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Author: Christopher Munden
Your faithful correspondent and publisher Christopher Munden has written and edited for many publications, websites, and cultural institutions. He was an editor/publisher of the Philly Fiction book series, collections of short stories written by local writers and set in Philadelphia. He's also a soccer coach, a pretty good skier, and an erstwhile songwriter.
Is there money in theater? Where does it come from? Who gets it?
Phindie looks at tax returns for local theaters to see how much they brought in from what sources. We also look at who the best paid employee was for each “non-profit”.
View More Is there money in theater? Where does it come from? Who gets it?
THREE DAYS OF RAIN (Quince Productions): 60-second review
It’s 1995, siblings Walker (Mark Sherlock) and Nan (Jessica Snow) meet at a run-down Manhattan loft after the death of their star-architect father. Peripatetic Walker has just returned from his latest escapist foreign jaunt and is obsessed by a new find: the journal of his taciturn father. Maybe this will will reveal the inner soul of this silentious man?
View More THREE DAYS OF RAIN (Quince Productions): 60-second review
DOWN PAST PASSYUNK (InterAct): Theater ‘wit’ a taste of South Philly
I once heard then-governor Ed Rendell give some cheesesteak advice: for the real deal don’t go to one of the big name line-around-the-block places, go to a food truck or your local deli and get one made-to-order. I was thinking about this truism and our prevailing infatuation with authenticity as I watched A. Zell Williams’s world premiere production of DOWN PAST PASSYUNK at InterAct Theatre.
View More DOWN PAST PASSYUNK (InterAct): Theater ‘wit’ a taste of South Philly
If You’re In…. Long Island: BINGO! THE WINNING MUSICAL
The famous five-letter-word and its off-beat aficionados Bingo is a game that has its own fascinating culture with quirky characters for devotees (the stereotype being…
View More If You’re In…. Long Island: BINGO! THE WINNING MUSICAL
AMERICAN WISDOM (SmokeyScout): Interview with Playwright Josh McIlvain
And now, AMERICAN WISDOM, a mainstage collection of three of Josh’s one-acts, is a handshake between Philly and New York, featuring actors and directors from both sides of the ancient and abiding divide—and performing for one weekend in each city. What’s more, it was launched through an IndieGoGo campaign, representing McIlvain’s collaboration with his audiences.
View More AMERICAN WISDOM (SmokeyScout): Interview with Playwright Josh McIlvain
The fault, dear Brutus, Act II: Interview with Makoto Hirano about “Super Racist” Julius Caesar
You may have seen the Lantern Theater Company’s JULIUS CAESAR, which recast Shakespeare’s political tragedy in Feudal Japan. You may also have seen the open letter that local playwright and performer Makoto Hirano hand-delivered to The Lantern on “How to Stage Your Show Without Being Super Racist,” which he signed “Makoto Hirano, Dance-theatre artist, actual Japanese person, and actual Samurai descendent,” reposted on Phindie with Hirano’s consent.
View More The fault, dear Brutus, Act II: Interview with Makoto Hirano about “Super Racist” Julius Caesar
Asian Arts Initiative’s THE WAY HOME continues with You for Me for You
The National Asian American Theater Festival and Conference is coming to Philadelphia this October, and Philadelphia’s Asian Arts Initiative and InterAct Theatre laying the groundwork with a reading series of new plays this Spring. Directed by visiting artist Rick Shiomi, founder of Minneapolis-based Mu Performing Arts, “The Way Home” features contemporary works exploring what “home” means to Asian Americans.
View More Asian Arts Initiative’s THE WAY HOME continues with You for Me for You
The fault, dear Brutus, is Super Racism: Makoto Hirano Criticizes Lantern’s Julius Caesar
“Will it be in yellow face,” my friend asked when I told him about Lantern Theater Company’s decision to stage Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in feudal Japan, when what the meant was “in kimonos with some Japanese screens and music” seemed somehow culturally tone deaf.
View More The fault, dear Brutus, is Super Racism: Makoto Hirano Criticizes Lantern’s Julius Caesar
A NICE AND FRESH sendoff: John Rosenberg’s last show in Philadelphia
Phindie has been a long-term champion of playwright John Rosenberg and his Hella Fresh Theater. There are pretty much no companies in Philadelphia focused on full seasons of original work, certainly none of the caliber reached in Rosenberg’s best plays, 2013′s Hannah and 2012′s Alp d’Huez.
View More A NICE AND FRESH sendoff: John Rosenberg’s last show in Philadelphia
Free Beer. Have I said enough? Scratch Night returns at FringeArts
For several years now, the FringeArts Scratch Night series has been an in-the-know favorite on the Philadelphia performing arts scene. Each Spring and Summer in the lead up to the Fringe Fest, the organization hosts a monthly event to showcase in the works performances by LAB fellow, Fringe favorites, and other local artists.
View More Free Beer. Have I said enough? Scratch Night returns at FringeArts
The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie and exciting news from the world of improv
This weekend sees an enticing line-up of non-improv sketches at PHIT’s new home. The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie perform a variety of offbeat sketches.
View More The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie and exciting news from the world of improv
JULIUS CAESAR (Lantern): Political persuasion in feudal Japan
If William Shakespeare was alive today he’d be a …. well, he’d probably be a poet and playwright, but he’d also make a damn good political speechwriter. The crux of his JULIUS CAESAR, now in an accessible production by Lantern Theater Company, comes in a speech following the title character’s assassination.
View More JULIUS CAESAR (Lantern): Political persuasion in feudal Japan
Seven dancers. 200 Surveys. 4-inch Leather Boots. SORRY, I’M JUST HUMAN.
Sebastian’s dance-music-theater creations draw from each art without being confined to easy definitions. This Saturday’s Sorry, I’m Just Human marks a culmination of two years of choreographic, musical, and theatrical experimentation.
View More Seven dancers. 200 Surveys. 4-inch Leather Boots. SORRY, I’M JUST HUMAN.
The City of Brotherly Bard: Revolution Shakespeare returns with a show and a webseries
Love sought is good, but given unsought, is better Philadelphia’s newest Shakespeare company, Revolution Shakespeare, will present the second offering of its inaugural season on…
View More The City of Brotherly Bard: Revolution Shakespeare returns with a show and a webseries
Make a date with dance: BalletX Winter Series
If you still think of ballet as inaccessible formalist movement to stuffy classical music, you have not seen BalletX. With an inviting Winter 2014 program spanning Valentine’s Day, this is a great opportunity to make a date with dance.
View More Make a date with dance: BalletX Winter Series
SNOWGLOBE (MacKnight Foundation): 60-second review
With clever repartee, SNOWGLOBE cleverly tackles deep existential questions. Under Bill McKinlay’s direction, the actors bring life and nuance to the clever Beckettian back-and-forth.
View More SNOWGLOBE (MacKnight Foundation): 60-second review
Breaking Bad, sketch comedy style
I never saw Breaking Bad, but lots of people love it. Then again, lots of people love crystal meth, and I thought it was awful. A much better bet for your cold December evening is BREAKING BAD SANTA by Philadelphia’s funniest sketch comedy troupe,
View More Breaking Bad, sketch comedy style
Considering A CHRISTMAS CAROL
You might call me a scrooge. The Philadelphia theater scene goes on hiatus in July and August, as most companies take a season break. And…
View More Considering A CHRISTMAS CAROL
ADDRESS UNKNOWN (Meadowbrook Productions): Letters from the edge of history
Reading history is like watching a familiar play: the fascinating thing is that the characters don’t know what’s going to happen. But sometimes you come across a work of fiction written on the cusp of great historical events imbued with a clear sighted vision of how the epoch is unfolding. Adapted by Frank Dunlop from a 1938 novella by Kathrine Kressman Taylor, ADDRESS UNKNOWN is one such work.
View More ADDRESS UNKNOWN (Meadowbrook Productions): Letters from the edge of history