Third Thursdays in Bliss Plaza

"Third Thursdays in Bliss Plaza" is a new monthly performance series scheduled from June - October in the new public space in the heart of Sunnyside: Bliss Plaza.  Located under the elevated 7 train at Queens Boulevard and 46th Street, Bliss Plaza features tables, chairs, and colorful planters. The Third Thursdays series will provide a public venue for professional musicians and performers in the neighborhood, delighting commuters with free concerts and inaugurating the plaza as a new venue for culture and performance, while also highlighting the vital role artists play in our community.

"Third Thursdays at Bliss Plaza" will consist of five performances from June to October, scheduled during the third Thursday of each month. By scheduling performances during evening rush hour, we hope to capture a diverse audience that includes working professionals commuting home to the neighborhood, seniors who take advantage of the sitting areas in the plaza, and families looking for activities before dinner.

Working closely with local arts coalition ReCreate Queens to curate the performance calendar and produce the series, with an emphasis on local performing companies, we will introduce residents to the impressive array of professional performing artists that work and live in Sunnyside, building new audiences for their companies and for the arts at large.

ReCreate Queens recently announced their call for performing artists and begin curating this new performance series.  The deadline for applications is March 27, 2015.  Each proposal will be reviewed by the ReCreate Queens Board of Directors and we expect to have the performances finalized by April.  In April, we will design marketing materials for distribution in May and June.  Our first performance will take place in June, and each month we will promote the upcoming performance through printed posters and flyers, social media and through the cooperation of other neighborhood groups.

Bliss Plaza serves as a welcoming entrance to the neighborhood for the thousands of people who exit the train at 46th Street/Bliss Street station each day.  We are excited about the new plaza's potential, and want to maximize use of this space through interesting public programming.  Free outdoor performances on the plaza, with its theatrical acoustics, will create some of the few occasions for our neighborhood's diverse residents, visitors and local businesses to enjoy the the arts together. Creating dynamic public places in our neighborhood directly benefits local businesses by generating foot traffic and activity in the neighborhood, and makes the neighborhood a more exciting place to live, shop, and visit.