Billy McEntee

Boston

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

queer tales + theater @thebrooklynrail + words @washingtonpost, @sfchronicle, @interviewmag, @them + @paffsticks picker + he/him

Articles

Beyond the Black Box to Host a Banker Street Block Party to "Uplift Black Joy and Artistry"

1 week ago | greenpointers.com | Billy McEntee

Block parties are an essential part of New York culture, creating visible and joyous spaces for communities to gather. They unify neighbors and resist, in an era of rapid gentrification, prejudicial noise complaints and the temptation to stay at home, never getting to know those around you. Thank goodness, then, for Beyond the Black Box (BBB), a block party coming to Greenpoint on May 17.
Student Composers Get Immersive Opportunity With Grammy Artists

1 month ago | magazine.holycross.edu | Billy McEntee

When Julianna Stratton ’26 discovered that she had been accepted into a program in which she would learn about and compose music for film with award-winning professionals over spring break, she was excited — and a little daunted. “For all of us, it was a leap into the unknown,” the music and neuroscience double major said.
Local Gallery Faurschou is Closed for Renovations

1 month ago | greenpointers.com | Billy McEntee

Faurschou, the gleaming gallery that boasts ample square footage and well-curated contemporary art at 148 Green Street, is “closed for renovations,” per its website. There is not yet a definitive reopening date, though a representative shared it would be closed about a month longer than usual between exhibitions due to necessary HVAC and air conditioning repairs. Future programming could be announced as soon as April. Most recently, the gallery hosted Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Death Becomes Warren Yang: Meet the Ensemble Performer Slaying the Stunts

1 month ago | theatrely.com | Billy McEntee

Elphaba isn't the only one defying gravity on Broadway. In Death Becomes Her, ensemble member Warren Yang performs crazier splits than a drag queen and tumbles down majestic stairs, in slow motion, in a performance The New York Times called "astonishing." As the musical's leading ladies murder each other — over and over — Yang steps in as the stunt double for aging star Madeline (Megan Hilty), bewigged and blonde, a choice in lockstep with the production's campy style.
How two Broadway musicals embrace immersive designs

2 months ago | newyorktheatreguide.com | Billy McEntee

People might imagine entering a Broadway theatre and seeing a red velvet curtain, audiences on different floors, and a pit where the orchestra plays. That’s not the case at the Circle in the Square Theatre, particularly for Just in Time, the new Jonathan Groff-led musical playing at that venue this spring. “Just in Time is staged very immersively,” scenic designer Derek McLane told New York Theatre Guide.
At Williamsburg Gallery HACO, Kyohei Sakaguchi's New Exhibit is a Family Affair

2 months ago | greenpointers.com | Billy McEntee

Sometimes, artists create work about their family. Other times, the entire family plays a role in making the art. At the gallery HACO in Williamsburg (31 Grand St.), a new exhibition, “The water is straight though,” features not only Japanese artist Kyohei Sakaguchi’s 30 oil paintings and pastel drawings but also embroidery by his wife, Fu, and pastel drawings by his daughter Ao, and his son, Gen.
Elliot Barron ’25 Finds Harmony Between Music and Business

2 months ago | magazine.holycross.edu | Billy McEntee

If you’ve enjoyed live music around Mount St. James, there’s a good chance Elliot Barron ’25 played a part in making it. He’s the president and a quads player in HC Bands, a percussionist in classical ensembles such as the Wind Ensemble and orchestra, and a drummer in student-led jazz combo groups. “The music I play is all about versatility,” Barron said. The same could be said for his academic interests.
“You Go Back in the Closet:” This Short Doc Tells One Heartbreaking Story of Homophobic Care Home Abuse

2 months ago | them.us | Billy McEntee

When documentary filmmaker Julia Alcamo began researching London’s first Pride, in 1972, one name kept popping up in the archives: Ted Brown. He’s known for his charisma, Alcamo was told, and was a core member of the United Kingdom’s Gay Liberation Front, a group of activists who propelled the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Alcamo figured he’d be a winning subject in a documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.K.'s first Pride, but after meeting Brown, her film’s subject shifted.
New Exhibition at PeepShow Space Redux Pays Homage to Mt. Fuji

2 months ago | greenpointers.com | Billy McEntee

Travel can plan a major role in shaping one’s life, and, in William Norton’s case, also their art. Norton is a longtime New Yorker whose upbringing in Japan continues to influence his work. Mount Fuji continues to mesmerize tourists and artists, and Norton gives the mountain stirring life in his various artistic pieces now on display at PeepShow Space Redux, which officially opens with Norton’s solo show “Goddess” on Saturday at 37 North 15th Street, #108.
Rita's Pizza & Provisions Reopens After Temporarily Closing Last Fall

2 months ago | greenpointers.com | Billy McEntee

Pizza fans, rejoice: Rita’s Pizza & Provisions is reopening at 160 Huron Street as of today. The pizzeria took over its space from Archestratus (which moved two doors down) last year, but, in the fall, paused operations less than a month after opening. “Due to unexpected challenges with electrical permitting from the state of New York, the opening of Rita’s has been postponed to early 2025,” a sign outside the window read. But small business means big effort, and Rita’s fate seemed unclear.