September is here but outdoor theatre is still alive in West Philly. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 13, Curio Theatre Company will present a series of FREE performances of I, Peaseblossom in the Woodlands Cemetery (40th and Woodland). The play is based on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and is presented as part of the 2017 Fringe Festival.

Imagine if the story of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” had been told by one of Lady Titania’s fairies who has only four lines with a total of five words in the play! I, Peaseblossom is a funny and interactive play which establishes a relationship between the audience and the performer.  Continue Reading

Production photo of The Birds by Conor McPherson.

Here’s some great news for Curio Theatre Company: the West Philly arts organization has been nominated in four categories for the 2017 Barrymore Awards! The nominees include Paul Kuhn, the company’s artistic director, who received a nomination in the Outstanding Scenic Design category for the 2016 production of The Birds, and Chris Sannino – also for the production of The Birds in the Outstanding Sound Design category.

The company also received nominations for the Victory Foundation Award for Outstanding Theatre Education Program, and the June and Steve Wolfson Award for an Evolving Theatre Company.  Continue Reading

Cast members Brian McCann and Paul Kuhn (Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas).

The Curio Theatre Company’s production of the Samuel Beckett classic Waiting for Godot premieres Friday night.

The play features two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, waiting along a country road for someone named Godot, who never arrives. The two engage in a number of comically absurd discussions and encounter others along the road. The British Royal National Theater named the play the most significant English play of the 20th century.

The Curio performance features Brian McCann, Paul Kuhn, Robert DaPonte and Harry Slack. The director is Dan Hodge, who guided the 2016 Curio staging of Death of a Salesman.

A second preview performance is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9, and the play opens on Feb. 10 and runs through March. All performances begin at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are available here.

It’s not often you get to see a play’s world premiere. Here’s your chance with the debut of Antagonyms, which opens at the Curio Theatre Company on Friday, Dec. 2.

Written by playwright, actor and Curio member Rachel Gluck, Antagonyms tells the story of four young Philadelphians.

“In Antagonyms, four twenty-somethings wrestle with their sense of self and their relationship to each other as they find themselves at each other’s throats and in each other’s beds. Contemporary millennial anxieties fuel a stylized high-stakes power game, creating a world in which old Hollywood glamour mingles with the sticky floor of a West Philly dive bar,” said Gluck.

Artwork by Elizabeth Gallagher.

An antagonym is a word with two opposite meanings, such as “bound.” One could be on the move, “bound” to Center City for example. Or “bound,” as in tied up, unable to move.

The performance is directed by Jack Tamburri, and the cast includes Alee Spadoni, Alexander Scott Rioh, Andrew Carroll and Colleen Hughes.

This production has mature content and not recommended for children and there are themes related to sexual violence.

You can catch a preview performance tonight and Thursday night. Antagonyms runs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 17. All performances begin at 8 p.m.

For tickets visit the Curio Theatre Company website or call 215-525-1350.

Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas

OK, now here is something to look forward to as the days get shorter and the leaves begin to fall. Curio Theatre Company will be staging The Birds in October.

Yes, we’re talking Hitchcock (based on Daphne du Maurier’s novelette, of course). Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s play builds on the story of birds gone wild as three people retreat to an abandoned farmhouse, where relationships begin to unravel. As it becomes clear that the birds are a signal of the apocalypse, the rules of society change.

While it shares its name with du Maurier’s work, which was set in her native Cornwall, England, and Hithcock’s frightening film, McPherson’s work charts its own course that includes explorations of human frailty under extreme duress.  Continue Reading

Although their 2015/2016 season recently ended, Curio Theatre folks have been keeping themselves busy with working on a few summer theatre shows and their first Ultimate Sidewalk Sale Fundraiser. We’re happy to share more information on these events.

• Curio Theatre’s Ultimate Sidewalk Sale Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, June 18, from Noon – 4 p.m. in front of the Calvary Center at 4740 Baltimore Ave. Curio is trying to keep their ticket prices low and classes affordable as the theater aims to benefit all of the West Philadelphia community, so all proceeds from the sale will go to the theatre’s Scholarship Fund and general operating costs. The sale features a great variety of collectibles: art, ceramics, housewares, gently used clothing, furniture, toys, and more at very low prices. Rain date is Sunday, June 19.

• For the culmination of their second year, the CuriosiTeens! present Sophocles’ timeless ANTIGONE on Thursday, June 23 at 7 p.m., Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 25 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Written over 2,500 years ago, this piece finds sensitive relevance as performed by the theatre’s advanced teen troupe. All shows will be presented on the theatre’s Mainstage (4740 Baltimore Ave.). Tickets are $5-$10 and can be reserved here.

• Curio presents MAGDALENE by Rachel Gluck as part of the 2016 SoLow Fest June 16-26. This part ritual, part performance tells the story of Mary Magdalene, one of the most complex but recognizable icons of the feminine divinity. The 45-minute long show is directed by Brenna Geffers and performed by Colleen Hughes on Curio’s Corner Stage. Here are the remaining shows: Friday June 17: 8 p.m., Saturday June 18: 9 p.m., Sunday June 19: 4 p.m., Friday June 24: 10 p.m., Saturday June 25: 9 p.m., Sunday June 26: 6:30 p.m. Admission is pay-what-you-can. Space is limited, so reserve your seat here.