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An Army of Lovers, Machine de Cirque, and Dual Heritage Month
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 1-8, 2024
Kyle V. Hiller
May is here, and as the weather gets warmer, so does the art scene in Philly. A new art exhibit at Fuller Rosen Gallery will have Baroque fans excited. R. Eric Thomas’s new play comes to the Drake, and circus arts with a musical twist hit the stage at Penn Live Arts. Then, celebrate Jewish American and Pacific American heritage together at a family-friendly day of festivities at the Weitzman Museum.
Stay cool, Philly!
An Army of Lovers
May 2-19, 2024
Proscenium Theatre at the Drake, 302 South Hicks Street, Philadelphia
Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre teamed up with R. Eric Thomas for this new play about radical acts of existence, corporate culture as an oxymoron, and the freedom to be public. It tells the story of an aging queer activist who is invited to the sleek, enclosed campus of a global communications company to give a speech for their first Pride celebration.
Previews are on Thursday and Friday, with opening night on Saturday, a post-show conversation on Sunday, and affinity nights for Black and LGBTQ+ audiences.
After Boucher
May 3-June 16, 2024
Fuller Rosen Gallery, 319 North 11th Street, Philadelphia
This solo exhibition from Molly Jae Vaughan takes inspiration from 18th-century French painter and printmaker François Boucher, featuring a selection of more than 60 works. Baroque fans will have a great time with this contemporary take on classic art.
The opening reception will be on Friday, May 3, from 6-9pm and an artist reception in the coming weeks will be on Friday, June 7, 6-9pm.
Machine de Cirque: La Galerie
Sunday, May 5, 3pm
Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia
The Québec-based Machine de Cirque makes its Philly debut at Penn Live Arts this weekend as seven acrobats offer a show with “dizzying feats, astonishing discoveries, and a serious dose of silly fun in an ode to creativity.”
Dual Heritage Month Family Day
Sunday, May 5, 1-5pm
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
The Weitzman hosts a free multicultural family event this weekend celebrating Jewish American and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with music, dance, crafts, workshops, and tours. Cultural folk activities, a taekwondo workshop, storytime, and more are just some of the programming lined up for the afternoon.
(re)FOCUS panel: Women Who Run Galleries
Monday, May 6, 2-3:30pm
Barnes Foundation, 2025 Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
The citywide celebration recognizing women artists and the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia Focuses on Women in the Visual Arts (we talked about it earlier this year) will see a panel at the Barnes, featuring five gallerists for a conversation about their work and their roles as women leaders in the field.
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