The Philadelphia Marathon, an annual event drawing thousands of guests to the City of Brotherly Love, is returning this weekend, with races happening on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 19-20).

The Half Marathon will be held on Saturday from 7:00-11:30 a.m. The main Marathon event will take place Sunday, beginning at 7 a.m. Both races begin and end at 22nd St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

As always during both races, many roads along the course will be closed to accommodate the runners. Also, “No Parking” signs will be posted in the Parkway area and along the race course.

Street closures will be in effect for the Philadelphia Half Marathon and the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K on Saturday, from 2 a.m. until 3 p.m. Continue Reading

Philly’s non-profit music venue World Cafe Live is inviting local community members – parents, students, and patrons – as well as fans of music everywhere, to join them on Saturday, Nov. 12 and experience a selection of WCL’s upcoming programming.

This event will be completely free to the public, fit for everyone! At 10:30 a.m., WCL’s Artistic Director of Education & Engagement, Josh Campbell, will host a Coffee & Conversation where he’ll talk about what his organization has been building for its guests and community.

At 11:00 a.m., Guachinangos will present one of WCL’s flagship Bridge Sessions, diving into son jarocho and cumbia traditions in the venue’s legendary Music Hall. This will transition directly to an interactive songwriting workshop with a WCL teaching artist, so attendees are encouraged to stick around for the fun. Admission will be on a first come, first served basis and RSVP is required (click here to register).

“We pride ourselves on being a place where artistry meets [social] impact and are hoping to expand this impact with an upcoming Community Open House on November 12th, 2022,” writes Jacinda Arellano, Program Manager.

For more information about World Cafe Live and its programming, visit: https://worldcafelive.com.

West Philly’s Theatre in the X is partnering with Drexel University to present their new production Pac and Biggie Are Dead at Drexel’s Mandell Theater. The play, written by Biko Eisen-Martin, is a spin-off of Tom Stoppard’s classic, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, starring rap’s two iconic artists. Theatre in the X’s production, directed by Carlo Campbell, presents classic moments in hip hop, drama, and Black history.

Playwright Biko Eisen-Martin explains that the play “draws from the ethos of hip hop, African cosmology, and western staples of theatre.”

Pac is played by Joseph (Ankh Fyre) Xavier-Mack, and Nazeer Harper is cast as Biggie. Other cast members include: Richard Bradford, Abe Kaplan, Bryce Zenon, Matthew Lacy, Wendi Smith, Monet Debose, Rodd Dean, and Nieemah Powers. Continue Reading

Trice Baldwin-Browns (left) and Tessa Kuhn in “Gidion’s Knot” (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas).

Curio Theatre Company begins the season with a play that deals with an incredibly timely issue that is currently in the headlines. Written by Johnna Adams, Gidion’s Knot is a play that brings to light the question of who, if anyone, is responsible when a juvenile makes a tragic decision.

During a 90-minute parent/teacher conference that takes place in real time, a grieving mother, played by Curio company member Trice Baldwin-Browns, and an emotionally overwhelmed elementary school teacher, played by Curio company member and Education Director Tessa Kuhn, grapple with the tragic suicide of fifth grader Gidion. Who failed Gidion and how? Who, if anyone, is responsible for the failure to recognize such profound distress in Gidion? As the two women use Gidion’s own writing to try to get closer to the truth, they come to conclusions both shocking and profound. Continue Reading

Families are invited to take part in fun Halloween/Fall events hosted by local non-profit organizations: Spruce Hill Community Association, Penn Museum, The Woodlands, and CinéSPEAK. Here are more details:

Halloween Family Fun Day

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to rain in the forecast for Sunday, Oct. 23.

The Woodlands (40th and Woodland), is hosting its annual Halloween Family Fun Day. This year’s Family Fun Day will feature a pop up Mini Mütter Museum, and performances by Karen Smith’s “Spiritual Atmosferic Cleansing” and Tangle Movement Arts. Philadelphia Orchard Project’s (POP) Learning Orchard, located at The Woodlands, will be open for visitors throughout the event. Go here for more details. Continue Reading

Here’s a great chance to visit West Philadelphia artist studios. The Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, a program of The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, will take place in West and Southwest Philly on Sunday, Oct. 16. These are self-guided and community-centered tours when folks are encouraged to stop by their neighborhood art studios to support the artists and check out their work. Studios will be open from Noon to 6 p.m.

The following artists, studios and POST community partners will open their doors to visitors this Sunday (an interactive map is available here): Continue Reading