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Bodies & Souls, Be More Chill, and setting The Carport on fire
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, March 12-18, 2026
Kyle V. Hiller
Philly continues to celebrate Women’s History Month (or Herstory, if you prefer!) with a conversation with an author whose book chronicles the history of dance in the city through a lens much less used. Then, the Philadelphia Orchestra hosts two performances honoring women in classical music history, and a solo performance by Jennifer Blaine—who’s been at it since 1997.
Liszt’s Piano Fireworks
March 12 and March 14
Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street
The Philadelphia Orchestra is celebrating Women’s History Month by performing historic and new pieces of music composed by women. The billing includes the first symphony ever composed and published by an American woman: Amy Beach.
The Carport
Friday, March 13, 7:30pm, and Friday, April 17, 8pm
Mister John’s, 904 South 9th Street
Based on Jennifer Blaine’s own true experience of having her beloved carport set on fire by an arsonist, The Carport is an interactive, multi-character account of navigating a bureaucratic nightmare to rebuild. The solo performance combines storytelling, standup, and original songs, populating 30 other characters to bring the story to life. Blaine, who’s been performing in the Philly Fringe since its inception in 1997, and has been performing several solo shows over decades.
Be More Chill
March 13-21
Players Club of Swarthmore, 614 Fairview Road, Swarthmore, PA
PCS Theater presents Be More Chill, a cult classic musical based on the novel by Ned Vizzini. It tells the story of Jeremy Heere, an average teenager who discover “the Squip”, a tiny supercomputer that promises to bring him everything he desires most: a date with Christine, an invite to the raddest party of the year, and a chance to survive life in his suburban New Jersey high school. It then asks the question: is becoming the most popular guy in school worth the risk?
Blockbusters in the Burbs
Saturday, March 14, 3pm
Pfleeger Concert Hall, 401 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ
The Philly Pops make their South Jersey debut at Rowan University this weekend. In this concert, which comes as part of the University’s Marie Rader Series, the orchestra will perform some of the most beloved movie scores, including features by the orchestra’s Matt Gallagher (The Incredibles), Michael Ludwig (Schindler's List), and Ron Kerber (Catch Me if You Can).
Bodies & Souls: Robert and Frances Coulborn Kohler Collection
March 14-June 7, 2026
Woodmere, 9201 Germantown Avenue
This new collaborative exhibit from Woodmere and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts examines the enduring power of figurative art to assert the complexities of the human condition, and looks to cultivate compassion and imagine more humane ways of being in the world. The exhibit does that through 20th and 21st century figurative paintings, drawings, and sculptures depicting bodies as relational, vulnerable, and resilient. Bodies & Souls opens on Saturday, March 14 with a gallery talk at 1pm and an opening reception at 2-4pm.
Theatres of the Body
Tuesday, March 17, 7pm
Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street
Dance historian Lynn Matluck Brooks examines antebellum Philadelphia’s vibrant and complex performance culture in Theatres of the Body, a book that traces how ballet, pantomime, and blackface minstrelsy intersected with debates around citizenship, slavery, and freedom. A conversation with and a live jazz dance performance by choreographer Lauren Putty White of Putty Dance Project decorates the evening.
Editor's note: Did you enjoy this preview? Our BSR Readers Decide campaign is running through March 31, 2026 to fill a critical gap in our operational funding. There are no paywalls at BSR, but you can help keep our coverage going.
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