Bicycle: People Ideas in Motion, is a must see exhibit that will get you stoked on the capabilities of your famed two wheeled wonder. Pair this exhibit up with Ryan Humphrey’s Fast Forward, which features beautiful custom made frames and rims, and you’ve got a wonderfully complete experience.

Also highlighted are the amazing efforts of local companies and groups, such as R.E. Load’s custom made bags, Pedal Power’s recycling and hauling, The Neighborhood Bike Work’s programs to get local kids into bikes, and the Kinetic Sculpture Derby’s eclectic races. They are all guarenteed to intrigue you with their work to promote the healthy, environmental, utilitarian, and even stylish perks that lie in the power of the bicycle.

While this exhibit runs through October 13th, on Saturday, July 18th, there’s a one off event in Aviator Park. Family Fun Day. Kids and their families are invited to participate in an afternoon of pedal-powered fun, complete with a bicycle beauty pageant and talent show where you are encouraged to show off your wheels. The Dufala Brothers will be entertaining with their locally famous Toilet Tricycles.

Come check it out!

Family Fun Day in Aviator Park
Saturday, July 18th 12pm-4pm
Aviator Park 20th and The Parkway

Bicycle: People Ideas in Motion
The Galleries at Moore
20th and The Parkway

The glorious 16MM reels at the Lawn Chair Drive-In

It’s that time of year again. We’ve struggled out of the gray doldrums of winter, through the bitter-sweet April rains, jumped right into the perfect days of May, and now we’ve fallen smack-dab into the middle of sultry summer.

Along with summer comes one of my favorite weekly events: The Lawn Chair Drive In in Liberty Lands Park, where every Tuesday at dusk you are invited to gather, lounge and enjoy films shown on 16mm. This year’s season opens June 16th with Lair of the White Worm and closes August 18th with a double feature of The Wizard of Oz. The first will be the kid’s version; the second the adult version… you know, shown to the soundtrack of Dark Side of the Moon.

Each week features vintage trailers and obscure cartoons before the main attraction and is always free. Grab your lawn-chair/ blanket and your favorite people, hit the Foodery for some refreshing beverages, and sit back to enjoy the show.

The Lawn Chair Drive-In
Every Tuesday from June 16-August 18 @ dusk
Liberty Lands Park- 3rd Street, above Poplar
www.lawnchairdrivein.com

Asher Lev is a gifted painter who struggles with pursuing his art in the midst of a strict Jewish upbringing. His father considers painting to be a sacrilege, while his mother is torn between her love for her son and her husband, her commitment to her community, and her own personal calling.

Amid his turbulent relationship with his father, young Asher learns from his mentor, a secular Jewish artist, that Judaism and art are too strong in their traditions for one to commit to both, and realizes that he must choose between them.

Aaron Posner, in his second adaptation of a Chaim Potok novel, brings the world premiere of My Name Is Asher Lev to the Arden Theater, of which he is a co-founder. The play opened on January 8th and will run through March 15th. Stay tuned for a review, as well as an interview with Aaron Posner, here on Uwish.

My Name is Asher Lev @ The Arden Theatre
January 8 – March 15

The Arden Theatre
40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-1122
www.ardentheatre.org

Since 1996 The Neighborhood Bike Works has been helping kids and the community to learn about and obtain bicycles. NBW is a non-profit whose amazing youth programs include, “Earn a Bike”, a free opportunity for youths to take home a bike that they fix-up themselves after completing the bike maintenance and safety after school program. Not just for kids, the NBW runs the Bike Church, an adult repair co-op where one can go to use the tools that they may not have at home, and usually (but not guaranteed) get advice from the volunteers. For those still reaching to acquire their desired level of bike competence, they offer for a fee, classes in repair and urban cycling.

Today, September 12th, NBW invites you to their “Bike Part Art Show”. Bicycle-themed artwork including sculptures, functional furniture, jewelry, paintings, prints, t-shirts, greeting cards, and photographs will be sold in a silent auction. There will be live music courtesy of Shakey Lyman, a screening of the bicycle-themed films by Andre David Watson, food, and drinks. There will also be a raffle with items from local vendors. All proceeds raised from the silent auction and raffle will support the youth programs at Neighborhood Bike Works.

The 6th Annual Bike Part Art Show
Friday, September 12th, 2008

Studio 34
4522 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org
(215) 386-0316

“The Waitstaff”, who received the award of “Hardest Working Comedy Troupe” from the “ËœCity Paper’ in 2004, returns this year to the Philly Fringe Stage with “Waitstaff Wit”. The show consists of monologues about seemingly familiar topics that the writers and performers have turned into usually witty, sometimes satyrical comedy. Granted, in some of the pieces the wit and satire come across much funnier than in others, the show overall kept my attention and found me wincing only a few times for jokes that didn’t hit the audience in the way they were intended.

The troupe prides themselves in their tight fluidity that captivates their audience even in skit transitions, which in this performance can be accredited to Starzina Starfish-Browne, who serves as the show’s unique MC, while mostly remaining a part of the audience. There are nine monologues in all, but the show still only runs a total of 55 minutes, which seemed perfect.

So as not to ruin the surprise that is a necessary element of comedy, I will highlight the topics only of the 3 monolouges that I enjoyed the most. The first involves a newborn baby and a jealous cat-overgrown man in generic cat costume–hilarious! Later a middle-aged long island housewife drops her mis-knowledge about the current presidential campaign. Finally, my favorite– a 13 year old boy and his loss of virginity by the fault of his grandfather–well and of course a hooker. Perfect for the final monologue, I left feeling a little sore in the sides and mascara a tad smudged from laughter.

“Waitstaff Wit” @ L’Etage Cabaret
625 Bainbridge St, Philadelphia, PA
$15. tickets www.livearts-fringe.org
more about the troupe. www.thewaitstaff.com

Working themselves hard into the Philadelphia Comedy Scene over the past 5 years, “The Waitstaff”, who received the award of “Hardest Working Comedy Troupe” from the “ËœCity Paper’ in 2004, returns this year to the Philly Fringe Stage with “Waitstaff Wit”. The troupe prides themselves in their tight fluidity that captivates their audience even in skit transitions.

Though I’ve never personally experienced this captivation in a live performance, their clever website leads me to believe in its validity. A group who can make a mundane activity such as mouse clicking into kitschy fun AND boasts that their new show fashions itself in the witty style of “The Onion”– yes I am intrigued. Oh, and reportedly, there are guest stars.

Waitstaff Wit @ Philly Fringe
L’Etage Cabaret
625 Bainbridge St, Philadelphia, PA
9pm. 9/2, 9/3, 9/4, 9/7, 9/9, 9/10
$15. tickets www.livearts-fringe.org
more about the troupe. www.thewaitstaff.com

In Alexander Pushkin’s acclaimed short story, “The Queen of Spades”, tells the tale of a man driven to madness by his own avariciousness.

A Russianized German card player, Hermann becomes obsessed with finding the secret of three consecutive winning cards that he heard tell of an elderly countess using to win fame and fortune years prior. In his quest to divulge from her the secret combination, he ends up scaring her to death, after which he is haunted by her ghost whereupon the jinxed combo is revealed to him. Armed with the winning secret he takes his life savings to a card game, where on the third card, a mishap or some darker force intervenes. Thinking that he is playing the Ace to win it, he plays instead the Queen of Hearts. Penniless and crazed, he is committed to an asylum where he is doomed to a life of muttering, “Three, seven, ace, three seven queen”.

“Pushkin at Boldino“, a new play by Crescent Moon Entertainment Co. comes to the Fringe stage depicting Pushkin writing “The Queen of Spades” while stuck in Boldino. They say that one writing a tale of madness cannot help but to go a little mad himself. I look forward to seeing if this play will enlighten us as to whether or not this is true.

Pushkin at Boldino @ Philly Fringe Festival
www.livearts-fringe.org/2008/details.cfm?id=5818

Plays and Players Theater
1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 413-1318

Sun 8/31 through Sun 9/7
www.livearts-fringe.org

The Holiday Light Show at the Wanamaker building has been a Philadelphia tradition since 1955. Although the department store names have changed numerous times, the building remains the same, and the light show takes place atop the grand and mesmerizing organ. This year’s light show is narrated by Julie Andrews, kids climb about the eagle statue and parents crane their heads upward from their seats on the floor to see Frosty, Rudolph, and the Nutcracker come to light.

I went this past weekend with my parents, brother, sister and their combined 5 children, and the holiday magic brought a tear to my usually ‘cynical about Christmas’ eye. This year the event is coupled with the Dickens village on the 3rd floor. Scenes from “A Christmas Carol” are reenacted by mechanical dolls, which I find to be almost delightful in their creepiness! almost. Finally you can meet Tiny Tim, Old Ebenezer, and all of his ghosts up close in all of their eerie glory, some dancing- or more accurately- twitching in mechanical mayhem. It’s pretty amazing. Oh yes, and we must not forget Santa, waiting at the end of the English Village to grant the kiddies their wishes.

Apparently I missed out on this magical Wanamaker experience as a child, as 10 years separate me from my older siblings, but hey, better late then never! If you long for Christmases of yore go check this out! especially if you have kids, but even if you are just a big kid that never got to go.

Holiday Light Show – Now through Dec 31st
On the hour from 10AM
Dickens Village – 10AM – 8PM
Free!

Photos of the Dickens Village after the jump!

Macy’s
1300 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

For its final week running at the Arden, seats for “An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf” by Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger are being offered for only $10.

The year is 1961 and Victor, a rich expatriate and ex-journalist lives in Paris where he has created “the best restaurant in the world” that is opened 24/7, but only for him. Gaston, a world renowned chef has devoted his life to cooking for him, while Claude, a waiter du monde himself and his equally skillful wife Mimi live only to serve him. Antoine, recently saved from being a dishwasher at a despised restaurant down the street, has a stutter and is new to the staff who nervously await the arrival of their Monsieur, Victor; due to return with his Mademoiselle from one of his many trips, this time in Milan. To the surprise of them all, Monsieur returns from his trip to Madrid, not Milan, alone, with his life force gored to the core by an experience with a bullfight. He wants nothing of their delectable services except for to tell his life story before he starves himself to death.

What ensues is a tale full of Hemmingway romanticism and sensual culinary descriptions that would be on the empty plate of a self-martyring hero, had he not been starving himself to death. The play will whet your appetite, so bring a date, and don’t forget to ask for the $10 tickets. Then you can look like an extravagant monsieur or mademoiselle when you use your savings to treat for a full plate after.

$10 offer is valid for the following performances:

Thurs, Dec 6 @ 8pm
Fri, Dec 7 @ 8pm
Saturday, Dec 8 @ 8pm
Sunday, Dec 9 @ 2 and 7pm

Arden Theatre
40 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 922-8900
www.ardentheatre.org and enter the online discount code “plate” when prompted.

The Keswick Theater is a gem of a venue that is merely a train ride away from Philadelphia. Located in Glenside and designed by Horace Trumbauer, the same architect who graced our fair city with its breathtaking Art Museum, the historic theater opened its doors on Christmas night in 1928 as a vaudeville and movie house. In 1955, when blockbuster movies were booming out of Hollywood, it took on one of those totally 50′s neon movie theater signs, still there today.

After changing hands many times and being threatened by demolition, the Keswick stands today as one of the technologically best venues in the Philadelphia area. It is “nationally recognized by audiences and performing artists as the most comfortable, friendly, acoustically-perfect listening room in the Philadelphia area-presents a broad range of internationally acclaimed performers geared to virtually every entertainment taste and interest.”

I’m embarrassed to say, that I have never been there. But this Friday I am lucky enough to go and see a comedy show featuring Caroline Rhea and Colin Quinn. Caroline Rhea has had her own talk show, which she was handpicked by Rosie O’Donnell to replace herself. She was the aunt on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, and the host of the reality show, “The World’s Biggest Loser”. She gave up her role as host last January when she announced she would return to stand-up, and here she will be this Friday night!

Colin Quinn, come on! “Saturday Night Live”, “The Tough Crowd”, that video on MTV from the late 80′s, “Goin’ back to Brooklyn”, that spoofed L.L. Cool J’s “Goin’ back to Cali”. Sounds like a star-studded evening of hilarity to me. So hop on the train and get out of town! The Keswick is accessible by the R5, which runs every hour and every half hour during weekday rush hours. The last train from Glenside is at 11:52 on weeknights and 11:42 on weekends. To Glenside Station from Suburban Station is almost exactly 30 minutes, and from there it is a half mile walk to the theater- which for us city folk translates to 5.5 blocks! easy!

Keswick Theatre
291 N. Keswick Ave, Glenside, PA 19038
(215) 572-7650
www.keswicktheatre.com

7:36 and the doors have opened. It’s destined to be a full house and the early birds will certainly get the best seats…………………..

the house is packed… and they have left no space uncovered by chairs. the front row is close enough to the stage for their inhabitants’ knees to almost touch.. but they appear to be guest judges, so their privileged view goes not unwarranted. the storytellers have been called to their seats across the stage from me. shifting a bit more in their seats then the rest of crowd, gum chewing, anxiously awaiting their time in the spotlight………………….

5 minutes til go time. a little background on the event. for the past 7 months, First Person Arts has been holding Story Slams once a month. Each month, a category was disclosed beforehand, then on the 4th Tuesday of the month, prospective storytellers and interested supporters and onlookers gathered at L’Etage to compete against 10 other randomly chosen from a hat storytellers to compete for the win. tonite- the seven winners will bout it out with stories on the topic of “MUSICAL MOMENTS”……………….

we have begun… thanks to the sponsors… the Tettemer family and Jim Ciaolla, owner of Beaumonde/ L’Etage, and WXPN. Robert Drake is our host. Guest storyteller is Kimberly Auerbach, her new book is “The Devil’s My Lovers and Me”.
It was 1994, when she moved back into her parents house after breaking up with a boyfriend and spends a sad time listening to the Counting Crows. she decides to make a silk painting for the lead singer, Adam. She anonymously sends her painting to him. she sees that he is coming to concert, and wants a backstage pass, but doesn’t get one. She buys a book for him and gets lucky enough to see him on the street, dreadlocks and all. She didn’t mention the silk painting. She did it! She goes to the concert and is in her glory, and then some guy gives her backstage passes. Seedy happenings ensue, and she’s not so sure that she wants to go back when the band manager offers her tickets for the next night. She goes. She ends up meeting Adam. she asks him how he feels about the efforts she has made. she just wanted to let him know that his music touched her soul. he doesn’t understand. but they get into a fight about art.. she cries, she gets into a cab… she doesn’t have enough money. the sympathetic driver turns off the meter, and she is more touched by this man’s kindness, then by the rockstar she put so much stock in.

The rules: The stories must only be 5 minutes. The stories must be true. The stories must relate to the topic: “Musical Moments”. The two guest judges are Jim Ciaolla and Ed Tettemer. 3 more judges will be chosen from the audience. Content and performance will be scored from 1-10.

Naomi Brownstien is first.
She was married then she got divorced. She was lonely and depressed. She missed having someone. She missed having a designated driver. She joined the single gourmet. But she didn’t like to eat that much. She went to a singles bar. It wasn’t for her. She wanted a hobby she could do by herself. Old movies. Next is dance lessons. Once she got good enough, she ventured to “The Stardust Ballroom”. It was in the Pennsauken Mart. It was scary. But when she went in she felt like Dorothy at the end of the rainbow, Frank Sinatra was playing.. and at that musical moment, she knew that she had found her hobby, and that she was going to be ok.

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Up, had to switch places with Jessica who will be taking pictures we’ll post up. They are giving Naomi her scores, which were good!

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Ben Drinen
2nd Story:
A cold November night. The story opens as the storyteller sees a woman on a bench with a box of crayons, drooling–a Philadelphia scene. Some time later–he hears screaming–a woman named Mimi, his friend. Now there is blood–the bottom of Mimi’s feet are bleeding. Hard to liveblog, more like a short story he was reading (not a bad one either!)
**********************
There’s going to be an interactive dance party later! Sounds super fun.

These stories are interspersed with laughs and ahs as the storyteller tells their tales. Some are more rehearsed, some more as if they are reading a short story–the first, Kimberlee Auerbach, it seemed as though you were across the table from her and she was telling you this crazy story about how she was obsessed with a rock star at age 22.
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3rd Story
Thiis story is about Alaska! And sea cucumbers. I think the storyteller is a sea cucumber worker–they ship them to Japan where it’s an aphrodisiac. Uh-oh–he hooks up with Grant. Grant sounds amazing but a lil hard to handle–jack russell terrier that pees on bed, problems with an assemblyman’s wife. He gets on the boat with Grant (he’s a great storyteller–rolling with it) and another guy–and they get hit by a wave the size of a bus. does the boat lift up? there’s a huge crash, the poor guy just wants to get back to Philly. their ship is sinking. Oh dear, I think Grant is singing throughout. the sea cucumbers are lost, they get back to sitka cucumberless. but he’s sure glad of that jack russell when he gets back home safe.

gets very high scores!
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4th story: Rae Ann

Then this young woman gets up, she’s real funny, telling about where she went to high school and how it was hard to pronounce. It’s fun when they’re like telling you a funny story about themselves and really engages the audience kinda like (more intimate!) comedy. Now she’s in the chorus in high school and they’re singing jingle bells. Her and her friend in high school used to sit at the lunch table with Brandy, a girl who didn’t have tourette’s but did yell out WHORE and also had a seizure disorder. Mrs Dave is the choir teacher and she is wearing a lime green outfit and has yellow hair. Brandy is like eyeing this person. Whoa then she is having a seizure. I am not really sure what is happening but it’s totally hysterical, i think it’s at a christmas party with a band. Oh sorry, it’s a high school chorus recital. she gets the time knock, she’s like, i mean, really there is no end, it just kind of keeps going on like that and everyone is laughing because she’s so funny.

she gets super high scores.. oh wait except for from one judge.. 6.5! the crowd boos.
********************>
5th story: R. Eric Thomas
He is standing on stage in front of a crowd of drunk lesbians.. his underoos are riding up?
So he starts to sing.. He says he dresses like Justin Timberlake after all, and he black.. so you know they do that… except no Eric.. not usually. Oh…. he’s at Karaoke.. good suspense. Karaoke at Sister’s, thus the drunk lesbians. He’s singing Tina Turner and the song is over.. and he does the Tina turner 19 spin, spin. He feels like Tina in gold stiletto boots. When he came to himself.. he couldn’t find his shoes and he was having an asthma attack.. and he realized he was singing and dancing in front of god and everyone. now he doesn’t keep his musical moments inside anymore.
the crowds are booing the judges 7′s.. getting rowdy.. oh there are some 8′s and 9′s…
our first 10! things are getting exciting!!!!!
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6th Story:
Juliet Wayne
For her 24th birthday her friends and family got together and put her in rehab for heroin addiction. No one will talk to her.. and then the nurse takes away her walkman because she’s being anti social. She befriends her roomate, Margaret, a middle-aged woman from the bronx because she appreciates her vocal battle with constipation. They bond.. by gossiping about other people, especially Renee… she wears tight pants and its not pretty.. they have a word that I don’t think i can repeat on this about all that stuff tight pants reveal. They use the clock radio to drown out their gossip from the hallways. There are community meetings at the rehab. Margaret and Renee have a falling out. Soon after Juliet is rushing back for 5 o’clock gossip time with Margaret.. only to find that all of her stuff is gone, Renee ratted her out for stealing. All that is left is the clock radio, wrapped in blue cellephane on Juliet’s pillow.. and she never saw Margaret again.

Julie gets very high scores to resounding applause. Her story was very funny and she got super into telling it.
************************************>
Ingrid Weiss: Last Story

In 2001 she moves to Bosnia..in her youthful idealism thinking she’s going to save the world. she’s lonely bc no one will talk to her, and she starts going to the market to buy CDs. Shee meets this guy and they have the kind of romance that you have when you don’t really speak the same language. Like he makes her coffee and 6am and he’s a good kisser. Cher is their translator. They bonded over music, but Kasimir (her man) only liked bosnian folk music–he takes her to an American music dance club. She’s thinking maybe it could work, she could stay, and milk cows and live in the Bosnian countryside. Then Prince comes on and she starts dancing–but she’s the only one. And Kasimir is standing there with a big smile and shouts I love you. But really she knows in her heart that it’s not gonna work out and really she’ll just go back to America alone–despite the coffee at 6am and the tender bosnian moments–A story about finding love in another country but knowing you have to leave it and go back to your own.

Pretty decent scores. A large round of applause for all of the storytellers.
***********************************>
10:11pm
So now we find out who wins! It has been exciting with a couple of great, funny, heartwrenching stories. The MC has been interspersing shorter stories throughout–telling the stories of people who’d also submitted stories to WXPN on the Musical Moments theme.

They’re pulling out the crown….a bunch of whispers as they tabulate the scores…

Brendan Jones wins for presentation…and wins an envelope.
For content…RL Thomas! He does the Tina Turner spin!

And for all of Philadelphia overall best storyteller in the Grand Slam: Juliet Wayne! She gives the MC a big hug and there’s lots of appreciative applause from the audience including one woman who is extraordinarily excited and screams her head off. Juliet talks, and says that this is her biggest accomplishment, telling about her failures, and everyone laughs.

Thanks to everyone who made this a great event, and some very talented storytellers! Let the interactive dance party start….

Naomi Brownstein won for her story on the topic “Home and Away”

What inspired you to participate in the story slam?

I wanted to write and I didn’t know of any outlets, so when I heard about the story slam, I wrote a story for it.

Was your story for the slam pre-written or rehearsed?

It was pre-written, and I rehearsed it in front of one person.

What’s your day job?

No day job. I’m retired.

Where do you live in Philadelphia, and for how long have you lived in the city?

I live in Germantown and I’ve lived in Philadelphia for about 30 years.

If you had to plan a day for someone who had only one day in Philadelphia and had never been here before, what would it be?

This is a great question, because since I’ve been retired, I’ve been exploring a lot more. I think the Philadelphia Trolley tours give a really great overview of the city. I would have the person go on Kelly Drive during the day and West River Drive at night to see boathouse row. I love driving down the parkway at night towards the Art Museum. I think that is one of the most beautiful views in the city. If they like history, of course Independence Hall is great.

For someone interested in art, there are the galleries in Old City and the Art Museum. One of my favorite things is the ghost tour, an Old City walking tour at night, talk about storytelling. For food, I think Marathon grill has Philadelphia flavor; some of their salads are even named after Philadelphia streets. I would also suggest the Reading Terminal Market.

How has participating in the story slam affected your feelings about your own role as storyteller and/or writer?

It got me going. I wrote a couple of things. I’m in a lull, but I’ve found some outlooks into writing, and I plan to continue with it.

Grand Slam
November 10th 8pm – 11pm | $10

Harmelin Media Stage
2111 Sansom St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.firstpersonarts.org

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