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A Bottom’s Dream, 2nd Place Race, and I THINK NOT
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, July 17-23, 2025
Kyle V. Hiller
This week, spend time at the historic Gloria Dei Church and Laurel Hill Mansion for a look at the Lenni Lenape’s legacy and relationship with this land. Gloria Dei hosts an afternoon studying and planting native plants and Laurel Hill opens an exhibition that studies the mansion and what the land was like before it was built on.
Then, Shakespeare in Clark Park returns to West Philly for A Bottom’s Dream, which takes the classic Midsummer Night’s Dream and blends it with a twist. Before that, and just down the street at Clarkville, a meetup group comes together in the spirit of a book club but for music. The Coop opens I THINK NOT: An evening with my inner monologue, and the 2nd Place Race hits the streets again as players drink, play, and race their way to number two—to benefit a local theater company.
TIMELINE
Opening night Friday, July 18, 6-8pm
Laurel Hill Mansion, 3487 Edgley Drive
This new outdoor exhibition in East Fairmount Park is a group exhibit—helmed by Philadelphia Sculptors and the Women for Greater Philadelphia—that explores the complex timeline of the Laurel Hill Mansion and the people who have lived on, cared for, and shaped the land—which was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape before it was acquired by William Penn in 1682 and the mansion was built on their land in 1767. The exhibition’s opening night is free and open to the public, running through October 17, 2025.
Native Plants on National Pennsylvania Day
Saturday, July 19, 12-2pm
Gloria Dei Church, 916 South Swanson Street
I didn’t know Pennsylvania had its own day until now, and this Saturday marks the date for an afternoon of learning about how the Lenape people used plants. Educational garden tours and hands-on planting demonstrations led by volunteer native garden members are on tow this year. You’ll even learn how to cultivate these sustainable plants in your own space.
2nd Place Race pub crawl and scavenger hunt
Saturday, July 19, 5pm
Starting at Quig’s at Plays & Players, 3rd floor, 1714 Delancey Street
The 2nd Place Race is back for its third year, with puzzles, challenges, games, trading, and tricking (and no running!) that will help you secure the coveted second place finish. Teams (yes, bring friends) will travel a short distance to two other bars completing fun tasks and collect points to trade with other teams, and whoever finishes second wins it all. This year’s hunt benefits Paper Doll Ensemble, a feminist theater collective here in Philly (that we’ve covered quite a bit!).
I THINK NOT: An evening with my inner monologue
Thursday, July 17, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 31, 7:30pm
The Coop, 1025 Hamilton Street
Award-winning playwright, filmmaker, and former actor James Christy has a lot on his mind. To the outside world, he’s able to pass as a reasonably decent person. But he’s able to manage this only with vigilant oversight of his opinionated, judgmental, but hopefully not-quite-toxic inner monologue—to which he gives the microphone at center stage for two-nights. The one-hour comedy is also a BYO event.
Songs about America: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with PhillyPOP
Saturday, July 19, 8-10pm
Clarkville, 4301 Baltimore Avenue
PhillyPOP is a new meetup group that’s more like a book club for music. The group meets about once a month and each meeting has a playlist of songs on a given theme. Participants listen to the playlist in advance and discuss it at the meeting, and it is a chance to meet with local music fans and discover new music. The meetup is free.
A Bottom’s Dream
July 23-27
Clark Park, 1101 South 45th Street
Shakespeare in Clark Park hosts the world premiere of A Bottom’s Dream, a reimagining of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by writer and composer Jay Eddy. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Shakespeare in Clark Park, A Bottom’s Dream stars Philly drag legend Lili St. Queer as Titania and brings a queer twist to the popular comedy. The performances will be free to attend in the Bowl of Clark Park.
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