Azuka and Simpatico present Priyanka Shetty’s #Charlottesville

Witnessing a far-right rally

Priyanka Shetty’s powerful solo show based on hundreds of interviews with residents of Charlottesville, VA after the violent 2017 “Unite the Right” rally gets its Philly premiere. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Oct 20, 2026 · Reviews · 5 minute read

The 2026 Philadelphia Film Festival opens with The Only Living Pickpocket in New York and La Bola Negra

PFF’s 35th anniversary starts with a bang

The 35th annual Philadelphia Film Festival opens with an extremely New York movie and the latest from the Spanish directing duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, coming soon to Netflix. Stephen Silver reviews.

Stephen Silver

Oct 19, 2026 · Reviews · 5 minute read

Philadelphia Theatre Company and Baltimore Center Stage present Bess Wohl’s Liberation

From 1970 to today, women face the same struggles

Bess Wohl’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning Liberation makes its local debut at Philadelphia Theatre Company. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Oct 19, 2026 · Reviews · 3 minute read

The Mighty WMMR: An Oral History of Philadelphia’s Rock Radio Revolution, By Erin Riley

The story of Philly’s own pioneering rock station, from Dave Herman to Pierre Robert

In her new survey of Philly rock radio icon WMMR, longtime music director Erin Riley gets the station’s story in dozens of interviews with the pioneering personalities who drove its success. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Oct 13, 2026 · Reviews · 6 minute read

Applied Mechanics presents Run Ben Run

Manifest density

With its latest ensembled-devised show, Run Ben Run, Applied Mechanics combines American history, pop culture, art criticism, and more in an interactive experience at Christ Church Neighborhood House. Jill Ivey reviews.

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Oct 12, 2026 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Native Americans and Pennsylvania, by Daniel K. Richter

Pre-American history

A timely expansion of UPenn history professor Daniel K. Richter’s book Native Americans and Pennsylvania brings new scholarship to the history of Indigenous life in what is now Pennsylvania. Pamela J. Forsythe

Pamela J. Forsythe

Oct 11, 2026 · Reviews · 5 minute read

Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, by Anthony Tommasini

A masterful biography of an iconic American voice

Pianist, author, and New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini’s new biography of Marian Anderson is a page-turning triumph. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Oct 09, 2026 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Jen Silverman’s Witch

Then and now are the same world for women

Jen Silverman adapts the 17th-century tragicomedy The Witch of Edmonton into a sizzling modern-ish fable with all the same questions about womanhood, now onstage at Quintessence. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Oct 06, 2026 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Pier Players Theatre Company presents Kate Brennan and David Lee White’s Big Babies

Parents try to host a party

Big Babies, the latest world premiere from David Lee White and Kate Brennan, about a dinner party for parents of toddlers (and their wacky neighbors), is onstage at Pier Players Theatre Company. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Oct 05, 2026 · Reviews · 3 minute read

The Arden presents Conor McPherson’s Girl from the North Country

Eugene O’Neill meets Bob Dylan

The Arden opens its 2026-27 season with Girl from the North Country, featuring a script by Conor McPherson and music by Bob Dylan. It feels like less than the sum of its parts. Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

Oct 05, 2026 · Reviews · 3 minute read