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Happenings August 8

Phone booth
Photo Credit: Thinkstock

#RingYourRep
You probably have a fancy date night or lavish staycation planned if you're staying at the Standard Hotel, but they're also making it easy for guests to get political.

The trendy hotel in the Meatpacking District has installed a phone booth with a direct line to the U.S. Capitol switchboard. The purpose is to make it easy for passersby to get in touch with their congresspersons or senators -- and they even provide a script for voicing your specific concerns. Through the #RingYourRep initiative, guests of the hotel can even dial D.C. straight from their rooms.

"We want to encourage our guests, our staff, and the public to make their voices heard on the issues that matter to them," wrote the Standard in an statement. "Whether that be health care, the environment, immigration, LGBTQ rights, or education, #RingYourRep is a way for us to provide a public and in-room platform to encourage positive, productive activism."

You know you have something to say, so make sure to stop by if you're walking the High Line.

Photo Credit:

Hamlet
Denis Sinyakov/AFP/Getty Images

Shakespeare in the Buff
Warning: This is not your high school English teacher's idea of Shakespeare.

From the folks who brought a nude production of The Tempest with an all-female cast to Central Park last year comes Hamlet...with a twist, of course. Torn Out Theater's new staging will feature an all-male cast who will completely strip down.

"After making headlines with last summer's celebration of the nude female form, Torn Out Theater will turn its eye to the fraught, complex world of male body image," the company said in a description on their website. "Our bold new production of Hamlet will ask tough questions about how the male body is perceived in America today."

The free show will go on (unlike the clothes) August 10, 11, and 12 at 5:30 p.m. and August 13 at 2:00 p.m. at The Music Pagoda in Prospect Park. There are no tickets, and audience members can bring a chair or picnic blanket for seating on the lawn.

Webster Hall
(Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for AOL)

The End of an Era
Webster Hall is closing its doors at the end of the week to undergo renovations before reopening under new ownership. But before it goes, the concert venue is going to need a major send-off party.

On Monday, Webster Hall announced that Queens rapper Action Bronson will be closing out "The End of an Era" show on Thursday, August 10. Tickets for the final show, just $40, are on sale now.

After the concert, Webster Hall will party until dawn with a final edition of the Girls Night's Out party featuring special surprise guests. Grab your $20 tickets and don't leave until you're kicked out.

Webster Hall's final week also includes performances by Michelle Branch on Tuesday and Dreamcrusher on Wednesday. Make sure to stop by and give a proper goodbye to the venue as we know it.

Photo Credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images for AOL

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