When it comes to challenging rigid structures and narrow perceptions, turning the tables sometimes requires knocking over chairs.

In an often twisted, senseless world in which common sense seems to require a trigger warning, and aging or showing signs of stress under extreme pressure is treated like a character weakness or personal failure, Oona Brangam-Snell’s spirited rebuke of oppressive systems, hierarchies and ideologies that set people up to fail, then shame them for failing, has never felt more welcome.

Playwright Shawneen Rowe refers to her grandmother Rosa as “a warrior, the silent but strong type, the silent rock for the family.”A professional actor most of her life, Rowe has long had the desire to tell stories of her own, and now, thanks…

  • Updated

Neighborhoods throughout the World’s Borough this weekend will honor those who served with a plethora of Memorial Day events. If you’re looking for a parade or ceremony near you, look no further — all you have to do is bring your lawn chairs …

Few community theaters can boast the long and rich history enjoyed by the Parkside Players of Forest Hills now presenting the original musical revue “Parkside Goes Big” on weekends through June 3.With origins that can be traced as far back as…

The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria always makes a splash with its annual “See It Big” film series.And there’s no way to make it any bigger than this year’s lineup dedicated to summer blockbusters, dating back to when they were invented…

The newly renamed Court Square Theater in Long Island City welcomed its inaugural attraction this past week, the world premiere of a new play that calls into focus several issues that seem more relevant than ever.“Muses,” by Julia Rae Maldona…

Ragtime composer Scott Joplin and electrical engineer Granville T. Woods were masters in their fields who never received their full due in their lifetimes.Neither was originally even accorded a headstone after dying in poverty.

Fans of the long-running television series “Columbo,” along with anyone who likes crime dramas, should find great pleasure in the latest offering from Douglaston Community Theatre, “Prescription: Murder,” running weekends through May 21.The p…

They sing! They dance! They act!They’re the young stage performers who tend to steal every scene they’re in, and a whole bunch of ’em are putting their talents on full display in local productions of two beloved family musicals.

“The Sound of Southside,” the debut novel of Tyrel Hunt, a Jamaica resident who was raised in Rosedale, was made into a film that will premiere at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center May 13 at 7 p.m.Tickets for the screening, which will be hel…

Good God! A musical about teenagers played by actual teenagers!That’s the latest offering from The Secret Theatre in Woodside, where its production of “High School Musical” is in session for three more performances.

For decades now, Flushing has been home to a variety of Asian communities, consisting of Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Indian, Filipino and Malaysian enclaves, among many others.And with many different Asian cultures coming together at the Tang…

As Queens slowly recovers from the pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns and closings, Jackson Heights restaurant Espresso 77 has been opening its doors to local musicians and painters as a space where artists can express themselves. Among th…

It’s finally starting to feel like spring in the World’s Borough, and what better way to celebrate it than to get outside?Queens residents need look no further than the Queens County Farm Museum, which will play host to its annual Apple Bloss…

Since its founding in 1937, Queens College and its numerous institutions have received donations of art, artifacts and other objects of interest from alumni, philanthropists and cultural institutions.By nature, the collections of the departme…

During the pandemic, as human activity ground to a halt, wildlife continued business as usual. In some cases, it even thrived, as air quality improved and greenhouse gas emissions decreased.As Howard Beach science teacher, author and now arti…

Sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s “Subscapes” affirms the lower level spaces around chairs and tables as a mystical zone where often-hidden structures and unseen forces converge to provide information about the landscape beneath the landscapeLying dow…

The Queens Underground International Black History Month Film Festival is back and it will be a red carpet affair, according to Adrienne Whaley, the executive director of the Queens Center of the Arts, the nonprofit arts group hosting the eve…

Spring has arrived and as parents try to come up with ideas on how to keep their kids occupied in the warmer weather, especially as a school break approaches, the Alley Pond Environmental Center may be just the place to find fun and education…

Three performers who have benefited from Louis Armstrong’s legacy will headline a tribute to the late jazz legend and Corona resident in Flushing on April 1.The performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Kupferberg Center for the Arts on the camp…

Flushing resident Amanda Montoni first came across Alan Ball’s comedic drama, “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” as a college student, recently recalling that a monologue spoken by one of the characters “jumped out” at her.She explained in …

In her home garden, Denise Sfraga grows everything from early bulbs such as daffodils and crocus to roses and stately evergreen shrubs: arborvitae, boxwood, holly, euonymous.In summer, the choices may seem virtually unlimited as she mixes thi…

A warmly lit apartment with tones of brown and red, sprinkled with vintage furniture, beautiful flowers and an old record player, is the set for the bilingual world premiere of “Mom’s Playlist”/“Las Canciones de Mamá,” the newest production a…

Every month is Women’s History Month at Q.E.D, the only independent, woman-owned and operated venue for the arts in Astoria.“This is the status quo, which is really great, especially in comedy, where women and LGBTQ are vastly underrepresente…

If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, it is likely you did the tree pose, a balancing posture in which weight is shifted to one leg while the other knee bends and the foot is placed on the inner calf or thigh, improving posture and alignment.So …

For five days in March, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria once again will introduce New Yorkers to new films, new directors and very often the future of cinema in its annual First Look Film Festival.The more than two dozen features, s…

Even after he successfully brought The Secret Theatre back from pandemic-caused near-extinction, founder Richard Mazda knew that the independent theater community and general public in Queens were crying out for each other’s support.He believ…

Queens has been home to many notable figures over the centuries, from music greats like Louis Armstrong, Cyndi Lauper and Simon and Garfunkel to media moguls like Al Roker and Gwen Ifill to political powerhouses like Nancy Reagan, Justice Ant…

With his iconic voice and knack for narrative and narration, it’s not hard to believe that Ira Glass, host of WBEZ Chicago’s “This American Life,” has become known as one of the greatest storytellers in a generation. And now, he’s coming to Q…

March is Women’s History Month, and Flushing Town Hall is going to make the month extra special with a variety of themed musical events that anyone can appreciate.Jazz producer Clyde Bullard produced three concerts titled the Women’s History …

Agatha Christie’s world-famous play, “The Mousetrap,” opened in London in 1952 and continues to draw audiences more than 70 years later, pausing only during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.It has racked up over 28,000 performances (mor…

Now in its 42nd season, the Con Brio Ensemble of Forest Hills still is doing what it set out to do from the beginning — bringing classical chamber music to a wider audience, while close to home.Three members will be performing in a twilight c…

A spotlight shines on Ricardo Stevan, in character as frustration-stricken Alberto, standing at a desk with a typewriter and a red rotary phone for company. The rest of the theater disappears and the focus is only on him as he composes a lett…

Walking by a section of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center this month, you might think you’re passing an art museum. Outlets and restaurants give way to three adjacent storefronts filled with paintings, photography and other art.The colorful str…

For years, Rebecca Bratspies, a law professor at CUNY School of Law and the founding director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform, cursed her way through traffic on the Major Deegan on her way to visit her parents, wondering aloud, “…

A mythical figure from a 16th-century Chinese novel might seem a bit of a stretch as the main character in a musical, but a husband-and-wife team of creative artists from Forest Hills think it’s just the vehicle called for at a time when ther…

Nineteenth-century poet Emily Dickinson once started a poem with the titular phrase, “There’s a certain Slant of light.” In the poem, she reflects on the oppressive feelings of winter, and the sadness it can bring with its darkness. At Mrs., …

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and to get a jumpstart on putting everyone in the mood, Royal Star Theatre in Jamaica Estates is presenting an original musical revue, “The One,” for two performances only on Jan. 28 and 29.According…

Decorative drinking glasses and other glass trinkets as souvenirs from World’s Fairs go back as long as the events themselves.But the 1939-40 spectacular in Queens had an entire pavilion devoted to glass itself, sponsored, like many exhibits,…

A young musician will be throwing it way back in Douglaston next week.The Tuesday Morning Music Club of Douglaston will host the winner of its 2022 Young Artist Competition, flutist Jonah Murphy, for a free concert on Jan. 24. Murphy’s genre …

The holiday season has come to a close, and students are back in study mode for the spring semester. While older ones may go to the library to brush up for exams, younger children and their parents can brush up on their skill sets as well, th…

With Lunar New Year just around the corner, Flushing Town Hall is, once again, paying tribute to Downtown’s biggest attraction of the year: Lunar New Year.And while that is something Flushing Town Hall does every year, this year, it’s taking …

Maspeth native Maxine Fisher spent more than four decades living a short hop away in Forest Hills before moving back shortly before Covid-19 came to prominence.But after the pandemic took hold, Fisher’s regular solitary walks over two years t…

The Alley Pond Environmental Center is preparing to ring in the new year with several events throughout the month of January, all of which are designed specifically for adults.To kick things off, the APEC will sponsor a virtual workshop on fe…

Ever wonder what happens when you flip on a light switch? Or which microorganisms live on common household items? Or how a deaf person can experience music?These questions, and many others, are answered at three new exhibitions at the New Yor…

It takes a true theatrical Renaissance man to be able to perform duties as varied as leading actor, director, producer, script adaptor, scenic designer and lighting designer. And when one person assumes these many different roles in a single …

From Disney hit to routine romcom, from nonfiction to nonstop action, the Queens Public Library is taking its seat along with theaters, TV and streaming services when it comes to movies over the holidays.Today, Dec. 22, the QPL is showing “Th…

If you’ve made a list, checked it twice, and realized that you’re still missing some gifts as Christmas is fast-approaching, here are some useful, trendy and classic ideas sure to bring smiles that can be here in time for the festivities, all…

We all have that one person on our gift-giving lists who is impossible to buy for, or claims they “don’t want anything.” In my family, the solution to that has always been simple: Get them a book. But with the clock ticking on the holidays, p…

Enter a world of magic, music and countless dazzling lights like you have never seen before. Grab a steaming cup of hot chocolate or a festive specialty cocktail, take advantage of all the photo opportunities, and sit back and take in the sig…