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Collage of headshots of the five BSR team members

The 2024 BSR Year-end Recommend: books, films, TV, music, and more

Build your 2025 lists with personal tips from the BSR team

The BSR Year-End Recommend is back for 2024! Our team shares their favorite movies, books, TV shows, podcasts, newsletters, music, and more.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Features 8 minute read
Book cover. Title in scrolls above & below a dramatic vintage illustration of a man rescuing a woman from a fire

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia, by Peter Schmitz

Exploring the rich past, present, and future of Philly theater

Peter Schmitz is a leading expert on the history of our theater scene, and his new book, Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia, takes us from the US premiere of Hamlet to the TLA and beyond. Cameron Kelsall takes the tour.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Features 4 minute read
Close-up photo of about two dozen members of the girls’ choir, in matching red dresses, singing together.

Meet the young Philly singers who help make The Nutcracker magical

The voices behind the Philadelphia Ballet’s “Waltz of the Snowflakes”

Each year, Philadelphia Ballet's Nutcracker is a holiday destination for area families. Camille Bacon-Smith takes us behind the scenes to meet the young singers who make the show stand out.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
The browsing area, with wooden record displays in a bright white space and a vintage “budget disc o tape” sign on the wall

Media veteran Gabriel Coan’s next venture is a new record shop in Fairmount

A space for discovery and connection through music

Gabriel Coan has spent almost 30 years in the media business from coast to coast. Now he calls his new record shop in Fairmount, Records Forever, the best job he’s ever had. Emma Riverso visits.
Emma Riverso

Emma Riverso

Features 3 minute read

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Sitting on a chair in the studio with a mirror behind him, Corella gestures to one side with a severe, focused expression.

Angel Corella opens up about his new Le Corsaire and 10 years at the helm of Philadelphia Ballet

“A star of his generation in dance”

Ten years ago, when Angel Corella became artistic director of Philadelphia Ballet, the company needed new ideas. As the premiere of his revamped Le Corsaire approaches, he speaks with Camille Bacon-Smith about what he brings to the company and what’s next.

Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
Benner, a man in his late 30s in a black button-down, smiles proudly while pointing to a mural that says your voice has power

Philly artists get out the vote with To the Polls 2024, now on view in Love Park

“If you are voting, you are hoping for the future.”

Prolific curator and Streets Dept blog founder Conrad Benner is back with To the Polls 2024, a bi-annual nonpartisan project from Mural Arts urging Philadelphians—who may decide this Presidential election—to vote. Alaina Johns visits.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Features 4 minute read
Four grade-schoolers, two boys and two girls, smile in a hallway and hold their instruments: a cello, violins, and clarinet.

Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth opens doors to classical music careers

Diversifying the orchestra starts with the students

The Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth is celebrating eight years of its Artists’ Initiative, a program supporting young musicians whose communities need better access and representation in classical music. Thomas Hagen visits.
Thomas Hagen

Thomas Hagen

Features 4 minute read
Weiner, a white woman with brown hair in jeans and a white tank, poses smiling on an outdoor bench overlooking a bay.

Blue Stoop continues its inclusive literary mission with the Jennifer Weiner Fellowship

A new path for debut novelists

Novelists Jennifer Weiner and Emma Copley Eisenberg talk with Emma Riverso about a new fellowship from Philly's Blue Stoop that will offer a new path into the industry for under-represented debut authors.
Emma Riverso

Emma Riverso

Features 4 minute read
A female dancer calmly sits alone on a dark stage, the warm light on her forming a floor reflection of her body.

The lighting designers for Philly dance companies are artists who paint with light

Shining a light on dance

Dance critic Camille Bacon-Smith has spent years admiring Philly’s dancers illuminated by lighting designers who rarely get the spotlight themselves. Now they share the mysteries of their artistry.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Features 6 minute read
Seated at a long table full of arts supplies next to a large window, 14 people make colorful designs while Henbo watches.

FRIEDA explores how fine art and tattoo intertwine with A Closer Look: Henbo Henning

“It’s rare that you touch another person in the world of art.”

British-born artist Matthew “Henbo” Henning straddles the worlds of tattoo and fine art. Now, his work lands in Philly with A Closer Look: Henbo Henning at FRIEDA’s Old City gallery space. Wendy Univer visits.
Wendy Univer

Wendy Univer

Features 6 minute read