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‘A Doll’s House,’ ‘Remember the Ladies,’ dancing with Nia Love and Twyla Tharp, and more coming up
Kyle V. Hiller
This weekend is full of reflections. A Doll’s House 20/20 honors the one-year anniversary of Philadelphia’s stay-at-home order, Bryn Mawr College hosts a conversation about dance and poetry with a Black radical lens, the MoAR remembers the ladies, Phoenix Theatre remembers the women of Troy, and Steven Berry’s historical work is on display at Scribe Video Center. Be sure to check out offerings from Blue Stoop and PBS, too!
Honoring the one-year anniversary of Philadelphia’s stay-at-home order, A Doll’s House 20/20 premieres on Wednesday, March 23. The performance, produced by Philly actor Jennifer Summerfield and Kyle Cassidy, is a 90-minute feature that explores the life of Nora Helmer, a woman quarantined alone at home with $300,000 in debt with the threat of jail time hovering over her head after being blackmailed by one of her husband’s subordinates. The stream is available through April 9. Tickets are $17.
Dialogue with Nia Love and Fred Moten
Bryn Mawr College Dance Program will host dancer and choreographer Nia Love and poet and critic Fred Moten for a dialogue about their works, especially as it relates to abolition, fugitivity, and Black radical traditions. The event is free on Thursday, March 25 at 6pm.
Composer Dr. Melissa Dunphy joins the Museum of the American Revolution for a virtual premiere of her original piece, Remember the Ladies, which takes excerpts from Abigail Adam’s famed letter of the same name. The performance features an acapella mixed chorus with the 40-voice community choir PhilHarmonia. Stream it on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30pm. Admission ranges from $5-$7.
Phoenix Theatre is hosting a one-night-only fundraiser performance of Euripides’ The Trojan Women on Thursday, March 25 at 7pm. Directed by Phoenix Theatre co-founder Jessica Myhr Reich, it follows Hecuba, Andromache, Cassandra, and the other women of Troy after the city was destroyed, their husbands were killed, and families are taken away as slaves.
The Historical Approach with Steven Berry
Playwright, printmaker, and screenwriter Steven Berry has been at it for 30 years. Whether it’s interpreting stories of Black Philadelphian Vietnam veterans as a playwright, photographing the city and its residents, or documenting the cultural history of Philadelphia with film, he’s captured the people, the places, and their stories. On Thursday, March 25 at 7pm, Scribe Video Center will present an assortment of Berry’s works as part of their Storyville Series. Stream the screening for a $5 suggested donation.
PBS will premiere the new documentary American Masters - Twyla Moves, a film chronicling legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp as she creates a new work during the pandemic. The entry is part of a series, and this one arrives on Friday, March 26 at 9—check your local listings.
Blue Stoop is celebrating the release of Andrea Lee’s newest novel, Red Island House, on Tuesday, March 30 at 6:30pm. The novel follows Shay, a Black American professor with an adventurous streak that finds her marrying Senna, an Italian businessperson, and wrestling with her privileged American upbringing and her connection to the continent of her ancestors as they land in Madagascar. The discussion is free and is moderated by author Asali Solomon, author of the upcoming The Days of Afrekete.
Image Description: A movie poster for A Doll's House 20/20. A person stands in a sunny grassy field, though we only see from about their waist on down. They're wearing a red dress and are holding a small dollhouse in one hand and a mask in the other hand. The title, A Doll's House 20/20, is typed on the image.
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