N ew Haven celebrates two of the year’s most festive holidays: St. Patrick’s Day [see Ed. Note for Sunday] and… Purim!
Monday, March 9
At 7 p.m., Best Video (1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden; 203-287-9286) screens unreleased indie film Summer in the Shade, “a psychological thriller about the terror experienced by a girl as she transitions from a child to a woman.” Better still, director Alice Millar—as well as local illustrator Gabrielle Muller and composer David Lackner, both of whom worked on the film—“will be on hand for a Q&A.”
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Tuesday, March 10
The Jewish holiday of Purim—which the Talmud calls for celebrating until “you don’t know the difference between ‘blessed is Mordechai’ and ‘cursed is Haman’”—began last night and finishes this evening with a pair of themed parties. From 5 to 8 p.m. at Orchard Street Shul (232 Orchard St, New Haven; $15 adult, $8 child), it’s Purim Under the Sea, where celebrants can enjoy a buffet dinner and bubble show, among other attractions. From 5:30 to 7:30 at Whitneyville Cultural Commons (1253 Whitney Ave, Hamden; $18 adults, $12 children)—presented by Chabad of Hamden—it’s Purim at the Circus, which boasts an on-theme buffet dinner, carnival games, face painting and popcorn and cotton candy.
Wednesday, March 11
From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., an Entrepreneur-in-Residence seminar at Ives Main Library (133 Elm St, New Haven; 203-946-7454) offers advice on “Presenting with Confidence.” As organizers put it, “Learn how to make presentations less frustrating & more enjoyable for yourself & your audience.” Register here.
Thursday, March 12
City Gallery (994 State St, New Haven; 203-782-2489) hosts a 5 p.m. opening reception for Dreamscapes, an exhibition of striking images in which photographer Tom Peterson has captured real-world scenes and then heavily manipulated the colors, offering “an escape from the everyday into the stillness of an imagined other world.”
Friday, March 13
At 6 p.m., community bookspace People Get Ready (119 Whalley Ave, New Haven) hosts acclaimed poet Reginald Dwayne Betts. He’ll be reading from his collection Felon (2019)—which “tells the story of the effects of incarceration in fierce, dazzling poems” and “canvass[es] a wide range of emotions and experiences through homelessness, underemployment, love, drug abuse, domestic violence, fatherhood, and grace,” according to the publisher—and signing copies of his work.
Firehouse 12 (45 Crown St, New Haven) counts off its spring jazz series with 8:30 and 10 p.m. sets by Sun of Goldfinger, a highly experimental trio that swings between quiet and cacophony. Tickets cost $20 for the first set or $15 for the second, with a $5 discount available for students.
Saturday, March 14
At 7 p.m., author Candacy Taylor comes to RJ Julia (768 Boston Post Rd, Madison; 203-245-3959) to discuss Overground Railroad, her new book about the Green Book. Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was a “black travel guide” in Jim Crow’s America, listing “hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that were safe for black travelers.” Free to attend.
Purim ended Tuesday—or did it? From 7:30 to 11 p.m., Bregamos Community Theater (491 Blatchley Ave, New Haven) hosts a Purim Schmear costume and dance party. Starting with a ritual/performance hour, klezmer big band Nu Haven Kapelye takes the stage at 8:30, eventually giving way to a DJ. $5-18 suggested donation, with a cash donation bar.
Sunday, March 15
[Ed. Note: The parade has been indefinitely postponed, as per this official statement: “Due to circumstances outside of our control, posed [by] the current COVID-19 health crisis, the parade has been postponed by the city of New Haven under the recommendation of the governor’s office. The parade will be rescheduled.”] Billed as “the largest single-day spectator event in the state of Connecticut,” the 2020 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 1:30 p.m., heading down Chapel Street from Sherman Avenue to Church Street, where it takes a left and then, blocks later, hangs a right onto Grove Street. Bars and restaurants along the parade route will be open early enough to accommodate the downtown swell, and they’ll fill up early too—as will many of the prime streetside viewing spots.
Written by Dan Mims. Photographed by Tom Peterson. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
