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.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, August 2025
BlackStar Film Fest, AstroQuest, Theatre in the X, and more this month
Rounding up the month of August in with events happening in Philly. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Previews
5 minute read
The Month in Philly Dance: August 2025
Arts on Center Stage and previewing Penn Live Arts new season
Dancing at Dilworth Park, new shorts from CHI Movement Arts, and looking ahead to Penn Live Arts' 2025-26 season. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR August 2025 repertory movie roundup
Mulholland Drive, The Long Goodbye, Aguirre and the Dead
Film screenings in the Philadelphia area happening in August. Stephen Silver rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
Discover the best new books for young readers with Philly author Eric Smith
Stock your shelf with these great kid-lit reads just in time for the new school year
Award-winning local author Eric Smith, whose latest YA novel will be featured at the National Book Festival of the Library of Congress later this summer, rounds up his favorite new books for young readers, all by Philly-area writers.
Essays
4 minute read
With a new mural, Philly finally gets public art dedicated to abolitionist William Still
Celebrating family, freedom, and Philadelphia history
The dedication of new work from Mural Arts will bring the legacies of William Still, his family, and Philadelphia’s historic 7th Ward into the public eye. Melissa Strong previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Wanamaker Building partners announce arts lineup in the Grand Court starting in September
Welcome back to the Wanamaker
The Wanamaker Building in Center City has been standing empty since Macy’s left, but the public is invited back soon for a new arts program, and the continuation of popular holiday events. Alaina Johns visits.
Editorials
5 minute read
A dance critic hits the studio for Philadelphia Dance Day 2025
Dancing well enough…for a writer
Dance critic Melissa Strong observes performances with an expert eye, but she enjoys the challenge of taking dance classes herself along hobbyists and professionals alike at the annual Philadelphia Dance Day. Here’s what she learned.
Essays
4 minute read
A Germantown performing arts troupe says “Yes! And…” to kids’ creativity
Where the next generation takes the stage now
At Yes! And… Collaborative Arts, a Germantown-based performing arts group, staffers don’t
just talk about the next generation of art-makers. They invite kids’ creativity right now by mounting their all-original shows. Maggie Dougherty visits.
just talk about the next generation of art-makers. They invite kids’ creativity right now by mounting their all-original shows. Maggie Dougherty visits.
Features
4 minute read
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.
Reviews
5 minute read
NoName Gallery presents Next Levels: The Art of Healing
A pop of color on Germantown Avenue
A pop art exhibition at Chestnut Hill’s NoName Gallery draws artists who hail from Philly, the Lehigh Valley, Manila, Mexico, and Venezuela. It’s a refreshing diversion for an oppressively hot summer. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
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.
Reviews
5 minute read
The Barnes Foundation presents From Paris to Provence: French Painting at the Barnes
Putting French artists in their place
With several Barnes galleries closed for refinishing, some of the museum’s 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces get a new configuration in From Paris to Provence: French Painting at the Barnes. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
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Also on BSR
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.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, July 24-30, 2025
I Think It Could Work, Relaunching Mars, and LIFE AFTER
Rounding up the last week of July with documentary film LIFE AFTER, music from Opera Philadelphia on the Parkway, a pair of events at FringeArts, and a chance to run away to Mars. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Previews
3 minute read
PHILADANCO! celebrates Black dance in Philadelphia with Founder’s Day
Dancing for connection
PHILADANCO! celebrates 55 years on its annual Founder’s Day with a day spotlighting Philly’s Black dance community. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Previews
2 minute read
Scribe Video Center presents the North Philadelphia History Festival
History’s crossroads
Scribe Video Center hosts a festival looking at the history of various landmarks in North Philadelphia, honoring its Black and Puerto Rican communities. Erin Dohony previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Lumazen Yoga and ADSS present Language n’ Motion: Poetic Movement Expressions
Connecting through art and yoga
Through Language n’ Motion artistic collaboration, the yoga mat becomes space for both movement and written poetic expression. Dara McBride previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Philly’s sports triumphs are thawing our cultural divide
Eagles fans and orchestra patrons meet at the Mann
Stephen Silver says Philly sports fans and arts patrons, once at odds over the Rocky statue, are increasingly joining forces as the Phillies and the Eagles make historic wins. This week, everybody's heading to the Mann.
Essays
4 minute read
BalletX presents its 2025 Summer Series, featuring choreographers Amy Hall Garner, Noelle Kayser, and Matthew Neenan
A preview, a premiere, and a revival
For this year’s summer series, BalletX presents an exciting excerpt from Amy Hall Garner’s upcoming Petrushka, a premiere by choreographic fellow Noelle Kayser, and a celebration of Matthew Neenan’s Last Glass. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Clay Studio presents resident artists Akiko Jackson, Minah Kim, and Kevin Snipes
Three enigmatic solo shows explore empathy
Artists Akiko Jackson, Minah Kim, and Kevin Snipes wrap up their three-year residency at the Clay Studio Center for Innovation in Ceramic Art with this trio of enigmatic and arresting solo shows. K.A. McFadden reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
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.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, July 17-23, 2025
A Bottom’s Dream, 2nd Place Race, and I THINK NOT
Shakespeare in Clark Park premieres a bold, queer take on Midsummer, the 2nd Place Race is back, and two nights with your inner monologue. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Previews
4 minute read