Play On Philly invites you to join us for our second College Prep 101 Workshop: “What Do I Need to Know?” on Friday, March 31st from 5:00 – 6:00 pm at Saint Francis de Sales School.

At this FREE workshop, we will hear from a panel of Play On Philly Alumni and members of our teaching staff who are currently earning college degrees. We will discuss a range of topics that center around the general themes of ‘what do I need to know?’ ‘How do I make sure I’m prepared for college?’ ‘What can I expect my first year?’ The second half will be an open Q&A and then, if time, small group discussions with our panelists. Refreshments will be available! This workshop is free, but reservations are required. RSVP here: https://airtable.com/shrCrsiKHUHP9bKR0

September 15-17, 2022

Bryn Mawr College Performing Arts Series will present the first career retrospective of theater artist Annie Dorsen titled Algorithmic Theater. The retrospective, supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, is part of a residency advancing Dorsen’s work and examining the consequences of digital communications through theater. In Yesterday Tomorrow, three singers receive computer-generated music and lyrics both aurally and visually. The algorithmically-produced score begins with the Beatles’ hit song “Yesterday” and slowly transforms into “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. Inspired by an artificial intelligence known as evolutionary computation, Yesterday Tomorrow gives a unique experience of the complexity and unpredictability of the present tense contrasted with the known past and the imagined future. Each night, the spatial and musical path from the past to the future is different; neither the singers, creative team, nor the audience knows the route the performance will take them.

The performance will take place in McPherson Auditorium in Goodhart Hall (150 N Merion Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010). Tickets are $20 General Admission, $18 for seniors (65+), $10 for students (not from the Tri-College Consortium), $5 for children under five, and free for students from the Tri-College Consortium (Bryn Mawr College, Haverford, and Swarthmore). Tickets available here: https://brynmawrarts.ticketleap.com/yesterday-tomorrow/

The annual outdoor independent film festival, Under the Stars at Clark Park, is returning this spring with four screenings scheduled for May, June and July. The festival, hosted by West Philly-based cinema cinéSPEAK, features city premieres of independent films from around the world, plus local DJs, food trucks and other activities. All events are free to attend.

Screenings take place on Fridays or Saturdays at 9 p.m. through July 9 (weather-permitting). The pre-show starts at 7:30 p.m.

The festival was scheduled to kick off on May 20, but the opening night was postponed due to rain. Here is the schedule for this Friday (May 27): Continue Reading

Rosemarie Certo at the 2012 Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll/ Photo by West Philly Local

Dock Street Brewery at 50th and Baltimore is changing hands after 15 years.

Owner Rosemarie Certo announced in a mass email yesterday that she is selling the equipment in the brewpub but not the Dock Street name.

“On June 1st, there will be a talented duo taking over Dock Street’s space in the Firehouse – they are young, ambitious, hardworking, and kind,” she wrote. “They are seasoned brewers and will make fantastic beers and other fare. We can’t wait for you to meet them and to welcome them to the community.”

Dock Street opened in the former firehouse at 701 S. 50th St. (which had been converted to a farmer’s market) in August 2007 after a long process that included opposition from local church leaders and multiple zoning rejections. But several longtime residents, the neighborhood group Cedar Park Neighbors and the University City District pushed the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment to reverse its decision. Continue Reading

William “Will” Lindsay was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident last summer while riding his bike in Philadelphia. This summer, to commemorate the anniversary of Will’s tragic death, Neighborhood Bike Works (NBW), the West Philadelphia based non-profit organization, has installed a permanent bike repair stand outside of their shop at 3939 Lancaster Ave.

Will’s loved ones started a Go Fund Me campaign to honor him and raise awareness of cycling safety. They raised over $65,000 and split the funds between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Neighborhood Bike Works. This generous funding will help NBW in their efforts to provide cycling opportunities to as many Philadelphians as possible. Continue Reading

A 2015 rally at the Martin Luther King Memorial at 40th and Lancaster Avenue (Photo courtesy of PEC)

The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is being celebrated this Monday, Jan. 18. While a lot of MLK Day events and activities will not be held this year because of Covid restrictions, folks are invited to participate in virtual events and outdoor socially-distanced events:

Monday, January 18, 12:30 p.m. at The Bank, 3750 Lancaster Avenue (corner of 38th and Lancaster Ave):

People’s Emergency Center (PEC) will be giving away food and other resources at the site of Rev. King’s Freedom Now tour speech on August 3, 1965 – at the intersection of 40th Street, Haverford Avenue, and Lancaster Avenue. The event will begin at Noon and last until the food has been distributed. The location is also a site on PEC’s Martin Luther King Scavenger Hunt, with a prize of a $100 gift card (go here for more information).  Continue Reading