Having just moved to L.A. from Brooklyn, there are many things that I miss about my hood, and up at the top of the list is BAM.   Demonstrating the institutions usual prowess as arbiter elegantarium of cultural awesomeness, this season’s Next Wave Festival promises not to disappoint.   So, do me a favor and go check out as many shows as you possibly can, and report back.   Just don’t rub it in too much.   I really wish I had the chance to see (and told you sooner about) last week’s Sunken Red, a solo show about a man interned in a Japanese prison.   Maybe they will remount it!

In New York and free tomorrow night?  Well, get free and go see Woyzeck.   An acrobatic, sometimes underwater, Icelandic drama with a score by Nick Cave and The Dirty Three?!   How could you go wrong?

The Next Wave Festival, and BAM in general, provide access to the world’s coolest and most innovative artists in theater, dance, film, music and art that leave you intellectually and spiritually enlightened without feeling pretentious when you tell all your friends about it.   It may sound like I’m writing copy for them, but I honestly feel that every visit there has been worth it, even if I wasn’t crazy about a particular show.

Check out the rest of BAM’s Next Wave Festival line-up and takepart by joining BAM in supporting Urban Word a non-profit that nurtures the voices of New York City’s youth.