City Week: August 13 - August 19

a selective listing of recommended cultural and community events

compiled by alice robb and reid spagna friday, august 13 mostly mozart-the 2010 mostly mozart festival continues with osmo vanska, called "a conductor of genius" by the new yorker, leading the festival orchestra in a performance of mozart's d-minor piano concerto and symphony no. 40. avery fisher hall, west 65th street and columbus avenue, 212-875-5316; 8 p.m., $35-$90.

theater on the move-one of shakespeare's most well-known works comes to central park, but this time, there's no way to fall asleep in your seats. the cast of much ado about nothing performs at various locations throughout central park, where the end of each scene is accompanied by a complementary change of scenery; audiences must run through the park to watch the plot progress. shakespeare on the run, west 103rd street and central park west, 212-252-4531; 7 p.m., free. saturday, august 14 big apple block party-this year, the city is bringing back its summer streets event for the third year. on the first three saturdays of august, almost 7 miles of streets will be cleared of traffic for the citizens' enjoyment. free offerings include bike and skate rentals, swimming in dumpster pools, crunch workout classes, kids' theater workshops and more. summer streets, park avenue (from foley square to east 72nd street), www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets; 7 a.m. -1 p.m., free.

scenic concert-riverside clay tennis association continues its series of sunset concerts. steve tarshish and his instrumental trio bring jazz, folk, blues and rock to the tennis lawn overlooking the hudson river. the tennis lawn, west 97th street (inside riverside park), 212-978-0277; 7 p.m., free.

more movies-symphony space continues its string of film screenings with its summer blockbusters event. this week's feature is the karate kid, in which mr. miyagi teaches an embattled teen martial arts. symphony space, 2537 broadway, 212-864-5400; 5 p.m., $5. sunday, august 15 stomp the yard-street dancing makes a splash at lincoln center with centrifugal force: hip-hop generations. featuring 75 first and second generation dancers, the show mixes hip-hop and urban dance as it moves through the lincoln center complex. the event ends at the steps of alice tully hall, where audience members will be encouraged to participate in a freestyle dance-off. josie robertson plaza, lincoln center, 10 lincoln center plaza, 212-875-5456; 5 p.m., free.

new plays-summer shorts 4, the fourth annual festival of new american one-act plays, continues with works by christopher stetson boal, wendy kesselman, alan zweibel and neil koenigsberg. 59e59 theaters, 59 e. 59th st., 212-279-4200; 3:15 p.m., $18. monday, august 16 celluloid superheroes-rcn movie nights' screenings of superhero-themed movies continues with spy kids. the children of secret-agent parents must save them from danger. free popcorn is served. seating is limited, but lawn chairs are welcome. the waterside plaza, between east 25th and 29th streets along the east river, 212-340-4208; at dusk (8:30 p.m.), free.

yiddish theater-the dybbuk, written and directed by julia pascal, is presented as part of theater for the new city's first dream up festival of new plays. judith, a british atheist jew, is haunted by thoughts of her family lost in the holocaust. this leads her to a dream world haunted by ghosts, or dybbuks. johnson theater, theater for the new city, 155 1st ave., 212-254-1109; 7 p.m., $12-$15.

afro-cuban tunes-acclaimed band los soneros de oriente, which specializes in afro-cuban music, gives a free concert on pier 1 overlooking the hudson. pier 1, riverside park and west 70th street, 866-560-7669; 7 p.m., free.

golf lessons-make the big apple's public parks your fairway with cityparks golf, presented by rené lacoste foundation. the partnership is offering free golf lessons for the city's youth, looking to both build their skills and confidence. east river park, e. 6th st. (on the fdr drive), 718-760-6999, www.cityparksfoundation.org; free. tuesday, august 17 exhibiting a museum-new york city's historic frick collection pays homage to its origins in its featured exhibition. from mansion to museum: the frick collection celebrates seventy-five years describes how art connoisseur henry clay frick (1849-1919) opted to turn his home into a museum for his art collection after his wife's death. the exhibit feature the elevation drawings of john russell pope, the architect tasked with expanding the house into a museum. the frick collection, 1 e. 70th st., 212-288-0700; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., $18. wednesday, august 18 book reading-mona simpson will be reading and discussing her latest novel. my hollywood takes the untrodden route to describing our nation's entertainment capital; instead of focusing on the fame and riches, simpson tells a story of the domestic workers who keep households intact behind the scenes. bryant park reading room, 212-768-4242; 12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m., free.

rafael ferrer-born in puerto rico, ferrer has become a successful artist with many mediums, including painting, drawing and sculpture. as part of el museo's focos series (displaying the work of mature yet under-the-radar artists), the exhibit presents the best of ferrer's working during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. el museo del barrio, 1230 5th avenue, 212-831-7272; 11 a.m.-6 p.m., $4-$6 (suggested admission). thursday, august 19 garden of music-this summer, the west side community garden invites you to cool down with some soothing jazz in its attractive park. the latest edition of the 2010 season of music in the garden features geoff burke, a "bebop alto sax master" who is sure to impress. west side community garden, west 89th street (between columbus and amsterdam avenues), www.westsidecommunitygarden.org; 4 p.m., free.

a very hot jazz night-the samurai jazz piano trio will be performing some of history's most famous jazz tunes at st. peter's church. the trio will perform pieces by the beatles, coltrane, gershwin, stevie wonder and others. st. peter's church in chelsea, 346 w. 20th st. (between 8th and 9th avenues), 212-929-2390; 8 p.m., $10 (suggested donation).