Features Archives - Page 40 of 44

Dance Features GayFest! Interviews Previews

Quince Productions’ GayFest! kicks off with HEAD OVER HEELS

Katelyn Bobek July 31, 2014 No Comments

Philadelphia’s first and largest LGBTQ theater festival, GayFest! by Quince Productions, returns this August 5-23 to Plays and Players Skinner Studio. Opening this year’s festival is the The Bang Group’s HEAD OVER HEELS, a high energy mix of concert dance, slapstick, and musical theater in a cabaret setting. Artistic director and choreographer David Parker took time with me to offer some insights into the dance and his New York City dance ensemble’s interests in creating the piece.

Features Interviews Theater

The Walnut Street Theatre: Part 2, Crafting a Popular Season

Katelyn Behrman July 30, 2014 No Comments

In the second of her three-part series on the Walnut Street Theatre, Katelyn Behrman looks at how the Walnut puts together its season of popular productions, and considers the opportunities presented by the second stage and rented facilities.

Ama Bollinger stars in Chris Davis’s ANNA K (Photo credit: Courtesy of the artist)

Features Fringe Festival Previews Theater

Deb Miller’s 15 Top Picks for the 2014 Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Debra Miller July 26, 2014 3 Comments

Phindie will provide more Philly Fringe Festival coverage than any publication in the world! Coverage begins with 15 picks from star Phindie writer Deb Miller.

The Walnut opened as a circus theater in 1809.

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The Walnut Street Theatre: Part 1, The People’s Playhouse

Katelyn Behrman July 23, 2014 1 Comment

In the first section three-part series, Kathryn Behrman sits down with Walnut artistic director Bernard Havard and other local theater folk to consider the playhouse’s commitment to popular entertainment.

Arts Dance Features Interviews Theater

Sebastian Cummings talks about LIFE ON THE FRINGE

Christopher Munden July 15, 2014 1 Comment

Sebastian Cummings has always been a little edgy. A military brat, a black man in the white suburbs, a Jamaican American in African American black society, a gay…

Features Theater

Sustainability and the Artist

Liam Castellan July 11, 2014 No Comments

Lately I’ve been thinking about that “worthwhile strategy” in regards to making a living as a theatre artist. Too many of my colleagues can’t afford to get sick, and certainly can’t afford to start a family. An interview with Charlotte Ford (revealing she’s stepping away from theater to go back to school for speech pathology) seems to have sparked a vigorous public debate about how difficult it is to make a living as an artist, and what can be done about it.

Features Previews Theater

The Ups and Downs of Success: Theater artists between jobs

Henrik Eger June 30, 2014 No Comments

“There aren’t enough cocktails to help me understand why I continue to be an actor! This shit is for the birds!”

Thus begins the Facebook entry by Joey, a dancer-actor-singer who played many roles along the U.S. east coast, but recently did not get hired for a new musical.

Arts Dance Features Interviews Theater

Philly Performing Artists Discuss their Untenable Careers: Video from the Philadelphia Artists Summit

Christopher Munden June 25, 2014 1 Comment

Josh McIlvain’s interview with Charlotte Ford “The untenable career of a successful Philadelphia theater artist” sparked some soul-searching among Philadelphia performers. They met on June 23rd to discuss.

Features Interviews SoLow Fest 2016 Theater

Asaki Kuruma on Writing, Immigration, and the Racial Dynamics of Philadelphia Theater

Miriam Hwang-Carlos June 19, 2014 No Comments

“It’s really hard to do acting and make a living unless you’re really good—and a Caucasian man.”

Dance Features Previews Theater

Full House (Quince): You deserve a cabaret!

Julius Ferraro June 10, 2014 1 Comment

Downtown theater company Quince Productions – the punchy, LGBTQ-leaning bunch that puts on GayFest! every August – opens their sixth annual Full House cabaret series this Thursday in its ancestral home, the Red Room at the Society Hill Playhouse, and it’s looking as wicked, delightful and boozy as ever. (Boozy because your ticket includes the price of a drink.)

Thierry Santine as Martin Luther and Richard Chan as MICHAEL THE REBEL.

Features Theater

MICHAEL THE REBEL (Humble Treasure): Tearing up the German Society library

Christopher Munden June 10, 2014 No Comments

Director Manon Manavit had not heard of Heinrich von Kleist when she found a copy of his Michael Kohlhaas on a street in Montreal. It’s easy to understand why she was attracted to the text.

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Manon Manavit: Taking Philadelphia by Sturm und Drang

Julius Ferraro June 4, 2014 No Comments

Phindie talks to Manon Manavit, a future star of Philadelphia performing arts, before her debut show in the city. She just relocated from Montreal, where she worked with Cirque Du Soleil.

Features Interviews Theater

Philadelphia Misses Kate Brennan: Interview with the now NYC-based actor and producer

Christopher Munden June 3, 2014 No Comments

Kate Brennan lit up the Philadelphia stages for years as an actor and producer for BCKSEET Productions. Now NYC-based, she’s back in town this summer for an offbeat theater camp. Phindie asks her about this and her memories of Philly.

Features Interviews Previews Theater

30/30 Vision: Tamanya Garza on Latinos in Philadelphia theater

Christopher Munden June 2, 2014 1 Comment

Phindie talked to Tamanya Garza, a longtime leader of the Philadelphia Latino theater community and director of EL NOGALAR, part of the three-play 30/30 series exploring Latino theater.

Dance Features Museums Theater

Putting the value on the art of performing art

Josh McIlvain May 30, 2014 No Comments

The support for performing arts organizations and artists, of all sizes, pales in comparison to the type of funding that art museums obtain. It is time to start placing more value on the “art” part of performing arts.

Photo © Jacques-Jean Tiziou / www.jjtiziou.net.

Features Fringe Festival Interviews Theater

Interview with Charlotte Ford: The untenable career of a successful Philadelphia theater artist

Josh McIlvain May 21, 2014 2 Comments

Philadelphia’s theater scene is better than ever—haven’t you heard? But so few of its practitioners can eke out a living wage from it. This interview Charlotte Ford takes a serious look at how poor the health of the theater industry is in this city.

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THE FUTURE has arrived: Interview with Peter Gaffney, musical creator of BRAT’s latest production

Christopher Munden May 12, 2014 No Comments

In ALWAYS COMING SOON: THE FUTURE, BRAT Productions takes another look at what the future holds, and the auguries are not pretty: Derelict clowns, aggressive barkers, and obscene control culture. But THE FUTURE is funny and fun: It’s another of the entertaining rock cabarets which the company has launched in recent years,

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The fault, dear Brutus, Act III: Makoto Hirano interviews Lantern AD Charles McMahon about “Super Racist” Julius Caesar

Christopher Munden May 2, 2014 No Comments

Makoto Hirano asks Lantern artistic director Charles McMahon some tough questions about the “Super Racist” Julius Caesar. And a clearly contrite McMahon does his best to explain the process that lead to the company’s misguided choices.

Ben Grinberg rehearsing COMMUNITAS at Penn Treaty Park. Photo credit Justin Rose

Dance Features Interviews Previews Theater

Communitas Organizer: Interview with Ben Grinberg about his dance circus theater

Christopher Munden May 1, 2014 No Comments

Together with collaborator Nick Gillette, Ben Grinberg founded Almanac Dance Circus Theatre to offer production of his unique brand of acrobatic theater. Almanac’s inaugural show, Communitas, launches this May 22-24 at Christ Church Neighborhood House. Phindie asked Ben a few questions about the show and his new company.

Features Interviews Theater

Checking in with Adrienne Mackey: Musing on the future of theater arts and artists

Sarah Braverman April 30, 2014 No Comments

Adrienne Mackey, 32, is the artistic director of Swim Pony Performing Arts, a performing arts company that prides itself on presenting work that is “loud, strange, and never seen before on earth.”

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Category: Features

Quince Productions’ GayFest! kicks off with HEAD OVER HEELS

The Walnut Street Theatre: Part 2, Crafting a Popular Season

Deb Miller’s 15 Top Picks for the 2014 Philadelphia Fringe Festival

The Walnut Street Theatre: Part 1, The People’s Playhouse

Sebastian Cummings talks about LIFE ON THE FRINGE

Sustainability and the Artist

The Ups and Downs of Success: Theater artists between jobs

Philly Performing Artists Discuss their Untenable Careers: Video from the Philadelphia Artists Summit

Asaki Kuruma on Writing, Immigration, and the Racial Dynamics of Philadelphia Theater

Full House (Quince): You deserve a cabaret!

MICHAEL THE REBEL (Humble Treasure): Tearing up the German Society library

Manon Manavit: Taking Philadelphia by Sturm und Drang

Philadelphia Misses Kate Brennan: Interview with the now NYC-based actor and producer

30/30 Vision: Tamanya Garza on Latinos in Philadelphia theater

Putting the value on the art of performing art

Interview with Charlotte Ford: The untenable career of a successful Philadelphia theater artist

THE FUTURE has arrived: Interview with Peter Gaffney, musical creator of BRAT’s latest production

The fault, dear Brutus, Act III: Makoto Hirano interviews Lantern AD Charles McMahon about “Super Racist” Julius Caesar

Communitas Organizer: Interview with Ben Grinberg about his dance circus theater

Checking in with Adrienne Mackey: Musing on the future of theater arts and artists