All Of It – "What Are You Doing This Weekend?"
Date: July 19, 2024
Host: Koosha Navadar (filling in for Alison Stewart)
Theme: A Weekly Weekend Roundup of NYC Culture, Events, and Listener Recommendations
Overview
This episode of "All Of It" focuses on sharing and curating the weekend plans, recommendations, and cultural happenings around New York City, inviting listeners to call or text in with their own tips. The host, Koosha Navadar, facilitates a lively, community-driven segment highlighting art exhibitions, local sports, theater, music, and family activities happening in and around the city. Listeners and community leaders provide firsthand suggestions and insights, making the show a vibrant resource for experiencing NYC's diverse culture.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Sugar Hill Children's Museum: Storytelling & Art (02:26 – 05:41)
Guest: Chris Joya (Operations and Program Manager, Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling)
- Highlight: The museum is showcasing "Conduit," an immersive art and storytelling installation focusing on motherhood.
- Developed in collaboration with the World Mother Storytelling Project, initiated by oral historian Murray Nosso.
- Features 30 portraits by artist Doug Safranik, paired with recorded stories from Harlem mothers.
- The installation encourages intergenerational engagement, inviting families to add their own stories and artwork on-site.
- Includes a workshop this weekend centering on storytelling, listening, and collaborative art creation.
Quote:
"It's really a beautiful testament to motherhood. It's the voices of our neighbors illuminating all the diverse facets of motherhood and really celebrating that maternal bond that exists across cultures and borders."
— Chris Joya (03:54)
2. Listener Roundup: Things To Do in NYC
a. Gotham Roller Derby in Prospect Park (06:30 – 08:24)
Caller: Lily from Brooklyn (member of Gotham Roller Derby, player for Queens of Pain)
- Announces roller derby games at Prospect Park Saturday night.
- First game: Queens of Pain vs. Manhattan Mayhem (5:30 PM)
- Second game: Bronx Gridlock vs. Brooklyn Bombshells (7:30 PM)
- Explains the sport’s revival and the vibrant community around it.
Quote:
"Roller derby is a full contact sport played on quad roller skates... We are New York City's only roller derby league and you know, we just gotta keep it spicy and... be part of the New York City community."
— Lily (07:00, 07:52)
- For info and tickets: gothamrollerderby.com
b. More Listener Contributions (08:25 – 13:12)
- Text: Excited to see new Broadway hit "Stereophonic," Tony Award winner.
- Listeners encouraged to revisit previous interviews with the show's creatives.
- Text: Seeing the Neo Futurist Collective perform "30 Plays in One Hour": an experimental theater experience (two minutes per play).
- Caller: Rich from Brooklyn (09:45)
- Performing with his band "The Men" at Our Wicked Lady on Sunday, alongside Chilpa Ray and Jonathan Toobin.
c. "Cats Jellicle Ball" – Theater Recommendation (10:25 – 10:49)
- A reimagination of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" through ballroom culture.
- Running at the Perelman Performing Arts Center near One World Trade.
d. Music & Outdoor Events (11:42 – 12:27)
Caller: Gigi from Hopewell, NJ
- Announces "La Casita" at Lincoln Center's Hearst Plaza (Sunday, 4:30 PM), a program featuring diverse artists including Bulgarian women's choir Jasna Voices.
- Part of "Summer for the City" series; open-air, family-friendly cultural celebration.
Quote:
"La Casita is a whole grouping of different artists and it's part of the summer for the city... it's outdoors at Hearst Plaza."
— Gigi (12:09)
e. Family Fun: The Sluice Slime Museum (12:39 – 13:12)
Caller: Sariah, 11 years old, Brooklyn
- Recommends the Sluice Slime Museum in NYC: interactive museum with slime-making activities and free samples.
- Favorite type: butter slime.
Quote:
"They give you tons of activities and I love it."
— Sariah (12:55)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
"We're taking a weekly weekend roundup. We want to use the collective wisdom of New York City to find out some great things to do this weekend."
— Koosha Navadar (05:42) -
On the inclusive spirit of roller derby:
"Just gotta keep it spicy and... be part of the New York City community." — Lily (07:52) -
On Sluice Slime Museum:
"Free slime. They give you tons of activities and I love it." — Sariah (12:52–12:55)
Segment Timestamps
- [02:26] – Sugar Hill Children's Museum: Exhibition and storytelling discussion (Chris Joya)
- [06:30] – Roller Derby games preview (Lily, Gotham Roller Derby)
- [09:45] – Local music performance announcement (Rich, "The Men")
- [10:25] – Broadway & Perelman Performing Arts Center recommendations
- [11:42] – Lincoln Center's La Casita event and Jasna Voices choir (Gigi)
- [12:39] – Sluice Slime Museum for families (Sariah, age 11)
Overall Tone & Community Engagement
The episode is upbeat, highly participatory, and deeply rooted in the diverse urban fabric of New York City. Listeners are the heartbeat of the segment, with recommendations ranging from avant-garde theater to playgrounds for families, reflecting WNYC's mission to curate and companion the city’s culture. Koosha’s inviting and playful style keeps the energy lively, ensuring all listeners—longtime residents, newcomers, or the simply curious—feel welcome and included in the city’s vibrant cultural weekend.
For Your Weekend in NYC...
- Art with a cause: Sugar Hill Children's Museum's "Conduit" exhibition
- Live local roller derby: Gotham Roller Derby at Prospect Park
- Music in Brooklyn: The Men at Our Wicked Lady
- Open-air global choir: Jasna Voices at Lincoln Center's La Casita
- Kids’ delight: Sluice Slime Museum
- Experimental theater: Neo Futurists' "30 Plays in One Hour"
- Drink with a view: Cocktails at the Peninsula Hotel (try something cucumber!)
- Broadway: "Stereophonic" or the ballroom-inspired "Cats Jellicle Ball"
Whatever you choose, NYC's weekend has something for you—just ask your neighbors.