free things to do in New York City
Free events for Saturday, 12/15/12
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!    Read More
55 free events take place in New York City on Saturday, December 15, 2012.
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55 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Saturday, December 15, 2012

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Health and Race Walking


Enjoy views of the Park's landscapes as you get fit. Coach Lon Wilson of the New York Walkers Club leads walks at a moderate to brisk pace over mostly flat surfaces. Wear comfortable sneakers! Ages 18+.
   
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9:30 am
free, no reservation required

City Walk | Manhattan Christmas-Holiday Walk


Down 57th Street to the East River and down First Avenue to 42nd Street and up 42nd Street. Walk through Grand Central Terminal, the Skating Pond to the Hudson River. Relaxed walking, about five to six hours. Bring lunch, water, binoculars or a camera with optical zoom lens. Rain or shine.
   
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10:00 am
$3

City Walk | Manhattan: Christmas—Holiday Loop Walk


Walk down 57th Street to the East River and down First Avenue to 42nd Street and up 42nd Street. Walk through Grand Central Terminal, the Skating Pond to the Hudson River. Relaxed walking, about five to six hours. Bring lunch, water, binoculars or a camera with optical zoom lens. Walk “rain or shine”.
   
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10:00 am
$3

City Walk | SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown Tour


You've seen the iconic skyscrapers, attended a Broadway show, visited Lady Liberty and relaxed in Central Park. Looking for a little more of the Big Apple? Maybe it's time to visit some of Manhattan's oldest and most enchanting historic districts. Take a relaxing stroll through SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown.
   
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10:00 am
Free...

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present. Tour times: 11am & 1pm.
   
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11:00 am
$6

Reading | What the Dickens? The 3rd Annual A Christmas Carol Marathon Reading


Join dozens of terrific writers and performers for a reading of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic. Drop in early and often to catch a few surprise performers or linger through the afternoon for the whole, spirited tale. Festivities will kick off at noon with Christmas caroling from members of the New York City Master Chorale. The reading will begin at 1pm inside the bookstore. Confirmed so far, more to come: Kurt Andersen, Jami Attenberg, Jack Davenport, Lev Grossman, Aryn Kyle, Ann Leary, Patrick McGrath, Eileen Myles, Elissa Schappell, Rob Spillman, Lorin Stein, Emma Straub, Peter Straub, Justin Taylor, Baratunde Thurston, Lynne Tillman, Amor Towles, Simon Van Booy, Lee Woodruff.
   
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12:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): Animated Holiday Mashup


Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept. 76 min.
   
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12:15 pm
Free

Tour | “Manhattan Adirondacks” Tour


Olmsted and Vaux designed the North Woods to replicate the forests of the Adirondack Mountains with its crystal streams, calming cascades, and rustic bridges. This scenic and meditative walk is right in New York City's backyard. Tour will be approximately one hour.
   
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12:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | A Holiday Afternoon with the Piney Fork Press Theater


A collection of works by Johnny Culver. Join members of Manhattan’s Piney Fork Press Theater as they present a selection of works by playwright Johnny Culver, including: New Years Eve, The Bionic Woman Scrapbook, Across The Lake, In Plain Sight, In Swirly Letters, Oak Tree Lane, and The Interview Explained by John McCaffrey.
   
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1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

City Walk | Greenwich Village Food Tour


Greenwich Village is well-known for its shady, winding streets with 19th Century houses, for its bohemian roots and historic Washington Square Park. But the Village's tree-lined streets are also lined with some of the best restaurants and food specialty shops in all of the Big Apple. Just ask celebrity chefs of the Food Network, food critics from the New York Times and thousands of New Yorkers: Greenwich Village is THE place to find the best of every cuisine.
   
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1:00 pm
Free...

Staged Reading | Instant Shakespeare Company's The Famous Historie of Henry the Eighth


   
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1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Opera | New York Opera Forum performs The Magic Flute by Mozart


New York Opera Forum performs the complete opera of Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). A live musical recital performed in concert with piano accompaniment.
   
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Gallery Talk | World's Fair Gallery Tour


Join Jessica Lautin, Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow and local curator for the Designing Tomorrow exhibition to see how the six American world’s fairs of the 1930s sold the promise of a better tomorrow. Design was the key; form married function, and everything from cars to toasters and coffee pots had a sleek and streamlined look that suggested increased efficiency.
   
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2:00 pm
Pay-what-you-can admission policy

Concert | Knox Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Award-Winning Australian Group


The award-winning Knox Symphonic Wind Ensemble from Australia is performing a free concert in New York City. The concert is part of the group’s two-week tour of the United States. Hailing from the Knox Grammar School in Sydney, the high school group was recently crowned the 2011 Australian National and 2011 and 2012 New South Wales State Junior A Grade Champion Concert Band. The group’s United States debut program consists of works from its championship contest programs, along with other concert favorites, including the music of Alfred Reed, John Williams and Frank Ticheli.
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Tour | Lower Manhattan Tour


It is here, as much as anywhere, where American history started. It's where the first US Congress assembled and produced the Bill of Rights and where President George Washington took his first oath of office. It's here where the world's most important stock exchange and one of the most famous bridges stand. And it is here where an unspeakable tragedy took place and where a rebirth is underway.
   
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2:00 pm
Free...

Slide Lecture | Secrets of Ancient Chinese Culture


In collaboration with Shen Yun Promotions International, you are guided through an enchanting slideshow presentation discovering the mysteries behind ancient China's legendary longevity, creativity and enlightenment. Learn about art, dance, music, legends, history and the essence of this ancient civilization.
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

City Walk | Sight Unseen: A Gallery Tour


A guest-led gallery tour featuring women artists exhibiting in Chelsea. Led by Sarah Walko, an artist, writer, and the director of Triangle Arts Association.
   
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2:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

Jazz | Student Trumpet Recital


James Hession, trumpet
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | The Chiemi Nakai Latin Jazz Quartet


A native of Japan, Chiemi Nakai moved to New York City in 1998 and graduated from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College with Masters of Art in Jazz Performance in 2002. Since then she has performed and toured with international Latin music stars such as trombonist Jimmy Bosch and Grammy-Award nominee Juan Carlos Formell. In 2006 she performed at Carnegie Hall with the Carlos del Pino Cuban project and Cuban-America composer, Dr. Tania Leon. In 2002 she formed her own ensemble, "Chiemi Nakai & the Afro-Cuban Jazz Project."
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Tour | Union Square: Crossroads of New York


The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community. You’ll hear how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on “The Metronome” sculpture and so much more!
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Violin and Piano Works by Grieg, Schubert and Beethoven


Program: Grieg’s Sonata in G,/br> Schubert’s Sonata in A, D 574 Beethoven’s Sonata in E-flat, Op. 12, No. 3 A duo recital for violin and piano, performed by Eric Grossman and Susan Kagan.
   
2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Park Walk | “Views from the Past” Tour


As you promenade through the heart of the Park, imagine yourself living in 19th Century New York City. Learn about the Park's history and how its designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, struggled to create the magnificent "Greensward" for the enjoyment of all. Tour lasts approximately one hour.
   
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Talk | Artist Talk: Jane South


Jane South and writer Jeffrey Kastner discuss the ideas behind her Shifting Structures series and its site-determined construction Stacks for Art in The Corner Room exhibition series, followed by audience Q&A. Born in Manchester, England, Jane South worked as a set designer in experimental theater before moving to the United States in 1989. She has lectured, taught, and served as artist in residence in the United States, Italy, Germany, France, and Australia and is currently an adjunct professor/critic in the Graduate Sculpture Department at Rhode Island School of Design.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Concert on Water


The concert is at the coolest classical music concerts location in New York City. Program and musicians TBA.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Dance Performance | Dance Works-in-Progress: Lily Gold / Katie Swords


Curated by Ishmael Houston-Jones, the DraftWork series hosts informal Saturday afternoon performances that offer choreographers an opportunity to show their work in various stages of development. Performances are followed by discussion and an informal reception during which artists and audiences share perspectives about the works-in-progress.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Dance Performance | DraftWork: Dance Works in Development


With Lily Gold and Katie Swords. Curated by Ishmael Houston-Jones, the DraftWork series hosts informal Saturday afternoon performances that offer choreographers an opportunity to show their work in various stages of development. Performances are followed by discussion and an informal reception.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Tae Kwon Do Workshop


Teaches the fundamentals of discipline, balance, health and wellness. -Get and Stay Fit -Weight Control -Promotes Self Awareness -Promotes Self Confidence
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): Animated Holiday Mashup


Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept. 76 min.
   
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3:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Jeff Kinney reads from his book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel


Bring the whole family to hear author Jeff Kinney read from the latest installment in his hit.
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Theater | Play: Useless by Saviana Stanescu


A darkly humored new drama, investigates the relationship between a married couple of Eastern European immigrants involved in organ trafficking – Kora, formerly sex-trafficked and pimped by her now husband Chris – and a disabled boy from a poor country, brought to the US for his kidney. The silent boy affects Chris and Kora in a profound way, triggering unexpected outbursts and changes. He becomes a sort of mirror for their unfulfilled dreams, hidden fears and desires, and ultimately makes them connect on a deeper level. Or so we hope.
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Saturday Afternoon Organ Meditation


The program features the great repertoire of the Organ on the 101 rank Pipe Organ built by Herman Schlicker and the 5 stop chamber organ built by Taylor & Boody Organ Builders.
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | Student Drums Recital


Alex Kirkpatrick, drums
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Student Recitals


4:00 PM - Chamber Music 5:00 PM - Chamber Music 6:00 PM - Rintaro Yano, Violin
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Other | Holiday Express Ice Skating Performance


The Ice Theatre of New York will present a free skating performance entitled Winter Suite, choreographed by ITNY Artistic Director Douglas Webster, to celebrate the upcoming holidays. Some of the pieces and performers showcased will be: - A special performance by US Champion and World Bronze Medalist Nicole Bobek. - Winter Suite, which includes the following pieces: Carol of the bells: The Ice Theatre Ensemble consisting of Brent Bommentre, Patrick Connelly, Alicia Jackson, Andrew Lavrik, Kim Navarro, Andrew and Elisa Siegmund - Silent Night: Sally Jeane Watkins - Christmas Song: Kim Navarro and Brent (World Ice Dance Competitiors and US Medalists) - Blue Christmas: Michael Solonoski - Let it Snow: The Ice Theatre Ensemble
   
4:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Student Recitals


5:00 PM - Sophia Sun, Viola 6:00 PM - Chamber Music
   
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5:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | 4th Annual Degenerate Craft Fair


Featuring affordable wares from 50+ artists and designers.
   
6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Student Percussion Ensemble Recital


   
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Staged Reading | Facets, an Evening of 10-Minute Plays by Students


A installment of Theatre East's Educational Program NEW RITES COLLECTIVE through an evening of 10 minute plays centered around the relationships we share, and the experience and magic found therein. 10 students from Innovation Diploma Plus, Frank McCourt High School, and Global Learning Collaborative have been working hard over the past several weeks and we can't wait to present these works to you. ,/br> Directed by Casey Hayes, Judson Jones, Jerome Martin Schwartz, and Sean Turner Original Music & Sound design by Scott O’Brien Featuring Steven Arias, Skye Gomez, Iramar Iora, Kate Nelson, Mariel Reyes, Cristal Silvestre, Gabi Stinson, Ashley Tavarez, and Erik Zhicay.
   
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | ICE performs world-premiere works by 2 French composers


Music of Patricia Alessandrini + Juan Pablo Carreño. ICE performs new works by two France-based composers. Patricia Alessandrini’s Gurre-Klänge puts a magnifying glass to Schoenberg’s most outrageously large-scale work, Gurrelieder; and Juan Pablo Carreño’s Self-Fiction series creates violent walls of sound that break down conventional rules of music performance. With video design by Ross Karre and lighting design by Nicholas Houfek.
   
7:00 pm
Free

Other | Phil Kline's Unsilent Night 2012


The original NYC boombox parade (which started in 1992) takes place on Village streets. Composer Phil Kline will lead a massive chorus of boomboxes from the West Village to the East Village in the 21st annual holiday presentation of UNSILENT NIGHT. UNSILENT NIGHT is Kline's free outdoor participatory sound sculpture of many individual parts, played on cassettes, CD's, Mp3's, and iPhone and Android apps, and played through a roving swarm of boomboxes carried through city streets every December. People bring their own boomboxes and drift peacefully through a cloud of sound which is different from every listener's perspective. IMPORTANT: BRING A BOOMBOX OR ANY MACHINE THAT CAN BLAST MUSIC. HERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GET ONE OF THE FOUR TRACKS THAT CREATE "UNSILENT NIGHT": 1. at the event, city organizers will hand out cassettes and CD's containing one of the four tracks 2. before the event, download onto your player one of the four MP3 tracks posted here: http://www.unsilentnight.com/download.html 3. or download the new UNSILENT NIGHT APP designed by Seattle's Rockmore Tech for iPhones and iPads... and for the first time this year, Androids
   
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Other | The Voice of Freedom: Social Change through the Arts


The "Voice of Freedom" presents several community-based arts collaborations led by students. These include "Unmasking my past, reclaiming my future," a theater piece created with survivors of human trafficking, a Peace Trilogy Anti-War Flash Mob, and a documentary trailer focusing on the creation of a Race Relations Mural painted at "Make the Road New York" and other arts and social change projects. Audience participation is mandatory! Also in support of the program, renowned artist Broderick Price will have his moving anti-war painting collection on exhibition. Refreshments will be provided.
   
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7:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Screening | Documentary: Nancy Buirski's The Loving Story (2011)


This Oscar-shortlisted film is the definitive account of the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage: Loving v. Virginia. Married in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter returned home to Virginia where their marriage was declared illegal-he was white, and she was black and Native American. Hope Ryden's luminous, newly discovered home movie footage of the Lovings and their feisty young lawyers and rare photography by Grey Villet are stitched together in the debut feature by Full Frame Documentary Film Festival founder Nancy Buirski in a film that takes viewers behind the scenes of a pair of unlikely civil rights pioneers and their real-life love story. 77 min.
   
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7:30 pm
$10 suggested donation

Concert | New York Piano Society in Concert


Featuring outstanding concert performers of the New York Piano Society whose primary professions lie in areas other than music.
   
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7:30 pm
$15 suggested donation...

Concert | The Argento Performers Series: Lunar Movements


PROGRAM: Matthias Pintscher - Study III for Treatise on the Veil for solo violin Matthias Pintscher - Study II for Treatise on the Veil for violin, viola and cello Matthias Pintscher - Janusgesicht for viola and cello Matthias Pintscher - On a Clear Day for solo piano Arnold Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire Argento Chamber Ensemble, the musical arm of Argento New Music Project, announces the Performers Series: Lunar Movements, a six-part concert series celebrating the centennial of the world premiere of Pierrot Lunaire featuring performances of Arnold Schoenberg’s masterpiece juxtaposed with recent and premiere compositions. The audience is invited to an informal discussion with the featured composers and musicians at the concert. With: David Fulmer, violin; Conor Hanick, piano; Paula Robison, voice.
   
7:30 pm
$10 suggested donation

Concert | Annual Candlelight Concert


Featuring members of the university’s student choir, this year’s concert includes such choral masterworks as Bach’s Magnificat and Poulenc’s Gloria, as well as timeless holiday favorites, all cast in the glow of hundreds of candles. Join us in welcoming the festive holiday season. Reception to follow.
   
8:00 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: Pirates – Improvisational Hardcore


Pirates are the world’s only improvisational-hardcore band. They are also so powerful and brutal, that over 200 listeners have been killed by their music. In August of 2012, guitarist Aram Bajakian (a.k.a. “Dr. Sin-a-min”), drummer Billy delGiudice (a.k.a. “Number 7”), and vocalist Ethan Fixell (a.k.a. “The Jackal”) took over Brooklyn, New York recording studio, The Bunker. When they emerged five hours later, they had written, recorded, and mixed their debut album — every riff, drum fill, and lyric on the 14-song masterpiece was improvised on the spot. Now, for their record release show, Pirates take the stage with their wicked brand of heavy metal-hardcore not only to perform future hit songs off their forthcoming debut such as “Stuck In Traffic,” “My Parents Loved Me too Much,” and “We Are Not Korn,” but also to improvise hilarious brand NEW songs inspired purely by fan suggestions.
   
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8:00 pm
$5

Dance Performance | New Dances: Edition 2012


The premieres four newly-choreographed works by choreographers Camille A. Brown (1st-Year Class), Emery LeCrone (2nd-Year Class), Susan Shields (3rd-Year Class), and Jarek Cemerek (4th-Year Class) in this year’s New Dances: Edition 2012, under the direction of Artistic Director Lawrence Rhodes. All Dance Division students perform on the program, and they have been working closely with these four innovative choreographers as they create new works on each of the Dance Division’s classes.
   
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8:00 pm
Free...

Concert | Symphonic Works by Ravel and Dvořák


Program: Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales Carl Nielsen: Concerto for Flute and Orchestra Antonin Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D Major, Op. 60 Ari Pelto, Conductor Nicholas Handahl, flute
   
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8:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | The Good Pennyworths present their fifth annual holiday concert


The Good Pennyworths present their fifth annual holiday concert featuring Renaissance carols, Medieval chant, and unusual Wassail songs—many from original sources—plus some favorites from the 18th thru the 20th centuries. Jacquelyn Penfold, Soprano; Kirsten Kane, Mezzo Soprano; Christopher Preston Thompson, Tenor & Gothic Harp; Garald Farnham, Baritone & Renaissance Lutes.
   
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8:00 pm
$20 suggested donation...

Concert | Student Harp Recital


Ashley Jackson, Harp.
   
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8:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Student Tenor Recital


Miles Mykkanen, Tenor
   
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8:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Performance | Comedy: Bing Faithful’s Very Merry Nondenominational Holiday Special


Bing Faithful & the Bing Faithful 5 in Bing Faithful’s Very Merry Nondenominational Holiday Special is a loosely scripted-partially improvised solo performance and honors the history of the holiday crooner within the dark “the show must go on” world of live entertainment.
   
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9:00 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: OTM: The Christmas Episode


OTM is New York City’s Premier Character comedy Show! The Christmas Episode features the best comedians performing as Christmas characters.
   
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10:00 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: Staged! An Improvised Reality Show


Ice Road Truckers? Swamp People?? Jersey Shore? If you find yourself inexplicably drawn to these train wrecks of television, then you’ll love Staged! An Improvised Reality Show, which showcases the very things you love about reality TV, only live and unscripted.
   
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11:00 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: Yes, Yes, Yes… And


Yes, Yes, Yes… And! is a scandalous night of down-right-sexy improv. Some of the PIT’s most incorrigible performers team up to turn down the lights, slip into something a little more comfortable, and spend the good part of an hour tickling your funny boners. Beware of partial nudity, strong sexual themes, and the possibility to be dragged on stage for a not-so-wholesome game of Truth or Dare. This show is NOT for the faint-of-heart. FREE IF YOU SHOW UP IN COSTUME!
   
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11:59 pm
$5...
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Play | Psychological Drama

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Classical Music | Holiday Concert at a Landmark Venue

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Dance Performance | "Astonishing" Choreographer

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Performance | Comedy by 13-time Emmy Winner with Broadway Actors

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