Continuing our HPFS Splash blog series, we’ll be taking the tops off the metaphorical fire hydrants* and spilling out the information you want to know from our High Pressure Fire Service (HPFS) artists about their HPFS shows, local inspirations, and living in Philly.

Today’s big questions: How has Philadelphia inspired your HPFS piece, and why have you made Philadelphia your home?

“I grew up in Philly. I love that it feels both intimate and grand…A Fierce Kind of Love is inspired by the intellectual disabilities movement in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. It’s all about what was an untold civil rights story happening here. Philly TV news vet Bill Baldini’s in it, as well as grassroots activists like Eleanor Elkin and Leona Fialkowski.”
–David Bradley, A Fierce Kind of Love

Photo by Johanna Austin

“I moved here 7 years ago to be part of the first class of Pig Iron’s grad program. I stayed because, especially then, it was easy to be an artist here. Not only was it affordable, but people who weren’t involved in the arts were interested in them. That last bit is still true. A lot of the [The Appointment] is derived from time I spent in Philadelphia clinics observing doctors and patients. There are whole passages that have come from texts that doctors are required to pass out to patients and/or recite to them. Some of it is the lived experiences of the patients in those clinics who are my neighbors and friends.”
–Alice Yorke, The Appointment

“You know what separates Philly from other cities? A couple miles of cheese steak infested corn product. Philadelphia powers our house, our Broccolis and our Roosevelts.”
–The Berserker Residents, Broccoli, Roosevelt and Mr. House!

“Every time I’m walking around feeling city ennui–anonymous and lonely and just about to feel sorry for myself…I run into a friend I know. That feeling of small town in a big city is so rare. That’s a Philly thing. [In A Hard Time,] we say what we want to say, when and how we want to say it, just like most Philadelphians.”
-Jess Conda, A Hard Time

Photo by Jen Cleary

“I came (back) to Philly in 2007 to work with Pig Iron, and in the process got introduced to the people who would eventually become my friends and collaborators. I stayed because this community of makers is really special, and the kind of work that I want to make is appreciated and celebrated here. Philly is a complex, sprawling, sometimes exhilarating/sometimes frustrating place — and I like that. It’s got a big city feel, but my community feels tight and familiar. But there are always new people and new places to encounter when things get claustrophobic. Also, it remains affordable despite changes in recent years. It’s a city that embraces what I do and provides the opportunity to live the life I wanna live. Many us on the Sincerity team have embraced Philadelphia as our home, and because the piece is based on our lives, the city is baked into our experiences, and therefore the work.”
—Alex Torra, The Sincerity Project #3 (2019)

“I came to Philly in 1999. Where I used to live now is luxury condos, downtown where my college dorm was. It’s been through so many different changes. The everyday relationships with people in the neighborhoods, students that come in and out of the neighborhood, just the movement of the city and the everyday people I’ve been able to meet are inspiring. Philadelphia, we’re not really known for celebrating our citizens, besides the old revolutionary war kind of thing. John Coltrane should be everywhere. Billie Holiday should be everywhere. These are people that not only we can appreciate their music, but there’s so many levels that we can learn from them. WEB DuBois. Patti Labelle. Philly pales in comparison to these other places where they celebrate it…and not just people who are well established or rich like the people I named celebrity-wise, but everyday citizens. North Philly has amazing community members that won’t get any kind of shine outside of their own community that have been doing a lot of work whether it’s street cleaning or organizing others to vote.”
–Camae Ayewa, Circuit City

Read last week’s HPFS Splash: Philadelphia Favorites, and stay tuned for next week’s splash!

*High Pressure Fire Service (HPFS) takes its name from FringeArts’ historic building, the first high pressure pump house in the country. Opened in 1903, the station pumped water from the Delaware River to fire hydrants across Philadelphia, connecting the city and helping it grow and thrive. This history of creativity and connectivity is at the very heart of the High Pressure Fire Service festival. You can see the old HPFS fire hydrants across the city between the Delaware and the Schuylkill Rivers and between South Street to Girard Avenue. You may even see them of them sporting a fancy new HPFS sticker. Tag us on Instagram @fringearts if you see one!

Click here to learn more about all of our High Pressure Fire Service shows.