The story, originally written for the stage by Veronica Mercedes Ponce De Leon & Francisco Javier Carbajal, follows the abridged life of a young Mexican punk rocker who seeks to find new opportunities across the Tijuana, Mexico border. Confusion and tragedy ensues which results in our protagonist being lost in the Mexicali desert. The cast is made up of members of the community that supports Ollin Yoliztlin Calmecac in their ultimate goal of proliferating Mexicayotl cultural programming throughout the greater Philadelphia area.

Risin’ to the Love we Need | Theatre in the XPart of EgoPo's B Side Series

Though often a forgotten name, Assotto Saint was a trailblazer in the 1980s and early ‘90s who heavily contributed to increasing the visibility of contemporary black queerness in literature and theater. Theatre in the X will partner with us to present Assotto Saint’s award winning Risin’ to the Love We Need.

@setsuhi_eri_shiraishi on IGProfessional Calligrapher and Shodo master. She continues to pursue the beauty of the lines and spaces that influence the viewers momentarily. She sublimes calligraphy as a comprehensive art, such as collaborating with other arts in a unique style while transmitting the world of traditional calligraphy, is highly appreciated. Her live performances created by fusion with live music attract many fans all over the world.

She designed the concept of the new uniform for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Japan National Team, "Circle". With Shiseido Co., Ltd. for Clé de Peau Beauté, and works to transcend the frame, such as producing TRM of Panasonic and wall paintings of Oracle Japan Co., Ltd.

She worked at Installation at the Japan Pavilion certification event at Expo Milan. Performed at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. She was an invited artist at Abiko International Outdoor Art Exhibition Installation.She did solo exhibitions at Paris, NY, SF, JICC Embassy of Japan, and Baltimore in the United States She has worked in Baltimore and many cities along the east coast touring regularly with OTS productions since 2017.

Kinbakuartistmiki + Athena@otsproductionsbaltimore on IGKAM + Athena fluctuate the body between time, space and moment to speak to the viewer the stories from 1000 years ago. They have been performing together in performance art pieces related to Kinbaku and hosting workshops on the practice together in PA, VA, MD, FL.

Fire Museum Presents: Vinay Desai and Anirudh Alva Changkakoti

Vinay Desai is a direct disciple of the world renowned Santoor Maestro Padma Vibhusan Pandit Shivkumar Sharmaji. After completing college, Vinay sought out to learn Santoor in India. Having had some background training in Indian Classical music, in 2011, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma guided him to begin his training under Takahiro Arai and Kunal Gunjal before being accepted by Panditji himself. He regularly performs throughout USA (including Hawaii), Argentina, Canada, The Bahamas, Australia, and India. He has performed for some of the well known organizations and prestigious festivals in different countries including Fringe Festival in Adelaide, Mona Foma in Tasmania, Lollapalooza Festival in Argentina (Vinay was one of the first Santoor players to play in an orchestra in Argentina), Festival of Tabla in L.A., KBF Festival in Arizona, Kussum Mahotsav TSA in NJ, Darpan in Texas, Jaipur Literature Festival, SwarZankar in Pune, Hamsadhwani, Matra in Kolkata, and Starglam Entertainment in Canada. Though specializing in Indian Classical Music, Vinay has worked with many different genres. He is known for his meditative and dynamic musical phrases. His devotion to the purity and the depth of Shivkumar Sharma's style comes forth in performance. Vinay continues to spread his Guru’s work not only through performances, but also teaching and lecturing at different places. He has performed with legends including Ustad Tari khan, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh and some of the most renowned up and coming Tabla players.

The concert will begin with a meditative melodic improvisation that takes the listeners to a place of deep stillness. Vinay is known for his superlative melodic improvisations and sharp sense of rhythm. Joined by tabla player Anirudh Alva Changkakoti, they have an astonishing ability to dive into and reinterpret traditional music.

Anirudh Alva Changkakoti:

Anirudh Alva Changkakoti was identified as a child prodigy at the age of 3 by his guru, Dr. Narendra Verma, a disciple of the illustrious, Ustad Alla Rakha. Dr. Verma trained Anirudh intensively in the Punjab gharana style of tabla playing, which is known for its blend of aesthetics and mathematics.

Over the years, Anirudh’s passion for the instrument only grew stronger, leading him to absorb knowledge and compositions from many other gharanas to create his own unique style of tabla solos and tasteful accompaniment.

Anirudh has won numerous awards at both state and national levels in the US. He has performed across the US, Canada, Mexico, and India, and at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center. Anirudh has had the opportunity to record with multiple Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning artists as well. Through his guru’s referral, Anirudh has been training under his hero and inspiration, Ustad Zakir Hussain for the past 15 years.

Admission is FREE/pay-what-you-can. Advance registration is recommended and can be found HERE

Learn more about the Velocity Fund's grant application — open now through November 24! We'll cover eligibility, all parts of the application, selection criteria — and any of your questions.

Applications open: September 16 – November 24, 2024

Masks are required at this event, and ASL interpretation will be provided. Please email info@velocityfund.org with any accessibility requests or questions. Browse our other Info Sessions here.

The Velocity Fund offers twelve Philadelphia-based artists and collectives $5000 to develop and present new projects — particularly those that are experimental in genre, collaborative in practice, grounded in their communities, and thoughtful in their impact. Independent artists, collaborative groups, and non-incorporated collectives are welcome to apply. The Velocity Fund intends to directly support artists and arts-based cultural organizers who conduct their practice outside the studio, and who present them outside traditional art spaces. Velocity has funded multidisciplinary and varied work that use visual arts — including (but never limited to) printmaking, performance, video, puppetry, sculpture, and curation — to expand, archive, learn with, and lift up their publics. The Velocity Fund is a Regional Regranting Program supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and hosted by Asian Arts Initiative.

Please register HERE

Disability Justice for Artists ft. Wendy EV

This workshop is a unique opportunity for artists with disabilities to come together, share experiences, and explore the intersection of art and disability. All types of artists are welcome!Our facilitator Wendy Elliott-Vandivier is a graduate of Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She creates art that explores issues of family, memory, and her experiences as a disabled woman. Her work includes autobiographical cartoons that focus on attitudinal barriers and stereotypes regarding disabilities, as well as photography of micro-scale monuments in nature.

Registration is FREE and is required in order to receive the link to the virtual event. Please register HERE

Penn's Lauder Institute, Center for Africana Studies and Penn Global Documentary Institute are pleased to present African Narratives, a film series that showcases global African cinema. The series will feature films that explore the diverse complexity of African life and culture and/or highlight the work of its new and established filmmakers.

The November screening will feature (3) short films, In the Language of Our Mothers, Is It Because I’m A Girl, and Echoes From Home. The films’ crews were made up of Penn students and students of the FilmAid Kenya film training program at the Kakuma Refugee Camp. These films were directed by Peter Decherney, FilmAid’s lead film instructor, and Penn alumna, Jean Chapiro. Please review the film descriptions below:

IN THE LANGUAGE OF OUR MOTHERS(Directed by Jean Chapiro (’21))Sadia is a Masalit composer who immigrated from Sudan to Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, in 2017. Since 2003 the Janjaweed, a Sudanese Arab militia group, have been systematically attacking the ethnic-African Masalit tribe. With the rise of the civil war in Sudan in April of 2023, the Janjaweed once again found an opportunity to attack the Masalit tribe and planned on exterminating them. With little hope of returning home to help her people, Sadia uses music to inspire the Masalit community both in Sudan and in Kakuma. She composes songs in Masalit, her mother language, not only as a means of resilience but also to pass on her tradition and her culture to the next generation. Sadia sings with her children and the children of the Masalit community who were born in Kakuma. Sadia signs to keep her community rooted in faith, their values and traditions. She sings so that no one forgets where they came from.IS IT BECAUSE I’M A GIRL(Directed by Peter Decherney)

Nao.G is the first South Sudanese woman hip-hop performer in Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp. She overcame family abuse and social pressure to create music and poetry that heals her and empowers others. She started a dance crew of all women. As she sings: she is a superstar in the camp, but she is going nowhere.ECHOES FROM HOMEDirected by Peter Gitau

Echoes of Home: The Burundi Drummers of Kakuma" is a captivating and poetic documentary that explores the remarkable journey of a group of Burundian refugees living in the Kakuma refugee camp. Set against the backdrop of one of the world's most challenging environments, this film is a celebration of the enduring power of culture, music, and human spirit in the face of adversity.

*Each FREE showing includes light refreshments and a post-film discussion/Q&A.* RSVP is required. Please register HERE

Secret Cinema presents W.C. FIELDS SHORT FILMS 

Philadelphia native son W.C. Fields is often acclaimed as one of the greatest comedians of the movies, and Fields feature films such as IT'S A GIFT and THE BANK DICK are rightfully hailed as masterpieces.

Lesser known are the short films that launched Fields' career in talkies -- which began AFTER he appeared in ten silent features, those following a long run as a top-billed star of international stages, in vaudeville, and acting in Broadway shows. By the time sound motion pictures were developed, Fields had already finely tuned his unique characterization and delivery of comic dialogue (most of it self-penned).

On Thursday, November 14, the Secret Cinema will return to The Rotunda for a gathering of some of Fields' funniest films. W.C. FIELDS SHORT FILMS will include nearly all of the short films starring this unique funnyman.

These will include the following:

Mack Sennett Comedies (1932-33) - The four sound two-reelers made for Sennett comprise some of Fields' best work, and show some experimentation with gags and story ideas that would wind up in his better known features. THE DENTIST includes scenes and double entendres that are outrageously "pre-code" in their sexuality (most famously, the orgasmic moans and writhing of one unusually responsive female patient, which were edited out of some prints). THE BARBER SHOP places Fields in another profession with plenty of opportunities for gags and dark humor, and helps set the pattern for his character being troubled by a shrewish wife, pesky children, and unfriendly customers. THE PHARMACIST, with Fields as a small-town shopkeeper, contains trial runs for many of the bits featured in the feature that many consider his greatest, IT'S A GIFT (some gags in both films were already used in the 1926 feature IT'S THE OLD ARMY GAME). THE FATAL GLASS OF BEER, was perhaps the most ahead of its time. Completely deadpan satire -- likely the first such instance of that on the screen -- mercilessly lampoons corny stage melodramas, sentimentality and cost-cutting stock footage use, not to mention the Temperance movement (when the film was released, prohibition was still in force in some states). THE FATAL GLASS OF BEER was universally disliked by audiences and exhibitors on its initial release, but can now be seen as a black comedy classic.

POOL SHARKS (1915) - The British Gaumont studio contracted W.C. Fields, already a star of vaudeville and the Ziegfeld Follies, to appear in his first film (shot in New York). Miraculously (and unlike several other silents that Fields starred in), the film survives, rediscovered via a single nitrate print in the mid-1960s. POOL SHARKS begins with some awkward slapstick, but soon turns into a showcase for one of Fields' signature stage routines, showing his skill making trick shots on a pool table (it was as a juggler that he first came to prominence). Film historian William K. Everson wrote: "POOL SHARKS must surely rank as one of the most auspicious debuts made by any of the major screen comedians…a minor masterpiece when viewed in the context of its period, and certainly a major milestone in the early evolution of screen comedy."

Plus a surprise, bonus film!

There will be one complete show at 8:00 pm. Admission is FREE.

As usual, all Secret Cinema presentations are projected in 16mm film on a giant screen (not video, not digital, all analog!).

This screening is part of the Rotunda's ongoing "Bright Bulb Screening Series," which offers free movies on the second Thursday of every month, throughout the year.

SECRET CINEMA WEBSITE

ABOUT THE ARTISTSJulian Calv is a musicologist and performer who specializes in the music of Moondog. He graduated from Moravian University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music degree and plays the trimba, a percussion instrument invented by Moondog. Moondog’s only trimba student, Stefan Lakatos, was the teacher of Julian. He does both studio and live projects. His 2023 vinyl release “Route 4/Thorn and Roots” presents two percussion compositions based on rhythmic patterns utilized by Moondog. Following this on November 9th 2024, Julian’s debut album Nonstop Motion will be released– presenting original compositions alongside never before recorded Moondog compositions. He’s brought Moondog’s music to uncharted territories too. On July 18th, 2024, he performed with his vocal sextet Non Prophets at the Southern State Correctional Facility, in Springfield Vermont, to a captive audience – some of whom had never heard live music in the last seventeen years. This project was the first of a lifetime of activism projects Julian hopes to continue.

Alex Stewart is a musician, architect, and man about town. He loves living in Newport, NH. He directs the adult choir and bell choir at the South Congregational Church where he plays organ and piano each week. He directs the Kearsarge Community Band in nearby New London. He also accompanies several community and school ensembles, performs with the NH Troubadours and the Newport Opera House Association, serves on the Choral Arts Foundation of the Upper Valley, and does other stuff. He is grateful for this opportunity, and hopes you’re having fun.

Sarah Penna is a musician and all around nature lover. She graduated from Moravian university in 2021 where she studied music education along with vocal, and piano, performance. Her honors project “The Human Faith Melody and the Power of the Common Soul: Charles Ives and the Concord Transcendentalists” was completed in 2021 and is a culmination of her music studies and spiritual interests. Sarah continues to unify community and music through her work with the Vermont State parks and performances with Julian.

Admission is FREE/pay-what-you-wish

Celebrate the Art of Storytelling and join Patchwork Storytelling Guild for its annual and much-anticipated hallmark event—Tellabration 2024— The Brave Ones: Stories of Risk, Hurdles, and Heroes, 2PM to 4PM. This dynamic event features  the savvy bravado of veteran tellers Ingrid Bohn, Ted Fink, Denise McCormack, MaryAnn Paterniti, Greg Snow, and Ed Stivender.A Brand-New Razzle Dazzle Storytelling Showcase in the Folkloric Tradition! Stories told in all kinds of ways. Stories told in all kinds of voices.

Admission is pay-what-you-can. Advance registration is encouraged. Please register HERE 

ABOUT THE PROGRAM: TALES & TELLERSThe Phoenix and Her City ~Ingrid BohnSticks and Stones ~ Ted FinkTales of Tin Soldiers ~ Denise McCormackThe Blue Hippopotamus ~ MaryAnn PaternitiBroken Love in 3 Pieces  ~ Greg SnowThe Wise One ~ Ed StivenderABOUT OUR SLATE OF TELLERS Ingrid Bohn: an Interactive Theater and Storytelling performance artist, has engaged audiences of all ages through story, song, dance, and poetry. Her repertoire wields a vast array of folk & fairy tales, and mythical stories. In her tales, she strives to bring each multifaceted character to life, in a multitude of ways. Mrs. Bohn has performed in PA & NJ at a myriad of venues & festivals, she’s conducted several school storytelling workshops, and has appeared in several virtual stateside & global programs. Her career spans over a decade. Ingrid's passionate and deliberate delivery style is sure to capture your imagination and heart.Ted Fink: Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ted Fink started writing poetry when he was five, stories when he was twelve, and music when he was eighteen. Throughout his young adult life, he was a restaurateur, entrepreneur, and educator. His unique businesses and life experiences helped set the stage for the tales and novels he has created to date.  His original songs and music enhance his intense, humorous, and poignant monologues. He is the ultimate performance artist and has acted in several major theatrical productions. Many things may change, but one constant will always remain - Ted Fink will push the boundaries of traditional storytelling. Denise McCormack is a celebrated storyteller and performance artist, renowned for her ability to bring narratives to life on stage. Her captivating presence and talent for weaving engaging tales have enchanted audiences at the National Storytellers Network conferences, NJ Storytelling Festival, Philadelphia's main stages, and NYC's Artists Without Borders. Denise's performances are marked by compelling character portrayals and an intuitive connection with her audience. As president of Patchwork: A Storytelling Guild and a key figure in various storytelling organizations, Denise has played a vital role in fostering a vibrant storytelling culture. She also offers workshops and coaching sessions on storytelling and public speaking, helping participants unlock their storytelling potential.MaryAnn Paterniti tells traditional folk tales, fairytales,  and literary stories. She has an animated style that will capture your attention and keep you very entertained. Her repertoire includes over a hundred age-appropriate stories for children, teens, and adult audiences. MaryAnn’s also been an Early Childhood Educator for over 45 years and is a natural in the classroom. In her mind , she can play the djembe, the harmonica, and the ukulele.  MaryAnn lives in Burlington, Vermont and will happily travel to your event.Greg Snow is a 2nd generation poet, emcee, and host who loves seeing poets set free. Greg was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA before moving to Philly after college. Co-founding 2 Lines open mic in 2021 with his friends, Greg continues to provide open mic experiences in hopes people would experience true and lasting freedom.His poetry is a bridge for the broken to find beauty.  Ed Stivender: Internationally-known Storyteller Ed Stivender is a force to be reckoned with.  Known for his witty , original renditions of traditional and classic stories, Mr. Stivender has entertained audiences of all ages around the country since 1980. The author of Raise Catholic (Can You Tell?), and seven spoken word albums, he is the winner of the Circle of Excellence Storytelling Award and several prizes in the Philadelphia Mummers’ Parade. 

Admission is pay-what-you-can. Advance registration is encouraged. Please register HERE 

The Event Horizon concert series features Electronic, Avant Garde, and Experimental music along with the work of live video projection artists. The concerts are always free and open to all.

Please subscribe to our twitch and/or YouTube streams as on occasion, we stream the concerts live.

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/event_horizon_concerts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theeventhorizonconcertseri7364

Featured artists this month: Walmort Portrait Studio, Hypnagogue, Jair-Johm Parker Wells and Jeff Snyder

Walmort Portrait Studio – The music of Walmort Portrait Studio explores the relationship between the tyranny of aging and copycat violence. With influences as diverse as Scarlatti and Poppy, new variations are manufactured from both mundane and transcendent structures. Ever since WPS met as children we have been fascinated by the unrelenting divergence of the human condition. What starts out as a triumph of artistic interrogation soon becomes corrupted into a carnival of lust, leaving only a sense of chaos and hope for a new order – “Daughter of the Regiment”. As subtle derivatives become reconfigured through diligent and academic practice, the listener is left with an epitaph for the edges of our world.

Hypnagogue is the solo project of New England based sound artist and musician James Rosato. With Hypnagogue, Rosato aims to create dynamic soundscapes using magnetic tape, processed guitar, and other source material. Rosato has been performing and recording under the name Hypnagogue since 2014 His latest release, “lying in a cold field, staring up at the sky”, reflects a minimalizing of style, and like Hypnagogue’s live performances, serves to hold space for the listener away from their immediate surroundings.

Jair-Rohm Parker Wells & Jeff Snyder – Jair-Rohm Parker Wells is an American electric bassist and experimental music artist. He is a pioneering figure in the world of free jazz and improvised music,with a career spanning over four decades. In the 1970s, Wells played with the seminal German band Embryo, solidifying his presence in the avant-garde music scene. Over the years he has collaborated with prominent experimental musicians like Bob Belden, Jaron Lanier, Tony Scott, Eugene Chadbourne and Karl Berger, and was a founding member of the improvising band Machine Gun. Wells also founded the Meeting Interdisciplinary Arts Festival in Stockholm, Sweden and the band Doom Dogs with Reeves Gabrels. Born on October 13, 1958 in Tacoma, Washington USA and raised in southern Germany. He moved to New York in 1978, where he attended Tulane University in New Orleans, performing with local jazz and rhythm and blues musicians. He also studied with Richard Payne and discovered the music of Harry Partch. In 1980, he moved to New York and began work-study with saxophonist.

Jeff Snyder (b. 1978) is a composer, improviser, and instrument designer living in Princeton, New Jersey, and active in the New York City area. As founder and lead designer of Snyderphonics, Jeff designs and builds unusual electronic musical instruments. His creations include the Manta, which is played by over150 musicians around the world; the JD-1 Keyboard/Sequencer, which was commissioned as a specialtycontroller for Buchla synthesizers; and the custom analog modular synthesizer on which he regularly performs. Jeff is a member of experimental electronic duo exclusive Or, avant jazz group The Federico Ughi Quartet , improvisatory noise trio The Mizries, and laptop ensemble Sideband. He fronts the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves as his electro-country alter-ego, Owen Lake. He also composes alternate-reality Early Music for an ensemble of his invented instruments. In 2009, Jeff co-founded an experimental music record label, Carrier Records , which continues to release strange and exciting experimental music. In 2011, he received a doctorate with distinction in Music Composition from Columbia University. He is the Director of Electronic Music at Princeton University, and the Director of PLOrk , the Princeton Laptop Orchestra.

Admission is FREE

DEAD BOB ON US TOUR

DEBUT ALBUM, 'LIFE LIKE', OUT NOW – LISTEN / PURCHASE HERE

Dead Bob is the solo incarnation of John Wright, drummer of long time and apparently legendary, but now retired, Punk rock band No Means No.

“Life Like”, a NMN cover actually, is the title track of the first album John has released on his own. Recorded and Produced by John in the wilds of British Columbia, this album's material spans several decades and there is lots more in the archives.

Though primarily written and performed by John he can’t take all the credit having engaged the help of several friends to get this thing done. Byron Slack (Invasives), Kristy Lee Audette (Rong), Ford Pier (Ford Pier and the Vengeance Trio, DOA, Roots Round up, Junior Gone Wild, Rheostatics), Selina Martin, his son Aidan Wright, as well as two old collabs with brother Rob in the writer’s chair. 

As might be expected the songs roll out cohesively but defy the cookie cutter pigeon holes, hence "Genre" is a tough one to convey but one thing that is not unclear is it is not to be listened to quietly! 

Play loud and enjoy!

Then come see Dead Bob all Live Like!  

John has teamed with Ford, Byron, Kristy and good friend Colin MacRae (Pigment Vehicle) on Electric Bass Guitar. 

We aim to make sure you hear it all good and loud!  

ALL AGES NO ALCOHOL 

Doors: 6:30 pmBe Nothing: 7:00 - 7:20 pm

LUNG: 7:35 - 8:15 pm

Dead Bob: 8:30 - 10 pm

$15 Advance, $20 Day of Show. Advance tickets can be purchased HERE