Less than six months to go before The Village Trip 2024 and we will soon have lots to tell you! For now, just an amuse-bouche to tickle the taste buds.
Lead Belly
We’re thrilled to present the New York City premiere of Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll. Directed by Curt Hahn, the documentary features interviews with Lead Belly’s niece, Tiny Robinson, plus Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Odetta, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Paul McCartney, and Alan Lomax, who recorded Huddie Ledbetter (as he was known then) in Angola Penitentiary. The event will feature Lead Belly’s great nephew Alvin Singh II in conversation.
Laura Nyro
We will also showcase the work of Laura Nyro, described by Bette Midler as “a complete original…. the essence of New York City: passionate, romantic, ethereal, eternal.” Nyro died tragically young, but her music lives on, especially in the work of Diane Garisto, an original member of Nyro’s celebrated Harmony Group, who toured and recorded with her extensively. Stoned Soul Picnic: The Laura Nyro Project, featuring a supergroup of some of New York’s finest musicians, will be presented in the resonant surroundings of the Bitter End.
Shakespeare in the Park at 70
A very special event at Joe’s Pub will sound a birthday fanfare for Shakespeare in the Park at 70, which began life as the New York Shakespeare Festival, a series of workshops and free performances in the Lower East Side. The evening will feature Gail Papp, widow of Joseph Papp, and a key player in the development of the Public Theater, and David Amram, Artist Emeritus of The Village Trip who, from 1956-68, wrote scores for Papp’s nascent festival.
James Baldwin 100
And we will be honoring the centennial of James Baldwin, novelist, poet, playwright, prolific essayist and, of course, brave fighter for civil and gay rights with a program of events that will explore Baldwin and his work. Baldwin was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument. James Baldwin 100 will be a celebration in words and music, and will be part of a series of events exploring the Harlem Renaissance. Get ready to take the A-Train!
Stay tuned for la grande buffet that is The Village Trip 2024. You won’t go hungry!