America's oldest performing arts center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM),opened in 1859. BAM has a much-deserved reputation for daring—and spectacular—dance, music, opera, and theatrical productions, and its film programming. The main performance spaces are the sublime 2,100-seat Howard Gilman Opera House, a restored Renaissance Revival palace built in 1908, and the 874-seat Harvey Theater, an updated 1904 theater a block away at 651 Fulton Street. Every fall BAM's multimedia Next Wave Festival fills the house with a global audience. Year-round you can catch other live performances (including the Brooklyn Philharmonic (www.brooklynphilharmonic.org), a movie at the BAM Rose Cinemas, or hit the glam BAMcafé (718/623-4139 reservations), which becomes a cabaret venue on Friday and Saturday nights. For a fare of $7 each way, BAMbus (120 Park Ave., between E. 41st and E. 42nd Sts., 10017. Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 42nd St.) provides round-trip transportation from Manhattan one hour prior to certain live performances. Pickup is in Midtown East, on the west side of Park Avenue; drop-offs are at multiple locations around the city. Call BAM's main number 24 hours ahead to make reservations.
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