Editorials
525 results
Page 4
Why I joined a Pride march with the church I avoided for almost 20 years
Small-town Pride
As an atheist and a divorced woman who supports gender justice, Alaina Johns definitely doesn’t belong in the church that raised her. But when the church’s more inclusive community members planned a Pride protest, she wanted to be there.
Editorials
6 minute read
A Pulitzer for Philly playwright James Ijames spotlights our arts funding crisis
Mayor Kenney’s plan for the arts
Another year, another attempt to gut city support for the arts in Philly. As one of our own artists wins a Pulitzer, a major budget cut seems like an especially bad plan. Alaina Johns considers.
Editorials
5 minute read
If the end of mask mandates means a win for freedom, who is that freedom for?
The real argument
As new rulings and lawsuits about mask mandates in Philly and throughout the country roll in this week, Alaina Johns notes what mask mandate arguments are really about: debating accessibility.
Editorials
5 minute read
I won’t recover in the dark: People with bipolar deserve to be seen
Mental illness isn’t a punchline
Editor Alaina Johns is taking a few weeks off to focus on treating her bipolar disorder, with the support of the BSR team. Here’s why it’s important to talk about this.
Editorials
7 minute read
Philadelphia rally speakers warn that the battle for abortion rights is coming to Pennsylvania
Reproductive justice matters to our cultural sector
All eyes are on the Supreme Court this week, taking up cases including one that could overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. What does Philly think about that? Alaina Johns attended the rally.
Editorials
6 minute read
After years of writing from trauma, I’m choosing joy
Why do you want to amplify my voice?
After two long summers and many challenging writing sessions in between, Kyle V. Hiller contemplates how trauma-inspired work is no longer his cup of tea.
Editorials
5 minute read
After a summer of solo adventures, I learned how good it can be to go it alone
Why I’m not waiting for you
In a world that expects everyone to travel in pairs, going out alone is a refreshing and important way to reframe your relationship to yourself—and others. Alaina Johns wanders.
Editorials
6 minute read
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As artists continue to rally against the Walnut, it’s time to ask: who is “America’s Oldest Theatre”?
Staging history
Most coverage of protests against the Walnut Street Theatre ignores a key fact: the building may be historic, but the theater company there started in the 1980s. Alaina Johns thinks that matters.
Editorials
6 minute read
What I learned about leadership as a Walnut Street Theatre apprentice
Time warp on Walnut Street
Alaina Johns is one of many Philadelphia professionals who got their start in the Walnut Street Theatre’s apprenticeship program, and the experience still influences her today.
Editorials
5 minute read
As normality attempts to return, mask-wearing arguments often miss the truth
Masking our problems
The past year has brought us a lifetime’s worth of pandemic anxiety and movements for justice, but it all seems to have boiled down to worries about masks. Kyle V. Hiller says something deeper is in play.
Editorials
5 minute read