Pride Month, ‘Roots Before Branches’, and weekends with Phoenix and Hedgerow theater companies

Happy Pride! The first weekend of June features Pride celebrations with qFLIX Philadelphia, William Way, and the Free Library, a handful of outdoor theater performances from Phoenix Theatre and Hedgerow Theatre, a new exhibit at Cherry Street Pier, and a virtual music ceremony with World Cafe Live.

Roots Before Branches

Creative Resilient Youth (CRY) and the Young Artist Program (YAP) are hosting their joint exhibition Roots Before Branches from Thursday, June 3 through June 27 at Cherry Street Pier. These two groups actively center Black, brown, AAPI, and queer youth artists, and the exhibition imagines inclusive multi-generational futures built around wellness, safety, care, and joy through various artworks. The exhibition is outdoors and is free to the public.

A weekend with Phoenix Theatre

The Phoenix Theatre debuts its new online festival, Origins Theatre Festival, starting Thursday, June 3. The three-day virtual event includes a series of panels with guest speakers, workshops, master classes, and more.

Also, Phoenix Theatre will open a live online production of the Federico Garcia Lorca classic Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) on Friday, June 4 in English and Saturday, June 5 in Spanish at 8pm. Bodas de Sangre is inspired by a true story of a fatal feud between two families in Almeria province, high in the mountains of rural Spain, focusing on one ordinary woman who confronts her visceral desires and rebels against the constraints of Spanish society while two men fight for her heart.

Summer with Hedgerow Theatre

Hedgerow Theatre Company is running its outdoor theater series now through July. For their Children’s Theatre by the Barn series, Cinderella concludes its run this weekend. Peter Pan picks up after that, running June 12-27. Performances are Saturdays and Sundays, run 45 minutes, and are geared for ages 3-10 but all are welcome.

For Shakespeare by the Brook series, Hedgerow’s adult offering is The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It’s encouraged to bring your own blankets, seating, food, and bottles for the outdoor performance. The show opens on Friday, June 18, and runs through Saturday, July 10. All performances are at 6pm.

Revivals of Blackness

World Cafe Live presents a new virtual multimedia performance Revivals of Blackness on June 3 and 6. The virtual ceremony interweaves music, dance, poetry, interviews, and visuals by Philly-based artists Leila Aisha Jones, Luke Carlos O’Reilly, Alex Shaw, and Aidan Un. The event is free, but RSVP ahead of time. Check out the trailer on YouTube, too.

Pride with the Free Library

The Free Library of Philadelphia has a handful of free Pride Month events coming up, including this Thursday, June 3 with How to Build a Home, a queer and trans BIPOC dance and movement workshop. See the full lineup online.

Moving Forward When the World Stopped

William Way LGBT Community Center opens its virtual art exhibit now through June 30. Showcasing the works of 28 artists from the Philadelphia area, Moving Forward When the World Stopped: Queer Life 2020-2021 presents a timeline of events, memories, and experiences from the past year.

PrideFLIX virtual film festival

qFLIX Philadelphia launched its PrideFLIX; The Virtual pride Film Festival and is running now through June 30. The month-long event features LGBTQ+ documentaries, features, shorts, and web series. Tickets range from $7-$10 per viewing, with $1 of each viewing going towards local LGBTQ+ non-profits.

Image Description: An outdoor performance of Cinderella. The set is minimal among trees and grass, with Cinderella mostly center in mid-dance with another performer. All the performers are wearing masks. Families in the audience can be partly seen at the edges of the frame.