October 13, 2015
So it’s the not-too-distant future and an oppressive Christian theocracy has overthrown the U.S. government. Most women are not allowed to read. Things are fairly grim. That’s the setting for the opening performance of The Curio Theatre Company’s 11th season.
Curio is staging the Philadelphia premiere of Joe Stollenwerk’s The Handmaid’s Tale, a work based on the Margaret Atwood novel. The show previews on Oct. 15, and the opening is slated for Oct. 23.
In a solo work, Curio company member Isa St. Clair plays Offred, who takes us back to a world after a staged terrorist attack in a cautionary tale that predicts our worst fears of fundamentalism. Offred is a heroine who struggles to maintain her individuality, personhood, and hope for a better future.
The Handmaid’s Tale closes on November 14. Curio shows run on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-$25 per person. Tickets and more information are available online at www.curiotheartre.org.
October 9, 2015
The annual Ethiopian Day Festival is Saturday. A photo from last year’s event. (From the Ethiopian Community Association website.)
The Ethiopian Community Association of Greater Philadelphia is putting on its annual Ethiopian Day Festival and free concert tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 44th and Chestnut.
Music, children’s games, food and poetry are on the schedule.
October 9, 2015
36th and Lancaster
The city’s Historical Commission today added a strip of Lancaster Avenue commercial and residential buildings dating to the 1870s to the Registry of Historic Places.
The designation of the south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue requires Historical Commission approval of building or renovation plans.
An attorney for the property’s owner, AP Construction, vowed to appeal the decision.
The Powelton Village Civic Association began to pursue the designation last spring when it learned of AP Construction’s plans to demolish the block and reportedly sell it for student housing. With street-level storefronts and apartments on upper floors, the block anchors the main commercial strip in the neighborhood.
About 25 residents of Powelton Village were on hand at the meeting and nearly all raised their hands when asked if they agreed with the historic designation proposal. Continue Reading
October 8, 2015
36th and Lancaster.
The Philadelphia Historical Commission will consider proposals on Friday to add the Second Empire style twins at 43rd and Osage and the south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, both eyed by developers, to the Register of Historic Places.
The commission’s Committee on Historic Designation recommended both properties last month and now they go before the full commission. Placement on the Historic Register stipulates that the commission “must review all proposals that require a building permit and/or that would alter the appearance of the historic resource prior to the commencement of work,” according to the commission website.
Here’s more background on both properties.
The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at 1515 Arch Street, room 18-029. Click here for the full agenda.
October 7, 2015
We are happy to pass along the news that Neighborhood Bike Works – a non-profit well known across the city for connecting education, kids and bikes – is having a grand opening celebration this Saturday, Oct. 10 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at their new Community Shop and Bike Education Hub at 3939 Lancaster Ave.
You can have a look at the new space and get some info on upcoming youth and adult programs while enjoying some refreshments and activities. There will also be a commemorative t-shirt screen printing so bring a t-shirt along. Continue Reading
October 5, 2015
Image provided by Resource Generation Philly chapter.
The local chapter of Resource Generation, a group of 18- to 35-year-olds who have pledged to leverage their wealth or class privilege for social justice, is holding an open house on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Over the past year the group has committed to providing more than $27,000 in funding to promote racial justice, splitting the money between the Organization for Black Struggle in Ferguson and the Bread and Roses Racial and Economic Justice Fund in Philadelphia. Its members have also hosted meetings on radical investing and regenerative finance, transferring capital and resources to communities impacted by economic inequality. Continue Reading
So it’s the not-too-distant future and an oppressive Christian theocracy has overthrown the U.S. government. Most women are not allowed to read. Things are fairly grim. That’s the setting for the opening performance of The Curio Theatre Company’s 11th season.
Recent Comments