Theater

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Peakes and Close face Ebrahimzadeh, at left. Peakes smiles and Close looks anxious. They’re in subdued Elizabethan costumes.

Your August guide to Philadelphia-area theater

No dog days for the stage
BSR may be going on our August hiatus, but theater in our region doesn’t take a vacation. Cameron Kelsall previews some of August’s local productions, from hyperlocal al fresco performances to classic Shakespearean tragedies.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Previews 3 minute read
Biko Eisen-Martin, in a sleeveless black costume, kneels on the stage, making a humorous yet anguished face.

PSF presents Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in rep

Thrilling metatheatrics
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival stages Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead in repertory productions, each play illuminating the other. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 5 minute read
Rayne and St. Queer sing exuberantly with one hand aloft, Rayne in a sequined black blazer & St. Queer in a patterned kimono

Shakespeare in Clark Park presents Jay Eddy’s A Bottom’s Dream

Shakespeare, but make it gay(er)
Shakespeare in Clark Park celebrates its 20th year with an original queer musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that feels both nostalgic and contemporary. It runs through Sunday, July 27. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 4 minute read
Ensemble of 8, in colorful costumes, poses together singing with arms outstretched, against a backdrop of green trees

Delaware Shakespeare presents Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, adapted by Liz Filios and Tanaquil Márquez

“No one belongs until everyone belongs”
A new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night onstage at Wilmington’s historic Rockwood Park asks what would happen if Sebastian and Viola washed up in a modern-day country sans documentation. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 5 minute read
In fanciful summery clothes and makeup, the actors crowd into an outdoor bower of gauzy white fabric with green trees behind

Indecorous Theatre presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Schuylkill Center

Into the forest
Philly’s Indecorous Theatre takes audiences into the woods for an interactive production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that celebrates the show’s gender-bending, class-swapping, fairy-meddling magic. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 4 minute read
In 60s or 90s fashion, the cast mugs happily in a line, reaching out to each other. Lieberman holds a purple plant at center.

People’s Light presents Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors

Comedy, the macabre, and capitalism
A new production of Little Shop of Horrors, closing out People’s Light’s 50th anniversary season, gives fearsome new teeth to the adage that there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism. Mina Reinckens reviews.
Mina Reinckens

Mina Reinckens

Reviews 3 minute read
In a dotted dress, Johnson stands with hands on her hips. Wyatt sits on a couch. Fairbanks passes behind carrying a towel.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

Still asking stark questions
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival stages A Raisin in the Sun to powerful effect, even if the production finds itself occasionally out of step. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 4 minute read
A diverse cast of seven, some seated and some standing and gesticulating wildly, perform on a black stage with music stands

PlayPenn’s 20th anniversary conference takes root in Philly neighborhoods

The 2025 New Play Development Conference goes local
Despite cruel NEA cuts, PlayPenn's 2025 New Play Development Conference opens on Saturday, July 5. Camille Bacon-Smith sits down with conference leaders and resident playwright Lori Felipe-Barkin.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
Show logo: Krista Apple, a white actor with short hair, floats in a green sea, wearing a yellow slicker and red lipstick.

Go behind the scenes with Philly actor Ross Beschler of the Wilma's HotHouse Company

Exploring the Wilma's A Summer Day on the BSR Podcast
Listen in as podcast host Darnelle Radford gets an inside look at the Wilma's acclaimed acting company and their season-closing show, A Summer Day.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
Muhammad, a young Black Muslim woman in brown hijab and light-blue tunic with brown embroidered leaves, laughs joyfully.

InterAct Theatre Company and Theatre in the X present Antu Yacob’s On My Deen

Spotlighting West Philly’s Muslim community onstage
For the start of its ambitious, community-centered Philly Cycle series, InterAct teams with Theatre in the X for this warm, involving exploration of love and faith for two generations of Muslim women in Philly. Maya Arthur reviews.
Maya Arthur

Maya Arthur

Reviews 5 minute read