Your October guide to Philly-area theater
Liberation, Top/Underdog, Stephen King’s Misery, and lots more
Philly’s October theater scene brings notable regional premieres including Bess Wohl’s Liberation and Jen Silverman’s Witch, and lots more, including a classic horror adaptation. Cameron Kelsall rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
The Wilma Theater presents DJ Hills’s Horsegirl & Cowdaddy
Transformation in the cornfields
Playwright DJ Hills’s Horsegirl & Cowdaddy gets its world premiere at the Wilma, exploring the power of transformation and the possibilities of putting down roots at home. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Fringe 2026: FringeArts presents Priority Hoarding: A Retrospectacle by the Bearded Ladies Cabaret
Check their baggage, and your own
The Bearded Ladies Cabaret joins this year’s curated Fringe with a major new installation in Old City, Priority Hoarding: A Retrospectacle, at the Martha Graham Memorial Hairport. Evan Schares reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Passage Theatre presents Adrienne Dawes’s Teen Dad
A multi-racial beach play for the soul
In this world premiere by Adrienne Dawes, now onstage in Trenton, former high-school frenemies and one-time lovers end up on vacation together, in a story balanced between comedy and serious topics. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly composer Andrea Clearfield’s “SZalon” marks 40 years of music
Celebrating one of America’s longest-running chamber music series
Prolific Philly composer Andrea Clearfied has been hosting her own chamber-music salon (which became a “Zalon” on Zoom during the pandemic and is now a hybrid “SZalon”) for 40 years. She speaks to Gail Obenreder.
Profiles
3 minute read
All of BSR's 2026 Fringe reviews at a glance
Check out the full list of our writers' 2026 Fringe reviews, updated throughout the festival
We're reviewing dozens of shows in this year's Fringe festival. Find them all at a glance here.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Lantern Theater presents David Auburn’s Summer, 1976
People you know, or maybe the people you are
In David Auburn’s Summer, 1976, two women’s reminiscences about the summer they met increasingly diverge. The play gets a believable Philly-premiere production at the Lantern. Walt Maguire reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
The editor’s guide to the 2026 Philly Fringe
Check here for curated listings and mini-reviews throughout the festival
See where editor Alaina Johns is heading in this year’s Fringe and get her recommendations with mini-reviews that will be updated right here throughout the festival. Check back often!
Previews
43 minute read
Inside the rally to save the Academy of Natural Sciences
People fighting “truth decay” in the age of AI want to keep Philly’s natural sciences museum open
On September 8, one week after the shocking news broke that the Academy of Natural Sciences will close at the end of September, the community rallied to save it. Anndee Hochman was there.
Features
6 minute read
It’s easier to demonize immigrants than it is to recognize we’re all in danger.
Empathy takes more than kindness. It takes courage.
Right-wing pundits talk about empathy as if it’s incompatible with justice. But justice does need empathy, and empathy takes courage that anti-immigrant “patriots” just don’t have. Alaina Johns considers.
Editorials
7 minute read
BalletX dancer Ashley Simpson finds challenge and acceptance in Philadelphia
“This is the only body you will ever have.”
Florida native Ashley Simpson danced in Chicago, New York, and Memphis before joining BalletX. She sits down with Melissa Strong to talk about her path and her unique experience in Philly.
Profiles
4 minute read
Saying goodbye to longtime BSR associate editor Kyle V. Hiller
Facing a new era at BSR
After more than seven years as an editor with BSR, Kyle is departing our team and heading into a new era. He has been instrumental at a time that was both formative and historic for us. Join Alaina Johns in appreciating him.
Editorials
6 minute read
Rough Cuts builds new community as Philly’s only open mic for filmmakers
Philly’s emerging film artists find feedback and fellowship
Contrary to industry advice, emerging filmmakers don’t have to try to make movies by themselves. At Rough Cuts, Philly’s open mic screening club, they can get an honest, supportive take from their peers. Elijah Fischer visits.
Features
4 minute read
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Also on BSR
Philly Fringe 2026: Theatre Contra presents The Whole F*cking Twilight Saga…in 60 Minutes
A sillier take on Meyer’s vampires
Theatre Contra joins this year’s Fringe with an eight-person rendition of all five Twilight movies…performed in just one hour(ish). Adryan Corcione reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: FringeArts presents How does it feel to look at nothing
An immersive exploration of being
How does it feel to look at nothing, a world premiere from Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon in this year’s curated Fringe, is not quite an opera as billed, but it’s an ambitious, immersive, and visually stunning work. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Iron Age Theatre presents Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho
A living performance with a dated thesis
Iron Age Theatre’s Radical Acts production branch brings Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho to the closing weekend of the Philly Fringe, revealing the odd contradictions of Zinn’s script today. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball presents Suz Evans’s Ghost Fetus
A risky swing
Cannonball presents Suz Evans’s Ghost Fetus, a baffling abortion satire filled with empty provocations. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Casual Fifth presents Here Come the Brides
Love, loss, dance, and drums
Casual Fifth, a Philly-based drum and dance dance ensemble, joined this year’s Fringe with a high-energy celebration of love. Everyone dressed as brides. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: FringeArts presents Ontroerend Goed’s Handle with Care
A board game, a care package, and a time capsule walk into a theater
Buzzy Belgian theater collective Ontroerend Goed’s Handle with Care comes to this year’s Fringe, turning the audience into the creators of their own experience. Anna Fiscarelli-Mintz reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2025: Cannonball presents Nick Gillette and Nick Jonczak’s VOYNICH
Imagining an answer to one of our greatest Medieval mysteries
A new Fringe show from collaborators Nick Gillette and Nick Jonczak imagines a man who has translated the Voynich manuscript, one of the greatest real-life mysteries of Medieval Europe. Walt Maguire reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Stephanie Scott presents With Love, From Ella
Exploring the life of Ella Fitzgerald
Stephanie Scott’s new solo show in this year’s Fringe pays tribute to iconic singer Ella Fitzgerald, charting her life from humble beginnings to her rise to the top of the music industry. A. Lewis reviews.
Philly Fringe 2026: Die-Cast presents Americana Cosplay
Patriotism at play
Die-Cast deconstructs American mythmaking in Americana Cosplay, an immersive Fringe entry. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Leila Einhorn’s Days of Awe and Valerie David’s Baggage from BaghDAD
Unexpected companions for the High Holidays
Two Cannonball Festival shows, Days of Awe and Baggage from BaghDAD, explore intriguing family histories rooted in different Jewish experiences. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read