You're invited to meet at the Eagle in September.

First, thanks for bearing with us as a scheduling error sent both of our weekly newsletters out on Thursday last week. We're back on track now.

After BSR writer Walt Maguire speculated last May on whether the newly empty Wanamaker Building could host cultural events in 2026, we're happy to see that becoming a reality sooner rather than later. I attended last Friday's announcement, when Philly arts, commerce, and tourism leaders met the press (and Santa Claus) at the Eagle to tell us all about it. We've got the details, including the so-far successful plan to bring back the Christmas light show and organ concerts, and the Dickens Village. How do you think recitals from major opera stars would sound in the Grand Court? We'll find out this fall.

This week, since the editorial team is heading into our annual summer break, we're bringing you a guide to theater happening throughout our region for the whole month of August. Don't miss critic Cameron Kelsall's picks. We also have a look at a new and long-overdue mural dedicated to Philly abolitionist William Still and his family, getting its dedication in Bella Vista this Friday. And more!

Our break means that no new stories will go up on the site from July 31-Aug 17. We appreciate your patience as the editorial team takes a much-needed rest! And you'll be getting a special newsletter those two Wednesdays featuring some of our best essays and features from the first half of 2025, in case you missed them. And, of course, your August BSR in the Wild mailer this Friday.

It's a good thing we're getting a rest, because once we're back, Kyle and I will be diving headlong into assigning coverage for the 2025 Fringe Festival, which'll be right around the corner. So as always, stick with us, and we'll be connecting you with all the best our arts scene has to offer.

Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief

We're re-upping this story because arts-lovers' transit advocacy is urgently needed in Harrisburg. Here's a quick guide to take action. As of early this week, some Republicans in the PA Senate are still resisting legislation that would fund public transit throughout the state, not just in Philadelphia. Transit should not be a partisan issue, and the consequences of a final budget passing without transit funding are almost unimaginable -- lost property values, lost jobs, and local economies hamstrung as both workers and patrons are unable to get around. This is doubly true for the arts sector, which relies especially on nighttime transit that will disappear with the current budget cuts. It all adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost annual tax revenue for the state at large. Call and write your PA reps and tell them: NO budget deal without transit funding. And if you live anywhere in PA, call our PA Senate majority leaders, Senator Joe Pittman (717-787-8724) and Senator Kim Ward, the senate's president pro tempore (717-787-6063). Every time I have called, their staff has been polite and appreciative. They must hear from us if we're going to save our public transit, and therefore our arts sector. If we do not act, major cuts begin in August and worsen next year.