In 2015, Phindie published over 550 pieces on local theater, dance, and other arts. As the year comes to a close we look back at the articles which you liked the most. Here are the top ten most-read articles of 2015 in various categories.
Overall impressions
In the last twelve months, Phindie received about 250,000 views from tens of thousands of readers, but not every article got equal interest. Here were the top ten, measured by that gold standard of internet statistics: impressions:
- Sex on Stage in FEST (FringeArts) and KEIN APPLAUS FÜR SCHEISSE (American Realness [NYC]) by Julius Ferraro
- Deb Miller’s 15 Top Picks for the 2015 Fringe Festival by Debra Miller
- 2014/15 Critics’ Awards: The best in Philadelphia theater
- DISHWASHER (Brian Feldman): Fringe review by Christopher Munden
- THE CHERRY ORCHARD (People’s Light): Capturing the comedy, insight, and pathos of Chekhov by Debra Miller
- LA TRAVIATA (Opera Philadelphia): A stunning new design and a stellar new Violetta by Debra Miller
- Neal Zoren announces his picks for the best in Philadelphia theater, 2014 by Neal Zoren
- DIVINE/INTERVENTION (sbgProductions & Faux Real Entertainment): Reflections on the dual life of “the drag queen of the century” by Debra Miller
- “We are not nearly as special as we think we are!”: Denise Shubin gives a candid interview about the Philadelphia theater community by Henrik Eger
- PLANT ME HERE (Brat): Sound and fury by Julius Ferraro
Features
Phindie is known for its in-depth coverage of Philadelphia theater and arts. Thoughtful features on local performing arts formed the backbone of Phindie’s most popular content in 2015.
- Sex on Stage in FEST (FringeArts) and KEIN APPLAUS FÜR SCHEISSE (American Realness [NYC]) by Julius Ferraro
- Deb Miller’s 15 Top Picks for the 2015 Fringe Festival by Debra Miller
- 2014/15 Critics’ Awards: The best in Philadelphia theater
- Critical Mass reviews of MACBETH (Arden), introduction, parts one, two, three, four, and five by Christopher Munden, Ninni Saajola, Jessica Foley, Julius Ferraro, and Michael Fisher
- Neal Zoren announces his picks for the best in Philadelphia theater, 2014 by Neal Zoren
- Jess Conda’s Shameless Plugs and Top Picks for the 2015 Fringe Festival by Jess Conda
- The Powel House: Utilizing Historic PhilaLandmarks as venues for the arts by Debra Miller
- The City That Penn Built by Christopher Munden
- When an actor cannot move, the director has to jump in: Tina Brock is the new KING in the sold-out final performances of Ionesco’s classic by Henrik Eger
- Art in the Family: An inside preview of UNCLE ANDY (Warhola Films), a family biopic of Andy Warhol by Debra Miller
- Becoming THE WHALE: Scott Greer puts on pounds for Theatre Exile show [photo essay] by Brianne Shaw
Theater Reviews
Phindie has more than just theater reviews, but it sure has a lot of theater reviews: one of almost every production staged in Philadelphia and many more from the surrounding area. These were the most read in 2015:
- DISHWASHER (Brian Feldman): Fringe review by Christopher Munden
- THE CHERRY ORCHARD (People’s Light): Capturing the comedy, insight, and pathos of Chekhov by Debra Miller
- DIVINE/INTERVENTION (sbgProductions & Faux Real Entertainment): Reflections on the dual life of “the drag queen of the century” by Debra Miller
- PLANT ME HERE (Brat): Sound and fury by Julius Ferraro
- STELLA AND LOU (People’s Light): A middle-aged rom-com with South Philly attitude by Debra Miller
- MACBETH (Arden): Bloody bold and resolute by Christopher Munden
- GOD OF CARNAGE (Ritz): Funny fissures in the façade of civilization by Debra Miller
- CITY OF WOES (Found): Fringe Review by Debra Miller
- UNDER THE SKIN (Arden): The boundaries of the body and the limits of love: It’s complicated by Kathryn Osenlund
- STAIRS TO THE ROOF (EgoPo and Rowan): An absurdist take on a fledgling work by Tennessee Williams by Debra Miller
Interviews
Phindie writers interviewed about seventy different creators and performers in 2015, providing insight into Philadelphia performing arts and its practitioners. There were the most read interview subjects of the past twelve months.
- Interview with director Ozzie Jones, parts one and two by Henrik Eger
- “We are not nearly as special as we think we are!”: Denise Shubin gives a candid interview about the Philadelphia theater community by Henrik Eger
- J Hernandez: Feeling the Love in Philadelphia! by Debra Miller
- A Reversal of Roles for KC MacMillan: The director speaks to Phindie about her return to acting in THE FAIR MAID OF THE WEST (PAC) by Debra Miller
- A Car Full of Theater: Nell Bang-Jensen on road trips, small audiences, and her SoLow piece ROAD MAY FLOOD by Christopher Munden
- Meta-morphing Kafka’s Gregor: Interview with director Rebecca Wright in THE METAMORPHOSIS, (Quintessence Theatre Group) by Henrik Eger
- A Woman’s World: A conversation with Brenna Geffers, Lane Savadove, and Adrienne Mackey on bringing a new focus on women to Philadelphia theater by Debra Miller
- From the UK to Philadelphia to Broadway: An interview with actor Harry Smith by Debra Miller
- Costume Changes and Metamorphoses: Katherine Fritz on costume design, Kafka, and blogging by Christopher Munden
- An Interview with Jamie Warhola: Honoring Andy Warhol on the 28th anniversary of his death by Debra Miller
Dance
In the past year, Phindie established itself as one of the leading venues in Philadelphia for dance coverage, with 100 articles covering various aspects of movement arts. These are the ones you liked most:
- AMERICAN STANDARD (Brian Sanders’ JUNK): Fringe review by Debra Miller
- THE NUTCRACKER (PA Ballet): A beloved holiday tradition by Eri Yoneda
- INTO THE LIGHTS (Dancefusion & Ballet Fleming): Fringe review by Debra Miller
- [NYC] MIDWAY AVENUE (Nichole Canuso Dance Company) & ATOMIC ORBITAL (Laura Peterson Choreography) at HERE by Debra Miller
- COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET (Dance Affiliates): Spectacular opening of company’s BEYOND 20 campaign by Eri Yoneda
- Back on Stage After 12 Years: Deb Crocker returns for SmokeyScout’s Nice and Fresh January! by Christopher Munden
- SPEED & PRECISION: (PA Ballet): Color and character at the start of a new chapter by Eri Yoneda
- A Leap of Faith: Photos and words from the creative team behind Almanac’s newest dance circus theater by Christopher Munden and Almanac
- Dance Remains: Choreographer Olive Prince on her anticipated Fringe show OF OUR REMNANTS by Christopher Munden
- SUMMER SERIES (BalletX): Summertime satisfaction by Eri Yoneda
- UNARMED (Arielle Pina): Fringe review by Brendan Tetsuo
Music
Phindie continues to expand coverage into new aspects of performance and art in Philadelphia. Here were the most read music-related pieces.
- LA TRAVIATA (Opera Philadelphia): A stunning new design and a stellar new Violetta by Debra Miller
- The Powel House: Utilizing Historic PhilaLandmarks as venues for the arts by Debra Miller
- From Assisi to Philadelphia: U.S. premiere of Italian cantata celebrating the extraordinary life of Hildegard von Bingen by Henrik Eger
- Chopin As He Was Meant To Be Heard: Without the piano by Christopher Munden
- Theater Artists Making Beautiful Music in NY and Philly by Debra Miller
- JUMP THE MOON (Philadelphia Opera Collective): Fringe review by Debra Miller
- BEGINNINGS… (Mendelssohn Club): Beginnings of a new tradition by Eri Yoneda
- HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (Vulcan Lyric): A cult classic whose time may have passed by Naomi Orwin
- Fringe Late Night: FULL Schedule and Preview by Christopher Munden
- What Do Indie Rock and Contemporary Ballet Have in Common? Musician Chris Kasper tells us ahead of his show with BalletX by Christopher Munden
Archive
All of the above categories contain only articles published in 2015, but writing lives forever on the internet (or, for like a decade, maybe, until a company goes bust or a domain dies). These are the Phindie articles published from 2009-2014 that have endured in popularity in the last twelve months.
- A Brief History of Early Publishing in Philadelphia by Christopher Munden
- Literary Legacy: A History of Philadelphia Writers by Christopher Munden
- One of the oldest taboos in history: Interview with Dan Hodge on The Rape of Lucrece by Henrik Eger
- THE AMERICA PLAY (P&P): 60-second review by Christopher Munden
- Nudity or Crudity: a conversation with Mary Tuomanen about THE BODY LAUTREC by Julius Ferraro
- In the Swing: A Brief History of Baseball in Philadelphia by Christopher Munden
- Absolutely Fabulous Off-Broadway Rep: MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING and MY BIG GAY ITALIAN FUNERAL by Debra Miller
- 2013/14 Critics’ Awards: The best in Philadelphia theater
- 100% PHILADELPHIA (Rimini Protokoll): Fringe Review by Christopher Munden
- An overview of the Philly theater scene by Christopher Munden