One last Fringe guide, bit of grant advice, and one wild catch
Hello buddies! Welcome, new friends! This is the last post in the 'quiet phase' of this newsletter before we go public next week, so if you have thoughts, advice, commentary, hot takes, please let me know!
More Fringe recommendations
Last week had Fringe guides for those who might be coming from out of town, and for Philadelphians who might like to see some artists from out of town. This week is just more shows that I'm excited to see, mostly by local artists. This list is non-comprehensive; there's so much. What's on your must-see list?
Love you Love you Love you - Sarah Sanford - Directed by Alex Tatarsky, this one-woman show from Pig Iron faculty and performer Sarah Sanford holds comedy and tragedy together in exploring dementia and mothering.
Forehand Down the Line - Thomas Choinacky - I'm intrigued by the cast of 5 dancers (including Justin Jain and Eliana Fabiyi), who will be drawing inspiration from tennis ball people, rather than the star players.
hog ranch, hogwash, or putting lipstick on a pig - Kayt MacMaster - This one is a wild card pick for me as I don't know this artist, but her dance resume is impressive and I'm a sucker for any kind of spaghetti Western / cowgirl action.
INVITED DRESS THE "CABARET" - Colby Calhoun - "Colby is currently based in Philadelphia, coming from Dallas, TX, and holds space in her heart for her sordid love/hate relationship with the lone-star state." Say less, Colby, I'm there.
GHOST RIDE or the play that blows away - Agile Rascal Theatre - I have been dreaming of a play or dance to be experienced while on a bike for years and I'm thrilled these artists are making it happen! Written and directed by Dara Silverman and choreographed by Miguel Alejandro Castillo, the piece "follow[s] a food delivery worker into the afterlife."
within/without - Jungwoong Kim and Germaine Ingram - The Fringe website currently only lists Jungwoong as a performer, but according to Jungwoong, this is a duet with artists of "different backgrounds, different movement lineages, different generations, different nationalities, different ethnicities." Interested in seeing what these gorgeous movers do together.
MAP Fund awards
The MAP Fund announced its most recent grant awards this week. "With a record-breaking 2,378 submissions, the 2024 grant cycle marked the largest one-time award distribution in the organization’s 36-year history." The funder awarded 93 grants of $31,000 each, so that's 93 awards out of 2378 submissions. That's less than 4%, so painfully tiny that it hurts my soul. (It also makes me sad to see funders boasting about record levels of submissions.)
As a result, in my work as an arts grantwriter for hire, I advise artists not to spend time applying to MAP unless:
–they can complete the application in half an hour or so (very quick and dirty), or
--developing the language for the MAP application would actually be truly helpful in their own artistic process, or for use in other grant applications
Quote of the Week
With all eyes on Chicago this week as the DNC and related protests converged there, I was feeling a little nostalgia for my time in the place. The Washington Post had a few writers reflect on the city and I appreciated this ode to belly joy from Second City performer Bill Letz:
"As a Chicagoan, I am proud and happy to be surrounded by people with bellies. ... Is everyone having a good time? Am I being funny, or am I being a little bit of a jagoff? Can I jump high enough to kick the ceiling fan? If you’ve asked yourself these or similar questions, you likely have a wonderful little belly or a big, beautiful belly. Because you have the right attitude. Your focus is about having a good time, especially during hard times. Having a belly is a sign that you have lived a full life and that you have allowed others to do the same."
Field trip report
I got to visit BOMB's Small Press Flea celebrating indie presses and publishers. My favorite stall stop was 3 Hole Press, "a home for performance in book form and everyday life. We publish titles that expand our notions of plays, scripts, and scores, how we engage with them, and how we distribute them. We view publishing as a step towards making contemporary performance more accessible, and celebrate performance created for a reader."
I went home with a copy of Mariana Valencia's Bouquet and the friendly book-seller told me it was one of their last remaining copies. I clutched it even tighter!
Sisterly Affection
I'll be closing out each newsletter with a moment of Sisterly Affection*, celebrating a Philadelphia institution, event, window cat, or happening. This week brought us this unbelievable catch from the Phillies' resident Disney prince, Alec Bohm. The physical intelligence in these ten seconds is just incredible. Add in the flowing locks and the nonchalance... definitely a Philadelphia highlight of the week.
*unless I come up with a better name. If you have a suggestion, let me know!