The Weekly BSR Arts and Culture Roundup, December 14-20, 2022

Coming up in Philly this week, we’ve got an assortment of holiday-themed performances from the folks over at Crossroads Comedy Theater sure to bring laughter and joy. Speaking of joy, Joyful Revolt pops up at the Made in Philadelphia market, serving up arts and gifts all from LGBTQ artists and makers. Motion Sickness brings interactivity to the theatrical dance floor, and Philly pianist Dynasty Battles’s strong presence is felt at the American Philosophical Society. Watermelon Bathtub brings back Bodies, and early next week gives us poetry and music from Philly’s Poet Laureate and the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Stay warm, Philly!

December laughs with Crossroads Comedy Theater
Through December 17, various times
Theatre Exile, 1340 South 13th Street, Philadelphia

Crossroads has a variety of shows and performances coming up this weekend if you’re looking for some hearty laughs. Events include a storytelling holiday happy hour and a Thank You, Places improvised holiday musical. There’s also Extree! Extree!, a comedy show inspired by the news; a holiday-themed Study Hall featuring comedic lectures, a variety show in Winter Wonderjawn, and plenty more. See the full schedule online.

Joyful Revolt
Through January 1, 2023
Dilworth Park, 1 South 15th Street, Philadelphia

Joyful Revolt Arts & Gifts is a new pop-up shop owned and stocked exclusively by local queer makers, and its coming to the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market. Colorful art prints, hand-blended nail polishes, and LGBTQ altar candles are just an inkling of what’s in store.

Motion Sickness
December 16-18, various times
Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 North American Street, Philadelphia

Motion Sickness collides dance improvisation, audience interaction, and colorful protest banners for an interactive performance that comes part of this year’s Miniball Festival. The show, put together by choreographer Adam Kerbel, depicts how demonstrators helped each other during this fall’s museum workers strike. Audience members are invited to attend if they’re willing, but it’s not necessary for those in attendance.

Dynasty Battles
Friday, December 16, 7:30pm
American Philosophical Society, 105 South 5th Street, Philadelphia

Concert pianist Dynasty Battles will perform a live solo concert this weekend. The Philly native recently released “Study Buddy,” a new etude featuring “stunning fingerwork, hand crossovers, and performance presence.” If you can’t make the live performance, there will be a free livestream on YouTube.

Bodies
Saturday, December 17, 6:30pm
Philly PACK, 233 Federal Street, Philadelphia

Watermelon Bathtub, a partnership of circus artists working to explore pathways of storytelling through body identity and movement, is bringing its award-winning show Bodies back to the stage. The cabaret circus piece explores the relationships people have with their bodies, using first-person narratives that combine spoken word and circus movements.

Virtual Monday Poets: Airea D. Matthews and Phillip B. Williams
Monday, December 19, 6:30pm
Streaming online

Philadelphia Poet Laureate Airea D. Matthews joins author Phillip B. Williams for a free night of poetry hosted by the Free Library. Check out Matthews’s first collection of poems Simulacra and Williams’s book Mutiny, both of which won prestigious awards.

Sun Ra Arkestra led by Marshall Allen
Monday, December 19, 8pm
Kimmel Cultural Campus, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

Catch a free night of music at the Kimmel with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, led by one of the original members Marshall Allen. Be sure to RSVP ahead of time.