Features

104 results
Page 1
In a blue wash of light, Davis wears white tights, pointing one foot while solemnly holding a boombox aloft.

Chris Davis and Lee Minora take us inside the Edinburgh Fringe

Go behind the scenes with two Fringe veterans, from bad reviews to performing abroad

Two veteran Philly Fringe artists, Chris Davis and Lee Minora, talk with Alaina Johns about what it takes to make the jump to Edinburgh, and why BSR coverage was key to the journey.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Features 7 minute read
View from behind of a few dozen people seated in a brick-walled gallery, facing a projection screen.

Rough Cuts builds new community as Philly’s only open mic for filmmakers

Philly’s emerging film artists find feedback and fellowship

Contrary to industry advice, emerging filmmakers don’t have to try to make movies by themselves. At Rough Cuts, Philly’s open mic screening club, they can get an honest, supportive take from their peers. Elijah Fischer visits.
Elijah Fischer

Elijah Fischer

Features 4 minute read
View of an audience in a small theater laughing and clapping uproariously.

Behind the Philly boom of pay-what-you-can theater tickets

Theaters are experimenting with ticket prices. What does this mean for artists and audiences?

As Philly theater festivals experiment with "pay-what-you-can" ticketing structures, how does this really affect companies, artists, and audiences? Gauri Mangala finds out.
Gauri Mangala

Gauri Mangala

Features 8 minute read
Closeup on Amina, a smiling Black woman with wavy hair, wearing a red blazer.

Theatre Horizon and the Wilma Theater tap new artistic directors

Prolific Philly theater artists Amina Robinson and Lindsay Smiling step into new leadership roles

It’s rare for an artistic director job to come open at a Philly-area theater, but Theatre Horizon and the Wilma each had big news this spring. Cameron Kelsall speaks with newly minted leaders Amina Robinson and Lindsay Smiling.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Features 5 minute read
Black & white art gallery view photo with Olshan smiling in the foreground while two other people embrace.

This Is (Not) a Celebration: Philly’s queer counternarrative to America 250

A rebellious local antidote to triumphant narratives of our nation's big birthday

The LGBTQ community faces many of the same injustices today as their peers did in 1976. With a series of exhibitions and events, queer folks in Philly continue to stand for liberty during America 250. Josh Herren explains.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Features 7 minute read
Closeup on a joyful choir conductor in a white sweater, black-clad choir members in soft focus beyond

Philly’s Transcendent Choir welcomes trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive singers

“No matter what your voice sounds like, there’s a place for it.”

Trans and gender-expansive singers often face a rigid classical music performance tradition that makes it difficult to participate, but the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia is changing that. Anndee Hochman listens.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Features 6 minute read

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On a surreal stage with red striped walls, rows of yellow lights, and fog, actors cavort in front of a large curtained bed

What did Philly audiences and theaters learn from the 2026 Citywide James Ijames Pass?

Tracking an experiment in multi-theater marketing

As three Philly theaters programmed works by James Ijames in the 2025-26 season, they decided to join forces to attract new audiences. Did it work? Wendy Univer finds out.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 7 minute read
Seen from behind, a festival parade of marchers under the Philly skyline, in elaborate applique costumes with fruit & veggies

The Festival of Many Colors on May 17 marks a new chapter for the Mummers

Opening new doors to the Mummers

The Mummers is a way of life for some Philadelphians, but they also have a history of painful exclusion. A multicultural festival on Sunday, May 17, marks a new era of collaboration with grassroots cultural groups. Isa Segalovich looks closer.
Isabella Segalovich

Isabella Segalovich

Features 6 minute read
Four dancers in loose, pale clothes dance joyfully in a line on an old gym floor as the audience watches behind them.

Huge changes to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts will impact the Philly cultural scene

Local artists are fighting for the power to tell their stories

An overhaul to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts will have a major impact on Philly’s creative sector, cutting diversity programs, operating dollars, and funding for apprenticeships and small companies. Camille Bacon-Smith looks closer.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 7 minute read
Big blue handmade banner saying We Won’t Be Displaced hangs over a gallery crammed with protest art about saving Chinatown.

Asian Arts Initiative and partners present No Arena: Making a Movement

Celebrating the power of the people

A new exhibition at Asian Arts Initiative explores the recent fight over the basketball arena proposed on the edge of Philly’s Chinatown, celebrating the power of ordinary people who activated to save the neighborhood. Krista Mar visits.
Krista Mar

Krista Mar

Features 4 minute read