The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, November 14-20, 2024

Coming up in Philly this week are new plays from the Wilma and Theatre Ariel, a new exhibit at PAFA, and two events making space for Black art. The Wilma Theater opens its doors for its 2024-25 season with The Comeuppance, a nostalgic look at a high school reunion. Then, Theatre Ariel makes a historic connection with an old utility bill with Amsterdam. PAFA hosts a new exhibition that takes a unique look at art history, and Afromation Avenue and Prism Arts look to preserve and cultivate space for queer Black art.

Be safe, Philly!

Afromation Avenue Artist Walk
Thursday, November 14, 11:30am
Starting at Mother Bethel Church, 419 6th Street

Philly-based educators Brittni Jennings and Kristin Kelly developed Afromation Avenue in 2020, a community street art initiative designed to preserve the cultural integrity of Black spaces in Philadelphia. The next iteration is this week with collaborations with artists Mithscuca Berry and Andre Chaney. Berry, a Haitian artist, educator, and storyteller whose work reflects their epiphany in their healing journey as a Black queer/non-binary person of Caribbean descent. Chaney is a Philadelphia-based painter, author, and illustrator who uses fiction and folklore to explore African American experiences and culture. Be sure to register online.

Amsterdam
November 14-24
Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 North American Street

Theatre Ariel opens the Philadelphia premiere of award-winning Israeli playwright Maa Arad Yasur’s Amsterdam, a mystery play about an ex-pat Israeli musician whose dreams of assimilation into the European arts world are upended by the mysterious delivery of an unpaid gas bill from 1944. The story is inspired by actual events while Yasur was living in Amsterdam and learned of Dutch Holocaust survivors who were forced to pay utility bills for the time they were prisoners and enslaved laborers in concentration camps.

Making Strange: Sacred Imagery and the Self
November 14-April 6, 2025
118-128 North Broad Street

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts opens its new exhibition this week in Making Strange: Sacred Imagery and the Self, an exploration of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from their collections that highlight the historical concept of “making strange.” Making strange, a term coined by art historian Dr. Marcia Hall in her book Sacred Image in the Age of Art: Titian, Tintoretto, Barocci, El Greco, Caravaggio, refers to a style that emerged during the Counter Reformation era where artists intentionally distorted forms and use symbolism as a technique to create a more engaging experience. It was the segue into the Baroque period and encouraged longer, closer viewing with the intention of inspiring emotion and deep self-reflection.

The Coronation
November 16, 6:30pm
Prism Arts Philadelphia, 1021 Hamilton Street
Prism Arts hosts The Coronation: An ALl Black Drag King Show and Art Exhibition this weekend. The event brings fine art and drag together to showcase underrepresented talent and create a space where all these elements may not be able to otherwise coexist elsewhere. The evening promises a live drag show, DJ, a gallery viewing of original acrylic paintings paired with photographs, and more.

The Comeuppance
November 19-December 8
The Wilma Theater, 265 South Broad Street

The Wilma begins its new season next week, and it debuts with The Comeuppance by Obie Award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The comedy weaves themes of impermanence, nostalgia, and isolation as it focuses on five friends—once known as the Multi-Ethnic Reject Group—who reunite 20 years after graduating from high school before their high school reunion. There, they reminisce about their younger selves over adult jungle juice and contemplate together how their lives have turned out since. Previews begin Tuesday, November 19 through Thursday, November 21, with opening night (which is invite-only) on Friday, November 22.