Performing Arts
Philadelphia gave America its first major musical oratorio in 1781. Then it got buried in poop
Tempesta di Mare is presenting a fully orchestrated “America Independent, or The Temple of Minerva” as it has never been done before.
2 days ago
Your guide to Philly’s comedy scene
Philly is funny – literally. Whether you’re looking for an improv show, comedy classes or the bigger headliners, here’s your guide to Philly’s comedy scene.
6 days ago
The shiny veneer of American Girl dolls wears thin in latest production at Philly’s FringeArts
Pax Ressler and Jackie Soro play both themselves and their American Girl counterparts in “Girl Dolls: The American Musical.”
6 days ago
Wild Horizon festival plants a flag for circus performance in Philadelphia
With the loss of Germantown's Circadium school, a new festival is trying to establish Philly as a hub for contemporary circus.
1 week ago
Listen 1:07George and Ira Gershwin’s “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” flopped on Broadway in 1933. Opera Philadelphia will revive it for the midterm election season.
2 weeks ago
Listen 1:21Philadelphia budget 2026: Isaiah Thomas, Rue Landau want $6 million allocated for arts
With funding turbulence at the federal and state levels, elected officials are calling for the city to pick up some of the slack.
2 weeks ago
Listen 1:26Philly is home to the nation’s only accredited circus school – but it’s shutting down
The Circadium School of Contemporary Circus has faced funding cuts and administrative challenges since it started. Its director said this school was one of a kind.
4 weeks ago
Billy Penn’s guide to Philly record stores
Record stores have seen a resurgence over the past decade – and these spots in Philly are no exceptions. Here’s where you can go to get your groove on.
4 weeks ago
Healing Verse Germantown uses poetry and public art to strengthen community bonds
Exhibit organizers hope it serves as a model in Philly and the U.S. for addressing mental health wounds of gun violence through the transformative power of poetry and art.
1 month ago
The rise and fall of World Cafe Live
The arrest of four World Stage employees and a venue-shutdown for selling liquor without a license is the latest in a string of bad press for the venue.
1 month ago
The fight to maintain family ties is central to the world premiere of James Ijames’ latest play
“Wilderness Generation” offers a solution to today’s widespread feelings of isolation, providing a heartfelt and comic how-to at Philadelphia Theatre Co.
1 month ago
Why Yiddish is experiencing a grassroots revival in West Philadelphia
A rag-tag group of younger adults has rediscovered the West Germanic language and culture for heritage and politics.
1 month ago
Listen 4:41Philly Theatre Week launches pay-what-you-can to share ‘the value of live theater’
Nearly 50 productions are part of the effort to introduce more people to the experience of live theater in Philly and beyond.
1 month ago
Eminently popular ‘Sound of Music’ returns to Philly at a time ‘that feels terribly relevant’
The performance at the Academy of Music includes two songs cut from the film that allude to the coming Nazi threat.
1 month ago
Martha Washington faces ghosts of the enslaved on Philly stage
Wilma Theater presents a Dickensian satire that pits the former first lady against the people she and her husband once held in slavery.
2 months ago














