Day: October 23, 2024

THE CITY’S MUNICIPAL RETIREES UNION HAS RECEIVED A BOOST from City Councilmember Christopher Marte in its ongoing fight.

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THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY IS NOT AS FINANCIALLY STABLE as it was last year, and significant budget gaps remain.

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The leading cast boasts five Brooklynites, including Troupe President David Pasteelnick and Rachel Naugle, who plays Ella.

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Preservationists have answered the prayers of three Brooklyn churches, blessing them with a combined $90,000 in grants to carry out necessary repairs at the aging houses of worship.

St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sunset Park, Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church in Ditmas Park and Holy Family-St.Thomas Aquinas in Park Slope were among the 15 historic religious properties throughout New York State awarded a Scared Site Grant by the New York Landmarks Conservancy Committee last week.

The leader of the New York Landmarks Conservancy announced the recipients of the Sacred Sites Program on Oct. 18. The program provides congregations with matching grants for planning and implementing exterior restoration projects.

“Our grants support the preservation of these landmark buildings, which are important anchors for their members and their communities,” said Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy. “These 15 congregations reach almost 140,000 people in their areas with programs that address food insecurity, addiction, and social isolation, and serve as venues for important arts and cultural activities.”

Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church, a neo-Georgian building in Ditmas Park, was awarded $45,000 to repair masonry and roof flashing. The conservancy called the building, located on East 19th Street and Dorchester Road, “the finest Colonial Revival style church in New York City.”

In Sunset Park, St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, built in 1905, will use its $30,000 grant for roof, parapet, and gutter repairs. The Romanesque Revival-style church on 42nd Street and Fourth Avenue, designed by architect Raymond F. Almirall, was briefly the second tallest building in Brooklyn, after the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower.

Meanwhile, Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas in Park Slope, built in 1885 and designed by J. William Schickel, received $15,000 for masonry, window restoration, and gutter repairs to the house of worship on Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue.

Founded in 1973, the Landmarks Conservancy has provided more than $14.2 million to more than 850 religious institutions statewide since starting the Sacred Sites Program in 1986. This year, it awarded $321,000 to 15 religious properties through its Sacred Sites program.

As a kid living in the country, I often wondered where the birds went during a prolonged downpour. Much later, especially after spending a lot of time in Florida, where there are destructive hurricanes, I wondered not only where they went but also how such a small, lightweight creature so exposed to the elements survived […]

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Ridgewood-based writer and comedian Aviva Pearl Creation is bringing her work to the stage with the debut of “Clay Mommy” at the Jonah Bokaer Foundation for the Arts in Brooklyn. The play will run from Nov. 8 to 10 at 304 Boerum St. #23.

“Clay Mommy” explores the complex relationship between a trans woman who leaves sex work and New York City to reconnect with her estranged Orthodox Jewish mother. Upon returning home, the protagonist decides to become a mother figure to a family friend who is beginning her transition. Using Kabbalah—magic from Jewish folklore—the protagonist brings a sculpture of her grandmother to life to receive guidance on how to be a mother.

The play features an all-trans-femme cast, including Pearl Creation, Jael Scott Clay Baker-Lerner, and Jackson Taitano. Puppets designed by local NYC drag king Sweaty Eddie portray male characters.

Pearl Creation, who drew from her own experiences for the play, said, “I’m Jewish. I grew up in a kind of religious background, and my parents are great. I know a lot of people from religious Jewish communities who have had estrangement with their parents, so I was thinking about that.”

The story of the Golem, a creature from Jewish folklore created to protect the Jewish community, also influenced the play’s narrative. Pearl Creation said, “I always thought that was a really cool story, and I thought it was very trans, like, of this creation of a creature that’s monstrous.”

At 23, Pearl Creation hopes to one day become a mother and feels the themes of motherhood in the play reflect her desire to nurture younger trans women. “I’ve known some younger trans women, and I’m like, oh, I want to take them under my wing. That’s very common in the trans community to mother somebody younger,” she said. “I also have a younger sister who’s trans…we’re very close, and I feel very protective of her.”

Pearl Creation explained that the strained relationship between the protagonist and her mother sheds light on the challenges many trans people face when coming out to their families. “I feel like that’s a very common experience with trans people. I think even, like, with myself, when I first came out, I had some issues. I would say nothing super major, but it’s hard,” she said.

A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in dramatic writing, Pearl Creation has written numerous plays, films, and TV scripts. “Clay Mommy” is the first play she has produced entirely on her own.

She hopes the play will resonate with a wide audience, especially with mothers of all kinds. “I would especially want people who are moms themselves to see it, in whatever capacity, in a chosen way or in a literal way,” she said.

Pearl Creation also hopes younger trans people will attend the play and relate to its themes. “It can be hard when you’re young and a trans person, and you’re trying to figure things out. A lot of the connections you had before are untenable, and you’re in these…scary situations a lot of the time,” she said. “I feel like that’s what the characters in the play are experiencing.”

“Clay Mommy” will run from Nov. 8 to 10 at the Jonah Bokaer Foundation for the Arts, 304 Boreum St., Brooklyn. Tickets are available here