Close-up on wooden shelves full of clay cups with different designs, mostly in reds, blues, and grays.

The Clay Studio presents Clay as Care: Ceramic Art and Wellbeing

Clay as power, healing, and catharsis
With Clay As Care, The Clay Studio welcomes four very different ceramic artists to explore the ways attention to art and the work of our hands can heal, empower, and connect us. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
A cropped, gracefully shaped plaid vest in a surprising mix of green, orange, blue, and magenta shades.

The Wharton Esherick Museum presents Working at a Joyous Creative Thing: Weaving, Making and Material Culture in Letty Esherick’s Legacy

The wife of famous woodworker finally gets her due
Letty Esherick, the wife of world-famous woodworker Wharton, opens up in an exhibition of textile works and letters discovered almost 50 years after her death, paired with contemporary artwork they inspired. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Grande, in spangled corset, shiny bikini bottom, garters, and platform boots, grins maniacally, spreading iridescent wings

Bucks County Playhouse presents Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Fifty years later, Rocky Horror is still relevant
For the third and final year, Bucks County Playhouse revives its popular new production of The Rocky Horror Show starring Frankie Grande. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
On a lavish music studio set with white & red spotlights, the whole cast rocks out with instruments, including guitar & piano

Walnut Street Theatre Presents Cole Escott and Floyd Mutrux’s Million Dollar Quartet

One famous night at Sun Records
The Walnut opens the 2025-25 season with a fun production of Million Dollar Quartet, a glossy look back at one famous night with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. C.M. Crockford reviews.
C.M. Crockford

C.M. Crockford

Reviews 4 minute read
Foreboding photo of a small crowded boat moving toward a big one on the horizon, overlaid with ink and fiber elements.

The Print Center presents False Dawn and Memory, Loss

Why memories matter
Iranian-born and New York-based artist Nazanin Noroozi explores history and memory with a multi-media Print Center exhibition plunging viewers into the journey of African migrants heading for Europe. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
At left, Fei-Fei, in a pink dress, passionately plays the grand piano as Di Russo, in a black blazer, conducts the orchestra

The Delaware Symphony Orchestra presents Virtuosity Unleashed

Welcoming new music director Michelle Di Russo
With fire, flash, and precision, Michelle Di Russo opened her first season as music director of the Delaware Symphony with a virtuosic program including Gabriella Ortiz, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
The two actors, in outlandish colorful Elizabethan-inspired clothes, perform surrounded by audience. Corey holds a saxophone

Delaware Shakespeare’s 2025 Community Tour presents Two Gentlemen of Verona

A spirited, accessible Shakespeare production goes on tour
For its eighth annual Community Tour production, visiting schools, prisons, libraries, and other unconventional spaces, Delaware Shakespeare tackles Two Gents with an ensemble of six. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Jie Jin has a cello, Mazzocchi holds a violin, Yamazki sits with them on a bench. All are dressed in formalwear

BSR Classical Interludes, more in October 2025

More classical music happening in the Philly area this month
Timeless Resonance Music Chamber, Piffaro, Pyxis Piano Trio, and more decorate the next two weeks in October. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read
Within a stylized white stage outline of a house, a man in a plaid shirt hugs a kid while five other adults look on.

Arden Theater Company presents William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos

Dark complexities meet heartfelt music
The Arden kicks off its new season with a thoughtful production of the complex musical Falsettos, featuring a powerhouse cast directed by Kevin Glaccum. Mina Reinckens reviews.
Mina Reinckens

Mina Reinckens

Reviews 4 minute read
Lim passionately plays a grand piano with his hair flying; Alsop is seen from behind at right, conducting the orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents John Adams’s The Rock You Stand On, Bartók, and Prokofiev

A Philly thing at the orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra and visiting conductor Marin Alsop premiered John Adams’s The Rock You Stand On, in a program including Bartók’s last concerto and selections of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Peter Burwasser reviews.

Peter Burwasser

Reviews 4 minute read
Dr. Frank-N-Furter, as played by Tim Curry, in make up and wearing pearls and gloves, eyes straight at the camera

The BSR October 2025 repertory movie roundup

Spooky screenings and a full-blown celebration of David Lynch
David Lynch, the PFF Vault, Rocky Horror, and other highlights in time for Halloween. Stephen Silver previews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 5 minute read
Grody, wearing a magenta blouse, in front of an orange chaise lounge and scattered papers, throws out her right arm & smiles

People’s Light presents Kathryn Grody’s The Unexpected 3rd

The optimism of staying alive
Kathryn Grody premieres her third autobiographical play, kick-starting the 2025-2026 season at People’s Light with a brilliant marathon of a monologue. Emily Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 3 minute read
12 colorful playbills from different shows laid out together on a wooden table.

Four big takeaways from the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Theater attendance is on the rise. Here’s why it matters.
After managing coverage for dozens of Fringe shows, Alaina Johns is proud of the BSR team’s work, proud of Philly artists, and ready to share her top takeaways from this year’s festival.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read

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A dancer leaps into the air doing a full split, wearing all red, other artists on stage behind her

The Philadelphia Ballet presents Carmen and Boléro

Mayara Pineiro brings the passion
The Philadelphia Ballet opens its season with artistic director and choreographer Angel Corella’s Carmen and Boléro. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 3 minute read
A person holds up an England scarf with excitement outside of a pub, wearing an England soccer jersey.

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 9-15

Soulful Sounds, Grief, coming OUT, and more
Getting soulful in Philly, picturing the Anatomy of Grief, Cookbooks & Convos returns, and Inis Nua opens Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
A stylized illustration blending plant life, rowhomes, images of Black people, graffiti

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 2-8, 2025

Fall festivals, National Coming Out Day, and a special Mural Arts dedication
Previewing a variety of fall-inspired events, the Out and About Festival in Manayunk, and a block party to unveil a new mural in Africatown. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
Marin Alsop BSR 9 30 25

BSR Classical Interludes, October 2025

A Feast of Festing, New World Recorders, and exploring Winnaretta Singer
New seasons begin with Brandywine Baroque, Philadelphia Orchestra, Tempesta di Mare, and the Parisian salon of Winnaretta Singer. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read
A dancer in an all red dress poses on stage in front of other dancers, an image projected on a screen behind them

The Month in Philly Dance for October

Anniversaries and more take the stage in the fall
BalletX and Sharp Dance celebrate 20 years, and Kun-Yan Lin Dance makes a difficult decision. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 4 minute read
Eisenhower, in a green vest, and Neville, in a blue vest, reach out to each other and clasp hands, both wearing silvery masks

Theatre Horizon presents Savannah Reich’s Oedipus in Seattle

Going off-script with Oedipus, Jocasta, Sam, and Annie
Playwright Savannah Reich pushes the boundaries of theatrical experience with her mashup of Oedipus and Sleepless in Seattle, two stories about fate, featuring new actors every night who have never seen the script. David Block reviews.
David Block

David Block

Reviews 4 minute read
The two actors, dressed in baggy men’s clothes, leer while holding ping pong paddles and red solo cups.

Philly Fringe 2025: Cavelight Productions presents Toni Nagy and Sarah Buckner’s Grape Culture

Coping with a crime that even the algorithm won’t acknowledge
Toni Nagy and Sarah Buckner’s interdisciplinary duo performance Grape Culture held space in this year’s Fringe for experiences of domination without consent. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 3 minute read
VanderVeen, in a red dress, holds a cigarette and looks surprised as someone reads a ribbon issuing from the artist’s crotch

Philly Fringe 2025: The Lemonade Stand presents Julia VanderVeen’s Dentata

Fierce and fabulous clowning in honor of the pussy
Julia VanderVeen’s solo Fringe show, Dentata, incorporated wonderful production elements for a rich expression of female ferocity. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 3 minute read
Phillips’s face appears at top left in the window of an ornate, mirrored shadowbox filled with dozens of vintage toys.

Philly Fringe 2025: Thaddeus McWhinnie Phillips’s Around the World in 80 Toys

Georges Méliès and Jules Verne meet at the Fringe
The latest stage creation from Thaddeus McWhinnie Phillips, Around the World in 80 Toys, came to the FringeArts stage for the final weekend of the fest. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
In front of a small band, the two people seem to wrestle, their hands joined pushing each other, Painter down on one knee.

Philly Fringe 2025: Flynn Faye, Adam Gloc, and Jenavive Banes present Catching Fireflies: A New Queer Musical

Rent for the pandemic era
Catching Fireflies: A New Queer Musical is set in Philly, but was developed in New York before getting its local premiere in this year’s Fringe. It celebrates joy and possibility for genderqueer characters. Anna Fiscarelli-Mintz reviews.
Anna Fiscarelli-Mintz

Anna Fiscarelli-Mintz

Reviews 3 minute read