Weekly Entertainment Guide – Philly Photo Day Exhibit, Fall Dance Sampler & Delaware Arts

Runaway brides, children’s book illustrations, Shakespeare, Shakers, Peoplehood, unique Philly photos, Asian Film Fest, and more. Robin Bloom shares her suggestions on what to check out this week.

What’s Happening

Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival returns for a 7th year, November 12-22, with dozens of screenings of films by and about Asian Americans along with special events at International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut Street and Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street. Films include Awesome Asian Bad Guys, Farah Goes Bang, A Leading Man, Brahmin Bulls (pictured), and more including a shorts program.

Philly Photo Day Gallery Exhibition

Don’t miss the opportunity to see over 1900 photographs taken on Philly Photo Day (October 10) at Philadelphia Photo Arts Center’s Philly Photo Day Gallery Exhibition. The center, a community hub for contemporary photography, invited anyone and everyone in the city to take a photograph anywhere in Philadelphia and submit it. Every single image has been included in a vast exhibit opening Thursday, November 13, with a reception from 6pm-8pm, Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American Street, Suite 103, Philadelphia. The show will be on display through December 28 and an outdoor exhibit is planned at Dilworth Park in the spring. View the photos online and order prints. Pictured: Photo submitted by Robert Cocozza.

Peoplehood Parade and Pageant (as heard on WHYY-FM’s Morning Edition)

Spiral Q’s 15th annual Peoplehood Parade and Pageant gathers a wide range of Philly communities to represent who they are and what they believe in, with giant puppets, colorful costumes, flags and masks, Saturday, November 15. Parade steps off at 1pm at Paul Robeson House, 50th and Walnut and heads to Clark Park, Chester Avenue between 43rd and 45th. Pageant begins around 2pm with a mix of community groups, artist ensembles, youth organizations, individuals, families, and you! All are welcome to join. Bring your own group and artwork. Free.

Dear Fleisher

Dear Fleisher, 4×6 Inches of Art, is this Sunday, November 16, 1pm-5pm, a biennial exhibition showcasing the work of 350 artists from Philadelphia and beyond in a wide range of media and styles, sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $50. Over 750 postcard sized pieces available by anonymous artists, whose identities are revealed after purchase at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, Philadelphia. $5 suggested admission donation. Preview party, Friday, November 14, 6pm-8pm. All proceeds benefit Fleisher’s programs which include free and low-cost studio art classes. Pictured: Patrons of the Postcards by Signe Wilkinson 2014.

Fall Dance Sampler

Koresh Dance Company’s Ev-o-lu-tion

The 10 member Koresh Dance Company restages Roni Koresh’s hard-hitting, contemporary 2009 Ev-o-lu-tion, the evening length meditation on instinct, expression and artistic drives, Thursday, November 13, 7:30pm, Friday, November 14, 8pm, and Saturday, November 15, 8pm. Each performance opens with a piece danced by the Koresh Youth Ensemble, apprentices ages 13-18, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard, Philadelphia. Special events include an opening night reception, post-show dance talk on Friday and closing night happy hour.

Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company

Israel’s Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC) stops in Philadelphia for the first time on its world tour with the full-length theatrical work If At All, Thursday, November 13, 7:30pm, Friday, November 14, 8pm, Saturday, November 15, 2pm and 8pm. The Philadelphia debut features the 16 member company performing solos, duets and explosive ensembles set to a diverse musical score and choreographed by acclaimed Artistic Director Rami Be’er, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. KCDC is from Kibbutz Ga’aton in Western Galilee and was founded in 1973 by Czech-born Auschwitz concentration camp survivor Yehudit Arnon. This performance is part of the Dance Celebration Series, presented by Dance Affiliates.

DanceSpora

Trenton’s Contemporary Dance Company DanceSpora presents two premieres, Saturday, November 15, 3pm and 8pm and Sunday, November 16, 3pm at the Mill Hill Playhouse. Led by Heidi Cruz-Austin (Pennsylvania Ballet principal dancer) and David Austin (Rennie Harris PureMovement principal dancer), Hidden Portals features choreography by Cruz-Austin and Barloc (warrior filled with hope and love) is a premiere by dancer/choreographer Felicia Cruz, at 205 E. Front Street, Trenton, NJ.

BalletX Fall Series

In its ninth season as the resident dance company of the Wilma Theater, BalletX glides onstage with Fall Series 2014, highlighting the work of three renowned choreographers. Jorma Elo’s world premiere is inspired by the film noir classic Touch of Evil. Brussels-born dancer Olivier Wevers returns with the favorite Instantly Bound, exploring the issue of gun violence. BalletX co-founder Matthew Neenan’s new work Increasing is set to Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major and is accompanied live by alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music. Performances run November 19-23, 265 South Broad Street, Philadelphia. The unique dance appreciation initiative, The X-Process, returns with interactive lectures, artist conversations, and special events that take participants behind the scenes.

Onstage

Philadelphia Artists Collective’s “Blood Wedding”

Philadelphia Artists Collective transforms Drexel University’s Mandell Theatre into an intimate setting and draws you in to a matrimonial celebration with their Philly Fringe hit Blood Wedding. Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca’s rarely produced play tells the chilling story of a vendetta between two families when a bride runs away with her former lover, the son of an enemy family. The show begins in the lobby with actors, musicians and flamenco dancers performing, and then a celebratory wedding procession leads audience into the theater for a powerful and sensual tragedy with lots of surprises, through November 23 at 33rd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia. Damon Bonetti directs a talented cast including Judith Lightfoot Clarke, Mort Paterson and Susan Blair, Victoria Rose Bonito, J. Hernandez, Eric Scotolati, Laura Allan, Virginia Barrie, Nancy Ellis, Joy Weir and Stephen Lyons. Original music by Christopher Colucci with live accompaniment on guitar and percussion.

“Big Love” at Villanova Theatre

50 brides battle 50 grooms in Big Love, onstage at Villanova Theatre. Charles L. Mee transforms one of the most ancient plays – Aeschylus’ The Suppliants (470 B.C.) – into today’s world in a modern day battle of the sexes. Harriet Power directs a cast of 20 in the timeless, relevant and bold production that considers centuries of male domination, privilege and violence as 50 young brides are set to marry their 50 cousins against their will, through November 23, Villanova University, Vasey Hall, Lancaster and Ithan Avenues, Villanova, PA. Related events include Speaker’s Night with Dr. James J. Christy, Power, and the cast following the November 20 performance.

“As it is in Heaven” at Old Academy Players

Old Academy Players takes on the Shaker culture of 1838 Kentucky with Arlene Hutton’s As it is in Heaven, through November 23. The play explores human nature and what happens to a close-knit group of women in a seemingly utopian Shaker society when a newcomer arrives claiming to see angels and to be in contact with Shaker leader Mother Lee. The drama, directed by Jane Jennings, features the interesting customs of the sect including their songs and dancing, 3544 Indian Queen Lane, in Philadelphia’s East Falls neighborhood.

Arts in Delaware

Rest, In Pieces at Delaware Theatre Company

The regional premiere of Steve Bluestein’s Rest, in Pieces is onstage at Delaware Theatre Company through November 23. The dysfunctional family drama by the L.A. comedy writer takes on the subject of death within a family, portraying loss from three separate perspectives with a talented cast of acting veterans. The new dramatic comedy stars Donna Pescow, best known as Annette from Saturday Night Fever, Broadway veteran Frank Vlastnik, and Broadway and TV actor Lenny Wolpe. Directed by Bud Martin, 200 Water Street, Wilmington, DE. Special events include post-show talkback with the cast on November 13 and 20 and pre-show “Viewpoints” on November 19.

Avert, Escape, and Cope With at the DCCA

Enjoy the vibrant and intricate paintings, drawings, sculpture, and videos by Hiro Sakaguchi, on display at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts (DCCA) through April 26. Avert, Escape, and Cope With reflects the artist’s interest in Hollywood disaster films with images from the web and television, including natural and human-made disasters. Born in Japan and trained in Philadelphia at the University of the Arts and PAFA, Sakaguchi has exhibited locally and internationally. Related events include an “Art Salad” lunchtime discussion with the artist on December 4, 200 South Madison Street, Wilmington, DE. Pictured: Gravitational Pull: Space.

“Macbeth” at Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players

Macbeth takes to the stage at University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players November 13 through December 7. William Shakespeare’s dark and powerful tragedy is directed by Leslie Reidel, with Lee Ernst in the title role, Elizabeth Heflin as Lady Macbeth, and features life-sized puppets as the three witches who deliver the prophecy to the general that he will one day become king of Scotland, Thompson Theatre, Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Road, Newark, Delaware. Special events include free pre-show discussions on November 22 and December 7 and post-performance talkbacks with the cast, November 20.

Want more of the Bard? Lyric Fest presents a family concert, Much Ado about Shakespeare, Sunday, November 16, 3pm. The program features opera, classical and popular song interpretations of scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen from Verona, The Tempest, As You Like It, and Hamlet, as well as a newly commissioned work by Lyric Fest’s first composer in residence Kile Smith. Cast includes baritone Michael Adams, soprano Jessica Lennick, tenor Eric Rieger, actor Jim Bergwall and storyteller Charlotte Black Alston and Laura Ward at the piano, Main Line Reform Temple, 410 Montgomery Avenue, Wynnewood, PA.

Fringe Wilmington Festival

Fringe Wilmington Festival, Delaware’s only celebration of unconventional art, kicks off Wednesday, November 19 through Sunday, November 23, offering 14 live performances at multiple venues along Market Street and the Riverfront. Events include a Preview party on Wednesday, November 19 at World Café Live at the Queen (free and open to the public), “A Classically Jazzy Composition” by Ballet 180, Better Than Bacon interactive improv comedy show, The Roarin’ 20’s – A Hip Hop Story, and more including SmokeyScout Productions’ Slideshow by Josh McIlvain (pictured). Originally performed at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the theatrical and multimedia performance uses strangers’ slides to weave a fictional drama, November 20-22, Film Brother Co-op, 205 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE. Festival hub is at 314 North Market Street. Thriller Flash Mob on Saturday, November 22, 1pm.

From Houdini to Hugo: The Art of Brian Selznick at Delaware Art Museum

Over 100 paintings and drawings by children’s book author, illustrator and Caldecott Medal Winner Brian Selznick are on display at Delaware Art Museum through January 11. The traveling exhibition, From Houdini to Hugo: The Art of Brian Selznick, features images of characters like illusionist Harry Houdini, Walt Whitman, and singer Marian Anderson as well as works from almost 20 of Selznick’s books including Hugo Cabret, an orphan who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret (made into an Oscar award winning film Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese). Organized by the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, Abilene, Texas. Special events and programs include Art is After Dark: From Houdini to Hugo, Friday, November 14, 6pm-10pm, Screening of the film Hugo, Sunday, November 16, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE.

Visual Voyage: Exploring the Media and Styles of Award Winning Children’s Book Illustrators at TCNJ

For more renowned picture book art, visit the College of New Jersey’s Visual Voyage: Exploring the Media and Styles of Award Winning Children’s Book Illustrators. The fall exhibit showcases more than 50 diverse works of art by 20 internationally known artists including Eric Carle, E.B. Lewis, Jerry Pinkney, Faith Ringgold, William Steig, and Paul O. Zelinsky. Accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. The TCNJ Art Gallery is located in the AIMM Building on the campus at 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ. Pictured: Cover image for Max and the Tag-Along Moon, by Floyd Cooper.

Music

Lucinda Williams

Catch Grammy award winning singer Lucinda Williams and her alternative country-rock-blues-folk sound, performing songs from her new album as well as old favorites at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, Saturday, November 15, 8pm. With Kenneth Brian Band, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, NJ.

Arturo Sandoval Quintet

The Arturo Sandoval Quintet performs at Annenberg Center Live, Sunday, November 16, 7pm. Born in Cuba, noted Cuban jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Sandoval was a protégé of Dizzy Gillespie and played with the jazz master in concert and went on to receive numerous Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards and an Emmy, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia.

Bobby Bare, Jr.

Bobby Bare, Jr. brings his innovative and melodic sound to the MilkBoy on Wednesday, November 19, 8pm, 1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. The Fleeting Ends opens. Bobby has the unique distinction of being nominated for a Grammy at age eight with his dad Bobby Bare, Sr. for the song “Daddy What If,” written by Shel Silverstein.

 

 

To submit an event to be considered for the Weekly Entertainment Guide email Robin Bloom at artscalendar@whyy.org.