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SummerStage Will Have a New Feel This Season
When the R&B singer Emily King and the soul group Durand Jones & the Indications open the newly minted Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage festival in Central Park in June, they will be kicking off a new era in more ways than one.
First, the physical: SummerStage’s main venue has undergone a $5.5 million renovation, with a new stage, canopy, new LED screens, sound system, lighting and improvements away from the stage for both general audience members (raised bleacher seating) and those in the V.I.P. area (a new balcony).
Good news for musicians: SummerStage has also built new dressing rooms.
“It started with the need to replace the canopy on our stage,” the City Parks Foundation’s executive director, Heather Lubov, said in a phone interview.
“As we thought about it, we really thought the venue needed a refresh over all,” she said.
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Along with these changes comes a change to the way the festival approached booking: SummerStage signed on with the global initiative Keychange, which asks festivals to pledge to a 50-50 gender balance in their programming.
“We always go into a season looking to book a very diverse set of artists,” Lubov said. But, she added, “This is the first year that we’ve hit 50-50.”
The full lineup includes more than 100 performances, most of them free, in 18 parks across the city.
[Check out our Culture Calendar here.]
In addition to King and Durand Jones & the Indications, the main Central Park space will host the R&B singer Corinne Bailey Rae; the New Orleans bounce musician Big Freedia; the jazz musicians Jack DeJohnette and Ravi Coltrane; the indie rock acts Japanese Breakfast and Alvvays; a Latin Grammy Awards-related event and many more, in addition to previously announced benefit shows from George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Kurt Vile, the B-52s and others. Merce Cunningham’s centennial will be recognized, and events will commemorate the 50th anniversaries of the Harlem Cultural Festival and the Stonewall Riots.
A full lineup is available at cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage.
An earlier version of this article, using information from the publicist, misstated the number of parks that will be hosting SummerStage concerts. It is 18 parks, not 16.
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The Flourishing World of Central Park
This verdant tourist destination is a pleasure ground for locals, too.
36 Hours in Central Park: With its endless trails, hidden nooks, museums and nearby night spots, the park is a hub for both thriving activities and where one can find a more tranquil, timeless Manhattan.
Flaco’s Kingdom: Before his demise earlier in February, the Eurasian eagle-owl’s escape from the Central Park Zoo and subsequent life on the loose captured the public’s attention and hearts.
Shakespeare Hits the Road: To many people, Central Park in the summer equals Shakespeare in the Park. But this year, because of renovations at the theater traditionally hosting the productions, the show will step outside the confines of the park.
Regreening in the Park: A construction project next to the North Woods, involves remaking a part of the park that serves as a backyard for nearby blocks in East Harlem, where green spaces are sorely missing.
A Reporter’s Design: Ever wondered who designed one of Central Park? Read about the life of Frederick Law Olmsted, who helped create one of New York’s shining jewels.
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