#WeeklyColumn | March 3 – March 7
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Get ready for The Chieftans, the Panorama Challenge, an all-inclusive St. Pat’s Parade, and a film festival on people with disabilities. Prepare for African music, the divine female, sand art, and black coffee. Then there’s potpourri.
March 3+4, Black Coffee, 8 pm. The Parkside Players, a local theater troupe, presents this Agatha Christie mystery. A scientist has a formula that could change the world, and someone is willing to kill to get it. Is it a family member, a staffer, or a stranger currently visiting his house? $17/$15 for seniors. Grace Lutheran Church, 103-15 Union Turnpike, Forest Hills.
March 4, The Chieftains, 8 pm. These six-time Grammy winners have reinvented Irish music, blending tradition with modernity. Paddy Moloney shares the stage. $39-$69. Colden Auditorium at Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing.
March 4, Tenth Annual Panorama Challenge, 6 pm. Teams answer questions about NYC and locate the answers on the Panorama, the world’s largest three-dimensional model of the Big Apple. Categories include Seinfeld, Snow in the City, Traveling by Subway, and Forts. $15 online/$20 at the door. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 4, Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars, 2:15 pm. This group, which formed in a refugee camp during the country’s civil war about 15 years ago, introduces the music of Sierra Leone with an overview of the genres, a demonstration of each style, and a broader discussion of African rhythms. Interactive arts workshop at 1 pm. $13/$8 for children. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
March 4, Spirits of Another Sort, 2 pm and 8 pm (and March 5, 3 pm). This one-hour adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream examines war, chaos, and otherness. It stars an integrated cast of able-bodied, physically disabled, and intellectually disabled actors. Free with a $10 suggested donation. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
March 4, Opening Reception for The Divine Female, 6 pm. Artists Eduardo Anievas and Yelena Tylkina present “An expression of appreciation and love for all women.” Reception includes free tapas and traditional Russian food. Exhibit runs until March 19. Free. The Local Gallery, 13-02 44th Ave., LIC.
March 4, Temporary Walls, 3 pm. Working at the intersection of sculpture, drawing, and dance, Lauren Bakst and Yuri Masnyj present Temporary Walls, an installation and performance piece made for the venue’s basement. SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., LIC.
March 4, Scented Sachets, 1 pm. Learn about how early Americans used flowers and herbs to create sweet fragrances. Make potpourri to go. Free. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
March 4, EAF16 Closing Celebration, 2 pm. The annual exhibition closes on March 12, and this event honors the artists with site-specific choreography, kite-flying, and creativity. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
March 5, ReelAbilities Film Festival, March 6. The kickoff of a citywide festival screens award-winning movies by – and about – people with disabilities, plus discussions and author talks. Swim Team (March 5, 10 am) is about New Jersey parents who found a swim team for children on the autism spectrum. Then, catch an afternoon of shorts on autism, Parkinson’s Disease, and personal and family relationships on March 5 at 1 pm. My Hero Brother (March 6, 12:30 pm) follows a group of young adults with Down syndrome who trek through the Himalayas with their siblings. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills.
March 5, St. Pat’s For All Parade, 1 pm. TV icon Phil Donahue and human rights advocate Anastasia Somoza are the grand marshals of this 18th annual, LGBTQ-friendly parade. Step off is at 2 pm at Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street in Sunnyside. Route goes east on Skillman Avenue to Woodside.
March 5, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, 1 pm. A dynamic showcase of Taiwanese dancing and choreography followed by a panel discussion. $16/$10 for seniors/Free for teenagers. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
March 5, Sand Drawing Open Studio, 11 am. Stage artist Kimi Maeda teaches how to draw images in sand. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC.
March 7, Project Luz: Photography Workshop (in Spanish), 10 am. Artist Sol Aramendi, founder of Project Luz, teaches introductory photo techniques and reflections. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC.
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Top photo: Flushing Town Hall;
bottom photo: Socrates Sculpture Park