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Performing Arts
An improv class that enriches the mind and soul, even remotely
An improv class that enriches the mind and soul, even remotely
The Penn Memory Center’s Cognitive Comedy program gives people with memory impairments and their caregivers a no-pressure space to think creatively, socialize, and be part of a community.
Penn performers keep creating during pandemic
Penn performers keep creating during pandemic
During the pandemic, the student Performing Arts Council has been working with the Platt Student Performing Arts House to encourage and support the hundreds of Penn performers, finding ways to promote their work on social media.
Personal documentaries replace performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Personal documentaries replace performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Theatre arts students created personal documentaries relating their situations during the coronavirus quarantine to the theme of transformation in crisis in the play “Orlando,” which they were supposed to perform at the now-cancelled Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland
Performing arts diversity in the (virtual) stacks
Performing arts diversity in the (virtual) stacks
Diversity in the Stacks aims to build library collections that represent and reflect the University’s diverse population, and extends to the field of digital performing arts.
Theater stopped misinformation during the Ebola crisis. The arts might help beat this pandemic
Theater stopped misinformation during the Ebola crisis. The arts might help beat this pandemic
When she started B4 Youth Theatre in 2010, Jasmine Blanks Jones wanted to create a theater camp where Liberian youth could amplify their voices as members of their community and use theater to create change.
The Sachs Program unveils 2020 grants
The Sachs Program unveils 2020 grants
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation revealed 34 new art projects from students, faculty, and staff that will receive funding.
Sharon Hayes on performance art
Sharon Hayes on performance art
Having come of age in New York City during the AIDS crisis, artist Sharon Hayes has always made work connected to political movements. She blends performance with installation and video to create large-scale works that explore the relationship between “the private and the public; the personal and the political.”
#GLASSFEST brings Philip Glass scores to Penn
#GLASSFEST brings Philip Glass scores to Penn
#GLASSFEST, which runs for three weeks at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, celebrates the legacy of composer Philip Glass.
A time traveling Harriet Tubman, brought to life on stage
A time traveling Harriet Tubman, brought to life on stage
English faculty Lorene Cary’s first play features a time traveling Harriet Tubman who toggles between her 19th-century life and a present-day Philadelphia prison where she recruits soldiers to fight with her in the Civil War. Playing to sold-out audiences, “My General Tubman” is on stage through mid-March at Arden Theatre Company.
Five events to watch for in January
Five events to watch for in January
Winter welcomes a slew of new performances, lectures, and exhibits to Penn's campus, including the opening of the Arthur Ross Gallery’s latest exhibit, a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., and a walk for wellness.
In the News
The Washington Post
With Emmy win, John Legend achieves status worthy of his last name
With his latest award, a Creative Arts Emmy for his role as producer for “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” the Class of '99 Penn alum became the 15th recipient of the legendary EGOT—or Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.
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Time
An Expert's Take on the Symbolism in Childish Gambino’s Viral ‘This Is America’ Video
Guthrie Ramsey of the School of Arts and Sciences provided an in-depth analysis of the provocative music video. “Even though we think of popular culture as a space where we escape, [Childish Gambino’s] forcing us to understand that there’s actually nowhere to run,” Ramsey said. “We have to deal with the cultural violence that we have created and continue to sustain.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Trigger Warning: John Waters to Get ‘Filthy’ on Penn Campus
Iconoclast John Waters will be commemorating the creation of the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the Annenberg Center’s Zellerbach Theater tonight with a one-man show.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn Choral Director William Parberry Retires After 45 Years
After more than four decades in Penn’s Music Department, University Choir director William Parberry has retired. Parberry marked the occasion on Sunday with a final concert, featuring Handel’s “Messiah.”
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