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Eastern State's bar-graph installation features global incarceration statistics. (Photo courtesy of Sean Kelley.)

Eastern State Penitentiary engages big audiences, bigger questions

Bringing the 19th century into the 21st

Eastern State Penitentiary rethought their museum exhibitions, took a risk, and saw a huge growth in attendance. How did they do it? Cara Blouin considers.

Cara Blouin

Feb 27, 2018 Articles 5 minute read

Image from CRUXspace 'Community Tech' show, in collaboration with Mural Arts. (Photo courtesy of CRUXspace.)

Cashing in on "new media" art

The digital underground is ready for its closeup

Digital media, BioArt, interactive art, and more are swiftly becoming the new creative currency, but in Philadelphia, they haven't started generating real currency. Amanda Wagner considers.

Amanda V. Wagner

Jan 09, 2018 Articles 4 minute read

Collaboration is the key to nonprofit survival. (Illustration by Hannah Kaplan for BSR.)

Philadelphia Scenic Works builds a future together

Stop, collaborate, and listen

Philadelphia Scenic Works was born from the need for an affordable, safe way to construct theatrical sets. More important, it embraces the spirit of working together. Seth Rozin considers.

Seth Rozinand Illustration by Hannah Kaplan

Dec 19, 2017 Articles 4 minute read

The Painted Bride's iconic Isaiah Zagar mosaic facade wraps around the building's exterior. (Photo via Creative Commons/Wikipedia.)

Painted Bride Art Center will lose its "place" in Philadelphia

Runaway bride

As the Painted Bride Art Center prepares to sell its iconic Old City home, emerging artists wonder where they will find shelter for their own work. Tieshka Smith considers.

Tieshka Smith

Dec 12, 2017 Articles 5 minute read

What once looked like an answer now only raised more questions. (Illustration for BSR by Hannah Kaplan.)

Counterweight finds artists of color, gets lost

A road paved with good intentions

Cara Blouin helped create the website Counterweight to help theaters diversify their artistic pool, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than she anticipated. Blouin considers.

Cara Blouinand Illustration by Hannah Kaplan

Nov 14, 2017 Articles 4 minute read

The annual Philadelphia theater awards are starting to show their age. (Photo via Theatre Philadelphia.)

Can the Barrymore Awards adapt before they die out?

Keeping the Barrymore Awards relevant

When Theatre Philadelphia announced the 2017 Barrymore Award nominations, Jennifer MacMillan asked her friends what was missing. She got a lot of answers — and ideas.

Jennifer MacMillan

Aug 29, 2017 Articles 5 minute read

An audience in Blouin's living room applauds a SoLow Festival performance. (Photo by Cara Blouin.)

Millennials in my basement

Enacting bravery, pushing paradigms

Cara Blouin has millennials in her basement — and she's a little bit jealous of their freedom and willingness to buck the system.

Cara Blouin

Aug 22, 2017 Articles 4 minute read

"Multi-hyphenate extraordinaire" Kittson O'Neill in 'Grounded' at InterAct Theatre Company, a one-woman show written by a man. (Photo by Kate Raines/Plate 3 Photography.)

Philadelphia's parity problem

Not separate, but still unequal

Philadelphia theater has a gender-parity problem, and Cameron Kelsall wants producing companies to take notice and fix it. He crunches the numbers and makes a few suggestions.

Cameron Kelsall

Jul 18, 2017 Articles 6 minute read

Hedy Weiss at a 2015 meeting of the American Theatre Critics Association, shortly after her previous Steppenwolf controversy. (Photo by Charles Giuliano via berkshirefinearts.com)

Chicago's critical condition: On the Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss

Critiquing a critic

The Chicago Sun-Times' chief theater critic, Hedy Weiss, sets off another firestorm after reviewing a show at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Philly critic Cameron Kelsall considers.