Essays

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View from the mezzanine of a hall crowded with students and vendor tables, balloons decorating the central stairway.

From Shanghai to Philadelphia: An international alum speaks on the closure of UArts

Because of UArts, Philly will always be part of me.

When Shanghai native Wenlu Bao wanted to continue her arts education, she came to UArts, which led her to museums throughout our region. She was shocked to see the news about its closing. She remembers her time there.
Wenlu Bao

Wenlu Bao

Essays 6 minute read
A white woman squats on a brown rock surface, using a wet sponge to reveal an ancient Indigenous carved medicine wheel.

Three free road trips from Philadelphia offer a treasure-hunting trifecta

Hit the road (or the river) to discover fossils, Jersey diamonds, and petroglyphs

Writer Bart Stump is a seasoned local adventurer. He recommends three summer destinations for all kinds of Philly-area treasure hunters, with itineraries in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Bart Stump

Bart Stump

Essays 4 minute read
On the edge of the stage, Zion leans sadly against Elmore, who puts an arm around her shoulder. They wear casual clothes.

I’m a Jewish dramaturg, and The Last Yiddish Speaker taught me a lot about the spaces we need to develop Jewish plays.

Why does culturally specific play development matter?

As Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker premieres at InterAct, Philly dramaturg and writer Alix Rosenfeld shares her role in developing the play, and why culturally specific spaces matter for marginalized artists, including Jewish ones.
Alix Rosenfeld

Alix Rosenfeld

Essays 5 minute read
Parkinson, in a strapless bodice, pulls Miller, wearing a green & blue plaid kilt, seductively toward him face to face.

As a trans actor, I’m dismayed by the “testosterone-driven” concept of the all-male Macbeth at Quintessence

If we don’t break down gender barriers in casting, Philly theater will continue to stall.

A promotional note from Quintessence Theatre Group artistic director Alex Burns about why he’s staging an “all-male” Macbeth drew a strong response from the Philly theater community. Bruce Baldini speaks up as a trans male actor.
Bruce Baldini

Bruce Baldini

Essays 6 minute read
Close-up on smiling Kate. She wears diamond earrings and a high-necked blue dress, her brown hair curving around her face.

Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis could remind us to stop projecting our own fears of illness and death.

Before and after, for Kate and for me

Princess Kate’s cancer announcement brought up Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer’s own memories of fighting cancer as a mom in her late 30s. This news is an opportunity for us all to look inward and stop projecting our fears about illness and death.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Essays 5 minute read
Near the US Capitol, a crowd, many wearing yarmulkes & tallits, hold a giant Torah-style scroll saying Rabbis for Ceasefire.

Thirteen ways of looking at a war zone: Poetry as vital pause

“I feel allergic to the show of taking sides. I want to be on the side of a just peace.”

Anndee Hochman was at an artists’ retreat on October 7, 2023, making things with words. She remembers how poetry works, even as atrocities rage.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 6 minute read
Impressionistic colored pen & ink drawing of people clustered in a living room, with various words & phrases written in black

A look back at Philly's 2023 cultural scene through the eyes of local artist Chuck Schultz

Capturing Philly performances in original drawings

Philly artist Chuck Schultz has been in the audience at concerts, plays, and dance performances throughout 2023. Now, he shares the performances through his own eyes in this one-of-a-kind BSR gallery.
Alaina Johns Chuck Schultz

Alaina Johnsand Chuck Schultz

Essays 4 minute read
A frightened-looking white man in a raglan tee sits in the dark with his knees up, leaning against a rough wall.

At the darkest time of year, horror movies bring me unexpected healing

Falling for the darkness

Melissa Strong used to leave the lights on after watching The X-Files, and hated doing anything risky or scary. But when she pushed herself to begin watching horror movies, she experienced a surprising change.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Essays 5 minute read
Hetherington, a white woman, and Roberson, a Black woman, perform together, each dancing on their own low wooden platform.

Has Philly lost touch with the true musical roots of tap dance?

Tap dance is much more than learning the steps

The true art of tap, including historic Philly dancers, has its roots in collaboration and improvisation, not recorded music or memorized choreography. Philly tap dance leader Pamela Hetherington explains.
Pamela Hetherington

Pamela Hetherington

Essays 5 minute read
In profile, a young woman sits on the edge of a bed and leans over, clutching her head and stomach in pain.

Menstruation is a part of life, but pain doesn’t have to be

Why don’t we take women’s pain seriously?

Despite studies that show women experience pain more acutely, we wait longer for diagnosis and pain relief than men do—if we get relief at all. Isabel Soisson considers.
Isabel Soisson

Isabel Soisson

Essays 5 minute read