Martin and Malcolm arm wrestling for the future of the movement in The Meeting, one of three short plays that comprise this year’s Theatre in the X (Photos by West Philly Local).

Theatre in the X, the all-black free theatre that is quickly becoming an August staple on 52nd St., kicked off its third season Sunday evening in Malcolm X Park at 51st and Pine.

This year’s works include New Black Math, “a creative explanation of what a Black play is”; The Meeting, a poignant and provocative fictional meeting between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.; and Love, Queens who Suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,  a choreopoem that examines gun violence, abuse, love and heritage from the perspective of a black woman. Continue Reading

The new rabbi at Kol Tzedek, Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari (Photo courtesy of Kol Tzedek.)

Kol Tzedek, the reconstructionist synagogue based at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community on Baltimore Avenue, has a new rabbi, Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, and a new Torah school director, Rabbi Michelle Greenfield. Their first services will be this Saturday, Aug. 6.

A New York native, Fornari has served as director of the Boston-area Jewish Education Program and as a part-time prison chaplain. He was ordained from the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. As a student, he spent two years working at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in New York, teaching, preaching, and providing pastoral care for congregants.

The synagogue’s search committee chair, Rob Auritt, told the Jewish Exponent that Fornari, who is transgender, has a “singular ability to engage people of all levels of Jewish experience and previous participation in organized Judaism, people of all sexual orientations and gender expressions, and those committed to anti-racism and to a multiracial Jewish civilization.”

Fornari replaces Kol Tzedek’s founding rabbi, Lauren Grabelle Hermann, who left for a position at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism in New York.  Continue Reading

July was great in West Philly, with its traditional Shakespeare in Clark Park nights, University City Dining Days, and other popular events. August doesn’t look too shabby either with more outdoor theater and concerts, outdoor movies, and more. Here’s what’s happening this month in the area:

Theatre in the X will present three Sundays of three powerful plays at Malcolm X Park this month.

Theatre in the X will present three Sundays of three plays at Malcolm X Park (51st and Pine): The Meeting by Jeff Stetson, Love, Queens who Suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder by Jamila Capitman and Heather Thomas, and New Black Math by Suzan-Lori Parks. Aug. 7 at 6 p.m., Aug. 14 at 3 p.m., and Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. Free event.

BlackStar Film Festival featuring work by and about people of color in a global context will take place at the International House Philadelphia (37th and Chestnut) on August 4-7.

After taking July off due to the heat and student exodus, Uhuru Flea Market will return to Clark Park ”B” (43rd and Chester) on Saturday, Aug. 20, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (rain date: Sunday, Aug. 21).

The 40th Street Summer Series‘ August concert will feature a powerful performance by The Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change, an award-winning group composed of renowned singers, dancers, and musicians from Liberia. Saturday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page. Free event.

Due to rain, Bat Night at The Woodlands was cancelled last week, but all are invited this month to enjoy a double feature event – Bat and Moth Night – on Thursday, Aug. 25, starting at 6 p.m. Free event.

The Clark Park Movie Series kicks off on Friday, Aug. 26 with a screening of Finding Nemo. This is a free, family-friendly event. Movies begin at dusk.

West Philadelphia Jazz Heritage Series will continue at Malcolm X Park. August performances: Aug. 4 – Budesa Brothers; Aug. 18 – Perfect Solution. 7 p.m. Free.

Summer Nights Concert Series continues at Penn Museum. Concerts are every Wednesday at 5 p.m. Aug. 3 – Barakka; Aug. 10 – Leana Song; Aug. 17 – El Caribefunk; Aug. 24 – Farah Siraj; Aug. 31 – Animus. $10.

Audiences were enthralled last summer for Theatre in the X’s almost three hour all-Black presentation of Shakespeare’s Othello (Photo West Philly Local).

Theatre in the X, a group comprised of three local theater artists – Carlo Campbell, Walter DeShields and LaNeshe Miller-White – is returning for its third season to Malcolm X Park this month with free outdoor performances.

In honor of their third season the group will present ​three Sundays of three plays: The Meeting by Jeff Stetson, the story of a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; Love, Queens who Suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, a choreopoem written and compiled by Jamila Capitman and Heather Thomas featuring the writing of Philadelphia poets; and New Black Math by Suzan-Lori Parks, a creative explanation of what a Black play is.

Performances take place at Malcolm X Park, 5100 Pine St., on Aug. 7 at 6 p.m., Aug. 14 at 3 p.m., and Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chair for a guaranteed seat.  Continue Reading

A murder nearly 60 years ago that still casts a long shadow over neighborhoods around the University of Pennsylvania today will be remembered Friday when the 3600 block of Hamilton Street in Powelton Village, will be named “In-Ho Oh Memorial Way” in a special ceremony.

In-Ho Oh was a 26-year-old Penn graduate student who was beaten to death by a group of nearly a dozen young men and boys on his way to drop a letter in a mailbox at about 9 p.m. near 36th and Hamilton on April 25, 1958. The murder exacerbated racial tensions in the city and became national news. Oh lived with his aunt and uncle in a small apartment at 36th and Hamilton and planned to return to Korea and his family after his studies at Penn.

Law enforcement’s reaction was swift and severe. Nine people were charged with murder, many juveniles, and prosecutors pushed for the death penalty. In the end, five were sentenced to terms ranging from life in prison to 10 years.  Continue Reading

Here’s a fun and free event this weekend that the organizers are hoping will help bring the community together. Two nights of cosplay life drawing will take place on Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24 at 7-10 p.m. in one of West Philly’s most well-known venues – The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). Any drawing level is welcome from beginner to maestro. You can bring your own supplies or use the ones provided by the organizers.

Two models in cosplay each night! There will be music provided by WKDU 91.7, projections, and props.

NUMiNOUS Magazine, a publication that focuses on Cosplay, will be there exhibiting on Saturday night.

The event is co-hosted by 40th Street Artist-in-Residence Program, Cosplay Life Drawing Club, and the organizers of the Philly Zine Fest.

Tips for models are appreciated but not necessary.

For more information check out: www.cosplaylifedrawingclub.tumblr.com.