The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 14-20, 2026
Reading the Revolution, spring laughs, and the Philly Jewish Music Fest
A new music festival debuts, Laurie Halse Anderson pays a visit to Philly, a photography workshop in Germantown, and more this week. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Join us for the fourth annual BSR Book Week, May 17-23
Celebrate books with the BSR team and top Philly authors!
If you love books, stay tuned. From May 17-23, we're celebrating our fourth annual BSR Book Week with reviews, giveaways, a virtual panel of bestselling authors, and staff recommendations.
Previews
2 minute read
Opera Philadelphia and Davóne Tines present Langston Hughes’ The Black Clown
Evergreen poetry on stage
An incredibly resonant, and nearly 100-year-old, text is brought to life in this weekend-long production. An Nichols previews.
Previews
3 minute read
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Performance Garage presents Charles Askegard’s Live, Life, Love
Going beyond dancing
Charles Askegard brings a life in dance to his choreographic residency at the Performance Garage. Camille Bacon-Smith profiles.
Profiles
3 minute read
The Festival of Many Colors on May 17 marks a new chapter for the Mummers
Opening new doors to the Mummers
The Mummers is a way of life for some Philadelphians, but they also have a history of painful exclusion. A multicultural festival on May 17 marks a new era of collaboration with grassroots cultural groups. Isa Segalovich looks closer.
Features
5 minute read
The BSR Podcast: Talking with Davóne Tines about The Black Clown at Opera Philadelphia
Going behind the scenes of an important Philly premiere celebrating Langston Hughes
Darnelle sits down with groundbreaking performer and creator Davóne Tines, pulling back the curtain on his career and his new production of The Black Clown at Opera Philadelphia.
Podcast
1 minute read
Previewing Sara Nović’s Mother Tongue
Reflections on the deaf community
Mother Tongue, a new book from Philadelphia-based author Sara Nović, explores the deaf community in a blend of memoir, history, and cultural commentary. Kiran Pandey previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and FringeArts present Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler’s GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical
A seat at the tea party
GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical, a world premiere show from The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Jackie Soro, and Pax Ressler, takes on gender, toys, and American childhood with music and humor. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
People’s Light presents Suli Holum’s The Woman Question
A “docu-fantasy” celebrating historic real-life med students in Philadelphia
A new show at People’s Light mixes the imagination of playwright Suli Holum with a documentary history of the world’s first medical school for women in 1890s Philadelphia. Emily Schilling reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
South Camden Theatre Company presents Douglas Lyons’s Chicken and Biscuits
Last rites and first blows
South Camden Theatre Company continues its season-long “Laughing through the Storm” theme with Chicken and Biscuits by Douglas Lyons, about a family navigating old tensions at its patriarch’s funeral. A. Lewis reviews.
BSR Classical Interludes, more in May 2026
Earthy tunes, ‘The Black Clown’, and music from Aaron Diehl
Music that reflects on the natural world through an Indigenous perspective, Steinway artist Aaron Diehl performs with the Orchestra, and commemorating the late Margaret Darby. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Your guide to Philly Memorial Day Weekend events honoring America’s 250th
Flags, festivals, parades, public art, and more for Memorial Day
Planning Memorial Day Weekend outings? We’re rounding up festivals, parades, and notable public art with a 250th theme, from Germantown to North Philadelphia to Old City to the waterfront. Dive in with Walt Maguire.
Previews
5 minute read
InterAct Theatre Company presents Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s Seng’s Hair Salon
The Philly Cycle continues inside a Lao family’s South Philly salon
InterAct premieres the second play in its Philly Cycle program, this time spotlighting our Southeast Asian refugee community in a script inspired by a real-life salon on Ritner Street. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
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Also on BSR
Fat Swim, by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Living in a human body is like living in Philadelphia
A highly anticipated short-story collection from bestselling Philly author Emma Copley Eisenberg makes a splash for anyone who knows the messy, exuberant challenges and joys of having a body. Jordan Cameron reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Partly Strong, Partly Broken, by Nathaniel Popkin
A house divided
In the weeks leading up to October 7th, 2023, a progressive Rabbi struggles to keep her congregation together in Nathaniel Popkin’s Partly Strong, Partly Broken. Elisa Shoenberger reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 7-13, 2026
The Woman Question, GIRL DOLLS, and the Moore Fashion Show
A new play from People’s Light, Moore College’s 2026 Fashion Show, and collaborative piece GIRL DOLLS opens at FringeArts. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
2 minute read
Theatre Horizon presents Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’
Celebrating the music of a Harlem Renaissance icon
Theatre Horizon closes the season with Ain’t Misbehavin’, the 1978 jukebox musical set in the 1920s jazz world of prolific Harlem Renaissance composer Fats Waller. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
1812 Productions presents Jen Childs’s She Gets Around
A closet memoir
A new solo show from Jennifer Childs takes audiences inside her closet for the stories that made her the comedy actor she is today, inspired by a lifetime of outfits. Walt Maguire reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Butch Mermaid Productions presents Ania Upstill and Danielle Levsky’s Sappho's Salon
Recreating a historic queer literary parlor
A West Philly Victorian house becomes a historic salon inspired by Selby Wynn Schwartz’s novel After Sappho, in this immersive performance from Ania Upstill and Danielle Levsky. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philadelphia Ballet presents Juliano Nunes’s Romeo and Juliet
Love in the time of politics
A new Romeo and Juliet from Philadelphia Ballet choreographer-in-residence Juliano Nunes updates the tale with staggering success, while honoring Prokofiev’s romantic score. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philadelphia Dance Projects presents Putty Dance Project’s Dance Like it’s 1829
Philadelphia’s story in motion
Putty Dance Project’s Dance Like It’s 1829 celebrates the historic power of Philadelphia music and dance through world-premiere choreography set to the work of pioneering instrumentalist and composer Francis Johnson. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, May 2026
Tempesta di Mare travels around the city, and season closing performances
Classical music happening in and around the city in May as a few companies close out the season. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The Month in Philly Dance for May 2026
Spring fling with Contemporary West, the Lady Hoofers, and more
Dancing with spring in mind, including performances by Project Moshen, Martha Graham Dance Company, and a pop-up from BalletX. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Previews
5 minute read