Editorials

525 results
Page 3
Nézet-Séguin passionately conducts Trifonov on a gleaming grand piano, with orchestra members around them.

Are Philly arts-goers incapable of silencing their phones?

Even Yannick has had it.
At last week’s Philadelphia Orchestra concert, Yannick Nézet-Séguin was so frustrated by repeatedly ringing phones that he stopped the music. What’s behind the growing smartphone scourge? Alaina Johns considers.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
McAdams, with frosted feathery hair, stands by Fortson, with dark hair & a blue cardigan, looking uncomfy & embarrassed

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, the movie, joins a modern movement for lifelong sex ed

Reading is a human right
A fairly faithful adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic 1970 novel is hitting theaters. It expands the stories of three generations of women, reminding us that it’s not just tweens who are in transition. Alaina Johns considers.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
The moderators and 9 candidates, standing at individual black podiums in a slightly curved line on the Kimmel stage.

Will Philly’s next mayor fund arts and culture?

The Mayoral Forum on the Performing Arts and Cultural Economy
At this Kimmel Center debate, nine candidates for mayor took questions about how our cultural sector fits into their platform. Alaina Johns was there.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Makoto, an Asian man, kneels and flamboyantly holds out a plate to Claire, a white woman, in front of their large beige couch

Philadelphia Theatre Company's Empathitrax is an unrealistic and irresponsible portrayal of mental illness

Spreading the anguish
The regional premiere of Empathitrax, now onstage at Suzanne Roberts, deals in troubling tropes of depression without preparing its audience. Alaina Johns considers.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Sunset facing west on a South Philly street: pearly gray clouds give way to a golden sun where all the horizon lines converge

Why support arts journalism in 2023?

What is your attention worth?
One thing we've been hearing a lot this year is that people are fed up with the media. Are we a lost cause? Not if you invest in the professionals in your community.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 3 minute read
9 actors pose in a human sculpture at a crosswalk under a big bridge, hands touching each other's backs.

When I faced a cancer diagnosis this year, I had to get honest and get help.

We take care of us
When a crisis like cancer hits, it can feel easier to keep it to ourselves. But humans are not meant to cope alone. Vulnerability is where our real strength lies. Alaina Johns shares her experience.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
A nighttime photo of Broad Street packed with hundreds of baseball fans, many wearing red. A flag flies above the crowd.

This year’s World Series run reminded us what Philly needs—and what we deserve

We all know the feeling
The Phillies had a miraculous run to the 2022 World Series, and nowadays, you don’t have to be a baseball fan to relate to the need to hold onto heartbreak alongside the joy. Kyle V. Hiller was watching.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 5 minute read
The north entrance of the PMA. Dozens of picketers holding signs march in a circle; at left, the giant inflatable union rat.

How did Philly's media cover the PMA strike, and why does it matter?

What is the arts writer’s beat?
Last week, the BSR team chose not to cross the PMA picket line, and did not attend a preview event for Matisse in the 1930s. We were in the minority, but we weren’t alone. Alaina Johns reflects.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
Alaina lies on the tattoo artist’s table while he finishes a tattoo on her right wrist. She’s wearing jeans and a blue shirt

What getting my first tattoo taught me about body acceptance

The last one in South Philly without a tattoo
Alaina Johns always admired others’ permanent body art, but she didn’t think she could ever make the jump to get tattooed herself, even though everyone else in the neighborhood is. This summer, something changed.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
A crowd of about a thousand people attending a rally in front of the National Constitution Center on a hot summer day.

As Pennsylvania moves to ban abortion, fight the rhetoric that threatens our rights

We need language and the law
Alaina Johns has found that even in pro-choice spaces, the rhetoric around abortion can be hard to separate from the facts. But we all need to sharpen these skills, especially as Pennsylvania legislators work to ban abortion here.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read