UPDATE (7/29/15): The Winter’s Tale shows kick off tonight at Clark Park at 7 p.m., and according to a new announcement from Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP), they will be raffling gift cards from local businesses:

Heads up! Every night of the #WintersTale we will be holding a raffle of some great gift cards generously donated by local businesses.

— SCP (@shakespeareincp) July 28, 2015

Also, don’t forget to bring your blanket or chairs, some picnic food (and drinks!) and a little bit of cash (if you can) for a donation. Donations help this awesome event return each summer.

Free outdoor Shakespeare in Clark Park shows draw big crowds to the “Bowl” near 43rd and Chester (archived photo/West Philly Local).

Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer with five nights of The Winter’s Tale, a tragicomedy of family and forgiveness. The annual popular outdoor theatre event that draws huge crowds of both locals and guests, returns on Wednesday, July 29 to Clark Park’s “Bowl” near 43rd and Chester.

Those who attended last year’s Henry IV shows must remember the epic battle scenes performed by a crowd of some 100 volunteers from various Philly neighborhoods (it’s truly hard to forget!). This year, a chorus of over 30 Philadelphia-area schoolchildren will perform along the company’s professional actors. Chorus members were selected after spring auditions.

The young performers are an integral part of the show; along with the audience they’re witnessing the triumph and failure of the adults. According to Director Kittson O’Neill, “The Chorus of Children not only helps perform The Winter’s Tale, it also allows the audience a way into this foreign world… It’s a tale of generations and how consequences are often felt most strongly by the next generation.”  Continue Reading

Curio Theatre Company continues its reading series supporting emerging Philadelphia playwrights and invites everyone to tonight’s reading of Candy Candy by Chris Davis. The series is co-produced by Philadelphia Dramatists Center.

The peformance is directed by Liam Castellan and features Curio actors: Andrew Carroll, Joel Guerrero, Diana Rodriguez, Kelly Cova, Rachel Gluck, Brendan Norton, and Steve Carpenter. It will be held in the Curio Theatre Company Second Stage at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be provided. And here’s some information about the play from Curio’s website:

“This high octane bilingual comedy follows the televisual fantasies of a young girl named Candy who dreams of escaping her quotidian life in Mexico.”

Visit curiotheatre.org for more information.

This weekend’s events list includes an outdoor music concert (free and family-friendly), a tool sale, a flea market, and more awesome events. Our roundup is below.

This Friday, local indie band The Chairman Dances (Facebook page) is inviting folks to a release show for their new record, Samantha Says. The show will be held at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut), from 8 to 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.). Tickets at the door are $10. Click here for more information.

This Friday and Saturday are the last two days when you can see Curio Theatre‘s comedy Noises Off before the theater closes its 2014-2015 season. Shows begin at 8 p.m. For more information and tickets ($25) go here.

University City District’s 40th Street Summer Series returns this Saturday, at 6 p.m., with a free outdoor concert by Philadelphia’s experimental cabaret group The Bearded Ladies. In addition, local group Tapestry Tribal will present Middle Eastern music and belly dancing. The popular concert series takes place on the last Saturday of every month, from May to September, on the green space behind Walnut Street West Library at 40th and Walnut and also includes family-friendly activities: balloon art, face painting, jugglers and more. This Saturday, you can also enjoy free ice cream served by Ben & Jerry’s.

Also on Saturday, West Philly Tool Library invites neighbors to their Spring Tool Sale. The sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will include a wide selection of hand and power tools at affordable prices, as well as West Philly Tool Library T-Shirts, bibs, and carpenter’s pencils. Tax-deductible donations are also encouraged. Coffee Market (AKA Earth Cup) will be serving their delicious cold brew coffee. West Philly Tool Library is located at 1314 S. 47th St. (between Woodland and Grays Ferry). For more information, visit: www.westphillytools.org.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., FloByFaith Productions and local Boy Scout troop 152 will present The Soul of a Woman, a musical that tackles various issues such as homelessness, mental health and self worth. Proceeds will benefit the troop’s scholarship fund, helping create young leaders from West Philadelphia. Tickets: $35 in advance and $40 at the door (St. Francis de Sales Auditorium, 917 S. 47th St.).

For more upcoming events, including West Philly Flea Market, Women’s Day of Wellness, and film screenings at International House Philadelphia, visit our Events Calendar.

(Foodinjars.com)

There will be a couple of great and FREE events today in the area.

• Food in Jars founder and canning expert Marisa McClellan presents a pickling workshop at Walnut Street West Library (40th and Walnut) beginning at 5:30 p.m. Other free events scheduled at Walnut St West Library this month include: May 13, 20 & 27 – Yoga For Kids!; May 16 – Plant Workshop; May 22 & 29 – Vinyasa Yoga for Adults. For more events (through July 14, 2015) and to RSVP, click here.

• Curio Theatre Company and Philadelphia Dramatists Center (PDC) have partnered for the second year in a row to produce the PDC@Curio Plays In Progress. PDC and Curio will bring two plays to life in professional staged readings, featuring actors from Curio’s professional company and directors from Philadlephia’s vibrant theatre scene. The first reading, Robin Rodriguez’s Flotsam, will be presented tonight, at 7:30 p.m., at Curio (4740 Baltimore Avenue). Flotsam is an eerie drama about a brother, a sister, and a storage unit. It will be directed by Jessica Schwartz (MAD BLOOD & other beauties, Fringe 2014; Modern Playground, Fringe 2013). Admission is free, and light refreshments will be provided. For more details about both readings, visit Curio Theatre’s website.

The Curio Theatre is closing out its season with the rollicking comedy Noises Off, a Michael Frayn play about a play, which previews on April 30 – May 7 and opens on May 8.

Noises Off introduces the audience to the epically incompetent cast of Nothing On – the play within the play – and their travails in everything from dress rehearsals to close of the play’s 10-week run. The play takes its title from the theatrical stage direction indicating sounds coming from offstage.

Peter Reynolds is directing the Curio production, Paul Kuhn designed the set and Tim Martis designed the lighting. The costume designer is Aetna Gallagher, and Kathleen Soltan is the stage manager.

The cast includes Kyra Baker, Newton Buchanan, Steve Carpenter, Isabella Fehlandt, Rachel Gluck and Andrew Carroll.

Tickets for the performances range from $15 to $25 and are available here.

Oh, and here’s an added bonus: If you show up to opening night dressed in 80’s attire (the production is set in the 80’s) you have a chance to win two passes for next season.

Ninth graders at The Workshop School, a new city high school that emphasizes a hands-on problem-solving curriculum, have made Antigone their own.

They have been working on a production of the timeless Theban play since February and announced that they will stage the play on Friday, March 27 at the Curio Theatre Company (4740 Baltimore Ave). The production has been student-led from start to finish.

“This project shows how unique and creative we can be and that teenagers can use their great minds to create great things,” said 9th grader Casirae Hayward-Gaymon. “We worked really hard and for us being young adults we feel inspired by our work and are excited to show people what we accomplished.”

The students have worked on the finer points with theater professionals from Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Curio and have attended some performances to learn more. They divided themselves into five groups to produce the play: Arts Administration, Lighting and Sound, Costume and Makeup, Acting, and Set Design.

“I have never been prouder of a group of students. I think that this play is so powerful because it comes from their lives and their work,” said Theater teacher Kathleen Melville.

Two performances are scheduled for Friday; one at 10 a.m. and another at 6 p.m. Tickets are sliding scale: $5 to $10. No tickets will be sold at the door, so to get them you have to contact Helen Rowe at helen.rowe@workshopschool.org to reserve. 

“This performance will help start a tradition of 9th graders doing this project each year in our school,” said 9th grader Sadia Upshur.

– Mike Lyons