Theater for the New City's VILLAGE HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL set for October 31

To delight its community and celebrate the creativity that comes with the season, Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will present its annual Village Halloween Costume Ball October 31.  A large outdoor festivity will be held from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM outside the Theater on East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues (or if it rains, in a big tent), featuring performances and a costume competition for kids. This will be followed by indoor performances from 7:00 PM to 11:00, ballroom dancing to Art Lillard's Heavenly Swing Band and MisterPablo (Latin Dance band), and an aerial dance concert by Constellation Moving Company.  An indoor restaurant (The Witch's Cauldron) opens at 7:00 PM, where guests can eat dinner for $4 with delightful gourmet dishes donated by local restaurants.  Admission is free for the outdoor program and $20 for the indoor festivities. Costumes or formal wear are requested. 

TNC has presented a Village Halloween Costume Ball annually since 1976. Traditionally, the celebration has taken up the entirety of TNC's multi-theater complex at 155 First Avenue (the former First Avenue Retail Market building) and adjoining outdoor spaces. In 2020, due to the Covid shutdown, TNC maintained its Halloween tradition by presenting the entire event virtually. In 2021, with safety paramount, it was mounted entirely outdoors. In 2022 and 2023, TNC made the event hybrid, bringing some of it back inside while presenting an impressive set of offerings outside in the fresh air. The aim was to capture the event's intensity and traditional magic while facilitating Covid safety for both performers and attendees.  Now, TNC is bringing back the original format, complete with indoor dancing, dining and an extended performance schedule.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(as of October 4)

PART 1 - OUTDOOR EVENTS

3:30 - 7:00 PM

ADMISSION FREE

Attractions:

• Variety performances by Bond Street Theater, Joe Bendik,  Peter Dizozza, Yip Harburg Rainbow Troupe, Carol Tendava, Arley Trice, Robert Varkony and others. Emceed by Mary Tierney.
• Children's Costume Contest judged by Crystal Field, Terry Lee King and Emily Pezzella. Winners will receive prizes.
• Giveaway Table with gifts and racks of clothing.
• The Red and Black Masque: an annual Medieval ritual ensemble theater piece which is performed by torchlight with audience participation. (6:45 - 7:00)

At 7:00, the celebration goes inside the four-theater complex for food, fun, and exciting new theater works, culminating with a costume contest at 11:00 PM whose winners will each receive a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne and a year's free pass to TNC.

PART 2 - INDOOR EVENTS

7:00 - 11:00

ADMISSION $20 

CABARET PERFORMANCES (7:00 PM to 11:00 PM)

• A succession of live, 10-minute performances staged in the Community Theater. Performing artists will be, among others, Austin Pendleton, Mimi Block, Peter Dizozza, John Grimaldi, Hollie Harper, Rome Neal, Bryce Payne, Elizabeth Ruf, Bina Sharif, TNC Street Theater Ensemble, Carol Tendava (Belly Dance) and Wise Guise. There will be over 30 playlets including works by Toby Armor, Briana Bartenieff, Joan Kane, New Yidddish Rep and Stefan Morrow, among many others.  At 9:30, there will be a scream contest run by Lissa Moira. Emceed by Melanie Maria Goodreaux and Crystal Field.

BALLROOM DANCING:

• Art Lillard's Heavenly Big Band, a 17 piece swing orchestra performing an extensive repertoire of songs from swing to samba to jazz ballad to Bossa Nova with a swinging singing soloist (8:00 - 9:30)
• Aerial Dance with Constellation Moving Company, performing high over our heads in exciting new challenges to eye and ear (9:30 - 9:45)
• Mr. Pablo's Latin Dance Band, a five-piece fusion band with vocalist, mixing Salsa, Samba and Flamenco with Rock, Reggae and Funk (9:45 - 11:00)

DINING IN THE WITCHES' CAULDRON

• Downtown's most sensational Halloween cafe, featuring a variety of American and international delicacies at peoples' prices ($4 buys you entree and dessert).  Holiday dishes are contributed by neighboring East Village restaurants, some with celebrity chefs. You can gobble couscous from a coffin lid beginning at 7:00 pm while enjoying spine-tingling performances by performance artists, songwriters, poets and variety artists. (7:00 - 11:00)

MONSTERS AND MIRACLES COSTUME PARADE

• The annual costume contest.  All costumed attendees are invited to march past a panel of celebrity judges. Winners will receive one-year passes to TNC and a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne. Attendees will be judged in such categories as "Most Politically Relevant," "Most Gluten Free," "Most Uncompromised," "Most Visionary" and "Most Oxygenated." Judged by Joe Batista, Crystal Field, Phillip Hackett, Lissa Moira, Rome Neal, Emily Pezzella, Barry Primus and Jenne Vath. (11:00 to Midnight)

VAUDEVILLE PERFORMANCES

• Vaudeville in The Womb Room (Basement Cabaret Theater).  Performers include  JC Augustine, Danielle Aziza, Stan Baker, Joe Bendik, Dr. Sue, Larry Litt, Alex Sisk, Claude Solnik, Richard West, Lei Zhou and more. (8:00 - 10:00)

LOBBY EVENTS

• Performances by Cobu (all-women Taiko drum group), Hellsouls, flute-playing goblin Kahley Mitchell, tap dance with Laraine Goodman and The Mad Tappers, Fish Pond (casting for giveaway gifts), Fortune Teller Penny Diora (free readings), Champagne Bar served over a coffin with a live vampire inside.

HALLOWEEN DECOR

• Murals painted by Olga Castillo, Gilma Diaz, Sean Finnerty and many others.

BACKGROUND

Since its beginning in 1976, TNC's Halloween extravaganza has been a point of origin for many of the City's most original entertainers. Six full-length plays have grown out of playlets written for the fest and it is probable that the theatrical movement in Performance Art began there. It has been a launching pad for such formative artists as Paul Zaloom, Alice Farley, Bloolips, The Red Mole, Penny Arcade, Basil Twist and Alien Comic Tom Murrin. Each year, many acts, skits, sketches, and skadoodles go on to become the basis of larger theater works. It is also interesting to note that TNC originated the Village Halloween Parade as part of its annual Halloween Ball. The procession wound its way through the Village from TNC's second home at the corner of Jane and West Streets to Washington Square Park. In its second year, TNC won an Obie for this parade.

Theater for the New City (www.theaterforthenewcity.net) is located at 155 First Avenue, at the corner of East Tenth Street. Reservations are optional. The TNC box office number is (212) 254-1109.

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