Starting this week, Curio Theatre Company will present Sojourner, a one-woman show written by Richard Lamonte Pierce and starring award-winning actress Zuhairah McGill.

McGill portrays Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, sharing the stories and experiences of the abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and author. The play explores Truth’s life, including her enslavement in the North, her dramatic escape, and her fight against slavery. It also delves into her interactions with historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

McGill originated the role and toured the play nationally, earning a 2002 Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play. She’s a Founder and Producing Artistic Director of First World Theatre residing at the Community Education Center in Powelton Village. She is a recipient of the 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Award and her honors also include multiple other theatre awards and nominations, including three DC Excellence in Black Theatre Awards and the Black Arts for Social Change Award.

The show runs February 7 to 14 at 7 p.m. and is open to audiences of all ages. There are two Saturday matinee performances at 3 p.m.. Previews will take place February 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. Opening night is February 6 at 7 p.m.

Performances are at Curio Theatre located at 4740 Baltimore Ave.

For more information and tickets, click here.

Christopher Castagna as Hansel and Maddie Gillespie as Gretel (Photo/Curio Theatre Company)

During this holiday season, Curio Theatre Company is inviting families to their new Make/Partake theatre experience based on a popular children’s tale. Hansel & Gretel opens this Friday at the theatre located at the Calvary Center at 48th and Baltimore, with previews on Wednesday and Thursday.

Curio is bringing another Make/Partake experience following the great success of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Three Little Pigs. It is an immersive experience from the moment it starts. Audience members don’t just watch the show, they take part in the action: making props, sound effects, and shadow puppets and even controlling the weather. This event is fun for the whole family and people of all ages (3 and up) are invited.

The show is written by Curio’s artistic director Paul Kuhn and directed by Mya Flood. It features Philadelphia actors Maddie Gillespie, Christopher Castagna, and Aetna Gallagher.

Hansel & Gretel opens Friday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. and runs December 20th to 31st (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.). Previews are December 17-18 at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available here.

Curio Theatre Company will be visited by an American icon this February. For one night only, the company is presenting Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed, a one-woman show by Ingrid Griffith.

Chisholm, a Brooklyn-born daughter of Caribbean immigrants, was the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress and to run for President.

Griffith, the creator and performer of “Unbossed and Unbowed”, plays Chisholm and inhabits 15 other characters in this 75-minute solo performance with no intermission. The stage play dramatizes how Chisholm’s race and gender were supposed to determine how far she would go in life and how her Caribbean parents’ immigrant determination and personal willpower pushed her to overcome that fate and rise.

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Curio Theatre Company is celebrating 20 years of theatre in West Philadelphia this upcoming season and will present several great shows, both for adults and children, from October to May.

The company kicks off this anniversary season with the Philadelphia premiere of Larissa Fasthorse’s Broadway hit, The Thanksgiving Play. The play centers around a group of four well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theatre artists who attempt to create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own biases and the lack of Native representation. Curio Theatre Co-Founder, Tim Martin, is directing this smart and funny premiere which runs October 23-November 9. Opening Night is Saturday, Oct. 26.

Next, in time for the holidays, Curio is bringing back its Make/Partake theatre experience. The next show is The Three Little Pigs, written by Company Co-Founder and Artistic Director Paul Kuhn.

As they did with Jack In The Beanstalk last year, children will begin by making theatre props, set pieces, voice recordings and more. All of these will then be incorporated into the story to create a magical theatre experience for all who attend. The Three Little Pigs runs December 12-29. Opening is Saturday, Dec. 14. Recommended for children 3-12 though the whole family will enjoy it!

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Here’s a free and fun program for teens who want to explore their creative side. Curio Theatre Company is currently recruiting new students to their award winning program, CuriosiTeens.

This program is the perfect opportunity to discover your passion for the arts. Teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to come hang out with Curio Theatre folks on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and make unforgettable memories. The first session is this Saturday, Dec. 16.

If you are interested to join the program please call at 215-921-8243 to learn more.

Curio Theatre is located at 4740 Baltimore Avenue at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community.

For more information about Curio Theatre Company and it events and programs, visit: http://www.curiotheatre.org.

(Photo courtesy of Curio Theatre)

UPDATE (11/30/2023): Curio is inviting kids to their dress rehearsal on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. FREE of charge. Please call 215-921-8243 for reservations as space is limited. The show lasts approximately one hour including the immersive “Fab Lab” portion. All children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Also, please note that there will be photos taken for social media. 

Next month, Curio Theatre Company will present something unusual and innovative. Families are invited to take part in the  immersive theatre program –  Makerspace. The first play in this new program, Jack and the Beanstalk, will stage December 9-30, with previews taking place December 6, 7 and 8.

Here’s how it works:

Children who arrive to see a performance will have the opportunity to “make theatre” – create props, set pieces and voice recordings. They will even color a large cow on wheels! All these things will then be part of the show. Curio Theatre Company believes that “all children benefit not from just watching plays, but from making art.”

This event is fun for the whole family and people of all ages (3 to 99) are invited.

The play is written by Paul Kuhn and directed by Mya Flood. Performances begin at 2 p.m. except for the preview shows (6:30 p.m.)

Tickets are $15-$20 for adults and $10-$15 for children. Curio Theatre is located at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community (48th and Baltimore). For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.