Virtual & In-Person Events in CT (Aug.21st – 30th)

With shifting schedules, scenarios and news rotations, it seems a bit tougher than ever to make some quality plans for a little “me time”. We’ve got you covered with some of our favorite upcoming events both online and in-person across Connecticut!

Friday, August 21st – 6:30pm – TGIF Cruises @ The Maritime Aquarium, Norwalk CT

Enjoy a relaxing happy-hour cruise out along the Norwalk Islands. Maritime Aquarium educators will be onboard to point out sights and answer questions about Long Island Sound’s marine life but there’s no formal program. These evening cruises are timed for the bonus opportunity to watch as twilight paints the western sky and reflects colorfully off the water. Get back in time to enjoy an evening out with friends just steps away in the restaurants and nightspots of South Norwalk. Advance reservations and masks required.Tickets: $31.50  For all the particulars, call (203) 852-0700 or visit here. 

Saturday, August 22nd – Take Your Own Personal Retreat – Easton Mountain, Greenwich, NY

Now’s the time to plan your stay. Easton Mountain is a community, retreat center and sanctuary created by gay men as a gift to the world. It offers opportunities to create your own personal retreat. Spend quiet time in our garden, find a spot in nature to write in your journal, go hiking on our peaceful trails, relax in our pool and hot tub, wake up and enjoy coffee on the porch overlooking the mountain. Our beautiful land is home to a community who will welcome you and help you get back in touch with yourself! We want to create a space for you to leave the madness of the world behind and safely relax, so we have implemented protocols and procedures to create a safer and healthier environment. For more information visit https://www.eastonmountain.org/personalretreats or call (518) 692-8023.

Saturday, August 22nd – Gallery on the Green 60th Anniversary Exhibition – Canton, CT

The Gallery on the Green is very please to reopen with a combined 60th Anniversary Exhibition and Pop-Up Show. Come see newly created fine art works from the more than 100 members of our artist guild. Two large galleries host the exhibition, and Richard Allan Cohen’s solo show, Climate Falls, can be seen in  in a third gallery. The shows combine to provide a stunning array of paintings, drawings, graphic arts, sculpture, ceramics, fiber/beadwork and photography.  As a Pop-Up show, items can be taken at the time of purchase. The images in his solo show, according to Cohen, “are part of my effort to reinterpret the reality I find when I discover a place of natural beauty. I think of making them as opening a door to a separate, improved world. Fri-Sun, 1-5pm. Through Aug. 30^th. Admission is free. For more information: (860) 693-4102  or click here.

Sunday, August 23rd – 2pm – Verdi’s Rigoletto, The Met Opera Encore Performance in HD @ Ridgefield Playhouse 

Michael Mayer’s acclaimed production, first seen in the 2012–13 season, sets the action of Verdi’s masterpiece in 1960 Las Vegas—a neon-lit world ruled by money and ruthless, powerful men. Piotr Beczała is the Duke, a popular entertainer and casino owner who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Željko Lučić sings Rigoletto, his sidekick and comedian, and Diana Damrau is Rigoletto’s innocent daughter, Gilda. When she is seduced by the Duke, Rigoletto sets out on a tragic course of murderous revenge. Štefan Kocán is the assassin Sparafucile and Michele Mariotti conducts. Run time 2 hours, 31 minutes  Tickets $15-25  For more information visit here or call (203) 438-5795.

Sunday, August 23rd – 2pm Virtual Event – Live Like A Queen: A Look At Britain’s Queer Stately Homes 

Discover Britain’s queer stately homes via this virtual tour with speakers: Nick Collinson and Dan Vo. Think Downton Abbey. Be there or be square! Click here to book. 

Monday, August 2th through Sept.30th – Art Collective in Stamford Downtown – 5 Landmark Square

Each year Stamford Downtown hosts a distinguished outdoor sculpture exhibit designed to attract both local and regional audiences. This years exhibit, Art Collective, will include a collection of 34 sculptures on loan from six regional artists including Gilbert Boro, Barry Gunderson, Lorran K. Jacobs, David Millen, Morris Norvin and Emily Teall, whose works will be on display throughout Stamford Downtown this summer. Download the Otocast App for exhibit map, audio tour and artist narratives. Free event. For more information (203) 348-5285 or click here. 

Monday, August 24th – 7-8:15pm – Virtual Men’s Yoga, Breathwork and Guided Meditation Classes With Colby Smith of Shankara Studio

Colby leads weekly virtual & clothing optional Men’s Yoga classes in his private studio in Lambertville, NJ for all levels of men and strongly believes that the physical practice of yoga is just one component and incorporates many styles and modalities into his teaching, including meditation, breathwork, touch practice and partnering. Known to many of us as “Miss Giggles”, Colby brings a warm, lighthearted approach to all of his teaching! Cost: $15 recommended. [Full Details]

Tuesday, August 25th – House on the Hill: The Changing Face of the Bruce Museum, Greenwich, CT

Opening just a few weeks ago, in the Bruce Museum’s Bantle Lecture Gallery, the exhibition House on the Hill: The Changing Face of the Bruce Museum explores how the views of the Bruce Museum have transformed over time. Numerous historical images will show the evolution of the structure from its conversion from mansion to modern museum that explores the intersections of art and science.

The centerpiece of the New Bruce is the William L. Richter Art Wing. Designed by the award-winning New Orleans firm of EskewDumezRipple, the three-story addition will open directly onto Bruce Park and feature a delicate striated façade of cast stone and glass inspired by the surfaces of Connecticut’s quarries and the rock outcrops of Bruce Park. Admission: Free through September 1, with reservations for timed ticketed entry. Tues. Sun. 9:30-5pm. For info, call (203) 413-6735 or click here. 

Wednesday, August 26th, 7pm – Virtual Candlelight Meditation – Copper Beech Institute, West Hartford, CT

This weekly community gathering offers meditation practice, discussion and sharing. Sign up here or call 860.760.9750

Thursday, August 27th, 4pm – Coffee Breaks: Held Thursdays by Westport Country Playhouse on Instagram Live!

This new program, Coffee Breaks, spearheaded by former Newmans Own Foundation Managing Director Fellow Jacob Santos, is designed as an inspirational break from your work, teaching, and caring duties. For about 30 minutes, you’ll be a fly on the wall as two artmakers discuss their craft, what they are passionate about, and what they are doing during this time when theaters remain closed.

Conversations with artists, colleagues and artmakers, hosted by Playhouse artistic staff. This afternoon at 4pm meet Jennean Farmer was most recently seen at the Playhouse in Mlimas Tale (2019). She received her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The New School for Drama in New York City in 2015. Before receiving her MFA, Jennean served eight years in the military and is an Operation Iraqi Freedom War Veteran. She also has a background in Radio/Television Broadcasting having worked professionally as a traffic reporter. This afternoon at 4pm on Instagram!

Friday, August 28th – An Unfinished Revolution: The Women’s Suffrage Centennial, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich, CT

A dynamic exhibition that showcases the role Greenwich women played on the national stage in achieving the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment. Featuring a wide variety of historic objects from museums, libraries, private collections and descendants of suffragists to illustrate the long struggle for the right to vote. Free with regular museum admission. Through September 6 Wed – Sun. Noon-4pm. For more information, (203) 869-6899 or visit here. 

Saturday, August 29th – SUP Yoga @ Black Hall Outfitters, Old Lyme , CT

Through August 31 st . We offer SUP yoga and fitness programs on some of the most pristine waters Connecticut has to offer. SUP yoga is for anyone at any skill or fitness level. Our experienced, certified instructors will bring you along at your own pace for an experience on the water you will never forget. It’s fun, easy, and a great way to either start or end your day. We supply everything you will need to get out and see what everyone is talking about. Whether you’re a regular member or want to try it out for the first time on your own or with friends, we’ll make sure you’re going to want to come back again, and again. Please call for details (860) 434-9680 or visit here. 

Saturday, August 289th @ 8:30pm – New Haven Gag Reflex: A Gay Stand-Up Comedy Show @ Bear’s Smokehouse Barbeque, New Haven, CT

Grab your friends and frenemies for a night with some of the world’s funniest gay stand-up comedians. Whether you are a tiny twink or a big ol’ bear, you’re sure to bust a gut! Everyone is welcome. Check out our incredible lineup: Alex Bowen (Mohegan Sun), Kendall Farrell (‘Comic To Watch’ at the 2019 New York Comedy Festival, Vermont’s Funniest Comedian), Phillip Henry & Katie Arroyo (The Wicked Funny Podcast). Seating is general admission with limited table seating and lawn seating. We recommend bringing blankets and chairs in the event that you are seated on the lawn. If you’d like to reserve a table, contact sky@skycasper.com. Tickets: $25 in advance at SkyCasper.com/events or $30 (cash only) at the door, if there is any availability. Ages 21+ Doors open at 8PM. Performance at 8:30 pm. Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue, 470 James St, New Haven, CT 06513. (203) 350-9060

Sunday, August 30th @ 7pm – Barts Tree Service Comedy Series Featuring Dave Attell @ Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield CT

ABOUT THE ARTIST He’s New York City’s hardest-working comic and he’s bringing a night of laughs to The Playhouse with an outdoor show on the field next to the Playhouse!  Dave Attell earned a cult following with his Comedy Central hit Insomniac with Dave Attell.  He has worked alongside some of the biggest names in comedy including  Adam Sandler (his old friend from their NYU days) in Judd Apatow’s Funny People, he also starred alongside Amy Schumer in her hit films Trainwreck and I Feel Pretty.  Dave can also be seen on HBO’s critically acclaimed series Crashing with Pete Holmes.  His stand up series, Dave Attell’s Comedy Underground and his one hour special Road Work were featured on Comedy Central and Road Work is now streaming on Netflix. His film credits also include Chris Rock’s cult film Pootie Tang and his television credits include some of the best in comedy including: The Simpsons, Difficult People, Bob’s Burgers, Arrested Development, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Inside Amy Schumer, Everybody Loves Raymond, Louie, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and the list goes on.  Fellow comics Patton Oswalt and Bill Burr have hailed him as the greatest off-color comedian alive. He’s a master of the one-liner, and no one is safe from Dave’s comedy! This
event is rain or shine. Tickets: $45 Click here for more info. 

We hope you’re able to enjoy some of these wonderful events both online or in-person! To submit info about upcoming events of your own, please feel free to reach out to paul@ctvoice.com. #LiveOutLoud #OurVoice #ConnecticutVoice