Pax Ressler (Viola) and Angela Bey (Duke Orsino). Photo by Kyle Cassidy.

Shakespeare in Clark Park returns this week with five performances of Twelfth Night in the park’s bowl near 45th and Chester. The first show of the well-known Shakespearean play is scheduled for Wednesday night.

This production by the popular outdoor theatre company will be filled with music. It’s inspired by Glam Rock (check out this review by WHYY’s Peter Crimmins), and will feature some of Philly’s finest actors (prepare for some cross-gender acting), student musicians, and local cabaret performer, Jess Conda.  Continue Reading

This weekend you can get a rare glimpse inside the Bushfire Theatre for the Performing Arts at 52nd and Locust (224 S. 52nd St.) for the staging of Thurgood, the acclaimed bio-play about the former Supreme Court justice and civil rights icon.

Written by television and film director and producer George Stevens Jr., Thurgood is a stripped down portrayal of Marshall’s life as told by him and includes seminal moments in American history (the announcement of the verdict in Brown vs. Board of Education in the play would regular elicit celebratory hoots and hollers from audiences on Broadway).

Bushfire founder Al Simpkins will direct.

Founded in 1977, the Bushfire stages a few performances a year. The theater itself dates back to 1909, when it served as a Vaudeville house called The Locust. It was later converted to a movie theater until it was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

Tickets for Thurgood range from $15 (for kids) to $30. The show starts at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night.

Dinner in Three Acts is a fun and delicious way to support educational programs at Curio Theatre.

Curio Theatre Company, the community theater at 48th and Baltimore, is starting an exciting new fundraising tradition. On Sunday, May 20, the company will be “producing” a Dinner in Three Acts – a three-course dinner at selected West Philadelphia homes. This is how it works:

Act One – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Guests will start with registration and appetizers at one home.
Act Two – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. – For their entree, guests will choose one style of cuisine from a varied selection served for groups of 10 to 15 people.
Act Three – 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. – Guests will return to the theater for dessert with coffee and tea.  Continue Reading

Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas

West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company is closing out the season with another production that looks back in time to shed light on our current sociopolitical moment. Curio staged Marie Antoinette, a work that highlights political and personal excess, earlier this year. This week Catch-22, an adaptation of Joseph Heller’s classic novel, opens on the Curio’s stage in the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Ave.

Set during World War II but aimed as a critique of the Cold War and McCarthyism, Catch-22 follows the travails of American bombardier John Yossarian and other soldiers who are walking the fine line between carrying out their duty while trying to remain sane amid the absurdity and hypocrisy of a stultifying bureaucracy.  Continue Reading

Shakespeare in Clark Park has announced its 2018 production, and it will be filled with music! For five nights in July, the popular local outdoor theatre production company will present a Glam Rock inspired Twelfth Night featuring Philly’s finest actors alongside student musicians. The production is directed by Jack Tamburri and is set to run July 25-29.

The glam rock exploration of Shakespeare’s classic romance will feature music and performances by local cabaret favorite, Jess Conda. In addition, the company, which has been incorporating the community into its productions for the past four years, is inviting young musicians from all over the city to form an epic rock band in their very musical Illyria.  Continue Reading

West Philly’s Curio Theatre kicks off the new year this week with David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette, a modern take on one of European history’s most infamous characters.

Adjmi’s take on the French queen introduces us to a woman who embodies artifice, excess and privilege while the mood in the streets grows hostile.  Continue Reading