From left to right: Gay Carducci as Linda Loman, Paul Kuhn as Willy Loman, Aaron Kirkpatrick as Biff Loman and Chase Byrd as Happy Loman. (Photo by JR Blackwell)

There might not be two people in all of Philadelphia better suited to play Willy and Linda Loman than Paul Kuhn and Gay Carducci.

Theatergoers will have the rare opportunity to see Kuhn and Carducci, co-founders of the Curio Theatre Company, on stage as two pivotal characters in the Arthur Miller classic “Death of a Salesman,” which opens Feb. 12 as part of Curio’s 11th season.

Kuhn and Carducci, longtime partners off stage as well, bring a rare authenticity to their on-stage relationship, said Director Dan Hodge.

“They have a depth of relationship and shared humor that you can only really find in people who have lived together through the high times and the lean times,” said Hodge.  Continue Reading

As soon as the news broke last summer that the University City Science Center-based Department of Making and Doing (DM + D) was closing in the fall, four local organizations which shared DM + D’s collaborative space began looking for new homes. One of them, a popular technology education program, The Hacktory, has just announced that they found a new space at 3645-3647 Lancaster Avenue, right around the corner from their previous location at 3711 Market Street.

Program executive director Georgia Guthrie writes that The Hacktory team is very excited about the move. “We will be joining the vibrant businesses along Lancaster Ave (as you can see we’re right next door to the Green Line Coffee shop) and look forward to contributing to the great arts and cultural activities taking place there,” Guthrie’s blog post reads.

           Photos courtesy of The Hacktory.

The Grand Opening Party for the new space, which includes two adjacent storefronts, will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 1 – 9 p.m. There will be fun activities for all ages and demos of The Hacktory’s tools. The evening portion of the party will include activities and beverages for adults who want to continue to celebrate. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

The Hacktory has been offering tech education programming for both adults and youth, including classes and workshops, an after-school program and summer camp. They also want to offer memberships at the new location in order to provide direct access to their tools and space. Those who are interested in becoming a member are asked to fill out a membership interest form on this page.

For more information about The Hacktory, visit www.thehacktory.org.

                      Kittson O’Neill

As Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP) is preparing for its 11th summer season, the company has announced that a West Philadelphian was appointed to a key role.

Kittson O’Neill, an actress and director who made her SCP debut last summer when she directed the 10th Anniversary production of The Winter’s Tale, has been named as the Artistic Director. She succeeds Marla Burkholder, who co-founded the company in 2005.

O’Neill has appeared on Philadelphia stages often and currently can be seen in Or, at Hedgerow Theatre. When directing The Winter’s Tale, she brought together professional actors, more than 20 local children, and an unforgettable bear puppet. The show drew almost 5,000 audience members to Clark Park.

“Kittson’s commitment to both a strong and progressive artistic vision and a high level of authentic community engagement makes her a great fit for Shakespeare in Clark Park,” says John Frisbee, SCP’s Board President.

We asked Kittson about her background, her relationship to West Philadelphia and her plans regarding Shakespeare in Clark Park, including community engagement. Her answers are below.

Q.: Where are you from and where in West Philadelphia do you live?

I was born in Connecticut and grew up there and in Western Australia (My Mum is Australian). I now live in Mantua in West Philadelphia. My son attended St. Mary’s Nursery School and, as a result, our family has a number of great friends who live all over West Philly.

Q.: What interests you in Shakespeare in Clark Park? Should people expect any changes?

There are so many things I love about Shakespeare in Clark Park!

In 2015 O’Neill directed SCP’s The Winter’s Tale, which featured children and a giant bear puppet (Photo West Philly Local).

Shakespeare’s plays are epic in scope: they have bears and battles and shipwrecks! It can be challenging to fully realize those elements inside a traditional modern theater, but out in the park you can embrace the huge and have an eight foot bear, or a hundred person army, or giant waves. I am excited to keep pushing our productions to use the size and freedom of the park setting: to be even more spectacular! But even more than the size of the park, I love the audience that it naturally attracts. The show is free. Seating is unrestricted and as a result we often attract watchers who hadn’t even planned to see the show. Who didn’t even know the show was happening. Every night, there is at least one audience member for whom it is the first Shakespeare they have ever seen. That’s an amazing gift to us as theater makers. And a responsibility we take seriously. We want that unexpected audience member to leave our show loving Shakespeare and hungry to see more.

There won’t be any serious changes to what we do. “If it ain’t broke…” However, show is getting REALLY popular and dealing with the crowd we attract is becoming an exciting challenge, so you can expect some experiments with seating and staging as well as some new approaches to the fine art of ushering!

Q.: Community members, both adults and children, participated in the last two SCP performances. Will this trend continue?

Most definitely! I believe strongly in Radical Community Engagement, so over the next few years I will be working to weave the fabric of our community into the productions in a variety of ways. SCP attracts some of the finest theater talent in the city of Philadelphia. Putting the community on stage with those actors and inside the work of our designers and directors is an electrifying and galvanizing experience and one you won’t get any where else in our fair city. So stay tuned for a lot more on that front.

The inaugural meeting of the Cobbs Creek Neighbors Association will be held Monday, Feb. 1 at the A.W. Christy Recreation Center (728 S. 55th St.), beginning at 7 p.m.

“Because we are a new group and still growing we are hoping to have an open discussion to hear what you would like to see more (or less) of in the community,” the group posted on its Facebook page.

The Cobbs Creek neighborhood is generally thought to be bounded by Market Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to the south, east to 52nd Street and Cobbs Creek Parkway to the West. The public is invited. The agenda is open and might include discussion of development plans along 60th Street.

                    Photo courtesy of WPCS.

The West Philadelphia Cooperative School (WPCS) is hosting a Night Out for parents and neighbors on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 6 – 9 p.m. to support diversity at the school. The event will be held at the University City Arts League (4226 Spruce St) and all proceeds will benefit the school’s 2016 Diversity Scholarship.

Community members are invited to join WPCS staff, parents and teachers in support of this great cause. This is an opportunity to mingle, enjoy local wine and beer, small bites from Harvest Seasonal Grill, student art, and fantastic raffles and door prizes. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online (go to: www.wpcsnightout.eventbrite.com). If you can’t make it to the Night Out but would like to contribute to the WPCS Scholarship, please make a donation here.

WPCS began in 2005 as a group of parents providing education in their own homes. The coop was founded on the idea that families from all backgrounds and walks of life deserve access to quality, affordable childcare. WPCS provides a learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming of difference. WPCS preschool now offers full-time care for ages 2-5 at their 4625 Baltimore Ave. location.

For more information, visit: http://www.westphillycoopschool.com/

If you’re looking for something interesting to do tonight, check out this special exhibition opening at University City Arts League (UCAL). An emerging young artist, Patrick Maguire, has totally transformed the gallery space at 4226 Spruce St. The exhibition includes an amazing structure in the middle of the gallery, paintings on the walls, and ambient sound installation.

“Without ruining the experience it will be difficult to tell you much except that even the walls and doors of the space will be entirely different, almost disorienting–in the best possible sense of the word,” UCAL director Annette Monnier wrote in an email.

The opening reception for Maguire’s “We’re on a Road to Nowhere” exhibition is tonight from 6-10 p.m. You can also stop by any weekday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. during the run of the exhibition (January 15th-February 12th).

For more information, go to: http://www.ucartsleague.org/