Dead Ladies Show NYC #32

Join us on Thursday, January 16, 7–9pm at the Red Room at KGB Bar (85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003, Third Floor).

Our 32nd show in NYC will feature an infamous English muse, an American (not Canadian!) spy, and a Senegalese women's rights activist.

Your presenters include a very local history buff and two (2) humorists of pen and stage. All held together by Sheila and Molly, per usual!

New here? The DEAD LADIES SHOW, which began in Berlin, is a captivating series of presentations celebrating women who accomplished extraordinary feats against all odds. Every other month (or so), the show features three (or so) enthusiastic champions of often-overlooked women, inviting its loyal audience into a lively and spirited gathering that honors these remarkable icons, their tumultuous lives, and their enduring legacies.

Any other questions? (Ex: Can I bring snacks? How do I get in on this sweet sweet presenter action?) See FAQs below!

Yours truly,

Molly and Sheila

P.S. We are charging a cover to defray costs of the event—if this presents any issue, please contact us and we can absolutely work something out. Tickets purchased online are $10 plus fees; tickets at the door will be $15.

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Your Ladies:

EFFIE GRAY (1828-1897) was the woman at the center of the most shocking love triangle of the Victorian era. Caught between John Ruskin – the art critic who championed the Pre-Raphaelite painters – and John Everett Millais – Ruskin’s protégé and one of the leading pre-Raphaelites, her bold challenge to Victorian sexual hypocrisies led Queen Victoria to ban her from court. Nearly two centuries later, those hypocrisies have lost much of their institutional power – but her story nevertheless resonates powerfully for women as they navigate their complex, often contradictory desires to be muse, mother, and master of their own fate.

VIRGINIA HALL (1906–1982), a.k.a., “The Limping Lady” of Baltimore who f*cked with Nazis, was one of the most daring and effective spies of World War II. Undeterred by losing a leg at age 27, she joined the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and later the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), infiltrating Nazi-occupied France, organizing resistance networks, and orchestrating sabotage missions. Hall evaded capture despite being relentlessly pursued by the Gestapo, who called her that “Canadian b*tch.” (She was neither Canadian, nor a b*tch. Stupid Nazis.)

MARIAMA BÂ (1929–1981) was an influential Senegalese author and women's rights activist in Senegal. Born and raised in a Muslim family, her novels critiqued inequalities between men and women, religious beliefs, and polygamy. She won the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa for her first book “Une Si Longue Lettre” (“So Long a Letter”), and gave a speech at the 1980 Frankfurt Book Fair. She died a year later of cancer, right before the publication of her second novel “Un Chant écarlate” (“Scarlet Song”). A school was named after her in Dakar.

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Your Presenters:

NANCY RITTER lives in the East Village and needs more neighborhood friends, so come say hi after the show!

JULIE KLING is a humor, health, and parenting writer based in (a very boring suburb of) New York City. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and on-stage at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Sign up for her free and sporadic newsletter Mom Rage(r): Turning Your Mom Rage Into Raging Fun @

STEVEN MOITY works for The New York Times as a News assistant in New York City. Born and raised in France, he moved to New York 12 years ago. In his spare time, he can be seen performing improv sketches across various comedy clubs.

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FAQ:

Q: I have arrived at the KGB Bar, but I cannot find you! Halp!?

A: Once you’ve gone up the outside stairs of the building, enter and climb two (2) flights of stairs! RED ROOM!

Q: I get so hungry...

A: Me too. There's no food served at KGB, but you're welcome to bring outside food to eat there! Mmm snacks.

Q: Can I bring friends? What if they are not ladies? What if I am not a lady, can I still attend?

A: Yes, feel free to bring friends—they do not need to be ladies! You yourself do not need to be a lady! We welcome one and all.

Q: Will the NYC show be bilingual like the Berlin show? In other words, do I need to speak German?

A: Nope! The NYC show is only in English.

Q: I have a great idea for a Lady but (a) I have never presented anything in public / (b) I am not myself a lady and I fear this puts me out of the running / (c) I know someone else who would be even better at it. What do I do?

A: We would love for you to be involved! And you don’t have to be a lady yourself to present. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/hwmg7rdYrD8Thz529

Q: I can't make this round and am devastated. DEVASTATED I SAY. How can I show my undying support of the Dead Ladies Show from the comfort of my own home?

A: Fear not, you can always catch up via the ~podcast~ produced in Berlin by the illustrious Susan Stone: deadladiesshow.com/podcast.

Stay abreast of future shows here (~2 posts per month):

The Dead Ladies Show NYC is presented by MEOK LLC.

Host or Publisher Dead Ladies Show NYC