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Seeing life through their eyes
African American person sitting in a wooden chair, feet up on a wooden table that holds a ball jar filled with sweet tea.

E. Patrick Johnson (above) stars in “Making Sweet Tea,” a 90-minute film about life as an African American gay man in the southern United States. The film, which was co-produced and co-directed by Annenberg Dean John L. Jackson Jr. and Penn doctoral student Nora Gross, is based on a book Johnson wrote, which then became a play.

Seeing life through their eyes

Through the voices and stories of seven men, a feature-length documentary co-produced and directed by Annenberg Dean John L. Jackson Jr. and graduate student Nora Gross illustrates what it means to be black and gay in the south.

Michele W. Berger

The Sachs Program announces 2019 grants, marks one-year anniversary
Common Press screening bags

Common Press screens bags at the 2019 Sachs Grant Awards event on May 2. (Photo: Dominic Mercier)

The Sachs Program announces 2019 grants, marks one-year anniversary

A year and 23 grant projects later, The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation is phasing into round two of its annual grant awards throughout eight categories that support the teaching, making, and presenting art.
Historic Philly playbills get modern-day crowdsourcing
Librarian examines several playbills spread out on wood conference table in a historic library room lined with bookshelves filled with books.

Laura Aydelotte examines some of the 19th-century Philadelphia theater playbills in the Penn Libraries collection that are included in a project that allows the public to help transcribe digitized copies. An upcoming conference at Penn will explore digital approaches to researching theater history. 

Historic Philly playbills get modern-day crowdsourcing

An innovative online crowdsourcing project led by Laura Aydelotte of the Penn Libraries allows the public to transcribe digitized 19th-century Philadelphia theater playbills. An upcoming conference will explore digital approaches to researching theater history.
Bloomers mark 40 years of edgy comedy
Performers-on-a-stage

Scene from the Fall 2018 production of “The Bachelor: Will You Accept This Show?”  Photo by ImageFlo

Bloomers mark 40 years of edgy comedy

Bloomers, Penn’s all-female comedy troupe, celebrated its 40th anniversary last weekend with an alumnae show that recreated routines from the 1980s and 1990s.
Exploring Shakespearian times in London
Globe Theater

Exploring Shakespearian times in London

During an intensive interdisciplinary five-week course this summer, undergraduate students traveled to the heart of Elizabethan theater to gain an in-depth appreciation for the works of William Shakespeare where it all began.
Theatre students perform on international stage
Penn Theatre Arts Curio Performance

Portraying conjoined twins from the 19th century, junior Duval Courteau (left) and senior Aria Proctor take the stage at Penn during a final rehearsal of the play “Curio” before traveling to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Theatre students perform on international stage

Portraying dual roles of conjoined twins from the 19th century and a pair of modern-day researchers, junior Duval Courteau and senior Aria Proctor took the stage at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland with the one-act play, “Curio.”
Behind the Scenes
Penn student Nicholas Seymour in the Kelly Writers House recording studio.

Penn student Nicholas Seymour, Class of 2020, pictured in the Kelly Writers House recording studio where he has a work-study job. 

Behind the Scenes

Rising senior Nicholas Seymour is a summer intern at Philadelphia’s 1812 Productions, helping with all aspects of running a theater. The communications major has experience working on technical crews at Kelly Writers House and in student theater productions.
33rd Philadelphia Children’s Festival offers three days of performing arts fun 
Rennie Harris Children's Festival Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works' "History of Hip Hop" will run at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts as part of the 2018 Philadelphia Children's Festival.

33rd Philadelphia Children’s Festival offers three days of performing arts fun 

Now in its 33rd year, the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ushers in a three-day wave of merriment with the Philadelphia Children’s Festival, marked by its interdisciplinary lineup of performing arts acts.