2013 New Yorker Festival
The schedule for the 2013 New Yorker Festival is here and as usual, the lineup is rife with literary luminaries such as Jonathan Franzen, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon, Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz, Colm Tóibín and many other NY Festival favorites. IMHO, some of the more interesting shows on the docket this year include: Apollo Robbins talks with Adam Green, Brad Paisley talks with Kelefa Sanneh, Marina Abramovic talks with Judith Thurman, Michael Shannon talks with Burkhard Bilger, First-person Filmmaking with Miranda July, Improv Everywhere with Rachel Dratch, An Evening with Funny or Die hosted by Billy Eichner, High Spirits with Simon Coughlin and Jim McEwan (Master Scotch Distillers), The Fermentation Project with David Chang, and Television and Politics with W. Kamau Bell Armando Iannucci, Michelle King, Robert King and Shonda Rhimes, Christoph Waltz with Susan Orlean, “Buried Alive” with Aziz Ansari, and Foodies Unite in the garden of Roberta’s.
A special presale of tickets will be made available to MasterCard cardholders beginning at 11 A.M. on Thursday, September 12th. Additional tickets will be sold from noon to 4 P.M. on Friday, October 4th, at MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, and throughout the weekend at event doors. (PS In year’s past, the presale and general on sale for New Yorker Festival had crashed whatever ticketing site they were using.)
Full schedule after the jump.
FRIDAY / OCTOBER 4
FICTION NIGHT / ONE-NIGHT STANDS
Edwidge Danticat and Nathan Englander
Moderated by Sasha Weiss.
7 P.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn ($35)
Jonathan Lethem and Gary Shteyngart
Moderated by Cressida Leyshon.
7 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Michael Chabon and Jennifer Egan
Moderated by Deborah Treisman.
7 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Zadie Smith and Colm Tóibín
Moderated by Rebecca Mead.
10 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Junot Díaz and Karen Russell
Moderated by Willing Davidson.
10 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Sam Lipsyte and Thomas McGuane
Moderated by Deborah Treisman.
10 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
SNEAK PREVIEWS
“Buried Alive”
An advance screening of the new Netflix special by Aziz Ansari, followed by a conversation between Ansari and Andy Borowitz.
10 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($40)
PANELS
First-person Filmmaking
Movies as modern art.
With Miranda July, Alex Karpovsky, Kenneth Lonergan, and Terence Nance.
Moderated by Richard Brody.
7 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
CONVERSATIONS WITH MUSIC
Michael Shannon talks with Burkhard Bilger
Call me crazy.
10 P.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn ($40)
(With a performance by Corporal.)
PERSONAL HISTORIES / A NEW YORKER NIGHT WITH THE MOTH
The Moth returns to The New Yorker Festival for our fifth annual evening of stories about life
at the magazine. With Jon Lee Anderson, Matthew Diffee, Dana Goodyear, Hisham Matar,
and Mary Norris.
Hosted by Andy Borowitz.
6 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($50)
SATURDAY / OCTOBER 5
IN CONVERSATION
George Saunders talks with Deborah Treisman
Tall tales.
10 A.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($35)
Jill Abramson talks with Ken Auletta
Fit to print.
10 A.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Bernie Sanders talks with Hendrik Hertzberg
The independent.
1 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Marina Abramovic talks with Judith Thurman
Staying power.
4 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Apollo Robbins talks with Adam Green
Sticky fingers.
4 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Tavi Gevinson talks with Lizzie Widdicombe
Youthquake.
4 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
AN EXCHANGE
Is Technology Good for Culture?
Karl Kraus, media criticism, and the digital age.
With Jonathan Franzen and Clay Shirky.
Moderated by Henry Finder.
4 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($35)
TALKS
Atul Gawande / A Wicked Problem: Why Health Care Still Confounds Us
10 A.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
PANELS
One Year After Sandy
Have we learned anything?
With Heidi Cullen, Piet Dircke, Klaus Jacob, and Jerrold Nadler.
Moderated by Elizabeth Kolbert.
10 A.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Immersion Journalism
Living the story.
With Katherine Boo, Raffi Khatchadourian, George Packer, and Sarah Stillman.
Moderated by David Remnick.
1 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($35)
Spy vs. Spy
The art of espionage.
With Antonio J. Mendez, Jeffrey Moss, Stella Rimington, and Joseph Weisberg.
Moderated by David Grann.
1 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Without a Script
Improv everywhere.
With Rachel Dratch, Christopher Guest, Aubrey Plaza, and Horatio Sanz.
Moderated by Susan Morrison.
1 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
SATURDAY NIGHT
IN CONVERSATION
Jon Lee Anderson and Dexter Filkins talk with Nick Trautwein
War stories.
6:30 P.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn ($40)
Toni Collette talks with Ariel Levy
I contain multitudes.
7 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($40)
Christoph Waltz talks with Susan Orlean
Unchained.
7 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($40)
Ethan Hawke talks with Hilton Als
Toil and trouble.
7 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($40)
Gael García Bernal talks with Jon Lee Anderson
Revolutionary road.
10 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($40)
Michelle Williams talks with David Denby
Screen siren.
10 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($40)
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig talk with Ian Parker
Cinephilia.
10 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($40)
CONVERSATIONS WITH MUSIC
Kim Gordon talks with Alex Halberstadt
Make some noise.
7 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($40)
(With a performance by Body/Head.)
Brad Paisley talks with Kelefa Sanneh
Another country.
7 P.M. Gramercy Theatre – 127 East 23rd Street ($40)
AN EVENING WITH FUNNY OR DIE
Join the team at Funny or Die for an evening of sketches, new comedy videos, and surprises. Hosted by Billy Eichner.
10 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($50)
ABOUT TOWN
High Spirits
Simon Coughlin and Jim McEwan, of the Scottish distillery Bruichladdich, will conduct a tasting of rare whiskies and discuss their craft with Kelefa Sanneh.
10 P.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn ($45)
PANEL AND PERFORMANCE
The New Burlesque
Reinventing the striptease.
With World Famous *BOB*, James Tigger! Ferguson, Murray Hill, and Dirty Martini.
Moderated by Joan Acocella.
10 P.M. Gramercy Theatre – 127 East 23rd Street ($40)
SUNDAY / OCTOBER 6
ABOUT TOWN
Morning at the Frick
Peter Schjeldahl will lead his fifth annual tour of the museum before public hours begin, followed by coffee and conversation.
10 A.M. The Frick Collection – 1 East 70th Street ($100)
Betty Knows Best
Over brunch, Betty Halbreich will talk with Lena Dunham and Judith Thurman about her decades-long career as a personal shopper.
10:30 A.M. BG Restaurant, Bergdorf Goodman – 754 Fifth Avenue ($200)
The Cartoon Caption Game
Join a live version of The New Yorker’s Cartoon Caption Contest, hosted by Robert Mankoff. Matthew Diffee, Carolita Johnson, and Liam Francis Walsh will judge the results.
11 A.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn ($65)
Come Hungry
Calvin Trillin will lead his thirteenth annual walk from Greenwich Village to Chinatown, stopping at his favorite eateries along the way.
11 A.M. Ticket buyers will be contacted concerning the location. ($140)
Beyond the Verrazano
Ian Frazier will lead a bus tour of his Staten Island haunts, culminating with a late lunch at Enoteca Maria.
12 noon. Ticket buyers will be contacted concerning the location. ($150)
Foodies Unite
Dave Arnold, Amanda Cohen, Ariane Daguin, and Sean Rembold will talk with Dana Goodyear about the rise of American food culture over a collaboratively prepared lunch in the garden of Roberta’s.
1 P.M. Roberta’s – 261 Moore Street, Brooklyn ($150)
The Fermentation Project
David Chang will lead a workshop and tasting of fermented foods and talk about his food empire with Larissa MacFarquhar. The event will include a three-course meal and Milk Bar desserts.
1 P.M. Má Pêche – 15 West 56th Street ($175)
An Afternoon with Rookie
Join Tavi Gevinson and the writers and editors of the online magazine Rookie for music, ice cream, and a reader talent show. Ages thirteen and older.
3 P.M. The Bell House – 149 7th Street, Brooklyn (Free tickets online)
IN CONVERSATION
Edith Windsor talks with Ariel Levy
Love and justice.
11 A.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($35)
Paul Simon talks with Paul Muldoon
Verses.
5 P.M. Acura at SIR Stage37 – 508 West 37th Street ($40)
TALKS
Malcolm Gladwell / Tokens, Pariahs, and Pioneers
11 A.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($40)
James Wood / Why?: Fiction and the Biggest Question
11 A.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
Jill Lepore / The Hidden History of Privacy
2 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
PANELS
The God Particle
Hunting the Higgs boson.
With Brian Greene, Joseph Incandela, Lawrence M. Krauss, and Lisa Randall.
Moderated by Michael Specter.
2 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
Television and Politics
The soapbox.
With W. Kamau Bell, Armando Iannucci, Michelle King, Robert King, and Shonda Rhimes. Moderated by Emily Nussbaum.
5 P.M. Florence Gould Hall – 55 East 59th Street ($35)
SNEAK PREVIEWS
“Philomena”
The U.S. première of the new film drama, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. Afterward, the director, Stephen Frears, will talk with David Denby.
5 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 1 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
“The Phantom Tollbooth: Beyond Expectations”
The world première of a new documentary about the classic children’s novel. After the film, Adam Gopnik will talk with the book’s author, Norton Juster, and illustrator, Jules Feiffer.
5 P.M. MasterCard Stage at SVA Theatre 2 – 333 West 23rd Street ($35)
BOOK SIGNINGS
McNALLY JACKSON BOOKS 52 Prince Street
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5
12 noon Edwidge Danticat – Colm Tóibín
1 P.M. Karen Russell – Gary Shteyngart
2 P.M. Jonathan Franzen – Jonathan Lethem
3 P.M. Katherine Boo – Susan Orlean
4 P.M. Junot Díaz
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
12 noon Jules Feiffer – Norton Juster
1 P.M. Sam Lipsyte – George Saunders
2 P.M. Paul Muldoon – Zadie Smith
3 P.M. George Packer