We sure do miss you! While we are apart, our Artistic Producers, Zach Blackwood and Katy Dammers, will prep a new list each week to keep your ears and eyes full until we can be together again…

In Case You Missed It

Food Court | Back to Back Theatre with The Necks | Fringe Festival 2012  Back to Back Theatre’s Food Court examines the prejudices surrounding difference in our society. Actors in the company contributed to the creation of the script through improvisation based on their own experiences, and an original score was performed live by the Australian experimental jazz band The Necks. Revisit performance footage and the post-show discussion here. 

Traces | 7 Fingers | Fringe Festival  2011  Les 7 doigts de la main ( 7 Fingers)  is a contemporary circus company based in Montreal. Traces expertly mixes spectacle with story-telling. The multi-talented performers tumble through hoops, leap up giant poles and balance effortlessly on each others’ heads while sharing their own personal stories.

The Radio Show | Kyle Abraham | Fringe Festival 2011  The Bessie Award-winning dance piece The Radio Show explores how individuals and communities are affected when their traditional modes of communication are disrupted. Here, Kyle Abraham, artistic director and choreographer of Abraham in Motion, talks about what inspired the piece.

We 💙 Our Alumni

This week all our alumni would have been part of our 2020 High Pressure Fire Service Series.

Amateur Foraging | Alexandra Tatarsky | HPFS 2020  Alexandra Tatarsky is an absurdist performerwho aims to present the current state of affairs in the United States through a mixture of performance art, theater, and clown. Her piece, [Sign Felt] Sad Boys in Harpy Land would have kicked off our High Pressure Fire Service Series this year. During this quarantine, she has been spending exploring nature and foraging for treasures of the Earth.

Turning Towards a Radical Listening | James Allister Sprang | HPFS 2020  James Allister Sprang works across medium—photography, sound, duration, installation—to investigate how society processes symbols and language. Sprang’s Turning Towards a Radical Listening would have been featured in our High Pressure Fire Service series this spring. You can stream a previously recorded iteration of the show here. 

The Caregivers | Nell Bang-Jensen | HPFS 2020  Nell Bang-Jensen is a Philadelphia-based theater maker and the Artistic Director of Theatre Horizon. Supported by a professional team of theater artists and designers, youth from a variety of backgrounds explored the concept of masculinity through a series of games, story circles, and workshops over the course of a few months. Their work culminates in their show Boy Project. In a similar manner, Bang-Jenson worked with home health aides, hospice workers, and family caregivers to explore the spaces where love meets obligation in her previous work, The Caregivers. 

Legal Tender | Kyle Dacuyan + Antigravity Performance Project | HPFS 2020  Antigravity Performance Project is a devising company with a creative aesthetic rooted in vibrant image, movement, music, and performance text. Antigravity Associate Artist, poet, and performance maker, Kyle Dacuyan led the company in the creation of Legal Tender. Drawing from extensive conversations around our eroding news and media environments, Legal Tender calls on us to follow Dacuyan and Andalyn Young as they investigate the places where fact, opinion, and falsehood settle in us subconsciously.

Community Supported Art Package Series | Emily Bate | HPFS 2020  Emily Bate is a composer, vocalist, arranger, conductor, facilitator, performer, and more. This summer she is bringing the art to you with her new Community Supported Art Practice subscription service. In June, July & August you will get a package each month with things you can hold, make, read, listen to, and sing.

Philly Artists Perform

Chaos Theory (June 4) | Jessica Creane  Jessica is an immersive experience designer dedicated to crafting playful, transformative experiences that bring people together. She is the founder of IKantKoan Games and Immersive, a production company focused on playfully exploring complex subject matter like climate change, ethics, chaos, and love. Her piece Chaos Theory was self-produced as a part of Fringe Festival 2018 and now she is offering several virtual performances online.  

Your Turn!

Vox Populi juried publication open call | YOU | DUE  JUNE 8  Vox Populi is a Philadelphia non-profit art gallery and collective. They are accepting submissions from artists all over the world for its 1st Ever Juried Publication of Artwork by Emerging Artists, guest curated by James Claiborne and Brittany Webb.

Vox remains committed to highlighting opportunities for emerging artists and the current need to find alternatives to traditional exhibitions. The collective urges artists to submit work that is representative of their long-standing interests and well suited for the e-publication format. Learn more here.

Where to Binge

Chocolate Factory Theater Archives  The Obie Award-winning experimental arts company, Chocolate Factory Theater, supports the creation of new work in a variety of disciplines including theater, dance, music, multimedia and the visual arts. Check out their archives of past work here. 

We’ll see you for next week’s Curators’ Choice, but in the meantime, stay connected with us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!