Events

Writer/performer Ron Ehmke wasn’t born in Buffalo; he moved here in the mid-1980s, when the city was pretty much at the nadir of its post-century slump. (The subway had just finished killing downtown.) It was, in retrospect, a great time for the arts, combining an academic community with cheap living conditions. And as an outsider, Ehmke had a better perspective than many natives to observe the conditions in Buffalo and appreciate its changes over the ensuing decades. He has had his toes (at least) in more pools than Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer: curator of Hallwalls’ performance program, public access TV star, co-founder of the “Ways in Being Gay” festival, “Minister of Communications” for Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records, and editorial duties on enough local publications to keep him in the know.

Ehmke will be reflecting on this history in “Road to Nowhere: A Brief & Personal History of Alternative Space in the 80s & 90s,” a (mostly) new monologue that is sure to be as informative as it will be funny. (No pressure there, Ron, you can do it.) Ehmke’s performance begins at 8pm. Arrive early for cocktails and 1980s music (provided by DJ Paul Szp 7-8pm), and stay late (9:30-11pm) for more of the same.