Philly Theatre Week, sponsored by Theatre Philadelphia, continues through April 14 with performances, readings, workshops and special events.
Now in its seventh year, Philly Theatre Week comes to stages and venues in Philadelphia, Delaware, South Jersey and surrounding counties.
Tickets for all shows and events are available at www.phillytheatreweek.com.
Follow Theatre Philadelphia on social media for updates at @theatrephiladelphia.
“We are excited to be back for our seventh annual Philly Theatre Week and to be continuing its mission for more accessible theater for the Greater Philadelphia community,” said Theatre Philadelphia Executive Director Sabriaya Shipley. “In addition to the theater companies and artist collectives joining us, Theatre Philadelphia is curating in-person and virtual discussions, podcast conversations, digital interactive campaigns and community-centered events that engage with various intersections of the theater community. We hope that Philly Theatre Week continues to be a time of year for celebrating, honoring and gathering the Greater Philadelphia community around the current theater season offerings and also giving tangible resources or connections to put towards the next Philly theater season.”
Philly Theatre Week was created to spotlight the artists, organizations and theaters in the region. Events are broken down into Theatre Philadelphia curated events and events by participating theaters and artists.
Below are some highlights.
Theatre Philadelphia curated events:
• Theatre Philadelphia & Yes And … Collaborative Arts Community Picnic; April 13, 3 p.m.; 21 W. Washington Lane.
Theatre Philadelphia is partnering with Yes And … Collaborative Arts for a community picnic featuring live music, indoor/outdoor games, a crafts circle and a free book exchange.
• Time Frame; Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.; Rendell Ballroom, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad St.
Acting Without Boundaries will present scenes, songs and conversations on the theme of Time. Through the lens of disability, society and the performing arts, actors will explore and celebrate time and how time affects lives.
• Hatshepsut
Thursday, April 11, 7:30 p.m., Braid Mill, 441 High St.
Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m., Lil Filmmaker, 6156 Ridge Ave.
Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m., Fleischer Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St.
A new play and world premiere about the true story of an ancient Egyptian queen who became pharaoh and then was erased from history for more than 3,000 years.
• Hoopsical: Remixed! An Anti-Bully Musical in One Act; Friday, April 12, 6 p.m.; Columbus Square Recreation Center, 12th and Wharton streets.
School is in session, but a group of bullies are failing on purpose. The teacher pleads with them to try to be better leaders. They go to recess. A new student brings hula hoops on the first day of school but is bullied by the class. Two friends make a stand and the three make a pact of friendship. They agree they will hula hoop together, and they even get all the students to play. The bullies apologize and learn to join in on the fun.
• Spotlight Series: A Closer Look; Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m., and Monday, April 15, 7 p.m.; Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks St.
MusiCoLab, a new nonprofit that supports musical theater creators in the area, invites you to take “A Closer Look” at 30-minute selections from three new musicals by hometown composers and writers. “A Closer Look” is part of “Curtain Up Philly: A Celebration of New Musicals,” presented by MusiCoLab and three other Philadelphia musical theater companies.
• Macbeth
Thursday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m.
Quintessence Theatre Group, Sedgewick Theatre, 7137 Germantown Ave.
A kingdom at war. A celebrated soldier and his ambitious wife look to their future. Three witches promise power and prophecy greatness.
• The Importance of Being Earnest
Friday, April 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m.
First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave.
• The Grand Finale! – A Cabaret-Karaoke Party
Sunday, April 14; doors at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m.; karaoke until 11 p.m.
The Painted Mug Cafe, 1527 Jackson St.
On the final day of 2024 Philly Theatre Week, join The Hum’n’bards Theater Troupe in its cabaret salute to finales. Send off the week with entertainment and mocktails at the Painted Mug Cafe, hosted by local singer and drag artist Patti LuStoned. Fancy dress is encouraged.
• Gilbert & Sullivan & Cocktails; Saturday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.; Trinity Memorial Church, 2212 Spruce St.
The Savoy Company of Philadelphia will be performing selections from a number of Gilbert & Sullivan operas, accompanied by three cocktail pairings.
• Dare Night – National Treasure; Friday, April 12, 7 p.m.; The Playground at the Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom St.
• An Enemy of the People
Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.
Yellow Bicycle Theatre, 1435 Arch St.
Ibsen’s timely classic pits brother against brother when deadly bacteria is discovered in a spa town’s water supply. Where is the line between individual freedom and collective responsibility, and who should draw it?
• The Meal; Saturday, April 13, 6:30 p.m.; Germantown Mennonite Church, 21 W. Washington Lane.
• Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile
Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.
Ritz Theatre Company, 915 Whitehorse Pike, Haddon Township, New Jersey
Kay Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth and a new husband, she embarks on a honeymoon voyage down the Nile, but fatal circumstances await when the idyllic surroundings are shattered by a brutal murder. Under scrutiny are a multitude of memorable passengers, all with a reason to kill. The tension and claustrophobia builds, as a shocking conspiracy is laid bare.
• The Zoo Story by Edward Albee
Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m.
Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St.
This classic one-act explores themes of isolation, loneliness, miscommunication, social disparity and dehumanization in a materialistic world. A man (Kevin Bergen) sits peacefully reading in the sunlight in Central Park. There enters a second man (Robert DaPonte). He is a young, unkempt and undisciplined vagrant where the first is neat, ordered, well-to-do and conventional. With humor and suspense, the young savage slowly, but relentlessly, brings his victim down to his own atavistic level as he relates a story about his visit to the zoo.
• JMT Presents Bright Star
Friday, April 12, 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m.
Jenkintown High School, 325 Highland Ave., Jenkintown
Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Broadway’s Bright Star tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past — and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives.
• The Good Person of Setzuan
Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.
The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St.
Three Gods come to the city of Setzuan looking for one good person. They cross paths with Shen Te, a downtrodden young woman trying to lead a “good” life amid the chaotic thrum and bustle of the shantytown. She offers the Gods shelter and, in return, they reward Shen Te with money that is intended as both a gift and a test. Shen Te initially attempts to maintain her charitable nature, but the hectic life of the city combined with the mounting needs of her neighbors lead her to assume an uncompromising alter ego who becomes consumed by the Gods’ challenge. The Good Person of Setzuan dares audiences to question what it means to be good and who gets to adjudicate right from wrong.
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