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Miller, wearing a kilt and holding a bloody knife, dodges away from Parkinson, who sits downstage & turns back toward Miller

Quintessence director Alex Burns addresses community concerns about his “all-male” Shakespeare productions

“When does the community get to abort someone else’s creative impulse?”

When Quintessence artistic director Alex Burns announced plans for his latest all-male Shakespeare production, he struck a nerve with the local theater community. He talks with Alaina Johns in defense of his vision.

Alaina Johns

Apr 16, 2024 Editorials 9 minute read

With luxuriant 70s hair, Ernst & Matarrese sit facing each other over a fancy desk, working on typewriters in a dark room.

Resident Ensemble Players presents Ira Levin’s Deathtrap

Well-deserved screams for the stage

Both movie and live theater audiences love thrillers, so why are frightening plays relatively rare? The University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players delivers with a scary new production of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Apr 16, 2024 Reviews 4 minute read

Two teenagers, one in a black hoodie and the other in a yellow hoodie, sit at a table side by side reading a script aloud.

The BSR Podcast, season 8, episode 4: talking Philly Theatre Week 2024 with Sabriaya Shipley

Celebrating seven years of Philly's spring theater festival

Host Darnelle Radford sits down with Theatre Philadelphia executive director Sabriaya Shipley to talk all things Philly Theatre Week 2024 and the issues facing our modern arts scene.

Darnelle Radford

Apr 11, 2024 Podcast 1 minute read

Ngo, in a white embroidered dress & veil, sits looking thoughtful while a multiracial ensemble crowds around in various poses

The Wilma Theater presents Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan

Reversing Orientalist tropes

Kindhearted Shen Te invents a ruthless businessman alter-ego when her generosity overtakes her wallet in The Good Person of Setzuan, presented in this “radically reclaimed” production at the Wilma centering Asian artists. Mina Reinckens reviews.

Mina Reinckens

Apr 09, 2024 Reviews 3 minute read

Zion, in a gray tee, sits on a couch by Hodge, in a plaid bathrobe. Satie, in white sheath & headwrap, stands behind them

InterAct Theatre Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker

Imagining life for Jews after a successful insurrection

Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker, getting its world premiere at InterAct, offers a striking glimpse into the specificity of Jewish generational trauma, but it needs something more. Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

Apr 09, 2024 Reviews 3 minute read

Bergen, in the foreground, shares a park bench with DaPonte. Both men look outward with worried, contemplative expressions

Plays & Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story

Paper tiger

Plays & Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story in a flat restaging that fails to capture the play’s primal power. Kiran Pandey reviews.

Kiran Pandey

Apr 08, 2024 Reviews 4 minute read

Simpson in sparkling sequin vest and a wizard-like hat holds a guitar above his torso, stands in front of a mic on stage

E.J. Simpson presents Jesus Christ Superstar

Rising through tradition

An 18 year tradition rises differently this time around, as local musician E.J. Simpson prepares to perform their solo rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar. David Block previews.

David Block

Apr 03, 2024 Previews 3 minute read

Parkinson, in a strapless bodice, pulls Miller, wearing a green & blue plaid kilt, seductively toward him face to face.

As a trans actor, I’m dismayed by the “testosterone-driven” concept of the all-male Macbeth at Quintessence

If we don’t break down gender barriers in casting, Philly theater will continue to stall.

A promotional note from Quintessence Theatre Group artistic director Alex Burns about why he’s staging an “all-male” Macbeth drew a strong response from the Philly theater community. Bruce Baldini speaks up as a trans male actor.

Bruce Baldini

Mar 26, 2024 Essays 6 minute read

Miller, in a velvet jacket & gold crown, pauses in thought. Behind, Parkinson wears a strapless dress, holding a wine glass

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth

A rare expansion of the Scottish play

Quintessence Theatre Group stages a blockbuster Macbeth with an expanded script and an all-male cast, thrilling even when its reach exceeds its grasp. Kiran Pandey reviews.