Scribe Video Center is hosting its annual Street Movies!, a free screening series for audiences of all ages that tours neighborhoods around the Philadelphia region, bringing a program of independent film – fiction, animation, documentary, and youth and community produced work – from around the world to local parks, lots, playgrounds, and community spaces.

This Saturday, Aug. 26, the Street Movies! series will make a stop in West Philly for a screening in Saunders Park Greene (39th and Powelton). The screening is co-hosted by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, the Arab cultural organization based in West Philadelphia. The screening, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will include the following short films that focus on diasporic Arab experience:

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Made West, a West Philly hub of Made Institute, an independent fashion design and sewing school, is officially opening this week in Garden Court (4719 Pine St.). To celebrate the opening, Made West will hold a launch party on Friday, Aug. 18 (see the flyer below for more details).

Made West is “opening up a whole new world of sewing, fashion and crafts for the West Philadelphia community,” according to the announcement. Friday’s event is a great opportunity to learn about the upcoming classes, workshops, an afterschool program, teen fashion club and adult sewing classes.

Guests of all ages are also invited to tour the space, and check out the equipment and supplies. To register for the event, click here. Continue Reading

The West Philly-based Black theatre company, Theatre in the X, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month by presenting Zooman and the Sign, a rarely-staged work by the legendary late Philadelphia-born playwright Charles Fuller. The performances will be offered to audiences for free at Malcolm X Park from August 17-20.

In the play set in Southwest Philadelphia in 1979, Zooman senselessly terrorizes his community. When he kills a 12-year-old Black girl on the street, all witnesses refuse to talk. Bereaved and infuriated, the dead girl’s father posts a sign accusing the entire community of cowardice in the face of escalating violence. The play was first presented off-Broadway by Negro Ensemble Company at Theater Four in New York City on December 7, 1980.

Theatre in the X company members said they feel that their play is relevant to the issues of community violence currently taking place throughout the city.

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The Paul Robeson House & Museum is planning an exciting “Arts in the Parlor” program this fall, and is seeking talented youths to perform and present.

The Robeson House is seeking youths 16 and under to show off their talents in the same parlor where Paul Robeson, the legendary African American singer, actor, activist and professional football player, sang during the last 10 years of his life and where he lived with his sister in West Philadelphia. The talent can be singing, dancing, music, art, cooking, crafts and other creative expressions.

Presentations/performances will be held on Sundays from September to November 2023. They will be both virtual and live at the house, located at 4951 Walnut Street.

Parents can apply and give permission for their child to participate here: http://bit.ly/artsinparlor2023.

For more information, email: wphlca@gmail.com.

The popular free outdoor movie screening series, Movies in Clark Park, is set to return Friday, Aug. 4, to the “Bowl” at 43rd and Chester.

The event organizer, University City District (UCD), in partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Friends of Clark Park, and TD Bank, will present some classics as well as more recent fan favorites. As always, the event is held every Friday in August, in fair weather only, with some rain dates reserved for September.

The series will kick off this Friday with an Indiana Jones flick – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Here’s the schedule for the rest of the month:

August 11: Encanto

August 18: King Richard

August 25: Top Gun: Maverick

September 15: Rain date if needed

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From left: Lexi Thammavong as Lucetta, Camille Young as Silvia, and Anthony Crosby as Thurio. (Photo courtesy of SCP)

The popular local theater company returns next week to perform Shakespeare with a musical twist. With music by Galt MacDermot and lyrics by John Guare, this 1971 Tony Award-winning, ground-breaking adaptation of the Bard’s sixteenth-century comedy is a fusion of danceable pop, stirring soul, electrifying rock, creative storytelling, and biting social commentary.

“This summer’s production is more than just entertainment,” said guest artistic director, Shamus. “It’s a powerful response to the rising tide of hate and discrimination against LGBTQ+ and other groups. The message is clear: no one can flourish without self-love. The production also boldly confronts issues of war mongering and the ever-widening wealth gap.”

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