Walt Maguire

BSR Contributor Since May 5, 2025

Walt Maguire (he/him) is a freelance writer in Germantown.

Walt Maguire (he/him) is a freelance writer in Germantown. He's written on issues in Northwest Philadelphia, plus reviews, essays, and some fiction.

By this Author

13 results
Page 1
View from the ground floor of the grand multi-story hall of Macy’s, crowded with people listening to the organ.

Could the Wanamaker Building become a hub for Philly’s 250th anniversary events?

Let’s meet at the Eagle for the Semiquincentennial
When plans got underway for Philly’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday, organizers didn’t know that the beautiful and historic Wanamaker Building would go empty with the closure of Macy’s. Walt Maguire asks if 2026 events could fill it up.

Walt Maguire

Essays 4 minute read
Three people balance delightedly on a small structure of metal chains and poles while Kennedy walks around them smiling.

Philly Fringe 2025: Greg Kennedy presents Architectonica

We are all jugglers
A new Fringe experience from juggler Greg Kennedy is more collaborative workshop than performance, mixing art with engineering to take the audience inside a craft that dates back to Leonardo da Vinci. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
Snapshot of a 1960s-era middle-aged white couple wearing business attire, seated together on a plane.

Philly Fringe 2025: Automatic Arts presents Josh McIlvain’s Slideshow

Rediscovering physical media through a found family
Josh McIlvain of Philly’s Automatic Arts is back in this year’s Fringe with his popular Slideshow, a performance built around a real-life carousel of a stranger’s vintage family photos. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
7 actors pose in a jubilant V, wearing Eagles gear, against a green neon Philly skyline & “Wicked Philly style” projections

1812 Productions presents This Is the Week That Is: 20th Anniversary Special

Can a stage show riff on today’s news cycle?
1812’s annual satirical variety show is back for its 20th year with a strong cast and design, but some missed opportunities in its sketches. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
Two vitrines full of documents from the era in front of a wall with more framed documents and a large image from 1976 protest

UPenn’s Van Pelt Library presents Celebrate or Demonstrate: Philadelphia and Bicentennial Discontent

Protests during America’s 200th birthday mirror our divisions in 2026
A small, free-to-visit exhibition in UPenn’s Van Pelt Library reminds us that protests during America’s 250th birthday resemble those that rocked Philly in 1976. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
In motley Renaissance clothes, the cast poses clownishly in a spotlight, Hogan at center looking prissy in white face paint.

The Kammerspiel presents Molière’s Tartuffe, adapted by Bob Sloan

Back to laugh at the oligarchy
A new adaptation of Molière’s Tartuffe gets its world premiere at Performance Garage with the Kammerspiel, a theater troupe dedicated to intimate and subversive productions. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 2 minute read
Close-up on dynamic white and purple embroidered lilies on a dark quilted fabric background.

Your March guide to 250th Anniversary events in Philadelphia

Things to do in Philly this spring, with a 250th twist
Welcome to our new monthly guide to Philly-area events celebrating America’s 250th
birthday. We’ve got art and poetry, participatory textiles, feminist furniture, medical history, and lots more. Walt Maguire previews.

Walt Maguire

Previews 5 minute read
Rock sits at a small table with Quinn, smiling and leaning toward her with a shot glass. She looks wary, holding a wineglass.

Irish Heritage Theatre presents Conor McPherson’s The Weir

A woman walks into a bar
Conor McPherson’s The Weir is a ghost story about the living, now onstage with Irish Heritage Theatre at Plays and Players. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 4 minute read
Vintage black & white print shows a night sky full of different artistically rendered fireworks exploding over a river.

Your April guide to 250th Anniversary events in Philadelphia

Declarations, fireworks, your photos, and more as spring fires up America’s birthday
April is overflowing with events continuing Philly’s 250 theme, including an exhibition about fireworks, art shows, a call for photos, circus arts, ceramics, a symphony, a Mummers dance workshop, and tons more. Walt Maguire rounds up.

Walt Maguire

Previews 12 minute read
Arcuri & Bellomo, in trench coats & exaggerated Commedia masks and hats, mime driving away from a masked policeman & ensemble

Curio Theatre Company presents John Bellomo’s Sacco & Vanzetti: A Tragedia Dell’Arte

The true story of two immigrants on trial in the 1920s echoes America today
Curio mounts the world premiere of local playwright John Bellomo’s Sacco & Vanzetti: A Tragedia Dell’Arte, restaging a famous 20th-century trial with a 16th-century flair that still feels fresh. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
The logo, a collaged close-up image of a Black man wearing a Lincoln hat, his lower face & shoulders illustrated in red lines

Your May guide to 250th Anniversary events in Philadelphia

Print your own Declaration, sample historic foods, join Colonial tours, and more
Semiquincentennial events continue to pack the Philly-area calendar, from new art installations to print-your-own Declaration events, a wide variety of tours, new theater, and lots more. Walt Maguire dives in.

Walt Maguire

Previews 8 minute read
Childs, a 57-year-old white woman in a black dress, smiles ruefully as she holds up a purple satin corset.

1812 Productions presents Jen Childs’s She Gets Around

A closet memoir
A new solo show from Jennifer Childs takes audiences inside her closet for the stories that made her the comedy actor she is today, inspired by a lifetime of outfits. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
Family of two adults & two kids chat happily with each other while leaning on a balcony draped with a stylized American flag

Your guide to Philly Memorial Day Weekend events honoring America’s 250th

Flags, festivals, parades, public art, and more for Memorial Day
Planning Memorial Day Weekend outings? We’re rounding up festivals, parades, and notable public art with a 250th theme, from Germantown to North Philadelphia to Old City to the waterfront. Dive in with Walt Maguire.

Walt Maguire

Previews 5 minute read