“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Free Shakespeare in Clark Park!
Posted by Samantha Lazar on July 26, 2010
Free, outdoor theater performances in public parks on summer evenings: it’s one of the great traditions of summer. Shakespeare plays are undoubtedly the most chosen for these picnic performances; I don’t know why that is… maybe it’s their universal appeal, their familiarity, the outlandish humor of the comedies, or the undeniable brilliance of the bard. Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that Shakespeare is tops – and the most performed of all his park-staged plays is certainly the comedic gem that is perfectly suited to both wooded glens and a summer evenings: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Shakespeare in Clark Park, West Philly’s resident Shakespeare company, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year with the classic production. Their shows are always stellar, with solid acting, impressive production values (the show is outdoors, for crying out loud!), and overflowing energy. The production will expand on an awesome element of last year’s show by including a musical component. Instead of just a few bizarre musical interludes, a three piece band will be accompanying the performers, featuring unique compositions played on accordion, violin, and percussion. Shakespeare wrote song-and-dance sequences into the play but didn’t include any actual musical notations, so this production will bring the segments to life and would certainly make him proud. Spectators’ picnic blankets, lawn chairs, bottles of wine, and romping dogs will combine with the excitement of the show and the loveliness of Clark Park to create a festive one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
The show will run for five performances, opening on Wednesday night and running through Sunday night, always at 7pm. Get there early – crowds on weekend nights can top 1,000 audience members, and prime seating gets claimed quickly! (In the event of rain, the performance gets moved inside to the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore.)
Catching a performance is a cultural rite of summer. Put it on your calendar: with Puck, Oberon, and Titania flitting about Clark Park (on BMX bikes, rumor has it), it’s sure to be an enchanted evening.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Presented by Shakespeare in Clark Park
Wednesday, July 28 - Sunday, August 1, 2010
All Performances at 7PM
www.shakespeareinclarkpark.org
Clark Park (Near ‘The Bowl’)
Intersection of Chester Avenue and 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
www.clarkpark.info
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Related Categories: Entertainment, Family Fun, Clark Park, Culture
Penn Museum Teams Up with The Franklin Institute for the Ultimate Egyptian Experience
Posted by Samantha Lazar on June 29, 2010
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is a world-renowned history museum known for, among other things, its ancient Egyptian collections.
The Egyptian galleries contain crowd-pleasing and awe-inspiring artifacts like the third largest sphinx in the world, giant columns from ancient temples, and, of course, those desiccated organ-less bodies that everyone loves so much: mummies. It’s not just the archaeologists at the museum who love the ancient world – it seems all of Philadelphia has caught Egyptian fever recently. Hot off the heels of its recent King Tut exhibit, the Franklin Institute has opened a brand new exhibit that offers an intriguing glimpse into the ancient dessert empire, Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. Luckily for Egyptophiles, The Penn Museum and the Franklin Institute have teamed up to create a double ticket that offers visitors the ultimate Egyptian experience.
The discounted double ticket, which can be purchased by calling 1-877-TFI-TIXS or in person at the Franklin Institute, will save museum-goers money off of the price of two separate tickets. It will be available as long as the exhibits are – that means until January 2011. ...
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Related Categories: Family Fun, Culture, Universities + Colleges
Free Jazz in Cedar Park Puts Some Swing in Your Step Friday Evenings
Posted by Samantha Lazar on June 24, 2010
If farmers' markets, dollar strolls, and dining al fresco haven't put you in summer mode yet, how about the sultry strains of jazz wafting through the park on a warm Friday evening? If you haven't caught Cedar Park's weekly jazz concerts yet, you're behind the curve – they've been going on for almost a month even though summer officially began just this week.
Like any good event in a park, the concerts are free and casual, so you can come and go as you please. Relax for the full two hours if you've got the time, and hang out afterward to chat with neighbors or stroll down Baltimore Avenue in search of dinner (sorry, you'll have to wait a couple more weeks for the next Dollar Stroll!) Or, if you're in a bit of a rush (but really, who's in a rush on a warm summer evening?), swing by for just a few minutes.
Tony "Stickman" Wyatt Crew will be this week's artist. Wyatt is a jazz master and is recognized as one of the top drummers in the tri-state region, having played with Hank Mobley, James Moody, and Bootsie Barnes, among others. Check out the full schedule of upcoming bands here. The concerts are yet another great community event hosted by this little triangle of a park, and one of the things that make living and playing in this neighborhood so enjoyable.
Friday Night Jazz in Cedar Park
6 - 8pm, Friday nights (weather permitting)
50th St. & Baltimore Ave.
http://www.cedarparkneighbors.org/category/friday-night-jazz-in-cedar-park
Related Destination: Cedar Park »
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Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll Tomorrow!
Posted by Samantha Lazar on June 9, 2010
Baltimore Avenue is a mecca for diverse and eclectic energy in University City, be it in the form of food, drink, shopping, or entertainment. I’ve highlighted many of the street’s shops and cultural attractions on the blog before, but never before has there been such a perfect opportunity to check out so many of them in just one evening! Tonight is the first installment of the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll, which will take place on the second Thursday of each month throughout the summer (the next ones are July 8th and August 12th, if you want to mark your calendar). Fifteen businesses along the Avenue, between 43rd and 50th Streets, will be offering special wares for just a buck each. Who says a dollar can’t buy anything nowadays?
Start your stroll with a $1 cup of coffee or tea at the Green Line Café at 43rd and Baltimore, and then wend your way westward. Some highlights from the restaurants include $1 scoops of ice cream at Milk and Honey Market, $1 finger foods and salads at Dahlak, raw foods at Atiya Ola’s, tofu skewers at Vientiane Café, and sandwiches at The Gold Standard. There are several places to get your one dollar drink on, including Queen of Sheba, Elena’s Soul, and Dock Street (which is also offering $1 souvenir pint glasses!). For shopping you can check out Young Love’s or browse homemade gifts at VIX Emporium. If you’re feeling energetic swing by Studio 34, which is offering special yoga classes for just a dollar! Perhaps the most interesting offering of the evening is from Curio Theatre Company, which will be presenting previews of its upcoming performances for just one measly dollar.
The weather should be glorious and the neighborhood will certainly be hopping. Check out the full list of participating venues here, and make sure to come back next month too!
Baltimore Avenue, between 43rd St. and 50th St.
June 10th, July 8th, August 12th
5:30 – 8:30pm
Related Categories: Dining + Food, Family Fun, Coffee Shops, Retail, Culture
The Penn Relays are Coming!
Posted by Samantha Lazar on April 19, 2010
When Ben Franklin wasn’t busy toiling at his printing press, discovering electricity, inventing bifocals, and running the fire department, he was gathering all the founding fathers and the swiftest Revolutionary soldiers to compete in foot races. Well… not exactly. But he’d certainly be proud of The Penn Relays, a century-plus tradition at his namesake field and the oldest and largest track meet in the country. Taking place every year since 1895 at the University of Pennsylvania, over 15,000 high school, college, and professional athletes gather for five days of competition in over 425 events (that averages out to about one race every five minutes and more athletes than compete in the Olympic Games!). ...
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Related Destination: Franklin Field »
Related Categories: Family Fun, Universities + Colleges, Sports
University City Arts League
Posted by Samantha Lazar on April 8, 2010
Situated in a cheery rowhouse on 42nd and Spruce, the University City Arts League is a neighborhood gem, doing its part to bring art, enrichment, and fun to the community. They offer classes year round, as well as exhibits and special events for adults, teens, and kids. The spring session of classes, which runs for ten or eleven weeks at ridiculously low prices, just started – but it’s not too late to get in on the action and sign up for a class if you act quickly!
Adult classes range from fine arts like painting, wood burning, figure drawing, ceramics, and jewelry making to dancing of all sorts (hoop dancing, belly dancing, flamenco, and social dancing, to name a few). YOUCIE hosted a rollicking preview of the salsa dancing class a few weeks ago, which should have convinced anyone that spending an evening a week at the Arts League can get your blood flowing, your socializing going, and be the highlight of your week. There are also exercise classes, language classes, and even more eclectic things like “Home Brewing and Beer Appreciation.” ...
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Related Destination: University City Arts League »
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The Arts and Spirituality Center: Empowering Youth through Art, Peace, and Love
Posted by Samantha Lazar on March 8, 2010
The Arts and Spirituality Center is located at 37th and Chestnut, right in the heart of University City, but if you weren’t a Philadelphia teenager in the past ten years you might not have heard of it. The interfaith non-profit serves schools, community and youth groups, faith-based organizations, and the generally downtrodden, helping them to stand up to violence and other negative pressures by embracing their creativity and nurturing their spirits. Their several unique programs focus on art education, interfaith work, community building, imagination, and rites of passage. Each is specially tailored to a specific set of people. The Rites of Passage program, for example, is for 10 to 14 year-old girls, and uses ancient and modern arts, expressive techniques, and traditions to help empower while easing the transition from childhood to adolescence. Combined, their programs have reached over 6,000 Philadelphians since the center opened in 2000. ...
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Related Destination: The Arts and Spirituality Center »
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Al-Bustan: Planting the Seeds of Arabic Arts and Culture
Posted by Samantha Lazar on February 19, 2010
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is a West Philly nonprofit arts organization dedicated to advocating the appreciation of Arabic arts and culture. That may seem like a mouthful, but try saying it in Arabic! Actually, that’s one of the things they’ll help you do – in addition to programs about art, music, literature, geography, and other elements of Arab culture, they also offer language instruction.
Most of Al-Bustan’s programs are geared toward children and young adults, as the cornerstone of their mission is to educate youth about Arabic heritage. You don’t have to share that heritage to get in on the fun, though. Youth of all backgrounds enjoy their programs, which include a July summer camp in which kids learn some Arabic (or improve their skills) while exploring the arts and culture. During the school year, weekend language and art classes offer a stimulating environment for learning the language – this is about fun, not the classroom! Language instruction is integrated into drama, dance, art, and story writing. It’s the perfect combo for creative and inquisitive kids who are up for learning something new....
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Related Destination: Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture »
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The Penn Ice Rink: Skating Central for University City
Posted by Samantha Lazar on January 14, 2010
There's no doubt that winter has hit hard this year. What with the freezing temperatures, that massive blizzard, and ice choking the Schuylkill, Philly has certainly taken on the feel of an arctic city. You could complain about the cold. Or, instead, why not embrace the season with one of winter's most time-honored activities? Go ice skating!
A lot of people know about the ice rink at Penn's Landing on the Delaware River, but for those of us on the western side of the city there is a rink much closer to home, The Penn Ice Rink at the Class of 1923 Arena, on 31st and Walnut, which is celebrating its 40th season this winter. The rink is home to hockey teams from local universities and high schools, and it also hosts Open Hockey for anyone who wants to practice their skills and have some fun. They offer skating lessons (private and group) as well....
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Related Categories: Entertainment, Family Fun, Sports
Peoplehood Parade & Pageant: Saturday, 10/24!
Posted by Samantha Lazar on October 19, 2009
Get excited for one of the most unique sights of the season: Spriral Q Puppet Theatre’s 10th annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant.
Originally scheduled for Saturday October 17th, the event has wisely been pushed to the following week, the 24th, due to horrendous weather. Hopefully the sun will smile on West Philly and the true colors of the parade will shine forth – because, oh boy, there are a lot of colors!
If you’re not familiar with it already, Spiral Q is something of a blend between a puppet theater (regularly putting on performances), a giant puppet factory (the puppets themselves and the sheer number that they churn out are both giant, and are on display at their museum), and a community organizer and neighborhood touchstone....
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Related Destination: Spiral Q Puppet Theater »
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Schuylkill Banks River Tour: A Float Through History
Posted by Samantha Lazar on October 13, 2009
In Dutch "Schuylkill" means "hidden river." During Philadelphia's early history it was "hidden" because it was so far away from the center of town, which was alongside the Delaware, that few city dwellers ever ventured over to its banks (though my main man Benny F. was a big fan of its tranquility and liked to relax on its shores). During the industrial era people wished it was hidden, but had a hard time avoiding its filth and stench -- for years a slaughterhouse near 30th Street poured steams of blood and offal directly into its waters. Nowadays, though, the Schuylkill doesn't deserve its dirty reputation; The Schuylkill River Development Corporation has been working hard to revive the river, and it is no longer the wasteland of its industrial days. Over 45 species of fish now thrive in its waters, people run and jog alongside...
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The Annenberg Center: Like the Kimmel, but Farther
Posted by Samantha Lazar on September 24, 2009
The Annenberg Center, conveniently located on Penn’s Campus, is one of Philadelphia’s premiere performing arts venues. Every season their three theatres host a huge array of programming, ranging from music, to dance, to theatre, to student productions.
The critically acclaimed “Penn Presents” series brings outstanding professional productions to West Philly, and this fall’s line-up is looking exceptionally fabulous. “Thank You Gregory,” which runs from October 6th through 10th, is “a tribute to the legends of tap.” The show will feature live music, dancing (of course!) and multimedia projections, paying homage to big names like Fred Astaire and Gregory Hines. After “Thank You Gregory” comes “MacHomer,” a one-man blend of “MacBeth” and “The Simpsons” that’s sure to fill the nearly 1,000-seat Zellerbach auditorium. Rick Miller performs the hysterical spectacular, imitating 50 voices from “The Simpsons” while performing a version of “MacBeth” ...
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Performances, Festivals, and More at The Rotunda
Posted by Samantha Lazar on August 7, 2009
You know about The Rotunda, right? It’s hard to find someone in West Philly who isn’t at least passably familiar with the gorgeous old church-turned-arts-venue at 40th and Walnut. Once a little-used empty space whose awesome architecture had fallen into disrepair, the building was taken over in 1996 and transformed into a community gathering place determined to use art as a catalyst for social change. Situated on the edge of Penn’s campus, many efforts aim at building bridges between the university and the surrounding community. ...
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Related Destination: The Rotunda »
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Free Shakespeare in Clark Park!
Posted by Samantha Lazar on July 31, 2009
Ah, Shakespeare in the park. It’s one of those unofficial rites of summer that people come to expect. If you’ve never seen a Shakespeare performance in a park before, you might not understand what’s so great about it – which is all the more reason to get yourself to Clark Park to see the “The Comedy of Errors” this weekend!
Clark Park is a gem of West Philly, coming alive with children, dogs, exercisers, the farmers’ market and more every summer. Adding to the fun, Shakespeare in Clark Park had been producing free outdoor plays since 2005. This year’s choice is one of the bard’s most popular comedies, and the play features a whole slew of Philly’s comedic actors, with Luigi Sottile (as Antipholus of Syracuse) and David Sweeney (playing many different characters) turning in especially hysterical performances.
...
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Related Destination: Clark Park »
Related Categories: Entertainment, Family Fun, Clark Park, Parks, Culture
A Treasure Trove of History at The Penn Museum
Posted by Samantha Lazar on July 20, 2009
When was the last time you came face to face with a 12-ton sphinx? I bet I’ve got you beat on this one: I did yesterday. The giant sphinx of Pharaoh Ramsses II, dating from around 1200 BC, is one of the most-visited residents of 3260 South Street, also known as the Penn Museum.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is one of the greatest history museums in the world. Unfortunately, far too few people seem to know this! ...
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Related Destination: Penn Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology »
Related Categories: Entertainment, Family Fun, Culture, Universities + Colleges
Curio Theatre Summer Camp
Posted by Samantha Lazar on June 18, 2009
The Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore is a community hub; you probably know about some of the goings-on that take place there in addition to its more churchly activities. Did you know that it’s the home of Curio Theatre Company? With its offices next door, Curio has taken up residency in the old church’s sanctuary, and offers up all kinds of productions throughout the year (stay tuned for Fringe shows in September!). They also host a summer theatre camp for kids ages 6 – 16....
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Related Destination: Curio Theatre Company »
Related Categories: Entertainment, Family Fun, Culture
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The Live Arts & Philly Fringe Festival Starts this Weekend!
An Unexpected Ice Cream Destination: Desi Chaat House
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“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Free Shakespeare in Clark Park!
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Silk Road Summer Nights: a Pay-What-You-Want Wednesday Evening Music Series at the Penn Museum
Penn Museum Teams Up with The Franklin Institute for the Ultimate Egyptian Experience
Free Jazz in Cedar Park Puts Some Swing in Your Step Friday Evenings
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