Crowding around the kitchen table
Here we go! It's time for Fringe! It's time for fall! Let's go dance it out!
If you are new here, welcome. This newsletter is intended to be my little drop in the bucket to parse what's going on in the Philly arts scene and beyond as our field continues to shift beneath our feet. More about me and where I'm coming from can be found on the 'about' page. And previous posts have offered some Fringe guides, both for visitors from out of town and for Philadelphians.
I wanted to start this side project around the time of Fringe because so many artists that I know and love are making and sharing new things, taking risks, being vulnerable. As someone often on the administrative side of art-making, I wanted to share in that spirit, and also hope to hear what you're curious, excited, or angry about, in the Philly art scene or beyond.
$11 tickets to the opera
This week brought the announcement that all Opera Philadelphia tickets will be $11, or choose what you pay, for the 24-25 season. When I went online a couple of days later to see what was available, there were basically only wheelchair companion seats left, even for Don Giovanni in April 2025. As someone who has been excited by Opera Philadelphia's programming in the past but unable to afford tickets, I'm thrilled. An amazing opening move by new General Director Anthony Roth Costanzo. I will be curious to see how many of those $11 ticket buyers actually show up 8 months later, but I hope we have a bounty of new opera lovers.
New leadership
Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation has a new Executive Director - Sam Tower!!! The Bartol Foundation focuses on "supporting work at the intersection of arts, education, healing and social justice" and they could not have made a better choice than Sam to lead them in their next chapter. Love to see foundations being led by artists who have been doing the work for years and have a true understanding of community needs and ways of working.
Book report: The Swans of Harlem
My mom recommended this book to me and I wasn't even halfway through it before I started recommending it to anyone within earshot. It focuses on five extraordinary women from the early days of Dance Theatre of Harlem, late '60s - early '70s. The level of trust between writer Karen Valby and these dancers is wild, because the book feels like you're crowded around a kitchen table listening to them swap stories about partying with Mick Jagger, going on tour, and fighting to live up to the expectations of artistic director Arthur Mitchell.
I can't get enough of hearing about company dynamics and this record paints such a beautiful picture of the relationships between the dancers. The picture of Mitchell is more complicated; I don't think the book could have been written while he was alive. (One small example of his control: the dancers were fined if they wore clothes or a hairstyle Mitchell didn't approve of, even on their days off.) I was literally laughing, crying, and gasping throughout my reading experience. With five main characters, there are a lot of people coming in and out and it's sometimes hard to track who is who, but so rewarding to hear the stories of these women who insistently, determinedly crafted a space for Black ballerinas.
September Cover Woman
Taking a moment to celebrate this radiant cover image from Dance Magazine of Urban Bush Women founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. The accompanying article by Sydnie Mosley focuses on the many methods of collaboration within the company. (UBW is also looking for their next Executive Director; is it you?)
Sisterly Affection (a bit of Philadelphia appreciation)
I found myself on a block of Fairmount I'd never been down before and came upon this unexpected squirrel statue...
See you out there!