As the leaves turn to fiery shades and the crisp autumn breeze sweeps through the Hudson Valley, a cultural symphony unfolds. From captivating exhibitions and immersive performances to thought-provoking theater and uproarious comedy, this fall season promises an array of artistic delights. “Shifting Center” at EMPAC invites you to embark on a sonic journey, while the Red Lion Inn hosts the mesmerizing illustrations of Ralph Steadman. Beacon Bonfire ignites the city with creativity, and “Sympathetic Magic” at Bridge Street Theater explores the cosmos of human emotions. Get ready to dance with Bodytraffic, laugh with Samantha Bee and Lewis Black, and rediscover Jane Austen’s world in “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.” Plus, don’t miss the fascinating exhibitions at Magazzino and Lehman Loeb Art Center. The Hudson Valley’s fall culture scene is a vibrant tapestry of inspiration and innovation.
“Shifting Center” | EMPAC
October 27-29; November 3-18
The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at RPI in Troy presents “Shifting Center,” curated by Nida Ghouse and Vic Brooks. The exhibition engages in the speculative construction of premodern and Indigenous instruments and repertoires through sound and structures. Of special note is Beatriz Cortez’s sculpture Ilopango, the Volcano that Left, a steel sculpture that spent the summer at Storm King Art Center. It will travel upriver October 27-29 on a three-day performative journey along the Hudson River to Troy. The volcano can be witnessed as it sails upriver from various viewing points on both shores and online through a livestream.
“Ride the Thunder” | Red Lion Inn
Through October 31
The iconic Stockbridge, Massachusetts, hotel is host to a captivating exhibition of the work of illustrator Ralph Steadman, best known for his collaborations with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Copresented with the Norman Rockwell Museum and Theory Wellness, “Ride the Thunder” showcase 50 original pieces from “The Kentucky Derby,” the seminal article that resulted from Steadman and Thompson’s Louisville experience at the Kentucky Derby, alongside “Fear and Loathing,” a psychedelic journey to the heart of the American dream.
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.
“Sympathetic Magic” | Bridge Street Theater
November 9-19
Catskill’s indie playhouse 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 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
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 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Surprising and unforgettable, BODYTRAFFIC is “one of the most talked-about companies nationwide” (LA Times).
Samantha Bee | Bardavon
November 17
Stand-up Samantha Bee’s new live show, “Your Favorite Woman” celebrates the fact that women are fully 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 a pointedly pro-woman edge to her comedy.
Lewis Black | Paramount Hudson Valley
November 17
The King of Rant returns to Peekskill with his “Off the Rails” tour. Lewis 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.
“Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” | Shadowland Theater
December 1-17
One of the most popularly produced plays in the country since its premiere, 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.
“Mario Schifano: The Rise of the ‘60s” | Magazzino
Through January 14
Magazzino, the Cold Spring-based mecca mid-20th century Italian art, opened its new 20,000-square-foot Robert Olnick Pavilion this fall. It will provide space for Magazzino to range more widely through modern and contemporary Italian art and present significant works on loan. One of the first exhibitions will be a survey of trailblazing painter Mario Schifano, whose work was an Italian parallel to Pop Art in America.
“Silver Linings” | Lehman Loeb Art Center
Through January 28
This exhibition at Vassar’s Lehman Loeb Art Center highlights the collection of Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts, which has a mission to uplift art by and about women of the African diaspora. “Silver Linings” shares the works of masters, pioneers and trailblazers who anchor the Spelman collection. Among the 40 works in the exhibition there are sculptures by Beverly Buchanan, Selma Burke, and Elizabeth Catlett; paintings by Betty Blayton, Sam Gilliam, and Henry Ossawa Tanner; drawings by Herman “Kofi” Bailey, Nellie Mae Rowe, and Charles White; photographs by Amalia Amaki, Carrie Mae Weems, and Lorna Simpson; and mixed-media work by Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, and Romare Bearden.
This article appears in September 2023.
