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Honoring Erika Alexander, The Porch on Windy Hill, and festivals abound
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, September 19-25, 2024
Kyle V. Hiller
We’ve got a great serving of community events happening in the area this week. Festivals like the Montco Jazz Festival, Digital Chutzpah, Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest, the Phoenixville Film Festival, and Glen Foerd’s ArtsFest are here to cover all the bases. Then, the Philadelphia Film Society honors the storied film and television career of Philly’s own Erika Alexander, a hip-hop punk performance pops up at Callowhill, and a multidisciplinary installation arrives at the Barnes.
It’s starting to look like fall with all these events, Philly!
The Porch on Windy Hill
September 18-October 13
People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Road
Opening this weekend is the regional premiere presentation of The Porch on Windy Hill. Presented by People’s Light as they kick off their 50th anniversary season, The Porch on Windy Hill tells the story of Mira, a biracial Korean American violinist and her boyfriend Beckett who reconnect with her estranged grandfather in the mountains of North Carolina. There, they discover the ability to bridge divides and heal wounds through the power of music, drawing from bluegrass melodies.
Montco Jazz Festival
September 19-22
Various locations
The third annual Montco Jazz Fest comes to the area this week, with a variety of jazz performances in King of Prussia, Ambler, Jenkintown, and other places in the Montgomery county area. Be sure to check out the full lineup online.
Digital Chutzpah
September 19-22
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 South Independence Mall East
Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media brings its third year of the Jewish digital media festival to the Weitzman this week. The event opens with the finale to the organization’s first ever national social media contest, Unapologetically Jewish. A collection of animated shorts, a virtual reality experience, and a concert performance by Galeet Dardashti, granddaughter of renowned Iranian Jewish singer Younes Dardashti, are just a few things in the lineup. Attendees can also check out the museum’s newest exhibit.
Old City, a Philadelphia punk hip-hop band
Thursday, September 19, 7pm
Love City Brewing, 1023 Hamilton Street
Philly band Old City is hosting a record release party, with their self-titled album that’s published by queer indie label Get Better Records. The album features the single “Jumper”, which amplifies the conversation surrounding social isolation, s*icide, and toxic masculinity.
Second annual Phoenixville Film Festival
September 19-22
Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, PA
This weekend, the Phoenixville Film Festival returns with four days of independent film screenings, filmmaker panels, workshops, and more. Over 50 films are set to be on view, with films from some familiar names like Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) and Anthony Rapp (Rent).
Let Me Freeze Again to Death
September 19-22
The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
The immersive film and sound installation by composer Missy Mazzoli and filmmaker Adam Larsen, with Opera Philadelphia’s Anthony Roth Costanzo, will be on view at the Barnes this weekend for free with museum admission. Let Me Freeze Again to Death is a sensory experience originally created in 2020 at the height of lockdown that continues to investigate loneliness and imagines ways for us to be alone together four years later. This comes ahead of the premiere of Mazzoli’s new opera The Listeners.
Honoring Erika Alexander
September 20-21
Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street
The Philadelphia Film Society is honoring the legendary Erika Alexander (Living Single, The Long Walk Home, Get Out, and also penned issues of Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novel series) with retrospective on her career, featuring film screenings, talk-back sessions, and live commentary. The Philly-grown star will be in attendance.
Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest
Saturday, September 21, 11am-3pm
Commonwealth Plaza at the Kimmel, 300 South Broad Street
Ensemble Arts Philly hosts its fourth annual Philadelphia Fall Arts Fest this Saturday. The free festival features performances and giveaways from more than 50 arts organizations from the area. Tap into music—including opera, ballet, jazz, and classical—visual arts, and more than 25 free performances and activities.
Me and You and a Bear Named Baloo
Saturday, September 21, 2pm
Sawubona Creativity Project, 1935 East Passyunk Avenue
Anthony DiFlorio, a native and lifelong South Philadelphian, calls himself a late bloomer. This weekend, he’ll be making his stage and screen debut at 64 with Me and You and a Bear Named Baloo, a Fringe entry that may have gone under your radar. The family-friendly performance is a story about how an animated character resonated with a shy boy who was captivated by a loveable bear in a retelling of The Jungle Book.
Glen Foerd’s ArtsFest 2024
Sunday, September 22, 1-4pm
Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Avenue
ArtsFest 2024 is a celebration of language, creativity, culture, and community. Live music, food, arts and crafts, free self-guided tours of the Glen Foerd mansion, and more will be in tow. Featured are a pair of artists: muralist Shira Walinsky and the unveiling of River River River, an interactive outdoor installation that features graphics and text translations of the word “river” in many languages; and multidisciplinary artist Sarabella Rocha’s Bat Tumbagas, an art installation that celebrates the significance of bats in ecosystems worldwide.
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