Opinion

92 results
Page 1
A small crowd of people move around outside the lit-up marquee of the Alamo Drafthouse entrance.

Alamo Drafthouse theaters have a new owner. It’s time for them to come to Philly.

The need for screens

The popular Austin-based movie-theater chain Alamo Drafthouse (recently acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment) has spread to cities across the country, but never to Philly. Stephen Silver asks if it’s time to change that.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Essays 3 minute read
Samuel, a white man seen in profile from over his shoulder, looks thoughtfully out on a city street.

The hardest thing about stuttering isn’t stuttering at all: it’s how people react to it.

If I want your help, I’ll ask.

Samuel Dunsiger has a speech disability, but the hardest part about talking to others isn't his stuttering; it's the assumptions people make.
Samuel Dunsiger

Samuel Dunsiger

Essays 4 minute read
Hundreds of people, many holding handmade signs, rally on a June day on the steps of the pillared Hamilton Hall building.

A UArts student speaks: “It’s clear that I’ll have to settle, no matter where I go.”

A young writer promises that his school’s demise won’t silence his craft.

Jay Clark was a rising junior at UArts and this year’s winner of the school’s Creative Writing Poetry Prize. On May 31, he got a tuition bill. The same day, news broke of the school’s closure. What’s next for him and hundreds of others?

Jay Clark

Essays 5 minute read
Photo of a rainy New York City street and the red hanging sign for Marie’s Crisis Café, with ornate calligraphic lettering.

These basement singalongs queer the Broadway canon and help me reclaim my voice

The soundtrack of our way out

When Anndee Hochman was 13, a teacher told her she couldn't sing. Decades later, a basement Broadway singalong in Manhattan's West Village taught her something new.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 5 minute read
The pillared exterior of Hamilton Hall from across Broad Street, with 100s of people gathered in front of it, many with signs

A University of the Arts professor speaks: “Knowing it’s the last time I’ll be here is unbearable.”

Students and faculty pledge to keep creating despite their school’s "unconscionable" demise

Philly novelist Elise Juska founded the creative writing program at UArts, where she taught for 24 years. She brings us inside her last days at the university, alongside her irrepressible students.
Elise Juska

Elise Juska

Essays 6 minute read

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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
View from the audience of a standing ovation at the Wilma, with the cast and stage manager lined up joyfully under the lights

The Wilma’s Tony reminds us to keep fighting for Philly’s arts community

The future is collaborative

Philly’s theater community rejoiced at hearing that the Wilma will receive the 2024 Regional Theatre Tony Award at this year’s ceremony on Sunday, June 16. It’s a huge reason to keep fighting for Philly arts, but certainly not the only one.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
23 storytellers of different ages, genders & races pose onstage with hands folded and heads lowered.

Mural Arts and First Person Arts present Embracing the Light

Philly storytellers tackle suicide stigma

Mural Arts and First Person Arts teamed up for a show tackling stigma around mental illness and suicide—unusual topics for public storytelling. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Alaina Johns reviews.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 7 minute read
Black & white vintage photo of five coiffed young ladies sitting in a row in the library reading newspapers.

Six tips for news and social media sanity in the 2024 election cycle (you won’t believe #6)

The news is stressful. Here’s how to stay engaged while keeping your cool.

Our democracy, our climate, our rights, our health, our wars and protests—it’s hard to look at any news at all without feeling like the world is ending. Spend seven minutes with Alaina Johns now and get six tips to help you navigate today’s media.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 7 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