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Williams and Thomas in front of a building, urban setting. Thomas laughs looking at Williams, his hand on chin, at the camera

The Weekly Roundup, November 24-December 1

Museums and streams for the holiday
AAMP, Brandywine River Museum, Penn Live Arts, and Opera Philadelphia serve up offerings for post-holiday festivities. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
A headshot of Cameron Kelsall, a white man in his 30s. He has very short dark hair and wears a button-down shirt.

The BSR Podcast, Season 6, Episode 6: Cameron Kelsall on the theater critic's job

Catching up with one of BSR's core theater critics

BSR podcaster Darnelle Radford gets theater critic Cameron Kelsall in the digital studio for this chat about why it's OK to narrow your focus, what the critic's job really is, and more.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
A canvas outdoors at night, trees in the background. Bright lights and distorting, squiggled lines illuminate the canvas.

Klip Collective presents 'Night Forms: dreamloop'

Blending light, sound, and the night
Grounds for Sculpture and Klip Collective collaborate for an after hours multi-sensory experience created with a unique synthesis of video projection, light, and sound as a bridge between technology and storytelling. Levi Bentley previews.

Levi Bentley

Previews 2 minute read
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A gallery view. 18th-century paintings of Absalom Jones at left & George Washington at right. They’re the same size & shape

Delaware Art Museum reimagines its permanent collection for a new era

Same art, new eyes
After years of preparation and community engagement, the Delaware Art Museum debuts a new vision for its world-class permanent collection. Gail Obenreder visits.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Features 6 minute read
Ngozi Anyanwu and Steven Rishard in Garbologists. Costumed as sanitation workers, they talk inside the cab of a trash truck.

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents Lindsay Joelle’s The Garbologists

Trash talkers
The Garbologists, a world premiere from Philadelphia Theatre Company, searches for deep meaning in a dirty job but offers a fairly thin character study instead. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A black-and-white photo of 5 women operating a phone switchboard in 1915.

Saving the kindness supply chain

Life in 2021 is hard for everyone—are you making it harder?
Almost two years into a pandemic, life in 2021 is tough for almost everyone. Roz Warren says that every day, you have a chance to make it better—or worse.
Roz Warren

Roz Warren

Essays 4 minute read
A historic illustration that appears to show Black people in a covered wagon aiming pistols at white men with rifles.

Slavery and Abolition in Pennsylvania, by Beverly C. Tomek

The truth about slavery in the Keystone State
Pennsylvania’s abolitionist Quakers ended slavery in the commonwealth long before any other state, right? A new book from Temple University Press explains that there’s a lot more to the story. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
A portrait shot of Kyle V. Hiller smiling.

The BSR Podcast, Season 6, Episode 5: Kyle V. Hiller on laying the foundations

Catching up with BSR's associate editor
BSR podcaster Darnelle Radford gets associate editor Kyle V. Hiller in the digital studio for this chat about what we build without even realizing it, the real BSR agenda, and more.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 0 minute read
Ngo and Kim, two Chinese American actors, on stage. Ngo is dressed in a silk robe, both looking towards the audience.

InterAct Theatre Company presents The Chinese Lady

An inconvenient history
Taking from Nancy E. Davis’s meticulously researched book of the same name, Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady introduces audiences to the first Chinese woman to arrive in America for a story that’s still relevant in 2021. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 4 minute read
A snapshot of a sheet of music with the text: "Carissimi, Dialogo del gigante Golia", lists the instruments in Italian.

Choral Arts and Philadelphia Bach Collegium present The Lost Oratorios of Giacomo Carissimi

On the ark of discovery
Choral Arts Philadelphia and Philadelphia Bach Collegium present a performance of two unpublished oratorios by Giacomo Carissimi. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Actors Joell Weil, Lisa Strum, Marquis Wood, & Malik Childs pose outdoors, a green leafy tree behind them

Bristol Riverside Theatre presents Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew

The best of the break room
Bristol Riverside Theatre returns to live theater with this powerfully acted production of Dominique Mourisseau’s workplace drama Skeleton Crew. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
Raphael on a bike in front of a stoop. He's wearing a hoodie, smiling towards the camera. He has a long grayed beard

Raphael Xavier’s Swerve changes direction for Philly’s stigmatized BMX culture

From freeze moves to freeze frames
Hip hop artist Raphael Xavier turns his talents from the dance stage to the screen with production of Swerve: The Movie. In the short film, Xavier plays a BMXer who mentors a teenage rider as they both undergo transformation. Darcy Grabenstein profiles.
Darcy Grabenstein

Darcy Grabenstein

Profiles 2 minute read
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Also on BSR

A flamenco dancer poses on stage, a relatively large audience looks on at the dancer.

The Weekly Roundup, November 17-24

From painting to sculptures, a double film screening, and ‘Anatomy of a Tablao’
A week decorated with contemplative paintings and sculptures, documentaries, and yes, flamenco. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 2 minute read
Davis stands in front of Quiñones, his hands on the sides of her face, their heads leaning against each others in a dark room

SHARP Dance Company presents The Other Side

Dancing to make up for lost time
The SHARP Dance Company presents its fall home series The Other Side with a collection of videos and live contemporary and modern dances with a touch of hip-hop flair. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Rafael Payare energetically conducts the orchestra around him, with clarinetist Ricardo Morales playing right in front of him

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Rafael Payare

Rafael and Ricardo
Fast-rising conductor Rafael Payare made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut with a program featuring a world-premiere Clarinet Concerto that highlighted the virtuosity of Ricardo Morales. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Winter in Bellapalma cover. Title & author are in black script, with a painting of the ocean and a wineglass on a table

Winter in Bellapalma and Ere the Cock Crows by Jens Bjørneboe; translated by Esther Greenleaf Mürer

Two Norwegian novels get new life in Philly
Philly poet and author Esther Greenleaf Mürer translates two novels by noted Norwegian author Jens Bjørneboe, who is less well-known here. Both Winter in Bellapalma and Ere the Cock Crows leave the reader at loose ends. Helen Walsh reviews.
Helen Walsh

Helen Walsh

Reviews 5 minute read
The book cover. Over a photo of brick Philly rowhouses, a diagonal orange banner with white text has the title.

The Bourgeois Anarchist by Sam Gridley

Waiting for the revolution
In Sam Gridley’s new Philly-set novella, a now-privileged teacher grapples with her anarchist past as she continues to join leftwing activists. Walter Bilderback reviews.
Walter Bilderback

Walter Bilderback

Reviews 4 minute read
Promo image. 'Hotel Williams' is written in B&W characters, with keyholes underneath, one is shaped like a heart

The Weekly Roundup, November 10-17

Visiting ‘Hotel Williams’, Cecil B. Moore, ‘A Sankofa Dream’, and Poet-Tree En Motion
Rare plays from Tennessee Williams, a mural for Cecil B. Moore Freedom Fighters, and honoring the ancestors. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
A headshot of Alaina, a white woman in her 30s. She has blonde hair, purple glasses, and a purple sweater. She is smiling.

The BSR Podcast, Season 6, Episode 4: Alaina Johns on the art scene future

Catching up with BSR's editor-in-chief
BSR podcaster Darnelle Radford gets editor-in-chief Alaina Johns in the digital studio for this chat about how our team handled the shutdowns, what we need to watch for in the future of arts funding, and, of course, the latest at BSR.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
A view from the back of the Perelman Theater: Dinnerstein and the orchestra members take a bow to a standing ovation.

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presents Simone Dinnerstein

The keyboard, from Bach to Glass
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia spans the centuries with keyboard mastery from Bach to Philip Glass, featuring pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
A scene from the play. Tolentino wears a red shirt & purple hoodie; Bey fishnets and long blond hair. They both look wistful

Azuka Theatre presents Erlina Ortiz’s Young Money

Money well spent
In Azuka Theatre’s Young Money, two women from different walks of life learn how much they have in common during a chaotic event. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Action shot of conductor Nézet-Séguin performing on the Kimmel Center stage with singer Tines and members of the orchestra.

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society each present Davóne Tines

A sermon and a song
On November 5, Philadelphia audiences had two chances to discover Davóne Tines, recently named Vocalist of the Year by Musical America. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 4 minute read