Summertime is when we're confronted by all sorts of free things to do in New York City — and while summer is still a few weeks away, free stuff is already happening! WNYC's Culture and Arts Editor, Steve Smith joins Weekend Edition host David Furst for another edition of our Weekend Arts Planner, emphasizing some of the no-charge highlights ahead this week.
1. Photoville in Brooklyn Bridge Park
The 12th annual Photoville Festival celebrates the state of the art in photography, with more than 80 free outdoor exhibits on view in all five boroughs. The two-day opening weekend festivities include family activities, performances, screenings and more — and one exhibition, "NYC Undercover," pairs NYPD surveillance films from the 1960s and '70s with vintage WNYC radio broadcasts to evoke the city in the '60s and '70s. The opening celebration starts on Saturday, June 3, in Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the festival runs through June 18.
2. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in Times Square
* UPDATE: The Bill T. Jones event scheduled for June 7 has been canceled due to air quality concerns.
The celebrated Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company wraps up its 40th anniversary celebrations by making its Times Square debut next Wednesday, June 7, with a performance of "/Time: Study III," a showcase for company members and guest musicians alike. The show is happening at Broadway and 46th Street, and it starts at 6 p.m., so you could opt catch a little bit of dance while making your way to a Broadway show.
3. "Hamlet" at the Delacorte Theater
For its 61st free Shakespeare in the Park season, the Public Theater begins with a new production of "Hamlet" directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Ato Blankson-Wood — nominated for a Tony for his work in “Slave Play” on Broadway, and previously featured in Public Theater musical adaptations of “Twelfth Night” and “As You Like It” — portrays the moody Danish prince of the title. The play's the thing through Aug. 6, after which attention will shift to "The Tempest" in a new Public Works musical adaptation. "Hamlet" is onstage at the Delacorte Theater starting on Thursday, June 8. Free tickets are being distributed in a variety of ways, including an online lottery... or you can simply show up, stand in line and hope for the best.
4. Taj Mahal at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
* UPDATE: the Taj Mahal concert scheduled for June 7 has been canceled due to air quality concerns.
Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., the Harlem-born roots music icon better known as Taj Mahal, opens this year’s BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! concert series. His newest album, "Savoy," includes all kinds of jazz and blues standards, including "Summertime," "Lady Be Good," "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me." He's topping a stacked bill that also features vocalist Corinne Bailey Rae and The Harlem Gospel Travelers. It's the start of a season that covers a LOT of stylistic ground, including an intense double bill of Kelela and Liv.e, a visit from Welsh icon John Cale, a double bill of Pakistani singer Ali Sethi and Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari, and the Prospect Park debut of Malian singer Oumou Sangaré. Taj Mahal performs at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park on Wednesday, June 7: doors at 6 p.m., show at 7, admission free.