PHILADELPHIA’S ANNUAL THEATRE WEEK CONTINUES
Friday, March 31, 2023
THEATRE WITH LOTS OF LAUGHS FROM THE REGION'S BEST COMEDY TROOPS AND THEATRES
* The biggest theatre event of the year returns to stages across the Philadelphia region and finishes April 2, 2023 *
Philadelphia, PA - As the curtain comes down on Theatre Philadelphia’s 6th Annual Philly Theatre Week, audiences can check out some hilarious shows. In the final days of performances, there are plenty of ways for theatre goers to laugh the night away as the annual event ends. Philly Theatre Week is an eleven day festival that celebrated artists, organizations, and audiences that have made Greater Philadelphia one of the most vibrant theatre regions in the nation. Audiences have had opportunities to try 50 events being offered from 41 different companies and artists. There are over a 100 opportunities for audiences to experience. It includes productions, readings, exclusive pre-sales and special events in Philadelphia, Delaware, South Jersey, Bucks County and the Main Line and Western Suburbs. The annual festival is one of the largest signature festivals in Philadelphia and it expands by an extra day this year. Also new this year, all tickets are pay what you can - to encourage and welcome new audiences to discover theatre while encouraging returning patrons to make donations and invest in our theatre community. Each company has provided some information about how ticket sales support their work.
“Philly Theatre Week is always such an exciting time of the year for theatre-goers,” said Theatre Philadelphia Executive Director LaNeshe Miller-White. “ From comedies to musicals, and traditional productions to a site specific show about beds that is performed IN a bed, there really is something for everyone. Theatre Philadelphia has moved to a pay what you can model for this year's Theatre Week in order to ensure access for all to the performances. It's a great opportunity for someone to try theater for the first time, or to try a new company or type of show.”
Miller-White added, “Pay what you can, lets us reach out to diverse audiences around the city and bring in the next generation of theatre goers looking to give theatre a try. It also gives repeat theatre goers and theatre supporters the opportunity to donate and support the work they are seeing based on their own capabilities and how moved they were. It is truly a win-win.”
Greater Philadelphia residents will find something for everyone, with a collection of classics, experimental theatre, improv, readings, workshops, and more. Audiences are encouraged to support companies they already know as well as use the accessible ticket prices to explore new theatre they haven’t seen before. Participating organizations include a range of organizations, professional theatres, academic institutions, and self-producing artists. Originating companies hail from every corner of Philadelphia, from Center City to the suburbs, from Chester County to Wilmington, and from South Jersey to the Main Line.
For this year, all shows are offered pay what you can. Pay what you can lets the ticket buyer pick the price they pay based on their ability and/or their value of the work. Tickets are available on the Philly Theatre Week website, www.phillytheatreweek.com. Audiences can reserve tickets there. Some shows are offering limited pay what you can tickets to each performance. Once Theatre Week tickets are sold out, audiences can contact the individual theatre for tickets.
Audiences can find the full lineup of events at phillytheatreweek.com. Below find a few highlights with something for everyone!
Below is a sample of some of the hilarious shows at Theatre Week through Sunday, April 2
Curio Theatre Company
THE COMPLETE DEATHS Written & Adapted by Tim Crouch Created by Tim Crouch & Spymonkey
Ages 16+
Thursday, March 23 - Saturday, April 1
Location: Curio Theatre Company
All 74 onstage Shakespearean deaths in 90 minutes - 75 if you count the ill-favored fly killed in Titus Andronicus. Roman suicides in Julius Caesar, the death fall of Prince Arthur in King John, the carnage at the end of Hamlet, snakes in a basket in Antony & Cleopatra, Pyramus and Thisbe, young Macduff! Countless stabbings, severed heads, poisonings, mobbings and a smothering - hell Enorbarbus just sits in a ditch and dies from grief. And don't get us started about the pie that Titus serves the Queen of the Goths! THE COMPLETE DEATHS opened in May 2016 at Brighton Festival to acclaim from audiences and critics alike, and has been delighting audiences around the world since then - a solemn, somber, life-affirming and sublimely funny tribute to Shakespeare and death.
Jenna Kuerzi
Johnny Depp! (A Retrospective on Late-Stage Capitalism)
Ages 21+
Thursday, March 30th - Sunday, April 16th
Location: Fergie's Pub
Join “Johnny Depp”, preteen heart-throb turned wino forever, for a retrospective on every film in his entire career (even the ones we didn’t watch) in order to ask… what happened? Part history lesson and part drunken sing-a-long, JD...a retrospective is an interactive deep dive into one of the most recent controversial celebrities in the Hollywood machine.
Noah Sturtridge & Friends
Two Servants with No Master
Ages 12+
Wednesday, March 29 - Saturday, April 1
Arlecchino and Pierrot are so glad you could make it out to their dear master Pantalone's funeral. Please, take a tissue: you're gonna need it. In this short comedy inspired by the Commedia Dell'arte, Two Clowns and their Casket contend with class, character, and the end of the world as they know it.
Run Boy Run Productions
Improvabilitee
Ages 16+
Friday, March 24 - Sunday, March 26
Location: Plays and Players
Improvabilitee fosters feel-good vibes and humorous nostalgia through improvisational and sketch comedy. Improvabilitee pays homage to the irreverent, slapstick, and awkward antics of yesteryear’s best improv and television sitcoms through original comedy sketches and reimagined pieces. Improvabilitee aims to produce gut-wrenching laughter for the stage…cause the joke’s on us.
Without A Cue Productions
A Golden Girls Murder Mystery: A Philly Story
Ages 13+
Friday, March 31-Sunday, April 2
Location: Red Rūm Theater
Thank you for being a friend! Especially a Golden Girl friend! Your favorite ladies from the ’80s are throwing a party, and you’re invited! Sophia, Blanch, Rose, and Dorothy have worked long and hard to throw the perfect celebration, but will they still be celebrating when they discover that one of their party guests has murderous intentions? As Sophia attempts to lighten the mood with a song, someone’s attempting to lighten the mood with a BANG!
Who could the killer be? Cast your vote! Perhaps YOU can solve this Golden Girls Mystery? This is not a dinner event, but light desserts are available for purchase. Cocktail service to be provided by Pops McCann Distillery.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures
Parental discretion is advised
Saturday, April 1
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
1714 Delancey Place
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Now celebrating its 9th year of lessons and laughs, Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures invites guests from a wide variety of professions to speak on a topic from their field. After each lecture a cast of Philly’s best and funniest performers will use what they’ve learned to improvise hilarious scenes on the spot. You’ll learn and laugh in one educational and very funny hour!
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Ben Miller's Stand-Up Science
Parental discretion is advised
Saturday, April 1
Location: Plays & Players Theatre. Skinner Studio
Scientist turned stand-up, Ben Miller, takes you on a journey that explores everything from milk to thermodynamics with a wit and humor.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
DTF: Darryl & Timaree Fun Hour
Ages 18+
Friday, March 31
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
DTF with comedian Darryl Charles and sexuality educator Dr. Timaree is the greatest sex-ed / comedy / game show in the known universe!
Aporia Artists Collective
A Seance For Mae West
Ages 16+
Friday, March 31 - Saturday, April 1
Localtion: Hot Bed
A Seance For Mae West is a celebration of one of the 20th century's most provocative icons, bringing her back from the dead for an encore performance. Join Aporia as we tempt the one and only Mae West back with applause and ask the no longer-living legend the secrets of her life. An intimate, interactive experience that you don’t want to miss! Half homage, half manifesto of what it means to perform as yourself, however messy that process might be
Theater Unspeakable and Let's Make History Productions
The American Revolution - The Show
Ages 8+
Wednesday, March 29-Saturday, April 1
Location: Christ Church Neighborhood House
History in 50 minutes. Seven actors perform atop a 21 square feet platform to recreate a family-friendly retelling of America’s founding.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Electoral Dysfunction
Parental Discretion is Advised
Friday, March 31
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
Politics! Comedy! Yelling! Debate & improv collide in a night of comedy so fast, so furious we'll all be impeached before the show ends.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Untitled: Art Meets Improv
Parental Discretion is Advised
Thursday, March 30, 8:30pm-9:30pm
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
Untitled strives to merge the worlds of improv comedy and art into a unique collaborative experience unlike any you've seen before!
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Extra Credit: Educational Comedy For Short Attention Spans
Parental Discretion is Advised
Thursday, March 30,
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Alejandro Morales hosts this hilarious assembly of short comedic acts of all types each with an educational spin.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Schooled: True Stories From The Classroom
Parental Discretion is Advised
Wednesday, March 29
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
Geoff Jackson welcomes several courageous and hilarious people to tell captivating and funny stories of their time in school.
Wherehouse
Untitled Raccoon Play by S MJ
Ages 13+
Saturday, April 1-Sunday, April 2
Location: Hamilton Family Art Center (Arden Theatre)
The 79th Annual Raccoon Dinner in Danville, OH is at risk of being canceled due to a lack of raccoons and a warning from QAnon.
Unattended Baggage
The Bed Show
Ages 18+
Friday, March 31-April 2
Location Information will be shared upon reservation.
THE BED SHOW is an immersive site-specific talk show where participation is strongly encouraged! NY-based theatre artist Sean Pollock with fabulous co-host from West Philadelphia, Nuria Hunter cover all things "bed culture” over the course of the evening ranging from the history of beds, bed horror stories, the mattress industry to personal relationships to beds, sleep, love, sexuality, and intimacy. Did we mention it's performed in an actual bed in someone's apartment? Think of it as the sleepover party you’ve always wanted to have. An unforgettable night of intimate storytelling that brings the audience into the action through a series of different games and conversations. Trust us, this is not your mother's talk show.
Rachel O'Hanlon-Rodriguez
She Was A Conquistawhore
Ages 18+
Location: Quig's Pub, Plays and Players Theatre
Friday, March 31-Saturday April 1
They say the Conquistawhore drinks her weight in whiskey, brawls her own vagina (which sounds fun, but he is a true madman), and wanders the Wild West – or is it just the Main Line of Philly? Come find out in this developmental sharing performed by Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez and directed by Cat Ramirez. This experimental blend of standup comedy and theatrical poetry weaves a legend to poke fun at (and holes into) our internalized oppression while celebrating our ability to transform.
Crossroads Comedy Theater
Book Club with Courtney & Frank Farrell
Parental Discretion is Advised
Wednesday, March 29, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Plays & Players Theatre, Skinner Studio
The book Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is explored through lively discussion and hilarious performance pieces.
PHILLY THEATRE WEEK 2023
Philly Theatre Week is presented by Theatre Philadelphia, the region’s umbrella organization whose mission is to unite, celebrate, and promote the Philadelphia region's diverse and growing theatre community. Additional Theatre Philadelphia funding and support is provided by the William Penn Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, CHG Charitable Trust, the Wyncote Foundation, the Shubert Foundation, and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. 2023 Philly Theatre Week partners include EventBrite, Kimmel Cultural Campus, and Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Promotional partners include Aversa PR & Events.
Philly Theatre Week tickets are on sale at www.phillytheatreweek.com. Philly Theatre Week will kick off with an event on Monday March 20, offering previews of events that will take place during the celebration.