had this critic laughing out loud—and not just politely. These aren’t polished headliners; they’re local storytellers wrestling with life’s absurdities in real time. It’s rough, it’s real, and it’s hilarious, and it might even be your dentist. 8pm.
We Are Fugazi from Washington, DC
January 30 at the Bearsville Theater
Born from the Washington, DC post-hardcore scene, Fugazi blended DIY ethics, political engagement, and fiercely inventive music to redefine underground rock in the late ’80s and ’90s—and their reputation endures two decades after their last live show. The film stitches together rare fan footage, archival clips, and raw live moments that capture the band’s intensity and impact. It’s not just a documentary; it’s a fan-powered celebration of community, resistance, and unforgettable sound. 8pm.
Roseanne Cash
January 31 at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains
Rosanne Cash opens the Stissing Center’s 2026 season as the headliner for “Spark!,” a season launch event that doubles as a preview of the year ahead in Pine Plains. The evening pairs a multimedia look at upcoming programming with a closing performance by Cash, whose songwriting has long balanced narrative precision with emotional restraint. A four-time Grammy winner, she brings songs shaped by American history, family memory, and hard-earned clarity. Cash appears with longtime collaborator and husband John Leventhal, making this both a concert and a statement of intent for the season ahead at Stissing Center for Arts & Culture. 7pm.
MODfest
January 31-February 7 at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie
MODfest returns to Vassar College with a bracing slate of modern and contemporary art, music, dance, performance, and big ideas. This year’s theme, “Discovering Uncertainty,” draws on the ways 20th-century science and art unsettled long-held assumptions about reality, knowledge, and perception. The festival unfolds across concerts, lectures, experimental sound works, and dance performances, all free and open to the public. Highlights include a newly commissioned live score for Metropolis, a Vito Acconci exhibition, and “Computing Venus,” an opera about pioneering 19th-century astronomer Maria Mitchell, who taught at Vassar. MODfest offers a compact, energizing immersion in how artists respond when the ground shifts beneath their feet.
This article appears in January 2026.
