Brooklyn Cultural District Tour, Part 1

A walking tour of the rich cultural history of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, from famous artists to the institutions whose influence are felt around the world. With original songs to add to your experience!

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Brooklyn Cultural District Tour, Part 1

Brooklyn, New York 11214, United States

Created By: The American Opera Project

Tour Information

The Brooklyn Cultural District in Fort Greene has come to fruition in the past two decades as vacant lots and empty buildings have been occupied by more and more cultural institutions, making this one of the major arts destinations in the city and the world. Historian Ron Janoff leads this walking tour through two land-marked districts and the original vaudeville cultural district of more than 100 years ago--an important historical dimension. The experience is amplified through a collection of original songs related to the tour provided by Fort Greene's The American Opera Project.

Today, with help from numerous funding sources and with the addition of movie theaters, independent book stores, new restaurants, and new outdoor performance spaces, the Brooklyn Cultural District has emerged as one of the city’s largest and most innovative destinations for a year round creative experience.

Music: "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" (1926) - Player piano version. Composer: James P. Johnson

Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.


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What You'll See on the Tour

In which Matt Gray, General Director of The American Opera Project (AOP), and local historian and tour guide Ron Janoff introduce you to the Brooklyn Cultural District and explain how a former dancer's vision led to the creation of the c... Read more
In which we learn about one of the newest, and oldest, cultural institutions to join the District - The Center for Fiction - and begin to discover a pattern regarding parking lots. Note: Audio recording describes The Center for Fiction from... Read more
In which we learn about The Mark Morris Dance Center, and how the sense of humor of the world renowned choreographer is carved in stone. Note: Audio recording describes The Center for Fiction from Plaza at 300 Ashland. Produced by The Ameri... Read more
In which the Piano District plays its final note and we learn why the government destroys community gardens in order to stop terrorists. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Music: "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" (1926) - Player piano versio... Read more
In which we learn about how Rockwell Place got its name, a story that takes us from the prostitutes of the Navy Yard to the desegregation of the New York City transit system. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and... Read more
In which the now-quiet intersection becomes the noisy and dangerous heart of Brooklyn's entertainment district. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Dep... Read more
In which an 800 seat theater becomes one of the top vaudeville houses in the country and Harry Houdini is locked in a box by a Brooklyn department store. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, ... Read more
Brooklyn contralto Nicole Mitchell sings "He’s a Cousin of Mine" (from Marrying Mary), made famous by Brooklyn-born Broadway actress/vocalist Marie Cahill, who starred in the vaudeville show. Many of the most popular female vocalists of... Read more
In which a German dining hall becomes a cabaret where waiters are arrested, the mob murders people and other rollicking good fun. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds from th... Read more
In which we finally meet a theater that still exists and learn about how Eugene O'Neill's actor dad traumatized him into writing a masterpiece. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public ... Read more
In which a massive theater joins the district, big enough to hold Trigger the Horse and a bowling alley.  Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Departme... Read more
In which the former home of the Strand becomes BRIC House, the home of BRIC Arts Media, an organization founded in 1979 to sponsor contemporary art shows, performances and community media training programs throughout Brooklyn.   Tour guid... Read more
UrbanGlass, a New York City-based nonprofit, is comprised of two primary spaces: the Agnes Varis Arts Center which is open to the public; and our studios which can be seen by appointment. Agnes Varis Art Center, containing the Robert Lehm... Read more
In which a little breaking and entering and a desire to produce a nine hour play leads to the revitalization of The Majestic theater and the creation of a modern arts complex. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project a... Read more
In which not being able to pronounce a neighborhood in Paris leads to a simple name for a cool foreign film and newsreel movie theater. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds fr... Read more
In which a 15-story luxury residential hotel serves the entertainment district only to descend into one of the most derelict hotels in Brooklyn before meeting the same fate as the old theaters nearby. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The ... Read more
In which we meet the world-renowned Theatre for a New Audience at The Polonsky Shakespeare Center, the first freestanding theater for live performance built in New York City since the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center in the 1960s.  Tour... Read more
"Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of 'Greensleeves'!" - Falstaff William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (written c. 1597; first published in 1602) Contralto: Nicole Mitchell Music Director: Mila Henry Record... Read more
In which a newly renovated triangle park allows us to acknowledge many of the incredible artists that have called Fort Greene home. Tour guide: Ron Janoff Produced by The American Opera Project and supported, in part, by public funds from t... Read more

 

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