Dear BSR Subscriber,
Welcome to the latest exclusive monthly tips for our subscribers!
It’s time for our monthly BSR in the Wild update! These are going to look a little different for the next two months, because it’s editor Alaina Johns coming to you instead of executive director Neil Bardhan. He is taking some time away as he welcomes his first child. We all wish Neil and his family the best!
BSR in the Wild hits your inbox on the first Friday of every month. These exclusive tips for subscribers let you know where our team is heading on the Philly scene this month. There are three sections: FIND US, Neil’s Nod of the Month (this month, it’s mine!) and Recommended Reading. If you’d like to step up and support our work, a donation of $10 or more directly supports our writers.
Let’s dive in.
Alaina and Neil at October’s GPCA Annual Meeting and Arts Party at BOK Bar. (Photo by Neil Bardhan.)
FIND US!
FIND NEIL: Being a first-time dad! He’ll be back to arts events later.
Meanwhile…
FIND ALAINA:
WHEN: November 2 WHERE: The Thanksgiving Play WHY: BSR critic C.M. Crockford’s mostly rave review of Curio Theater Company’s latest production confirmed that I want to get to this show. It’s the Philly premiere of Larissa FastHorse’s popular 2018 play, which is one of the most frequently produced plays in the country. It’s a satire following four extremely well-meaning white folks trying to mount a culturally sensitive school play about the First Thanksgiving. It runs through November 9.
Rachel Gluck (front), Paul Harrold (back), Nathan Joseph, and Felicia Leicht in Curio’s ‘Thanksgiving Play’. (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas.)
FIND ALAINA continued
WHEN: November 5 …actually, do not find me. I already voted by mail and I will just be trying to survive Election Day as well as I can by turning off social media and the news. I kind of want to make a blanket fort in my living room and just read a Jane Austen book in there. Anyone else? In the meantime, make your plan to vote if you haven’t already!
WHEN: November 6 at 1pm WHERE: CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia (The Philadelphia Building, Suite 300) WHY: I am joining a panel discussion on the intersection of art, politics, and journalism hosted by our friends at CultureWorks. My fellow speakers include Heather Shayne Blakeslee of Root Quarterly, Madison Karas of Tiny News Collective, and Roberta Fallon of ArtBlog, so it’s going to be a great conversation. It’s part of a whole day of relaxed open office hours at CultureWorks (10am-4pm), with the panel discussion happening from 1-2pm. It’s free! RSVP here.
WHEN: November 14 WHERE: American Moor WHY: I’m heading to the Lantern to check out another Philly premiere, this one by Keith Hamilton Cobb. As a Shakespeare fan I was already interested in the show, which begins with an actor auditioning for the title role in Othello, and promises “a rich and penetrating exploration of Shakespeare in a story told with wit, passion, and linguistic brilliance” that shines a light on race and art. When I saw that it’s directed by Kash Goins, whose work I have enjoyed in the past, I knew I had to get a ticket. It runs through December 8.
Phillip Brown is starring in 'American Moor' at Lantern Theatre Company. (Image courtesy of the Lantern.)
FIND ALAINA AND KYLE
WHEN: November 21 at 6:30pm WHERE: On Zoom! WHY: I am teaching an updated session of our popular one-night online class: HELP US HELP YOU: A PR webinar for artists with the editors at BSR. Learn the basics of good PR with an arts and culture focus, and bring your questions for the Q&A with local publicity experts. This class is for indie artists and staffers of small organizations who need a primer or refresher on PR, experienced PR folks who want inside on the BSR process, and any arts lover who wants a peek behind the scenes of BSR’s coverage. It will be recorded, so you can tune in live or later. Like all of our events, the webinar is free for our Friends (monthly donors starting at $5/month). The cost for everyone else is a suggested $25 donation to BSR (but if you can’t swing that, there’s a Pay What You Can option). Hope to see you there!
Alaina and Kyle will be joined by expert publicity consultants Jill Ivey and Frank Luzi for the November 21 webinar.
Alaina’s Nod of the Month
The Nod (normally Neil’s) is a peek at an upcoming BSR piece that we’re especially looking forward to. Naturally it’s tough for me to choose. We have a lot of great reviews on deck, including coverage of Theatre Exile, the PMA, Ballet X, and lots more. We also will be running a story on Records Forever, a new vinyl shop slated to open today on Fairmount Avenue. It’s owned and operated by Gabriel Cohen, a media veteran who has worked for decades at outlets like WHYY, PBS, and KQED. In the words of writer Emma Riverso, who pitched the story, “I want to find out why he is choosing to open a record shop while keeping one foot in the digital media world and how Philly has influenced his new venture.”
Recommended Reading
For a lot of us, the next few days will be full of painful anxiety and uncertainty as we wait on the election results, and dread a potential return of the disinformation, denial, and violence that marred the aftermath of the last presidential election. In times like this, I like returning to essayist Anndee Hochman’s January 2023 piece. It never fails to move to me to tears as well as affirming life’s biggest truth: no matter what’s happening or what’s coming, we can focus on the people we love.
Love here, love now
Anndee Hochman
View
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Thanks for being part of our community!
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
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