(Tabla Rasa Gallery, 224 48th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220) (Artists’ Reception 4/18 @ 3PM) More than 20 women who have settled upon the fertile ground of the Pioneer Valley (Connecticut River Valley) have created new artworks that will premiere in New York City. This is the first time some of the “Pioneer Women” are exhibiting in New York City. Works by: Terry Rooney, Rosalyn Driscoll, Erika Zekos, Ruth West and many more.... (Free) (718. 833-9100) Event Website

(Cunningham Park, 196-22 Union Turnpike, Queens, NY 11366) So begins the Big Apple Circus 31st season (and coincidently, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.) Play On! is a symphony of astonishment and humor propelled by the best band in the land. Young and old will love the all new show. ($15 - 45) Event Website

(Various Locations) Transportation Alternatives has teamed up with the Department of Transportation to bring you Bike Month NYC, a month of cycling celebration. The DOT announced a dramatic 35% increase in bicycle commuters in 2008. With so many new commuters why not give them a way to celebrate. Join us in celebrating 19 years of biking in New York City, plan your month filled with cycling parties, rides, tours, classes and races. Event Website

(Angelika Film Center & Licoln Plaza Cinemas, 18 W Houston St., New York, NY 10012) (TBD) An exciting documentary that explores the history of A CHORUS LINE. This film highlights the arduous yet inspiring audition process which dedicated actors/actresses experienced in their attempts to become a part of this phenomenal Broadway show. With vintage footage and audio commentary from Tony award winning director and choreographer Michael Bennett, revival cast members take us through Bennett's success with A CHORUS LINE. Before losing his battle against AIDS in 1987, Bennett left behind one of the America's finest Broadway shows. (Price of movie tickets) Event Website

(Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036) (Mo,Th,Fr. & Sa 8pm, Tu 7pm Sa 2pm & Sun 3pm) In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city dreamer - and in LA's most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s. It's Rock of Ages, a hilarious feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake and many many more. Don't miss this awesomely good time where big hair meets big dreams and the result totally wails. ($59.50 - $300) (212-719-4099) Event Website

(Bronx Academy of Arts, 841 Baretto St, 2nd Fl, Bronx, NY 10474) (8 PM) The BOOGIE DOWN DANCE SERIES celebrates the growth of professional dance in the Bronx and takes its title from the borough’s nickname, The Boogie Down. The festival features a luscious mix of home grown Bronx dance and dance from around the city, and presents a diversity of dance in the Bronx. (Free- $20) Event Website

(78th Street Theatre LAB, 236 West 78th St, New York, NY 10036) (8pm) Patty Johnson has just started a new job at Cooney Lumber Company, but little does she know that this career boost will deliver her into a dark forest of lust, madness and murder. Produced by The Five Lesbian Brothers. ($18) Event Website

(Randall's Island Park) KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. ($42 - 250) Event Website

(Atlantic Theatre Company, 330 West 16th St, New York, NY 10011) (8pm) Hiring and firing are antisocial acts. Workplace pressures make for nasty competition. And the work itself can be meaningless and alienating. Accordingly, the three short plays that make up Offices are comedies. Following the success of last season’s Almost an Evening, Oscar winner Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo) returns to the Atlantic stage with the world premiere of three brand new one acts. ($65) Event Website

(Japan Society, 333 East 47th St, New York, NY 10017) KRAZY! will be New York’s first major show dedicated to the Japanese phenomenon of Anime, Manga, and Video Games -- three forms of contemporary visual art that are exercising a huge influence on an entire generation of American youth. The exhibition will be presented in an environment designed by cutting-edge architectural practice Atelier Bow-Wow, featuring life-size blowups of popular figures from the worlds of anime and manga within an intriguing sequence of spaces that evoke Tokyo’s clamorous cityscape. ($10/Free on Fridays 6 - 9pm) Event Website

(New York Botanical Garden, 200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458) In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in New York, the Botanical Garden brings a touch of Holland to the Bronx with a Dutch bulb flower show. Event Website

(The Museum at FIT, 295 7th Ave, New York, NY 10001) Seduction will be the first chronological exploration of the role of sexuality in fashion. The exhibition will feature over seventy looks from the mid-eighteenth century to the present, using objects from the Museum’s permanent collection. Event Website

(Billie Holiday Theater, 1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11216) (8pm) Written and directed by Jackie Alexander, The High Priestess of Dark Alley is about two sisters, one robbed of her sexuality and the other defined by it. Both battle with their domineering mother over the men they love. Event Website

(Studio 54, 254 West 54th St, New York, NY 10019) Roundabout Theatre Company presents a revival of the famous play by Samuel Beckett, starring Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin. Event Website

(The Westside Theater, 407 W. 43rd St., btwn. 9th and 10th, New York, NY 10018) (M,T,W,F,S at 8; W,S at 2; Sundays at 3) Featuring favorite songs from the ‘50s, The Marvelous Wonderettes takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet the Wonderettes – four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match! ($75) Event Website

(Lolita bar, 266 Broome Street, @ Allen Street, New York, NY 10002) (6pm) Opening reception. Lolita bar is excited to present RAW EARTH: Paintings by Maggie Cousins. Ms. Cousins’ paintings express a volcanic and earthen power that challenges us to contemplate how our individual and collective energy links with the Earth’s energy. Raw beauty…raw energy…raw connections…RAW EARTH. (free) (646.272.8879) heidi.russell@earthlink.net Event Website

(New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex, Grand Central Terminal, 42nd Street & Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017) (8 am - 8 pm M-F 10 am - 6 pm Sat. & Sun) The New York Transit Museum and the New York Public Library join forces to present a two-location exhibition about New York City's underground infrastructure initiatives in the 21st Century. Examining the magnitude and historical context of eight massive building projects, the exhibition provides New Yorkers a behind the scenes glimpse at their changing city and how these improvements will affect their lives. Join us for free lectures on The Extension of the 7 Line; The Second Avenue Subway and exploring Ea. (Free) (212 878-0801) roxanne.robertson@nyct.com Event Website

(On the In the Life Website) This summer, the LGBT community will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and the birth of our movement for equality. The Summer of Stonewall campaign kicked-off on May 20th with the first of 40 days of highlights - one for each year since 1969 - from our fight for equality. Each day, they're adding a different year with a corresponding capsule from our movement. Then, starting on June 29, they will detail 40 ways that you can get involved to advance social justice for LGBT people throughout the summer. Event Website

(Kraine Theatre, 85 East 4th St, New York, NY 10003) (8pm) Musical Parody Premieres THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND: THE MUSICAL. After a sold out workshop production at the Sage Theater this past winter, The Kraine Theater presents the World Premiere of THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND: THE MUSICAL. This unauthorized musical parody inspired by the beloved TV sitcom "The Golden Girls," features book by Nick Brennan, lyrics by Luke Jones and music by Jeff Thomson. ($20) Event Website

(The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd St, New York, NY 10028) (All Day) The first major exhibition in New York in 20 years devoted to one of the most important painters of the twentieth-century, Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective will feature 130 works (65 paintings and 65 archival items) that span the entirety of the artist’s full and celebrated career. The landmark exhibition and its accompanying catalogue, which mark the centenary of the artist’s birth in Dublin in 1909, will bring together the most significant works from each period of Bacon’s career. (Donation) Event Website

(American Museum of Natural History, 175 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023) This exhibition will examine one of the most pressing scientific issues of our time -- the massive, human-induced warming of Earth, a phenomenon that could lead to drought, rising sea levels, heavy storms, and other events with potentially dire impacts on the health of society and the natural world. Explore the science, history, and impact of climate change, and find out ways in which individuals, communities and nations can reduce their carbon footprints. Event Website

(Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128) This 50th anniversary exhibition brings together sixty-four projects designed by one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, including privately commissioned residences, civic and government buildings, religious and performance spaces, as well as unrealized urban mega-structures. Presented on the spiral ramps of Wright’s museum through a range of mediums—including more than 200 original Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, many of which are on view to the public for the first time, as well as newly commissioned models and digital animations—Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward illuminates Wright’s pioneering concepts of space and reveals the architect’s continuing relevance to contemporary design. Event Website

(International Center of Photography, 1133 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036) Richard Avedon (1923–2004) revolutionized fashion photography starting in the post-World War II era and redefined the role of the fashion photographer. He shook up the chilly, static formulas of the fashion photograph and by 1950 was the most imitated American editorial photographer. Injecting a forthright, American energy into a business that had been dominated by Europeans, Avedon's stylistic innovations continue to influence photographers around the world. This exhibition will be the most comprehensive exploration to date of Avedon's fashion photography during his long career at Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, The New Yorker, and beyond. Working closely with The Richard Avedon Foundation, ICP curator Carol Squiers and guest curator Vince Aletti will present new scholarship on the evolution and extraordinary, ongoing impact of his work. The exhibition will feature more than 200 works by Richard Avedon, spanning his entire career, and will include vintage prints, contact sheets, magazine layouts, and archival material. Event Website

(Lyceum Theater, 149 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036) Vanities spans the turbulent '60s through the late '80s and explores how important friends are, as one faces life’s defining moments. Event Website

(New York Transit Museum, corner of Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201) (Tu - Fri 10AM to 4 PM; Sat. & Sun 12 noon to 5 PM) Incorporated in 1834, the Long Island Rail Road is the oldest rail road in the United States still operating under its original name. Initially built to be a shortcut to Boston, it has adapted to the ever-changing needs of its customers and survived competition, takeovers, hard times and bankruptcy. Today it is the busiest commuter railroad in the country and is embarking on a massive expansion project known as East Side Access which will bring LIRR trains into Grand Central Terminal. Historic and contemporary photographs, maps and illustrations ($5 adults; $3 children & Seniors (62+) Seniors free on Wednesdays) (718 694-1600) roxanne.robertson@nyct.com Event Website

(P.S.1, 22-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, Queens, NY 11101) The first solo exhibition of the New York-based artist at a New York museum. Working in video, sculpture, sound installation, and photography, Horowitz critically examines the cultures of politics, celebrity, cinema, war, and consumerism. Horowitz repositions news publications like Life and Time, evocative of wholesome American ideals, to draw subversive connections. Other work addresses the inverted politics of celebrity activism, whereby celebrities align themselves with particular issues in order to construct and reclaim their identities. Event Website

(Rooftop of the Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd St at 3rd Ave, Gowanus/Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215) (8pm doors) Rooftop Films 2009 Summer Series, the 13th year of "Underground Movies Outdoors," will run every weekend from May 15 - September 20. Programming for the 2009 Summer Series includes feature-length films and programs of shorts, all new, all independent. Most of the feature films are either New York, US or World Premieres. Most screenings will include a filmmaker Q & A. Films represent a diverse range of documentaries, fiction, drama, comedy animation and more. Nightly: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records at 8:30pm, Film at 9pm. ($9) Event Website

(Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st St, New York, NY 10036) This revival of the classic musical about gamblers, showgirls, and the Salvation Army, stars Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham. Event Website

(Riverside Park South, 72nd St & the Hudson River) (10am - 5pm) Join the Downtown Boathouse for 20-minute instructional paddles, and explore the Hudson River firsthand. Weather permitting. Kayaking will be available Saturdays & Sundays, May 16 – October 11. No registration required. (FREE) (212.408.0219) Event Website

(Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Ave at 75th St, New York, NY 10021) Holzer’s pioneering approach to language as a carrier of content, and her use of nontraditional media and public settings as vehicles for that content, make her one of the most interesting and significant artists working today. Event Website

(Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036) The revival of the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical premiered last summer at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Event Website

(Tyler Rollins Fine Art, 529 West 20th St, New York, NY 10011) Considered to be one of Singapore’s preeminent contemporary artists, Ong has been noted for his large scale, figurative charcoal works on paper since his first solo exhibitions in the 1980s. During the past year, he became fascinated with the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic that recounts the exploits of Rama and his dutiful wife, Sita. Ong has brought his own unique viewpoint to this classic story. Inspired by the Ramayana’s characters and its dramatic themes of love, combat, and heroic adventure, he has created new narratives that are informed by his sensitivity as a gay man to the way gender roles play out in contemporary relationships. Event Website

(Madame Tussauds, 234 West 42nd St btwn 7 & 8th Aves, Times Square, New York, NY 10036) Madame Tussauds is offering a history lesson alongside its wax figurines this month: Beginning on Martin Luther King Day, visitors can participate in a special scavenger hunt, with clues based on African-American icons (like Malcolm X and Rose Parks) whose likenesses are in the wax museum. The clues can be downloaded from the website. ($22.40 - $35) (212-512-9600) Event Website

Tuesdays at 7pm, 3rd St & Prospect Park West; Wednesdays at 6:45pm, 236 West 73rd St; Saturdays at 9:15am, 236 West 73rd St Event Website

(Fighthouse, 122 West 27th St, New York, NY 10001) (5 - 7pm) Metro Wrestling is New York City's gay freestyle wrestling club. Gay, straight, male or female, all are welcome to attend. Event Website

(Chelsea Art Museum, 556 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011) (3 PM) Join us for docent-led tours of our exhibition galleries. Highlighting works from both our permanent collection and our rotating exhibitions, tours are free with museum admission and start from the bookstore. (Free!) (212 255 0719) carolin@chelseaartmuseum.org Event Website

(Big Apple Ranch, 39 West 19th St, New York, NY 10011) (9PM) Founded in 1997, Big Apple Ranch has hosted a weekly country-western dance for the gay and lesbian community virtually every Saturday night for eleven years. Our huge dance floor welcomes people of all dance-abilities, and our friendly people go out of their way to make sure everyone has a good time and keeps coming back. The Ranch’s growing crowds are proof that the fun of partner dancing is contagious Polish up your boots, and come on and see what all these cowgirls and cowboys are talking about!! Event Website

(Chelsea Art Museum, 556 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011) (3.00 p.m.) Docent Tours are held in Chelsea Art Museum every Saturday at 3.00 p.m. (free)