City Week: March 5– March 11

Friday, March 5 Dynamic Duo's Gina Gibney and David Parker come together for an evening of dances inaugurating Symphony Space"s â??Short Form Weave Series. The two choreographers collaborate on a similar theme with the same composers, but they juxtapose radically different kinetic and aesthetic worlds. Both choreographers worked with Ryan Lott, who was recently named NPR"s best new artist of 2008. Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, 212-864-5400; 8 p.m., $15 to $25. Women Builders's The Women"s Learning Partnership and the New School for Social Research present a panel discussion focused on democracy building in the Middle East. Panelists for â??2020 Vision: Mobilizing for Women"s Rights and Eliminating Violence against Women include Melanne Verveer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women"s issues; Mary Robinson, U.N. high commissioner for human rights from 1997 to 2002; Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace laureate in 2003; and Thoraya Obaid, executive director of UNFPA. John Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., 301-654-2774; 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Free. Delusional Emperor's Untitled Theater Company #61 presents the world premiere of Rudolf II, a drama of delusion, science and sexual experimentation in the dark side of a tormented psyche. Rudolf II, the bisexual and bipolar Austro-Hungarian Emperor, is obsessed with alchemy, astronomy, his longtime mistress and his newest lover, a converted Jew. His enthusiasms established Prague as a center of artistic, scientific and sexual investigation. Bohemian National Hall, 321 E. 73rd St., 212-352-3101; 7 p.m., $18. Dead Heads's The exhibit The Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society opens today, offering a unique glimpse into the world of an American musical phenomenon. In their 30 years together, the band altered the way popular music is performed, recorded, heard, marketed and shared. New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, 212-485-9293; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., $7 to $12. Saturday, March 6 People"s History's The Society for Ethical Culture presents a tribute performance of Marx in Soho in honor of radical historian Howard Zinn, who died in January. The performance, written by Zinn, looks to answer the question, â??If Karl Marx could see the world today, what would he say? The event is hosted by Amy Goodman, best-selling author and host of Democracy Now! New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St, 212-874-5210; 7 p.m., Free. E.B. White Classics's The 92nd Street Y presents â??An Afternoon with Roger Angell, who will be reading from Charlotte"s Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, all written by E.B. White, Angell"s stepfather. Angell has been a New Yorker fiction editor since 1956, and his lifetime passion for baseball has led to many essay collections and books. 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center, 1395 Lexington Ave., 212-415-5500; 1 p.m., $10. Debuts's Cantori New York presents a concert of contemporary American music for voices and instruments. The concert features several premieres, including Another Spring by Tom Nazziola, The People, Yes by Simon Sargon and Ma"at Musings by Trevor Weston. Church of the Holy Trinity, 316 E. 88th St., 323-481-3329; 8 p.m., $5 to $25. Sunday, March 7 Think Globally, Act Locally's St. James Episcopal Church hosts the panel discussion â??The Church and Global Reconciliation, to mark the church"s bicentennial. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Rt. Rev. Gordon McMullan and Rt. Rev. Hays H. Rockwell discuss ways a local congregation can be called on to participate in global reconciliation efforts. St. James" Church, 865 Madison Ave., 212-774-4244; 4:30 p.m., Free. Academy Takes Manhattan's NYC & Company and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences present New York City"s official Oscar Night celebration and viewing party for the Academy Awards. Cocktails and hors d"oeuvres are served while the Julliard Jazz Ensemble performs music from Oscar-winning films. Lincoln Center"s Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway, 212-721-6500; 7 p.m., $150 to $225. Fruitful Concert's Apple Hill String Quartet performs a concert with works by Schubert, Ullmann and Schumann. The quartet has gained international praise for its performances of chamber music from the 18th century to modern works by leading composers. The group is also a part of the â??Playing for Peace Project. St. Bartholomew"s Church, 325 Park Ave., 212-378-0222; 3 p.m., $15 to $25. College Drama's Boston University"s College of Fine Arts presents diventare, a play written by Jenny Rachel Weiner and directed by Ellie Heyman. The play"s main character, Linda, escapes to an imaginary underwater kingdom after a devastating loss. When a hurricane approaches, Linda must choose to retreat further or face the storm. It is the college"s official entry in the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The play is part of the college"s third annual InCite Arts Festival in New York, featuring performances, exhibits, film screenings and events through March 11. New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; 3 p.m., $17 to $32. Tuesday, March 9 Trolley Travel's The second installment of a four-part series highlighting the history of Roosevelt Island features the Queensboro Bridge and trolleys of the early 20th century. The program includes excerpts from the documentaries Modern Marvels: New York Bridges, New York"s Last Trolleys and Nostalgic Trolley Tour: Queens Trolleys. The series is co-sponsored by The Roosevelt Island Historical Society and the Roosevelt Island Branch of the New York Public Library. Roosevelt Island Branch of the New York Public Library, 524 Main St., 212-308-6243; 6:30 p.m., Free. Songstress's Clare Burt makes her New York performance debut with her show Now You Know, featuring theater songs by Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Jule Styne and Adam Guettel. Burt is accompanied by a trio of musicians. The show originally debuted at London"s Pizza On The Park last year. Metropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St., 212-206-0440; 7 p.m., $20 plus two-beverage minimum. Literary Lady's The Groiler Club of New York presents the American premiere of My Wife Did a Bit of Scribbling, which dramatizes the literary life of the early 20th-century British novelist and poet Mary Webbwarmly. The performance is part of the current exhibition at the Groiler Club, Mary Webb: Neglected Genius, on display through March 13. The play is free, but reservations are required; email [mbrennan@grolierclub.org](mailto:mbrennan@grolierclub.org). The Groiler Club of New York, 47 E. 60th St., 212-838-6690; 7 p.m., Free. Barber Show's The Ying Quartet, the Eastman School of Music quartet-in-residence, performs Barber"s String Quartet, op. 11, Sebastian Currier"s Next Atlantis and Beethoven"s Quartet in C-Sharp Minor, op. 131. The performance celebrates Robert Owen Lehman"s recent gift to The Morgan Library of composer Samuel Barber"s autographed manuscript of Essay for Strings, and takes place on Barber"s 100th birthday. Lehman hosts a discussion before the concert. The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave., 212-685-0008; 7 p.m., $25 to $35. Wednesday, March 10 Birds on the Brain's Poetry and field guide come together in Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds. The Poetry Society of America and the New York City Audubon Society celebrate the book with Poet Laureate Billy Collins, ornithologist David Allen Sibley and other guests. A book signing follows the presentation. The Kaufmann Theater, American Museum of Natural History, West 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, 212-769-5100; 6:30 p.m., $13.50 to $15. Serial Drama's The Gerald Lynch Theater presents Zombie, a performance looking into the mind of a serial killer, written and performed by Bill Connington, and adapted from the novella by Joyce Carol Oates. The audience gets a glimpse into the private life of Quentin P., a sex offender, serial killer and deceptively mild-mannered monologuist. The show won an award in 2008 as the â??Outstanding Solo Show from the FringeNYC Overall Excellence Awards. Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 10th Ave., 212-279-4200; 7 p.m., $15. Thursday, March 11 Irish Activities's Celebrate St. Patrick"s Day with crafts at the Chess & Checkers House in Central Park. Kids can color pictures, make decorations and engage in other activities. Chess & Checkers House, Central Park at 64th Street, 212-794-4064; 2 p.m., Free. Yorkville"s Past's Learn about the history and life of Yorkville/Kleindeutschland at a lecture and exhibit by Yorkville historian, Kathy Jolowicz. The exhibit, presented by the Yorkville AARP chapter, displays 20 photo panels and encompasses the era of the 1910s through the 1960s and the Slocum Disaster. Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1296 Lexington Ave., 212-249-0125; 12:30 p.m., Free. Mixed-Media's Hypermusic-Ascension premieres in the rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum. The performance, which combines the genre of opera with an experimental monodrama, was created by artist Matthew Ritchie, Spanish composer Hector Parra and Harvard physicist Lisa Randal. The new performance is based on their previous collaboration, Hypermusic Prologue, a Projective Opera in Seven Planes, which premiered at the Centre Pompidou in Paris last year. It is presented in conjunction with the exhibit Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum, on view through April 23. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., 212-423-3587; 6:30 p.m., $10 to $30.