Far from the jazz hands and high kicks of Broadway, two stalwart downtown theater festivals open this week with productions that range from Wagner's Ring Cycle to the predictions of Nostradamus.

When a disgruntled cast member of P.S. 122's Octoroon sent out an email trashing and satirizing the very show he was a part of ("I would like to invite you to a train wreck," the missive began), and the Village Voice posted it online, the downtown theater community responded. And they were not pleased.

While waiting to experience Tino Sehgal's Guggenheim project,  P. Club organizer Claudia La Rocco is checking out Richard Maxwell's "Ads" this weekend -- and has arranged a discount for Performance Club members.