A University of the Arts professor speaks: “Knowing it’s the last time I’ll be here is unbearable.”
Students and faculty pledge to keep creating despite their school’s "unconscionable" demise
Philly novelist Elise Juska founded the creative writing program at UArts, where she taught for 24 years. She brings us inside her last days at the university, alongside her irrepressible students.
Essays
6 minute read
The Wilma Theater and New Georges present Kate Scelsa and Robert M. Johanson’s Hilma
A new opera about the artist Hilma af Klint fails to illuminate her
Hilma, a contemporary opera receiving its world premiere at the Wilma Theater, fails to capture the artistry or mystical charisma of its subject, the painter Hilma af Klint. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Power Street Theatre presents Erlina Ortiz and Robi Hager’s Siluetas
A thrilling trilingual debut
Power Street Theatre presents the world premiere of Erlina Ortiz and Robi Hager’s Siluetas, which brings Tony-winning star KO to Philly. The show could benefit from some more development, but it’s a thrilling debut. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Fabric Workshop and Museum presents John Jarboe: The Rose Garden
Exploring what drag does best
The latest phase of John Jarboe’s Rose project, an immersive multidisciplinary installation at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, interrogates rigid notions of gender with serious playfulness. Jake Foster reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
InterAct Theatre Company presents C.A. Johnson’s The Climb
Perfect for post-show conversations in Philly
The Climb, the latest world premiere onstage at InterAct, examines the white gaze in feminism, academia, and art, asking questions about power, consent, and commodification. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Quintessence Theatre Group presents Suzan-Lori Parks’s Father Comes Home From the Wars
An American Odyssey
Quintessence Theatre Group’s production of Suzan-Lori Parks’s Father Comes Home From the Wars: Parts I, II & III only intermittently captures the grandeur of the text. Cameron Kelsall reviews
Reviews
4 minute read
The Wilma’s Tony reminds us to keep fighting for Philly’s arts community
The future is collaborative
Philly’s theater community rejoiced at
hearing that the Wilma will receive the 2024 Regional Theatre Tony Award at
this year’s ceremony on Sunday, June 16. It’s a huge reason to keep fighting
for Philly arts, but certainly not the only one.
Editorials
5 minute read
Inis Nua Theatre Company presents Abi Morgan’s Lovesong
A lyrical lack of specifics
Lovesong follows a British couple who comes to live to the US. In exploring memory, love, and the passage of time, the play’s ultimate vagueness makes it hard to empathize with the characters. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
From Shanghai to Philadelphia: An international alum speaks on the closure of UArts
Because of UArts, Philly will always be part of me.
When Shanghai native Wenlu Bao wanted to continue her arts education, she came to UArts, which led her to museums throughout our region. She was shocked to see the news about its closing. She remembers her time there.
BSR Classical Interludes: June 2024
Music in the garden, Marian Anderson Hall, The Crossing’s Month of Moderns, and more
June brings outdoor music in striking natural locales, early music, new music, the rededication of Verizon Hall, and some bonus musical Book Week picks. Gail Obenreder rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
The Arden Theatre Company presents Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens’s Once on This Island
A special Island tale
A thoughtfully reimagined production of Once on This Island smartly overcomes elements of the 1990 musical that haven’t aged well. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents Rikers Quilt
Catching up with Jesse Krimes
Jesse Krimes, subject of the 2021 documentary Art & Krimes by Krimes and a sometime Philadelphia resident, has an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and continues to work for justice. He sits down with Stephen Silver.
Features
5 minute read
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Also on BSR
The Strides Collective presents New Strides: A Pride Month Playfest on June 10
A new space for Philly’s queer playwrights
The
Strides Collective, founded in early 2020, supports new work by local queer
playwrights and shines a light on queer stories through play development
programs and productions. New Strides, a night of three one-act
readings, is coming up June 10. Frank Schierloh checks in.
Previews
2 minute read
The best books I’ve read so far in 2024: BSR Book Week editor’s picks
Top picks from the editor’s bookshelf
Sometimes I think books are the only thing keeping me sane(ish).
Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, a new lens on Jane Austen, anti-marriage
manifestos, and more: here are top recommendations from my own bookshelf as we celebrate
BSR Book Week 2024.
Previews
5 minute read
Discover books by BSR authors (2024 edition)!
In honor of BSR Book Week, find out if your favorite BSR writer is an author, too.
BSR writers are also memoirists, poets, novelists, scholars, and so much more! Discover their books and order a copy to add to your shelves.
Previews
9 minute read
Music and the Idea of a World, by Peter Kalkavage
The meaning of music, from the Greeks to the 20th century
A background in music theory will serve readers well in this trenchant and insightful tour of music throughout history: its meaning and function, and how it helps us understand the many worlds we live in. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Being Work, edited by Dorothy Dubrule
An intriguing look at performance artists in art galleries
More and more, artists worldwide are incorporating a performance-art element in their galleries. This slim, eminently readable collection brings us the voices of these unique performers. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Rock Music, Authority and Western Culture, 1964-1980, by James A. Cosby
The arc of rock
Civilization has
always had its discontents, but few things reflect the spirit of resistance like
rock music. In this intriguing survey, local author James A. Cosby tackles a socio-political
history of rock and roll. Rob Laymon reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Welcome to BSR Book Week 2024, running June 2-8
Here's everything you need to know to celebrate Book Week with us.
Do you love books? We do, too! Philly's literary scene is an important part of our cultural scene, and we spotlight it in our annual BSR Book Week. Learn more here!
Previews
2 minute read
The Homeless, by Stefan Żeromski; translated by Stephanie Kraft
A Polish classic appears in English for the first time
In this classic Polish novel, newly translated into English, a young working-class doctor argues that doctors should not just treat diseases but try to prevent them in poor factory workers’ cruel industrial landscape. Helen Walsh reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Sink: A Memoir, by Joseph Earl Thomas
A unique look at growing up in Frankford
Philly author Joseph Earl Thomas’s fierce and unusual memoir, Sink, follows his boyhood in 1990s Frankford, where fiction, fantasy, and reality collide. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Work, Fight or Play Ball: How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball Stars Avoid World War I, by William Ecenbarger
America’s pastime sheds new light on our 20th-century history
What did Major League Baseball have to do with World War I? In this surprising history of baseball, American industry, and the US military, William Ecenbarger sheds new light on a little-known but fascinating piece of history. Kimberly Haas reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read