Features

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A group of women dancers in (mostly) white dresses pose in uniform on stage.

Philadelphia Ballet presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker

The corps de ballet, breathing as one

Camille Bacon-Smith talks with dancers from the Philadelphia Ballet on their latest production of The Nutcracker and the variety of challenges the classic show still presents for its performers.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 5 minute read
A street corner with a store front and Victorian rowhomes underneath a partly cloudy sky in Swarthmore.

Racism and my nice small town newspaper

Stuck in the genteel

A local news outlet in Swarthmore shows us how not to cover a community and the dangers of appealing to a section of an audience that dances around its own racism. Amy Beth Sisson considers.
Amy Beth Sisson

Amy Beth Sisson

Features 5 minute read
Outside, toy dinos sit atop a CD on a can of tuna, with tea cups. Signs read: Climate change is real; Vote to save the earth

Decades after childhood, is it too late to learn how to play?

Are we having fun yet?

Anndee Hochman considers her decades-long journey of finding what it means to play, integrating play into life, and the life lessons learned from a year of "fun" prompts from friends.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Features 5 minute read
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
Christopher Bursk, a white man w/ white hair, speaks at a college lectern with arms outstretched, to a crowd seated in front

Remembering Bucks County poet, teacher, and activist Christopher Bursk

A unique legacy of learning

After decades of mentorship to local writing communities, including incarcerated writers, Bucks County poet, teacher, and activist Christopher Bursk never stopped learning or fighting for justice. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer explores his legacy.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Features 5 minute read
A summer protest city street scene, with a large crowd walking with its back to the camera, holding signs aloft.

A look back: why the Philly theater scene needs the Black Lives Matter movement

Local artists speak

Writer An Nichols followed the recent national social justice explosion that rocked the Philly theater community, but she wanted to look closer, speaking with local artists about their experiences leading up to the current moment.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Features 7 minute read
Two white protesters hold handwritten cardboard signs comparing inequitable theater salaries and the words Protect the Artist

Philly’s Protect the Artist protestors take their demands to the Walnut’s opening night

A new opening scene

After a summer of protest and invitations to dialogue that went ignored by the Walnut Street Theatre, Protect the Artist organizers took their message to the Walnut’s 2021 opening night. Wendy Rosenfield was there.
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Features 6 minute read
The Viva Video storefront, with large figures of Jack Skellington and The Wizard of Oz cast. Shelves of DVDs are inside

Ardmore’s Viva Video closes after nine years on Lancaster Avenue

Goodbye to The Last Picture Store

Fans of TLA Video found a new home after Miguel Gomez opened Viva Video in Ardmore. As Viva Video now closes, the community that loved it reflects on the future of movie watching. Stephen Silver was there.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Features 5 minute read
Women dancers in black pose on a black stage. Two lie on their sides; one rises w/ arms lifted, & one stands bending an arm

A rebrand at the Annenberg Center is true to a move beyond the building

Welcoming Penn Live Arts

The arts presenter headquartered at the Annenberg Center goes back to its roots with a new name: Penn Live Arts. Camille Bacon-Smith explores the update.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 4 minute read
On a red-lit stage, four Black men crawl menacingly toward a Black boy.

Does new leadership (finally) mean a new era for Philly-area theaters?

Stages of change

In and around Philadelphia, several theater companies are expanding or re-envisioning their artistic leadership models as they prepare to resume in-person performances. Cameron Kelsall speaks with them.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Features 6 minute read