The Weekly Roundup, November 24-December 1

Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché (and more!)
November 26-December 2
Streaming online via Penn Live Arts

Penn Live Arts is bringing its film screenings back, and this week kicks off a virtual screening of Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché, a documentary film that follows Celeste Bell, the daughter of Poly Styrene. Styrene was the first woman of color (her father was born in Somali) in the UK to front a successful rock band, X-Ray Spex.

The film serves as a primer for the rest of Penn Live Arts’ upcoming screenings: their offerings in December will be the first in-person screenings since before the pandemic. Next week, they’ll screen No Ordinary Man, a re-imagining of jazz musician Billy Tipton. Then, keep an eye out for The Conductor in mid-December—the film highlights renowned conductor Marin Alsop who was the first woman to serve as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Sáo Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. That’s a lot of pioneering.

Brandywine River Museum of Art reopens
Starting November 26
1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford

After getting hit hard by Hurricane Ida this past September, the Brandywine River Museum of Art had to shut down. After working to restore the building and raising money from supporters, the museum is opening back up again this weekend. They’ll get their resilient restart with the Brandywine Railroad, an annual staple for nearly 50 years. Yes, it’s perfect for the kids, but if you’re a locomotive nerd like me, then you’re probably intrigued by 2,000 feet of tracks and over 1,000 pieces of locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys.

Now if only I could get a ride out to Chadds Ford… (is something you don’t hear people say often).

AAMP Griot Tale Saturday
Saturday, November 27, 12:30-1:30pm
Franklin Square, 200 North 6th Street, Philadelphia

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is holding its final Griot Tale Saturday this weekend. A griot is an African oral historian that passes on their culture through the practice of storytelling. The outdoor event is ideal for families, too, and is free and open to the public.

New Directions at Opera Philadelphia
December 1-May 31, 2022
Streaming online via Opera Philadelphia

Opera Philadelphia opens its new series New Directions this coming week, featuring three digital collaborations from artists new to opera. Writer, composer, and performer Tumi Williams teamed up with multidisciplinary director and dramaturg Sita Thomas to craft The House of Jollof Opera, a story about a budding chef Adeola who wants to impress neighborhood café boss Asha with his specialty dish vegan jollof. Pride (A Lion’s Roar) is the work of composer and music producer Renell Shaw, writer Rachael Young, and visual artist Kyle Legall and narrates the experience of people of color who have been told that they are “aggressive” or “too loud.” Then, writer and dancer Krystal S. Lowe and composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman mash dance and opera with themes of intimacy and relationships in Somehow.

All these are available to watch for free on the Opera Philadelphia channel through the spring, but what better time to cozy up with some unique takes on opera this holiday weekend? It’ll surely be a nice palette cleanse from spending time with that side of the family.

The productions come as part of a collaborative effort between Opera Philadelphia and Music Theatre Wales.