July 28, 2017
The sixth BlackStar Film Festival, the annual showcase of independent black filmmakers, will take place from Thursday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 6th at venues around West Philly.
This year’s venues include the Institute of Contemporary Art, World Cafe Life, Lightbox Film Center, and Pearlstein Gallery of Drexel University as well as Fishtown’s Johnny Brenda’s.
The event celebrates storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global indigenous communities through work by black filmmakers.
In addition to feature documentaries and narratives, there will be several sessions featuring short films at the festival. On the opening day (Thursday, Aug. 3) at 3:50 p.m., the Shorts Program will include black enuf*, an “animated documentary exploring racial identity,” according to its website. Continue Reading
July 27, 2017
The Shakespeare in Clark Park production of Coriolanus opened last night to a big crowd in The Bowl near 43rd and Chester. The play follows the demise and vengeful crusade of Roman military leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. The amazon all-female cast carries the work, and a pack of riotous citizens of Rome made up with Philadelphia residents keeps the play lively (see more photos below).
Coriolanus continues through the weekend, concluding Sunday. Shows run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The rain location is the Harold Prince Theater at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St. Continue Reading
July 25, 2017
Councilwoman Helen Gym will host a community gathering “to protect healthcare and education” tonight at Malcolm X. Park (52nd and Pine) from 6-8 p.m.
The gathering is one of three she will host over the next few weeks as part of “Resistance Summer.” The gathering comes as the U.S. Senate decides whether to go ahead with a debate on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
Feel free to bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on for the event.
Gym will also be in Vernon Park in Northwest Philly on Aug. 7 and Columbus Square in South Philly on Aug. 9.
July 25, 2017
Photo by Kyle Cassidy
Shakespeare in Clark Park returns this week for its 12th season with five performances of Coriolanus, a timeless political tragedy of manipulation and revenge. This year, SCP will roll with an all-female cast led by Barrymore Award winner Charlotte Northeast as the title character. The professional cast of women warriors will appear alongside a Chorus of 50 Philadelphians who will become the riotous citizens of Rome. The production is directed by SCP Artistic Director Kittson O’Neill (Interact Theatre Company).
“It’s easy to see Coriolanus, a blunt war hero, as an indictment of “Macho” culture, but there is so much more to this story,” O’Neill, who is pulling double-duty as the director of the show, said in a statement. “By moving our production to a matriarchy I think audiences will more readily see themselves in our hero: we can all be inflexible, we all have deep prejudices and we don’t always get the glory we have rightly earned.” Continue Reading
July 17, 2017
Construction of a new restaurant, the Trolley Car Station, began last month at 40th and Baltimore. To celebrate the beginning of this major University City construction, which is part of the Trolley Portal Gardens project, the public is invited to enjoy free water ice from the Trolley Car Ice Cream Shoppe.
The event will be held on Wednesday, July 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 40th and Baltimore.
The construction of the new two-story 125-seat restaurant (see rendering below), is expected to be completed in Spring 2018. The company that owns the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy will operate the restaurant.
July 14, 2017
Click to enlarge
One of the biggest local events of the year, the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, will return on Saturday, July 15 from noon to 7 p.m. to Saunders Park Greene at 39th and Powelton. The 11th edition of the festival, which has grown from a few hundred attendees to more than 3,000, will feature the “New Wave of Jazz.” Philadelphia saxophonist Jaleel Shaw will be headlining the event.
This year, the FREE festival offers a family-friendly event showcasing the best of Philadelphia: a mix of up and coming young artists who are shaping the future of jazz, a diverse gathering of people, a view of the city and a chance to enjoy a neighborhood that is rich in arts and culture.
Artisans and vendors along with a variety of specialty food trucks will be on site. Activities such as a moon bounce, face painting, community resources and digital pop-up computer lab will be available for everyone’s enjoyment. Free parking is available one block away at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s lot at Powelton Avenue and State Street. Continue Reading
The sixth BlackStar Film Festival, the annual showcase of independent black filmmakers, will take place from Thursday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 6th at venues around West Philly.
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