Please excuse our web appearance at this time. We are in the process of launching a brand new website and ticketing system. It will be live within the next coming days. Please feel free to preview our upcoming season highlights below. We encourage you to visit again soon to experience of our new bells and whistles. Thank you for your patience.

NOTE: WE WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO PROCESS PHONE ORDERS SHOULD YOU WANT TO MAKE A PURCHASE
DURING THIS INTERIM PERIOD. TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR MORE INFO CALL 215-925-9914.

:::::: SEPTEMBER ::::::

VISUAL ARTS | FIRST FRIDAYS IN OLD CITY

Main Gallery | Pardon Me: An installation of paintings by Mary DeWitt
Ongoing: September 3 - October 16
First Friday Receptions:  September 3 & October 1

“In the 1970’s, Governor Shapp pardoned 251 lifers. Only 3 lifers have been commuted since 1997.” - Associated Press

Mary DeWitt’s Pardon Me is a retrospective exhibition of over 20-years of portraits of woman sentenced to life without parole in Pennsylvania.  DeWitt has returned to this portrait series throughout the years using various formats for her work: tile murals, large canvasses, reverse glass paintings, and most recently a video of her reverse glass portraits painting process with narrative and the women’s voices.  DeWitt’s paintings are powerfully expressive images of incarcerated women who gaze directly at the viewer. She intends for us to consider the person first - apart from her circumstances - and to bring visibility to each woman’s life.

This project was sponsored by a 2009 Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant.

Café Gallery | …if this your mother knew Paintings by Anna Breininger
Ongoing: September 3 - October 16
First Friday Receptions: September 3 & October 1

InLiquid offers audiences the opportunity to explore the question,”What are the relationships between heirlooms, the memories they delicately preserve and the decaying effects of time?” Take in the paintings of Anna Breininger, who uses Pennsylvania German motifs as a starting point to explore notions of memory. Only later the work reveals the spiritual, familial, cultural and material values people hold personally dear.  Although her imagery is specific-like the symbols of so many cultural people - it illustrates the fact that memories and objects can reflect genuine worth and kitschy value as well.

ARTIST ACCESS | DANCE

Philadelphia Dance Company | ‘Danco on ‘Danco

Friday-Saturday, September 10-11, 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“…there could well be a budding professional choreographer just beginning to take flight here.” - Deni Kasrel, City Paper

Part of its 40^th anniversary celebration, Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) turns the spotlight on top talent from its apprentice companies (D/2 & D/3). Audiences will enjoy a concert featuring “bestie works of the year” created during the company’s intense workshop series. Fresh choreography and theatrical play come to life on stage for the first-time as the company’s rising stars perform alongside its most seasoned vets. The celebration reaches zenith as PHILADANCO alumni join the stage for finale performances on Saturday. Philadelphia’s premier dance company of color, known and respected world-wide for blending ballet, tap, jazz, modern as well as urban styles into its signature approach, Philadanco continues to deliver.

ON THE VINE | LIVE MUSIC DANCE PARTY

Salsa Caliente! Dance Party Anthony Colon y su Orquesta & Foto Rodriquez y Charanga la Unica
Saturday, September 25 | 9pm Dance Instruction | 10pm Party
$25 | Cash Bar | 20% off for Crush Card holders

“If you haven’t danced to a live Latin band, you haven’t danced Salsa!”                              - Jesse Bermudez

Salsa Caliente! The Bride transforms its theater into a festive cabaret space for audiences to dance the night away to some of the best salsa ensembles in the region. Featuring smokin’ hot rhythms and tropical-infused melodies from a full orchestra matched with suave vocal stylings, Caliente! dance series promises to spice things up enticing crowds to sway their hips and put their feet in motion. A night for beginners, amateurs and experts alike, Caliente! kicks-off with dance lessons before the party swings in to full action.  Instructors from Flaco’s Dance Factory will be leading lessons starting at 9pm. Step up your salsa game this fall at the Bride.

Salsa Caliente is a collaboration between the Bride and Jesse Burmudez.

:::::: OCTOBER ::::::

JAZZ ON VINE

Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers
Saturday, October 2, 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“A gorgeous record balanced between two worlds, Two Rivers is a stirring example of the creative possibilities of international jazz in the 21st century.”

- Troy Collins, www.allaboutjazz.com

Travel to the outer reaches of jazz with Iraqi-American recording artist Amir ElSaffar when he returns to the Bride with his most recent project, “Two Rivers.”  Trumpeter, santoor player, vocalist, and composer, ElSaffar’s depth of emotion and authenticity orchestrates a “meeting of the music” between maqam— a traditional Middle Eastern melodic form and jazz. Leading his six-piece ensemble including Rudresh Mahanthappa and Nasheet Waits, ElSaffar creates a seamlessly woven soundscape for the virgin ear to explore. This hypnotic carpet ride is sure to open heart and mind to new possibilities within the expanding world of jazz music culture.

The ensemble consists of: Amir ElSaffar on trumpet, santoor and vocal; Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto saxophone; Zaafer Tawil on violin, oud and percussion; Tareq Abboushi on buzuq; Carlo DeRosa on bass; and Nasheet Waits on drums.

Two Rivers by Amir ElSaffar has been made possible with support from Chamber Music America’s 2009 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

ON THE VINE | ARTIST SHOWCASE

Atypical
Sunday, October 17, 7pm
$10

Witness dancer-choreographer Olive Prince perform selections from I Desire, a dance piece inspired and developed through in-depth observation of everyday people. Seamlessly converting testimonials from her subjects into stylized choreography, Prince delivers a unique, multi-faceted dance experience. Master Cuban percussionist-leader Francois Zayas presents refreshing remixes celebrating the one and only Billie Holiday. Zayas and his ensemble rearrange Holiday’s songs by introducing the rhythmic forms of tango/congo, makuta and yambu. Shibani Patnaik is one of today’s most highly respected artists performing Odissi - a classical South Indian dance form with ancient Hindu roots.  Don’t miss her rare solo performance at the Bride as she reveals the magic behind traditional movement styles passed down to her through the ages.

JAZZ ON VINE

Michele Rosewoman and New Yor-Uba featuring Pedro Martinez
A Musical Celebration of Cuba in America
Saturday, October 23, 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“Her quintet burns with the intensity of one of Woody Shaw’s great hard bop units, yet it can also step lightly through the dance rhythms…and turn up the funk.”

-Downbeat Magazine

Michele Rosewoman’s New Yor-Uba ensemble takes Bride jazz enthusiasts on a journey fueled by Afro-Cuban poly-rhythms and melodies and guided by post-bop multi-directional jazz improvisation.  Leading this ten-piece ensemble, Rosewoman deftly integrates brass and rhythm sections with folkloric cornerstones including bata and conga drummers, traditional vocals and dance. Honoring the late Orlando ‘Puntilla’ Rios, master Cuban percussionist/vocalist and once featured ensemble member of New Yor-Uba, this special evening of celebration promises to an explosive evening of unforgettable cultural synergy.

Produced in association with Habana | Harlem, Onel Mulet artistic producer, Neyda Martinez, executive producer.

ON THE VINE | FAMILY FUN

A Ghoulish BRIDE Family Spooktacular
Sunday, October 24, 2pm - 5pm
FREE

This year join The Bride for Dracula’s tastiest play date as we conjure up Halloween fun for all ages. No costumes, no worries. On hand will be monster face painting, ghoulish draping, and wicked beads of blood plus anything else you bring along that’s stir crazy.  Get on the dance floor and learn MJ’s classic THRILLER dance alongside choreographer Rhonda Moore or just show off your own monster mash steps. Be brave souls or cuddle close together as spooky, eerie tales are told by Philly Spells. So much more in store for this Ghoulish Family Spooktacular you may wonder to see the light of day. Presented by PNC Arts Alive.

DANCE WITH THE BRIDE

FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance
Thursday-Saturday, October 28-30 | Various Event Times

“…lessons in elegant, authoritative comportment and command of space, all with minimal fuss.”  - Eva Yaa Asantewaa , Dance Magazine

Bebe Miller, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Germaine Acogny, Dianne McIntyre and Carmen de Lavallade - the absolute FLY-est ground-breaking divas of dance will perform and exchange with audiences on the same stage for this exclusive Philly appearance. Experience these masters at work up-close and personal as they continue to inspire amazement and fuel disbelief while achieving what seems impossible.  Each dancer-choreographer appears in a commanding and rarely performed signature solo work. Celebrate the creative spirit and heart-warming tenacity of these dance pioneers - women of color who literally changed the creative landscape and the way we experience American modern dance.  Join us for an intrepid evening of performance plus check out one of our extra events celebrating the genius of the

FLY:Five.  Visit fly.atthebride.com additional breaking info.

________________________________________________________

JO-ET-TICS: Line Dance, Stretch &Trim
Tuesdays, September 21 - October 26
6:30 - 8pm | $5 per class

“JO-ET-TICS is fitness and fun, all-in-one…so start dancing toward a healthier you! I did and you can too!” - Joette Wood-Patrick

Do you slide or shuffle as in The Electric Slide, The Cha Cha Slide, or The Cupid Shuffle? Whether novice or experienced dancer, fitness freak or seeking motivation, we invite you to join renowned choreographer and line dance instructor Joette Wood-Patrick for a weekly dose of JO-ET-TICS. Combining fitness and dance in the Bride’s comfortable setting with family, friends, and colleagues, its a win-win!

*This is a participatory dance program, part of the Bride’s Just Move series.

FLY: Inside the Dancer’s Studio
Thursday, October 28 | 7pm
$10

If you love to learn from the masters themselves, join the Bride behind the scenes for a riveting, intimate conversation with and FLY participants Bebe Miller, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Germaine Acogny, Dianne McIntyre and Carmen de Lavallade. Facilitated by Dr. Brenda Dixon-Gottschild.

FLY: Pre-show Discussion (Saturday only)
Saturday, October 30 | 6:30pm
Free

Join an intimate dialogue with respected dance critic from our region, Dr. Brenda Dixon-Gottschild as she discusses her recent literary work: Joan Myers Brown & The Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina - An American Memoir.

FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance (Full Evening Performances)
Friday-Saturday, October 29-30 | 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

Two unforgettable full-evenings of performance, each dancer-choreographer appears in a commanding and rarely seen signature solo work:

• Bessie Award winner dancer-choreographer Bebe Miller remounts her classic solo-work Rain
• Urban Bush Women Jawole Willa Jo Zollar drums up Bring ‘Em Home, a homage to post-Katrina New Orleans
• World-renowned dancer-choreographer Dianne McIntyre brings back If You Don’t Know
• Contemporary African dance master-choreographer Germaine Acogny resurfaces an untitled work
• Carmen de Lavallade recreates her role in Geoffrey Holder’s 1974 classic Broadway musical, The Creation

FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through Dance Advance

This tour of FLY: Five First Ladies of Dance is made possible by a grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Funded in party by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding form the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation.

:::::: NOVEMBER ::::::

VISUAL ARTS | FIRST FRIDAYS IN OLD CITY

First Person Museum presents First Person Museum

Main & Café Galleries

On-going: November 5 - December 3

First Friday Receptions: November 5 & December 3

First Person Arts presents the First Person Museum, a ”museum of the people” to exhibit the meaningful stories behind the objects we treasure in our lives.  Over the summer, Philadelphians were given opportunities to share their objects and stories at Show and Tell events. Part of the First Person Festival this fall, First Person Museum features a multimedia visual experience that yields both personal as well as communal rewards by building emotional bridges toward greater cultural understanding.

The First Person Museum is made possible by the Engage 2020 Innovation Grant and by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Heritage Philadelphia Program.  The Engage 2020 Innovation Grants Program is supported by the Wallace Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Philadelphia Foundation, and is a program of the Cultural Alliance’s research and marketing initiative Engage 2020.  The Heritage Philadelphia Program is a program of The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts.

ON THE VINE | LIVE MUSIC DANCE PARTY

Salsa Caliente! Dance Party
Orquesta Herencia de Soneros & Papo Buda Saboricua
Friday, November 5 | 7pm Dance Instruction | 8:30pm Party
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card holders

“If you haven’t danced to a live Latin band, you haven’t danced Salsa!”                              - Jesse Bermudez

Salsa Caliente! The Bride transforms its intimate theater into a dynamic cabaret space so you can dance to the night away with some of the most sought after salsa ensembles in the region. Featuring smokin’ hot rhythms and tropical-infused melodies of a full orchestra, and suave vocal stylings, Caliente! dance series promises to make you sway those hips, put those feet in motion. Shake off the woes of your workweek with the sounds of salsa and charanga. Sweat with your partner yeah you know, that good kinda sweat.  A night for beginners, amateurs and experts alike, Caliente! kicks-off with dance lessons before the party swings in to full action.  Instructors from Flaco’s Dance Factory are on hand starting at 9pm to help you step up your game. Salsa Caliente is a collaboration between the Bride and Jesse Burmudez.

PERFORMANCE IN THE PRESENT TENSE

Hazelle Goodman in Don’t Get Me Started
Friday - Saturday, November 19-20, 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“She dominates the stage. If Goodman’s delivering the blow, it’s bound to sting.”           - Village Voice

The town crier, the wealthy Bo-toxic socialite, the subway station entrepreneur, comedic-actress Hazelle Goodman takes us on a non-stop rollercoaster ride of laughs and let downs while touring her neighborhood. Brace yourself as she bobs and weaves seamlessly between characters to deliver side splitting social commentary concerning current events and hot topics of the day. A multi-dimensional talent with multiple career credits, Hazelle reoccurred in a role on NBC’s Homicide: Life on the Street and starred opposite Woody Allen as “Cookie” in Deconstructing Harry.

Secrets of Character Comedy Workshop with Hazelle Goodman
Wednesday, November 17, 6pm                                                                                               $10

This interactive workshop offers novice to seasoned performers guided exercises in vocal work, theatrical movement and improvisation. Start by journaling your daily observations then work from your entries to bring colorful characters to life. Integrate props - a wig, a cane, clothing…what every suites your role. Space is limited and requires advance registration.

This project is made possible in part by support from the National Performance Network (NPN) Performance Residency Program. For more information: www.npnweb.org

:::::: DECEMBER ::::::

DANCE WITH THE BRIDE

Dance Theater X World Headquarters
Friday-Saturday, December 3- 4, 8pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“Under poems and manifestoes, Anderson’s dancers exploded in mesmerizing and virtuosi patterns that fused classical tribal African dance with post-vogue club b-boy expressionism.

- Lewis Whittington, Ballet~dance magazine

Traditional African dance and new age spirituals pave passage along the road to personal redemption in this new full-length dance theater work commissioned by the Bride.  Inspired by Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, novels by science fiction writer Octavia Butler, World Headquarters tells the kinetic tale about being moved (both literally and metaphorically)…to action, to prayer, toward meditative change when democratic justice fails to prevail. Known for its unique signature approach to dance theater, Dance Theater X work uniquely marries traditional and contemporary dance styles from the African-Latin Diaspora with those of the Western world to create culturally potent performance works.

Master Class with Choreographer Charles Anderson
Saturday, December 4 | 11am - 1pm $10

Discover and release your inner mojo alongside Dance Theater X founder Charles Anderson as he guides a movement class focused on the fusion of Afro-contemporary dance styles.  Advanced students of dance seeking to become more aware and align with their strength and stamina learn to stretch their personal and cultural limits. The class features a variety of music elements from West African drumming to urban beats and rhythms of today.  Later in the session, participants are given the opportunity to learn the choreography featured in Anderson’s new work World Headquarters.

“World Headquarters” is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund/Forth Fund Project co-commissioned by Painted Bride Art Center in partnership with Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas and NPN. For more information: www.npnweb.org.

JAZZ ON VINE

Dave Holland’s Big Band
Saturday December 11, 7pm & 9pm
$25 | 20% off for Crush Card Holders

“Holland’s tone is remarkable…”

-          David Miller, Allaboutjazz.com

Double-bass jazz giant Dave Holland returns to the Bride for the Philadelphia debut of his big band. One of the world’s most versatile bassists whose career includes collaborative credits with Miles Davis, Betty Carter, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny, now this living jazz icon presents his imaginative and zestful musicality as a big bandleader.  Driven by a powerful rhythm section, flawless melodic invention, sinfully beautiful tones and fierce brass arrangements, audiences can expect to be blown away as they witness some of the best talent working in the genre today. This will be the region’s jazz concert of the season. One night only, two-shows, don’t miss out!  Dave Holland’s Big Band has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Music Project

BRIDE EXTRAS

Bridal Salon Play-reading series
Bi-weekly Wednesdays September 29^th - December 1^st
FREE

The Bridal Salon is a bi-weekly play-reading series created to support the ever-expanding theater community in Philadelphia.  Calling all actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts, the Bridal Salon will showcase works-in-progress each evening with open forum opportunities to get engaged in discussion about the artistic process, inspiration, story and character development. Visit paintedbride.org for latest Bridal Salon updates.

:::::: ON-GOING ::::::

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH*

FAMILY WRITING SERIES

Saturday, October 9 | 1pm - 3pm

FREE

The Bride partners with Spells Writing Lab to offer children and their families an opportunity to explore the current exhibits in the Bride’s gallery with the exhibiting artists.  Families work together to create poems, stories, and illustrations based on the theme of the exhibit.  For children and adults of all ages!

ROCK THE PEN!

Rock the Pen! the Bride’s monthly interactive poetry workshop series transports itself from the Bride’s café space right into the classroom. Students are exposed to and learn about poetry and spoken word structural and aesthetic forms and then encouraged to use what they learn as a powerful form of expression to address difficult issues and channel complex emotions in their daily lives.

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN: The Lightning Thief

A FICTION/FILM DISCUSSION GROUP FOR YOUTH

October 3^rd and 17^th | November 7^th and 21^st | 2-4pm

FREE
In partnership with Spells Writing Lab, the Bride presents a unique book and film discussion series for kids and teens featuring The Lightning Thief, the first book in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Participants are asked to read the novel during the course of the two-month series and will watch the film during one of the sessions. Guided by Spells workshop leaders, the group will discuss the artistic process involved with bringing the pages of a novel to life on the silver screen and use The Lightning Thief as a jumping off point for their own writing projects. Did the filmmakers do a good job of translating the written word to the screen? That’s for you to decide-join the conversation, share your opinion!

Supported by The Lomax Family Foundation. These programs are funded in part by PECO.

*For more information and to register for any programs in our educational series, please contact Lisa Nelson-Haynes at 215-925-9914, ext. 21 or lisa@paintedbride.org.

*allow a child and her family to explore our galleries with an artist
*allow a teen to make a drum with a world-renown musician
*allow artistic expression as a form of therapy
*promote a deeper understanding of students’ viewpoints through innovative storytelling labs

This year, 2010, marks Painted Bride Art Center’s 40^th year of being a world-renown presenting arts organization — and we’re right here in your community.

Ours is a story 40 years in the making.

Before the Avenue of the Arts, before Old City, before there were small galleries and a multitude of theater spaces… Philadelphia was a city with an orchestra and an art museum… and not much else.

The Bride brought the arts back to its community when we broke ground in 1969 on a barren South Street corridor.

Today, the Bride continues to deliver to its audience cutting-edge, thought-provoking performances and educational workshops for the old and young, and everyone in between.

We only need 400 people to help us raise $10,000 by the end of June through a $25 gift today. We made our goal last year. Help us make this year’s goal, as we continue this amazing vision for the Arts.

What can your $25 do? A lot!

Make your $25 donation online today!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 | 7pm

“Blue Fire on the Water”
Written by: Renita Martin
Directed by: Michael Leland

Cast:
Mattilyn Rochester
David Markus
Zatina Gardner

-

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 | 7pm

“Hello America…my name is Jimmy Baldwin”
Written by: Robert Miller
Directed by: Donovan Hagins

Jimmy Baldwin returns to discuss his perspective on American since his demise in 1987.

Cast:
Mike Way
Khadeejah Johnson

-

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development. Every Wednesday night at 7pm, FREE.

“Lion (El Leon)”
Written by Chris Davis
Directed by Mary Tuomanen

An epidemic of animal noses has hit the biggest city in the world; average people are suddenly stricken with the nose of an animal, ANY ANIMAL! David and Keith hole up inside their apartment, protecting their noses as best they can…until an elephant baby with nefarious connections to the underworld gets stuck underneath their floorboards!

An absurdist bi-lingual comedy about animal noses, culture clash, and alienation.

FEATURING:

DAVID — John Greenbaum
CANDY — Didi Sanchez
DRUG LORD — Victor Rodriguez
KEITH — Chris Braak

*There will be a brief talk-back after the reading, with free drinks and snacks!

-

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development. Every Wednesday night at 7pm, FREE.

*Space is limited! Call 267-670-0869 or email write@phillyspells.org to reserve your spot now.*

From Page to Screen is a collaboration between Painted Bride Art Center and Spells Writing Lab.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 | 7pm

YOUNG FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Written by: Walt Vail
Directed by: Connie Norwood

YOUNG FREDERICK DOUGLASS follows the young life of Frederick Douglass from his assignment to the Auld Family, as Tommy Auld’s companion in 1828, through his process of teaching himself to read and write, his awakening to the meaning of slavery, and his efforts to win his freedom, to his final escape from slavery at the age of twenty-one in 1838.  In the ten year process of growing into a great American, he attempts to teach others to read, is caught and assigned to a slave-breaker, defeats the slave-breaker, is threatened with death, and acquires the knowledge he needs to make his way to freedom.

-

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development. Every Wednesday night at 7pm, FREE.

I walked the rainbow trail, not knowing where it led.

A bright rock-I tripped-my sandal thong snapped. TWANG!

No matter. I carried on barefoot, taking that bright rock with me.

But then the rock turned into a magical turtle who asked me to give him some change.

What kind of change falls from pockets like rain? Pula, she said (but only softly)

None. No change comes from those looking to fill their pockets.

And yet, it was the sound of change in a pocket, my father’s pocket, that hearkened an association with being an adult

But if money can’t buy love, what good can change do?

And the holes in your pocket will make it impossible anyway

For me to love you!

And me and Roki do!

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development. Every Wednesday night at 7pm, FREE.

This program is funded in part by PECO.

True Love was inspired by the Faith Evans song by the same title. Yalanda and Slim live across the street from each other. Yalanda has been watching Slim for a number of years and she thinks she knows what true love is. Slim has a lot of passion but he also has a bad temper. Yalanda and her friends talk about true love but she never tells her friends who she is in love with. Come and meet both Yalanda and Slim and let’s see what you think True Love is.

Cast:
Sarde Weathers
Richard Steven Bradford
Khadeejah Johnson
DeAnna Wright
Mike Way
In the Future a Woman Shines Bright
Written by: Stephen Satell

In the Future a Woman Shines Bright is a one woman play based on the life of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Ms. Harper wrote the first short story of any African American, worked on the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia, and knew John Brown. She was a poet, novelist and speaker across America. The play contains her poetry, life story and associations.

Cast:
LaNeshe Miller-White
Dee Wellmon

-

The Bridal Salon is a weekly play-reading series that was created to support the ever growing Philadelphia theater community.  Actors, directors, playwrights and theater enthusiasts can all benefit. The Bridal Salon showcases 2 one-act plays or 1 full-length piece each evening.  Audiences will have the chance to engage the directors, playwrights and actors in discussion about preparation and writing processes, inspiration, and character development. Every Wednesday night at 7pm, FREE.

Every time I walk past the corner I look down and remember the blood stains.

I then trip over the curb as I stare at intensity of the blue velvet sky at night.

The lights of the street lamps casting small runs

They make the black top shine like the sun

Blinding the school children with their sidewalk chalk

Ponies and flowers. Flowers and ponies. Pony flowers … flowers made of ponies …

How’d I end up in a place like this? I’d rather be in the hills with mountain goats and bushes.

Where the Banditos cry Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges

No, not Banditos, fnitos, I would like to have some frito’s

And then I hear a loud sound - I jump and realize

All the while - it was just a dream. I am

In my bed. Alone, with covers all across the bed. I am safe.

As long as you have faith you are always safe

Wear your helmet though just in case!

So you don’t break you face

Or I’ll give it back together, then you’ll look like a gorilla

Gorilla - travel companion

For a million years

Brother, father, both in one

Saw dust shoes that the weaver has spun

Are perfect for warmth when the day is done

Which it apparently already is (or hasn’t started)

Mon April 26th, 7 p.m. (pre-show exhibit starts at 6:30.)
More info at www.sarafelder.com
Tix $20/$15 discount rate
Purchase tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com

CORALINE by Neil Gaiman is a dark, award-winning fantasy novel that has been compared to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It has since been adapted into an Academy Award-nominated animated film, a graphic novel, and even an off-Broadway musical. Join us as we watch part of the movie, and compare the story as told through these very different media.

THIS EVENT IS FREE but space is limited! Call 267-670-0869 or email write@phillyspells.org to reserve your spot.