Ursula Rucker Album Preview

Thursday, September 2

9:00 pm

Johnny Brenda’s

1201 N. Frankford Avenue

 

A Philly treasure and international star on the poetry and performance arts scene, Ursula Rucker has been skillfully bending words to her will for many years.  Her first big break came on lead creative ambassadors, The Roots' debut album, Do You Want More?!!?!! and subsequent appearances on their compilations and her own EPs have propelled the Philly 360° creative ambassador to produce another powerful album.  Ursula, a poet, vocalist, mother and activist, previews her new album, She Said, with a performance within the intimate confines of Johnny Brenda’s.

Buy your tickets today!

September 3 – 18: Philly Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe

188 shows.  100 venues.  16 days.

This annual festival explodes with out-of-the-box, diverse performances and installations that engage and excite audiences, while pushing the proverbial arts envelope.

The Philly Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe brings together artists from around the region and the world to showcase imaginative plays, dance, concerts, exhibitions, multimedia installations and interdisciplinary performances and more.

With almost two hundred amazing shows to choose from, it’s hard to narrow down what performances will rock your world but here are some of our top picks:

 

Statements After an Arrest Under the Immortality Act

September 3 @ 6:00 pm

September 4 @ 3:00 pm

September 5 @ 8:30 pm

September 6 @ 8:30 pm

Playground at the Adrienne

2030 Sansom Street

 

In post-apartheid South Africa, a Black man and white woman’s love is at risk as their personal journey becomes a political statement. 

 

A Separate Sun

September 4 @ 7:00 pm

September 5 (sold out)

September 7-10 @ 7:00 pm

September 11 @ 4:00 pm & 7:00 pm

The Arts Garage

1533-35 Ridge Avenue

Barrymore award-winning actress Joliet Harris stars in this play about a woman’s struggle to overcome abuse, drugs and depression.  Written by playwright and journalist Joseph P. Blake, this moving show also features original music and songs.

 

Cosmic Terrarium/Motion Painting Project

Sean Stoops and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program

September 4 – 17

Dawn to dusk, daily

FREE

631 N. 5th Street (at Fairmount, across from the Festival Box Office)

Throughout the festival, visitors will bear witness to a live outdoor mural painting, which will take place in a vacant lot.  This transformation will be documented over the course of two weeks and be digitally photographed and edited into a time-lapse video short.  Stop by the site every day to see how ordinary places are transformed by artists into extraordinary spaces.

 

A New Shade of Blue

September 5 @ 4:00 pm

September 12 @ 4:00 pm

Dave & Buster’s Showroom

325 N. Columbus Boulevard

 

Destiny Productions Theater Ensemble presents a tribute to the legendary singer Billie Holiday and other supernovae of jazz through song and dialogue designed to entertain, educate and inspire.

 

Eight Choreographers/Eight New Works

September 7 – 12

Check website for specific dates and times

Live Arts Studio

919 N. 5th Street

 

This multi-night show features eight world premieres at two works per night with dancers whose themes stretch from perverse humor and African-American testifying culture, to Japanese horror films and folklore and more.

 

…i learned not to kneel…and other advice from brilliant women

September 7, 8, 9 @ 7:30 pm

CHI Movement Arts Center

1316 S. 9th Street

 

Inspired by the writings of powerful women like Ntozake Shange, Mary Oliver and Anne Sexton, dancers will use bold, dramatic moves to tell intimate stories on the stage.

  

American N---- Zoo

Misty Sol and Charly Brownskin

September 8, 9, 10 @ 8:00 pm

Gallerie Isada

3320 Collins Street

 

This study in racism in America is sure to shock the audience but also prompt everyday folks to question and discuss the origins of stereotypes and the perpetuation of myths of people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

 

Celebrating the Beginning…Finding the Purpose!

Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble

Saturday, September 11 @ 8:00 pm

Sunday, September 12 @ 4:00 pm

John E. Allen Jr. Theatre at the New Freedom Theatre

1346 N. Broad Street

 

Join the Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble as they celebrate their fifth anniversary with works from Zane Booker, Bill Thomas, artist director A.C. Gilmore and resident choreographer Shawn Lamere Williams.  A special work premiere piece by guest choreographer Meredith Rainey will cap off a night of exciting dance performances!

 

Stew and The Negro Problem with Heidi Rodewald

September 13 @ 8:00 pm

World Café Live

3025 Walnut Street

 

Passing Strange screening

September 9 @ 8:00 pm

FREE

Festival Bar

SW corner of Spring Garden Street and Columbus Boulevard

 

Led by Stew and Obie award-winning Heidi Rodewald, this Afro Baroque cabaret ensemble is coveted for their literate precision, sly humor, and deep emotional resonance, hovering between the divergent worlds of rock and theater. Stew's performances have been compared in the same breath with Kurt Weill, Burt Bacharach, and Jackie Gleason.

 

The ensemble will perform pieces from their Tony® award-winning rock musical, Passing Strange, as well as new songs from their upcoming musical.

 

Join the ensemble for a FREE screening of the Spike Lee movie, Passing Strange, based on their rock musical of the same name.  Strange tells the story of a young Black man who leaves his middle-class, church-ruled Los Angeles home in the 1970s to travel to Europe in a quest to discover his artistic self.

70th Birthday Celebration Honoring Jazz Legend Dave Burrelle featuring William Parker and Sabir Mateen

Thursday, September 9 and

Friday, September 10

8:00 pm

Philadelphia Art Alliance

251 S. 18th Street

 

The Ars Nova Workshop (ANW) presents two back-to-back nights of performances at to celebrate the 70th birthday of legendary jazz pianist Dave Burrell.  For this very special occasion, Burrell will be playing with bassist William Parker and native Philadelphian and multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, flute, clarinets) Sabir Mateen.

Since he began making music in the 1960s, Burrell has continued to be one of the most significant composers, pianists and jazz innovators, ceaselessly pushing the limits of his instrument and sharing his love of music with audiences around the world.   Burrell has appeared on over 120 recordings as a sideman or group leader since his debut album, 1965's High. He is one of the most celebrated, innovative and influential artists of the post-Coltrane free jazz continuum, and has worked with a long list of jazz luminaries including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Sunny Murray, and Sonny Sharrock.

Corinne Bailey Rae

Saturday, September 11

7:30 pm

The Electric Factory

7th & Willow Streets

 

Known best for her breakout hits, “Put Your Records On” and “Just Like a Star”, Grammy® award-winning singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae returns to the pop-light with her new album The Sea, which features “The Blackest Lily”, a song produced with Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and James Poyser of The Roots (Philly 360° lead creative ambassadors).

Buy your tickets today.

PHILADANCO Alumni Performance & Reception

Saturday, September 11

8:00 pm

Painted Bride Arts Center

230 Vine Street

 

The talented alumni of the Philadelphia Dance Company, better known as PHILADANCO, return to the stage with their trademark high-powered, stellar performance. Join members and founder Joan Myers Brown as PHILADANCO continues to celebrate its fortieth anniversary season.

Little Brother

Saturday, September 11

9:00 pm

Theater of the Living Arts

334 South Street

 

The supercool and always trendy folks at Two.One.Five Magazine presents Little Brother, a hip hop duo (original member 9th Wonder has since left the group) from North Carolina, whose lyrics challenge modern-day rap archetypes. Their albums The Listening and The Minstrel Show feature tight studio production and has secured the group a place in the hip hop pantheon.

Special guests include the Hall of Justus and Philly's own Dice Raw and Truck North.

Buy your tickets here.

Bilal - Album Release Party

Tuesday, September 14

9:00 pm

Johnny Brenda's

1201 N. Frankford Avenue

 

One of Philly’s favorite soul-stirring sons returns to the city that fueled his musical fire.  Bilal, one of the progenitors of the neo-soul sound, drops his first studio album in nine years, Air Tight's Revenge.

Buy your tickets early and catch his amazing live show!

Janelle Monáe with of Montreal

Wednesday, September 15

8:00 pm

Electric Factory

421 N. 7th Street

 

Futuristic funky diva Janelle Monáe returns to Philly to perform genre-bending hits from her latest album, The ArchAndroid (Suites II and II) and wow the crowd with her frenetic stage show, which references various music stars, from James Brown to Madonna.  Catch her live performance with of Montreal, on whose album, False Priest, she appears.

Buy your tickets today!

Wiz Khalifa

Thursday, September 16

7:00 pm

The Trocadero

1011 Arch Street

 

Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Wiz Khalifa is a hip hop artist who has built a strong grassroots following, using social media. His mixtape, Kush and Orange Juice, became a number one trending topic on Twitter in April of this year and has spurred his success.

Buy your tickets today.

Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra: Tiempos y Música

Thursday, September 16

7:30 pm

Baptist Temple at Temple University

1837 N. Broad Street

 

The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra -- the nation’s most culturally diverse professional chamber orchestra -- opens their 2010-2011 season at the historic Baptist Temple on the campus of Temple University with a new program that celebrates the Mexican Bicentennial and Hispanic Heritage Month.

BONUS: This concert is FREE and open to the public.

Get your tickets today!

 

Plus, check out founding music direct and creative ambassador Jeri Lynne Johnson's profile and new video under "On the Reel!"