Weekly Entertainment Guide – Craft NOW

The craft of fine art, theater, photography, film, and dance.  Robin Bloom shares her picks for what to do this week.

What’s Happening

Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show

The 39th annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show returns November 12-15 to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Widely recognized as one of the leading shows of fine craft in the country, it features 195 artists from around the United States, selected from more than 1000 applicants. Museum quality works include glass, ceramics, wood, basketry, both wearable and decorative fibers, metal, paper, leather and mixed media, as well as one-of-a-kind handmade furniture and both precious and semi-precious jewelry, 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia. All work is for sale. Opening night gala November 11. Pictured: Emily Squires Levine, participating artist.

Craft NOW

Craft NOW, a creative consortium of individuals, galleries, museums, universities, retailers and civic organizations, launches an inaugural city-wide event spotlighting the local artists, galleries, studios and teaching institutions that have played an important role in developing craft artists, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, November 11-15. See four different exhibits: At the Center: Masters of American Craft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Material Legacy: Masters of Fiber, Clay and Glass at the Philadelphia Art Alliance; Fellowship in Clay at the Clay Studio; and Art in Wood: American Craft Council Fellows at the Center for Art in Wood. Special events include a panel discussion on Friday, November 13, Old City Craft Night on Thursday, November 12 (5pm-8pm), and CraftNOWCreate, a free, family-friendly, hands-on exploration of craft at the Kimmel Center, Saturday, November 14. Photo courtesy of Craft NOW.

Greater Philly Photo Day Gallery Exhibition

Don’t miss the opportunity to see over 1400 photographs taken on Greater Philly Photo Day (October 9) at Philadelphia Photo Arts Center’s Greater Philly Photo Day Gallery Exhibition. The center, a community hub for contemporary photography, invited anyone and everyone around the Delaware Valley to take a photograph anywhere in the region and submit it. Every single image has been included in a vast exhibit opening Thursday, November 12, with a reception from 6pm-8pm, Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American Street, Suite 103, Philadelphia. The show will be on display through January 2. View the photos online and order prints.  Photo submitted by Adan Maskery.

Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival returns for an 8th year, November 12-22, taking on issues from immigration policy to teen angst. The largest Asian American film festival on the East Coast offers over 60 films by and about Asian Americans along with special events including discussions with filmmakers, food programs, music and culture, a program section showcasing LGBTQ content, and a multimedia program exploring the Asian American Hip Hop movement with Scott “CHOPS” Jung of Philly’s legendary Mountain Brothers. The festival opens with the Philadelphia premiere of Seoul Searching. Other films include Right Footed, Live from UB, Love Arcadia (pictured), as well as a free community screening series in South Philly. Screenings take place at International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut Street and Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.

Dance

Dance Iquail’s PUSHERS

Art reflects life with the world premiere of Dance Iquail’s PUSHERS, a new dance theater work choreographed and directed by West Philadelphia born and bred dancer Iquail Shaheed, November 11-14 at the Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia. Exploring addictions of all kinds and their consequences, the piece is based on the stories of nine teenagers from Mantua, with original poetry by New York City-based story teller Daniel Carlton and music by composer Charles Vincent Burwell. Photo courtesy of Dance Iquail.

Onstage

“Macbeth” at Villanova Theatre

Shakespeare’s dark and powerful tragedy Macbeth is onstage at Villanova Theatre. Multiple Barrymore Award-winner James J. Christy returns to direct this gritty, re-imagined, gender-bent production of the classic haunting thriller. Known for illuminating Shakespeare’s text for a modern audience, the Professor Emeritus and former Theatre Department Chair leads a cast of fourteen Villanova students, including real-life couple Kyle Fennie and Meghan Trelease as the Macbeths, through November 22, Villanova University’s Vasey Hall, Lancaster and Ithan Avenues, Villanova, PA. November 19 is Speaker’s Night, offering a post-show discussion with the director, cast, crew, and Dr. Chelsea Phillips, dramaturg, Shakespearean scholar, and Villanova Theatre Department’s newest faculty member. Free parking in VU’s main lot. Photo by Kimberly Reilly.

Academy of Vocal Arts’ “Don Giovanni”

Tickets are going fast for the Academy of Vocal Arts’ Don Giovanni, Mozart’s sublime tragic comic retelling of the infamous story of Don Juan, November 12, Helen Corning Warden Theater at AVA in Philadelphia, November 14, Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University, November 17 and 19, Centennial Hall at The Haverford School, and November 21 at Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, PA. Sung by the resident artists with a full orchestra under the direction of Christofer Macatsoris and stage direction by Jeffrey Buchman. Photo by Don Valentino/AVA.

“Watership Down”

Simpatico Theatre Project joins with Drexel’s Mandell Professionals in Residence Project (MPiRP) to bring a new production of Richard Adams’ Watership Down to life. The classic adventure novel about anthropomorphized rabbits confronted with challenges as they leave their home to escape imminent danger was adapted for the stage by John Hildreth. Featuring puppet design by Aaron Cromie, animal-based choreography by Colleen Hughes, projection design by Janelle Kauffman, watercolor landscapes by comic book artist Robert Barry, and an original live score by Josh Totora, directed by Allen Radway, through November 22, Mandell Theatre, 33rd and Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The play is part of a new initiative called The Philly Bridge Project, which seeks to make the arts more accessible for Philadelphia public school students in lesser-served areas of the city. Photos by Kathryn Raines & Plate | 3 Photography.

“Mountain: The Journey of Justice Douglas” at Bristol Riverside Theatre

Climb atop Mountain: The Journey of Justice Douglas at Bristol Riverside Theatre. The biographical drama by Douglas Scott explores the impact of one of the youngest justices appointed to the United States Supreme Court who also served the longest term in the history of the Court. The controversial justice also has the distinction of holding a number of records, including the most opinions. As he lays on his deathbed, Douglas (played by Keith Baker), struggles to find the meaning of his life. Directed by Susan Atkinson through November 22, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, PA. Related programs and events include Wine Down Wednesday, November 11, Thirsty Thursday, November 19, and Theatre Theology, November 22. Photo by Mark Garvin.

“The Fox on the Fairway” at Act II Playhouse

Ken Ludwig’s zany comedy The Fox on the Fairway is onstage at Act II Playhouse, the theater’s second comedy by the York, Pennsylvania born playwright and theatre director (Lend Me a Tenor). A tribute to the English farces of the 1920s and 1930s, the production, set in present day, is about two rival country clubs competing in an annual golf tournament. Directed by William Roudebush and starring Peter Bisgaier, Joe Guzmán, Karen Peakes, Gerre Garrett, Will Dennis, and Naomi Weiss, with set design by Dirk Durossette, through November 22, 56 E. Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA. Photo by Mark Garvin.

“Becoming Dr. Ruth” at Walnut Street Theatre

Becoming Dr. Ruth takes to the stage on Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3. The fascinating life story of the famed sex therapist, born Karola Siegel in Germany and sent by her family on the Kindertransport to flee the Nazis. After learning her family had perished in the Holocaust, she join the Haganah and fought in Israel’s War of Independence. She married and divorced and as a single mother, moved to America to pursue her dreams and ultimately became Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Written by Mark St. Germain, directed by Jere Lee Hodgin and starring Jane Ridley. In previews November 17 and onstage through December 27, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Coinciding with the release of her new book The Doctor In In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life and Joie de Vivre, Dr. Ruth will be in Philadelphia in conversation with WHYY’s Maiken Scott at the National Museum of American Jewish History on Monday, November 16. She will attend the first performance of Becoming Dr. Ruth at the Walnut Street Theatre on November 17 and for a talk-back on December 21.

“Matilda the Musical” at the Academy of Music

The Broadway tour of Matilda the Musical comes to Philadelphia November 17-29 at the Academy of Music. The amusing Tony Award-winning story of a precocious girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Art Appreciation

“Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Couple of an Age” at Morven

The first exhibition to explore the lives of an iconic American couple opens at Morven Museum and Garden. Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Couple of an Age examines their intertwined lives and life-long partnership that survived tragedy, loss, and controversy. Spanning the twentieth century through photographs, rarely-seen objects, select text, audio, video and other interactive components, November 13 through October 23, 2016, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ. A. Scott Berg kicks off the yearlong exhibition on November 21 with a lecture at McCarter Theatre Center on his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Lindbergh. Photo courtesy of Morven.

“The Wall in Our Heads: American Artists and the Berlin Wall” at Haverford College

An exhibit commemorating the 25th anniversary of the reunification of Germany is on display at the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery at Haverford College, after a well-received run last fall at the Goethe-Institut in Washington, D.C. The Wall in Our Heads: American Artists and the Berlin Wall, curated by Haverford College Postdoctoral Writing Fellow Paul M. Farber, reflects on the legacy of the Berlin Wall in American culture and sheds light on critical American artistic perspectives on the Wall from 1961 through the present. Including works by Nan Goldin, Keith Haring, Adrian Piper, Jonathan Borofsky, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Allan Kaprow, and more, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA. Related programs and events include Everything Will Be Taken Away, The Wall in Our Heads Haverford College Faculty Conversation and Walkthrough, Thursday, November 12, 4:30pm.  Pictured: Shinkichi Tajiri, Berlin Wall 1969-1972 (Selection), Courtesy Shinkichi Tajiri Estate.  Photo courtesy of Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery.

 

 

Each week, the Entertainment Guide spotlights interesting local arts offerings happening now, including music, dance, theater, museums, special exhibitions and other arts events from across the region.

To submit an event to be considered, email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.