6 dancers in black tops and flowing blue pants spread their hands upward, making a overlapping forest of their arms.

Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers presents Luna (月): Dance, Myth, and Nature

Philadelphia treasures

Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers reflected on the moon in Luna (月): Dance, Myth, and Nature, with vibrant repertory works and striking world premieres by Weiwei Ma, Evalina Carbonell, and Kun-Yang Lin. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
Smith, in a large burgundy blazer, sits next to Adams, in a peach, orange & gray striped shirt. They both smile.

Multiple truths: a conversation with Chasing Chasing Amy filmmaker Sav Rodgers

Exploring love, queerness, and becoming yourself through the lens of late 90s favorite Chasing Amy

Filmmaker Sav Rodgers did not mean to show his own journey, including his transition and his own love story, but his documentary Chasing Chasing Amy explores much more than the hit film. He speaks with Adryan Corcione.
Adryan Corcione

Adryan Corcione

Features 5 minute read
Philly Theatre Week 2025 logo: a collage of 9 performers on a lime-green background below the logo and dates (April 3-13)

The BSR Podcast: Talking Philly Theatre Week 2025 with Theatre Philadelphia's CJ Higgins

Go behind the scenes of Philly's spring theater fest (it's Pay What You Can!)

BSR Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Theatre Philadelphia's CJ Higgins to talk all things Philly Theatre Week 2025 (the eighth annual), including shows, workshops, and other industry events.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
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Wicks, a white woman, stands back to back with Webb, a Black woman. They wear Renaissance garb with contemporary styling

Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization present the national tour of & Juliet

Baby one more time

The musical & Juliet flips the script on Shakespeare in the most delightful way, and it’s easily one of the most enjoyable and important Broadway exports that Philly has seen in years. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A man and a woman with dark, scruffy hair and casual clothes face each other soberly in a rural outdoor area.

The Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia presents Highway 65 and Matchmaking 2

Movies celebrating the scope, diversity, and complexity of Israeli culture

The 29th annual Israeli Film Festival of Philadelphia highlighted artists rarely seen on American screens for a lineup with plenty to offer local Israeli Americans as well as the non-Jewish community. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 5 minute read
Vintage black & white photo of the historic brick buildings with wide, wet, empty streets around them.

Seven historic Philly civil rights activists who demand your solidarity today

When we stand up for justice, we don’t stand alone: now and throughout history

Solidarity doesn’t just mean supporting justice today. It means honoring the work of past activists and realizing that we stand with them. Alaina Johns asks if we will despair, or if we’ll continue their work.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 8 minute read
Next to a vintage boombox, Ngo spreads a map and looks worriedly at Tan sitting beside her, talking happily.

Theatre Horizon presents Lauren Yee’s Young Americans: A Play in Two Road Trips

Americans on the road

In Lauren Yee’s Young Americans, onstage at Theatre Horizon, members of one family take a cross-country road trip 20 years apart, exploring how they understand each other as family, and as Americans. Emily Esten reviews.
Emily Esten

Emily Esten

Reviews 3 minute read
Smith, a white man in a white tee, points intensely in front of him. He’s splattered with red paint like wet blood.

Hedgerow Theatre Company presents Tim Crouch’s I, Banquo

What would you do with a powerful prophecy?

Tim Crouch’s I, Banquo, onstage at Media’s Hedgerow Theatre, asks us in the words of Macbeth’s slain best friend what we would do if someone gave us a prophecy of absolute power. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 3 minute read
In a variety of poses, sitting and standing, the ensemble looks to the left with awe, decked out in flowered bodices.

Quintessence presents Shakespeare’s Midsummer and Antony & Cleopatra in rep

Passion’s slaves: the Reckless Romance Repertory

Mt. Airy’s Quintessence welcomes spring with repertory productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Antony & Cleopatra, an ambitious and ultimately successful undertaking by director Alex Burns. C.M. Crockford reviews.
C.M. Crockford

C.M. Crockford

Reviews 3 minute read
Colorful mixed media image of a Black boy in a Phillies cap. He has a calm, determined expression, looking straight ahead.

Philadelphia Magic Gardens presents Eustace Mamba’s Stone Soup

A medley of art for the culture

The Philadelphia Magic Gardens opens its new exhibit Stone Soup, an exhibition of Eustace Mamba’s work that portrays the diaspora through mixed media art with a Philly-inspired lens. An Nichols previews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Previews 2 minute read
Vintage black & white photo of the very tall Williams in a lavish sequined dress, a white woman reaching up to her shoulder

Unique Black bodies fascinated Philadelphians of the past

Diverse bodies have a long history in Philly that continues today

In honor of Women's History Month, Constance Garcia-Barrio honors four Black women who appeared in Philly in the 19th and 20th centuries, drawing crowds to their unique bodies, and reflects on acceptance of diverse bodies today.
Constance Garcia-Barrio

Constance Garcia-Barrio

Features 6 minute read
The three actors, in different costumes for their era, are grouped together onstage with concerned expressions.

Hedgerow Theatre presents Stef Smith’s Nora: A Doll’s House

The lives of our mothers

Nora: A Doll’s House, now getting its American premiere at Hedgerow Theatre, takes the Ibsen classic and reimagines Nora’s life in 1920, 1973, and 2018. Isabel Soisson reviews.
Isabel Soisson

Isabel Soisson

Reviews 4 minute read
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Also on BSR

Several actors in costume on stage, one actor centered with a mask and a blanket or shawl with bricks patterned on them

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, March 27-April 2, 2025

Your guide to the 2025 Philly Theatre Week

Kyle V. Hiller previews the eighth Philly Theatre Week with a series of select picks for this year’s festival.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 5 minute read
Andsnes, a white man with brown hair wearing a black suit, is seen in profile playing a grand piano on the Perelman stage.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents pianist Leif Ove Andsnes

Music of home

In his debut recital with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes highlighted composers from his home country of Norway. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
More than two dozen dancers fill the stage, dressed in black bandeaus, in unison of two different poses

Philadelphia Ballet presents Boléro, Water Dances, and Dance Card

A triple bill of intense dance

Philadelphia Ballet, celebrating 60 years and its new home on Broad Street, brought a triple bill that enthralled with tension. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Knight, a white man in a blue jersey and backwards cap, gestures wildly while Fauzer, in a green dress, looks on, surprised.

Fever Dream Repertory presents Bruce Walsh’s james

A Taptacular transformation

Fever Dream Repertory presents the world premiere of Bruce Walsh’s james at the upstairs Skinner Studio at Plays and Players, about an everyman who wins a makeover at the Super Bowl. Joshua Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
3 toy chickens taped to a wooden pole. A person wears a black shirt with letters, tape over half the word, leaving ‘hell’

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, March 20-26, 2025

Clowning at FringeArts, dancing with Madonna, new exhibits, and more

A night of spoken word, a weekend of clowning, and new exhibitions from Studio 105 and the African American Museum in Philadelphia decorate the week. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
Four players with (two) violins, a viola, and a cello pose in formalwear in front of a door, stone wall

BSR Classical Interludes, more in March 2025

Kicking off spring with classical music

Music from Piffaro, Franklin Quartet, Delaware Symphony, and more bring in the new season. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read
About 12 singers & musicians, wearing black, receive applause at the small, ornate venue with red brick pillars.

Variant 6 and the Sylvan Consort of Viols present Kile Smith’s Endless Morn of Light

Old is new and new is old again

In concert at Philly’s Fleisher Art Memorial, the Sylvan Consort of Viols and Variant 6 combined forces for the world premiere of Kile Smith’s Endless Morn of Light in a harmonious program with 16th- and 17th-century music. Peter Burwasser reviews.

Peter Burwasser

Reviews 3 minute read
Four dancers in different poses on stage, dressed in black pants with print T-shirts.

Rennie Harris Puremovement presents American Street Dancer

Moving feet to the beat

Rennie Harris Puremovement celebrates street dance in the world premiere of American Street Dancer. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
Five dancers in red shirts, loose pants stand firmly. Arms up, fists round, hard light behind them piercing dim staging

Koresh Dance presents Darkness Dancing into Pieces

Stepping into the light

Koresh Dance Company’s new full-length work, Darkness Dancing into Pieces, sets the stage for understanding terror through dance. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 3 minute read
O’Hare, a white woman with curly blond hair, yells defiantly. She wears a white skirt, purple bodice and red plaid shirt.

Inis Nua Theatre Company presents Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott

From Aulis to Cardiff

Inis Nua Theatre transports Greek tragedy to industrial Wales in Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read