Swing, soul, history, and paper dolls headline the weekend

From swing and big-band performances to a documentary's thoughtful blast from the soulful past, the weekend is shaping up to be an opportunity to actively engage with the past and contemplate the future. Whether you're drumming at the African American Museum of Philadelphia (AAMP) or putting on your dance shoes to skip to the edges of town for a primo (or should we say prima?) night of dance, there's certainly something to catch your attention.

This is How Girls Die opens this weekend

Plays and Players (1714 Delancey Place) will host Paper Doll Ensemble's This Is How Girls Die, an absurdist tragicomedy about three sisters who lock themselves away in a cottage they fill with childlike wonders after suffering the death of their mother. The sisters remain there until one sister can’t take it anymore. The show features Grayce Hoffman, Sara Vanasse Quagliata, and Simi Toledano. Catch the show starting on Thursday, January 24, through February 2, with tickets available online.

Celebrating the legendary Louis Prima

Bruce Klauber and the Wildest, along with special guest Chuck Darrow, will spark a night of swing in celebration of legendary singer Louis Prima in the Celebrity Room at Dino’s Backstage in Glenside this weekend. Prima was a bold performer and bandleader known for his big bands, jazz, and Vegas lounge acts in the early to mid-1900s. He was instrumental in paving the way for Italian Americans and other marginalized musicians to push back against resistance to diversity in American music and performances.

Klauber and his swing group, the Wildest, will spearhead a night of high energy on Friday, January 25, and Saturday, January 26, at 8:30pm in Glenside (287 North Keswick Avenue in Glenside, next to the Keswick Theatre).

Mr. Soul! documentary screening

Scribe Video Center will be presenting the film Mr. Soul!, directed by Samuel Pollard and Melissa Haizlip. Mr. Soul! celebrates the weekly PBS series Soul!, which aired from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s and celebrated black American culture, art, life, and community. The documentary profiles host and producer Ellis Haizlip, who also has a close relationship with Scribe, having served as its first board chair. Melissa Haizlip, award-winning filmmaker and founder of independent film-production company Shoes in the Bed Productions, will be in attendance for the screening. Mr. Soul! debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and won Best Music Documentary at the International Documentary Awards.

Catch the screening on Friday, January 25, at 7pm at Scribe Video Center (3909 Lancaster Avenue). Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for Scribe members.

AAMP Commune: 'Wailing' featuring LaTreice Branson

The African American Museum of Philadelphia is offering another of its Commune community conversations this Sunday, featuring Philadelphia artist, educator, and activist LaTreice V. Branson. The Commune, a community-led dialogue in collaboration with museum staff and the featured artist, explores themes within AAMP’s exhibitions. This installment, titled Wailing, focuses on AAMP’s exhibition Cotton: The Soft Dangerous Beauty of the Past, with percussionist and performance artist Branson sharing selections from her music and participating in the open conversation.

Branson is the founder of Drum Like a Lady, a community cooperative that provides a safe space for women of all ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds to express their uniqueness through drumming, dance, music education, and mental health advocacy.

Tickets are $5 in advance, or $14 with general admission at the door. The event begins at 2pm.