Essays
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The Wilma’s Hilma does not do justice to Hilma af Klint’s art, life, or legacy
Women artists still deserve better
A new opera about the visionary but little-known painter Hilma af Klint perpetuates longstanding dismissals of women artists and may be a keen disappointment to fans of her work. Melissa Strong considers.
Essays
5 minute read
These basement singalongs queer the Broadway canon and help me reclaim my voice
The soundtrack of our way out
When Anndee Hochman was 13, a teacher told her she couldn't sing. Decades later, a basement Broadway singalong in Manhattan's West Village taught her something new.
Essays
5 minute read
A University of the Arts professor speaks: “Knowing it’s the last time I’ll be here is unbearable.”
Students and faculty pledge to keep creating despite their school’s "unconscionable" demise
Philly novelist Elise Juska founded the creative writing program at UArts, where she taught for 24 years. She brings us inside her last days at the university, alongside her irrepressible students.
Essays
6 minute read
From Shanghai to Philadelphia: An international alum speaks on the closure of UArts
Because of UArts, Philly will always be part of me.
When Shanghai native Wenlu Bao wanted to continue her arts education, she came to UArts, which led her to museums throughout our region. She was shocked to see the news about its closing. She remembers her time there.
Three free road trips from Philadelphia offer a treasure-hunting trifecta
Hit the road (or the river) to discover fossils, Jersey diamonds, and petroglyphs
Writer Bart Stump is a seasoned local adventurer. He recommends three summer destinations for all kinds of Philly-area treasure hunters, with itineraries in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Essays
4 minute read
I’m a Jewish dramaturg, and The Last Yiddish Speaker taught me a lot about the spaces we need to develop Jewish plays.
Why does culturally specific play development matter?
As Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker premieres at InterAct, Philly dramaturg and writer Alix Rosenfeld shares her role in developing the play, and why culturally specific spaces matter for marginalized artists, including Jewish ones.
Essays
5 minute read
As a trans actor, I’m dismayed by the “testosterone-driven” concept of the all-male Macbeth at Quintessence
If we don’t break down gender barriers in casting, Philly theater will continue to stall.
A promotional note from Quintessence Theatre Group artistic director Alex Burns about why he’s staging an “all-male” Macbeth drew a strong response from the Philly theater community. Bruce Baldini speaks up as a trans male actor.
Essays
6 minute read
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Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis could remind us to stop projecting our own fears of illness and death.
Before and after, for Kate and for me
Princess Kate’s cancer announcement brought up Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer’s own memories of fighting cancer as a mom in her late 30s. This news is an opportunity for us all to look inward and stop projecting our fears about illness and death.
Essays
5 minute read
Thirteen ways of looking at a war zone: Poetry as vital pause
“I feel allergic to the show of taking sides. I want to be on the side of a just peace.”
Anndee Hochman was at an artists’ retreat on October 7, 2023, making things with words. She remembers how poetry works, even as atrocities rage.
Essays
6 minute read
A look back at Philly's 2023 cultural scene through the eyes of local artist Chuck Schultz
Capturing Philly performances in original drawings
Philly artist Chuck Schultz has been in the audience at concerts, plays, and dance performances throughout 2023. Now, he shares the performances through his own eyes in this one-of-a-kind BSR gallery.
Essays
4 minute read