The Runner Stumbles cast members Isa St.Clair (Sister Rita) and Steve Carpenter (Father Rivard). Photo by Kyle Cassidy.
West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company begins its eighth season this Thursday with The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt. First produced on Broadway in 1976, The Runner Stumbles is based on a true story that happened in 1911 at a Roman Catholic parish in rural Michigan. It is a long-awaited project for director and Curio co-founder Gay Carducci.
“It’s a play about a crisis of faith, with a hint of mystery,” she says. “It’s been speaking to me since I saw it done 20-some-odd years ago. And it’s always a piece that I loved and wanted to bring back again.”
The cast features Ryan Walter, Rachel Gluck, Harry Slack and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn, all of West Philadelphia, as well as Aetna Gallagher of Wallingford, Liam Castellan of Center City, and introducing Meridian Lowe, a student at Masterman High School and one of the first students in Curio’s educational program.
The show runs October 11 to November 10 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., in the Calvary Center at 4740 Baltimore Ave. Tickets are $15-20 ($10-15 for preview performances). For more information and to buy tickets, visit this page.
Locust Moon Comics shop, which recently moved into a new, spacious location near 40th and Chestnut, is celebrating the release of its first book this week. Locust Moon Press has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to release the 430 page science fiction fairy-tale anthology titled Once Upon A Time Machine. This is a long-awaited release – the book represents the culmination of three years of collaboration in Philadelphia and beyond.
The project began in the summer of 2009, when Locust Moon’s creative director Chris Stevens came up with the idea for a collection of futuristic stories based on classic myths and fairy tales. He began reaching out to local creators and established an online presence to make contact with artists and writers across the world. As an Internet buzz began to build about the book, an unexpected email came from Dark Horse Comics and the project which began with no money, artists, or scripts, became a major release from one of the biggest comic book companies in the world.
“Locust Moon is a place built on the passions of a lot of people,” says publisher and co-owner Josh O’Neill. “It’s living proof that with an open heart and open doors you can create something much bigger than the sum of its parts.”
The book release party is on Wednesday (Oct 10) at 7:30 p.m. where many of these parts will be on display. The party will feature a gallery show of original pages from the book, signings by dozens of the book’s authors, and a hell of a bash, in general.
The national Bain Worker Bus Tour is visiting Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday and this afternoon the bus will make a stop at a Dunkin’ Donuts branch at 55th and Chestnut at 2 p.m. The bus tour is traveling through swing states to warn voters of the dangers of a “Romney Economy.” Bain Capital is the private equity firm founded by Mitt Romney and Bain workers on the tour include current and former employees from Dunkin Donuts, Sensata, Burlington Coat Factory, Michaels, Outback Steakhouse, and other national chains. They will speak on their experiences working for Bain-owned companies.
The tour includes colorful street theater that will feature a Mitt Romney character who will be challenged by a group of protesters and former Bain workers.
On Tuesday, the bus will be at a center city Staples store at noon.
The annual tour of artist studios and workspaces around Philadelphia, POST-2012, begins this weekend, with tours of venues west of Broad Street taking place October 6-7. West Philadelphia is again well represented, with over 20 artists participating in the event. This is a unique opportunity to visit the artists and their studios. Also stop by the community partner venues which will host POST exhibitions. Self-guided tours are free and open from noon to 6 p.m. Visit this page for more information on the participating artists and venues.
Also, please visit Green Line Cafe‘s website for more information on POST exhibits taking place in their three West Philly locations (43rd and Baltimore, 45th and Locust, and 37th and Lancaster). Artist Kelton Bumgarner sends invitation to neighbors to come to Green Line at 43rd and Baltimore this Saturday to check out his exhibit (reception is from 5 to 7 p.m.). “I have only been in West Philly for a short period of time (2 years now) and would love to meet some more of the community, have a couple drinks, and talk about some art!” he wrote.
Finally, the 40th Street Artist-in-Residence program is introducing their new resident artists on both Saturday and Sunday. Everyone is welcome to meet Fatima Adamu, Mike Harpring, Diedra Krieger, Thomasin Parnes, and Celestine Wilson Hughes at their studios at 4013 Chestnut St. and at the A.I.R. Gallery (4007 Chestnut St).
A series of free health-minded events is scheduled in various locations around West Philadelphia from Oct. 1 through mid-November as part of “Health Awareness Season” sponsored by State Sen. Anthony H. Williams.
“A healthy lifestyle is something we can all strive toward, whether we resolve to make better food choices, exercise more or maintain regular check-ups with our physician. We don’t have to make huge changes, but even little lifestyle improvements make a major difference,” Williams said. “These events will help folks learn new forms of exercise while having fun, all for free.”
Registration is not required and there will be free giveaways at the events while supplies last. Here are the details:
– Learn what it takes to keep a body fit with a personal trainer, who will be available from 7 to 8 p.m. every Monday from Oct. 1 to Nov. 5 at Sayre Morris Recreation Center, 5835 Spruce St.
– Have fun and get the blood moving with great music and line dancing from 6 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday from Oct. 3 to Nov. 7 at SOCCA, Turner School, 5900 Baltimore Ave.
– Discover the Latin dance-inspired, calorie-burning workout Zumba from 6 to 7 p.m. every Thursday from Oct. 4 to Nov. 1 at Kingsessing Recreational Center, 4901 Kingsessing Ave.
For more information on these events, call Desaree Jones at 215-492-2980 or e-mail djones@pasenate.com.
Recent Comments