This Week in New Haven (October 16 - 22)

Traveling voices visit us, before we travel around visiting local ones.

Monday, October 16
Cuban media producer and prize-winning poet Marcel Lueiro Reyes comes to Ives Main Library (133 Elm St, New Haven; 203-946-8835) at 6 p.m., where he’s speaking about “Creating an Alternative US-Cuba Relationship.” Along the way he’s set to “share the reality of the Cuban people, focusing on community-based experiences in the struggle to create a more inclusive and democratic socialism,” and to “discuss the perception of US policies on the island as well as the influence of people from the US on beloved aspects of Cuban life, such as baseball, music and film.”

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Tuesday, October 17
The fourth day of New Haven Jazz Week features Grammy-nominated organist and Connecticut native Brian Charette leading a jam session at Three Sheets (372 Elm St, New Haven). Starting at 7:30 with a half-hour set, the join-if-you-please jam starts a little after 8. Free.

Wednesday, October 18
Harry Belafonte isn’t just an entertainer; he’s an activist. Heavily involved in the civil rights movement, later becoming an ambassador for UNICEF’s Goodwill program and the American Civil Liberties Union, he’s coming to the Shubert Theater (247 College St, New Haven; 203-562-5666) tonight not to sing but to speak. Put together by Christian Community Action, a local “ecumenical social service organization” currently celebrating its 50th birthday, and moderated by Daphne Brooks, an African-American studies and theater professor at Yale, organizers say Belafonte will “provide a vital perspective on some of the most pressing issues of our time,” in addition to “ audiences behind the scenes of his legendary career in both music and film, which has earned him three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award.” $44-79, or $25 for those aged 25 or younger.

Thursday, October 19
Despite being “the most remote, inhospitable and untamed wilderness on the planet,” Antarctica is in serious trouble, facing “a combination of environmental stresses threatens the structure and function of the Antarctic ecosystem and the survival of many species that are uniquely adapted” to it (like the Adélie penguins pictured above). So explains ecologist, professor and artist Ari Friedlaender in his 5:30 p.m. talk at the Peabody Museum (170 Whitney Ave, New Haven; 203-432-8987), titled “Seeing Below the Surface: Combining Science and Art to Expose and Protect Antarctica.” Free.

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Friday, October 20
Starting this evening, Long Wharf Theatre (222 Sargent Dr, New Haven; 203-787-4282) hosts “a weekend of staged new play readings” with its third annual Contemporary American Voices Festival. First up, at 7 p.m., is Christopher Chen’s Passage, a “minimalist contemporary fable the clash of two imagined cultures, creating an ominous meditation on perception, prejudice and power.” Next, happening tomorrow at 7 p.m., is Jonathan Payne’s Poor Edward, a dark tale “of intimacy and survival, and the seductive power of hope.” Finally, at 3 p.m. Sunday, it’s Jen Silverman’s All the Roads Home, in which “three generations of headstrong women must discover the threads of unspoken secrets, shared dreams, and unflinching determination that bind them together.” Tickets cost $10 apiece, with a $25 three-reading bundle available.

Saturday, October 21
Private Studios Weekend, the third and most citywide of City-Wide Open Studios’s four weekends, lasts from noon to six today and tomorrow. Showcasing over 45 local artists at 24 locations—reaching west into West Haven, north into Hamden and east into Fair Haven Heights—most people drive around but some travel by bike on official group tours, which leave from The Devil’s Gear Bike Shop (137 Orange St, New Haven) each day at 12:15 p.m. Special activities include a chalk art festival at Broadway Island (56 Broadway, New Haven) and the Yale University Art Gallery (1111 Chapel St, New Haven), starting today at noon; family-oriented fun at Foote School (50 Loomis Pl, New Haven) both days from 1 to 3 p.m.; Zoe Matthiessen’s “Gallery in the Woods” tour, of a series of original prints hung throughout East Rock Park, today at 3 p.m. (915 Whitney Ave, New Haven); and Mr. Lucky’s Lounge Singer’s Party, happening 6 p.m. today at Pierre Merkl Studio (376 Winthrop Ave, New Haven). About that party, organizers coyly say, “End your day with performance artist Mr. Lucky, after the moon comes out to shine!” Free.

The excellent, super-funky Frank Zappa tribute The Z3 returns to one of its favorite spots, Pacific Standard Tavern (212 Crown St, New Haven), for a show that’s apparently starting at 9:23 p.m. with “funk-folk” opener Goose. Other delightful weirdnesses include the presence of guest musician Ed Mann, a percussionist/noisemaker who played with Zappa himself, and the possible non-presence of ace guitarist Tim Palmieri, whose visage “may or may not be a hologram.” The cover for this one’s unclear, but it’s usually $10 or less.

Sunday, October 22
The First Congregational Church of West Haven (1 Church St, New Haven; 203-933-6291) is throwing a “trunk or treat” event, where adults trick out their cars with fun decorations, park them close together and hand out Halloween candy to kids who’ve dressed for the occasion. As organizers put it, “Visit each car for treats and games, and stay for the refreshments and community! Costumes welcomed and encouraged.” 5 p.m. to 6:30. Free to attend.

Written by Dan Mims. Photo by Jason Auch. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.