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The weather has continually conspired against the great folks over at Spiral Q puppet theater, but the 10th Annual Peoplehood Pageant and Parade will finally go ahead tomorrow (Saturday) indoors!

Here’s everything you need to know:

The Peoplehood Pageant
A Proud Defiance
Saturday December 5th, 2010
Noon to be in the performance
1PM to watch the spectacle

Due to inclement weather, the pageant has been relocated to:
The Sister Clara Muhammad School
4700 Wyalusing Ave.
(47th and Lancaster)

Public Transportation:
10 Trolley to the Lancaster & Wyalusing stop
(Walk one block north on Lancaster and one block west on Wyalusing)
15 Trolley to the W. Girard and Lancaster stop
(Walk one block south on Lancaster)
64 Bus to the 48th and Westminster stop
(Walk one block north on 48th and one block east on Wyalusing)

GOOGLE MAP

And hey, you could do worse things than kick them a couple of bucks.  Believe me, nobody in town can stretch a dollar like Spiral Q.

I blinked, and another play came and went at the Bushfire Theatre (check the new website!) at 52nd and Locust.  Last year I enjoyed August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean at the Bushfire, but the audience was a little sparse.  As the backdrop to Barack Obama’s 52nd Street rally this weekend, maybe it’ll get a little boost in attendance.  Here’s what’s in store at the Bushfire in 2008-2009:

Our Season opens with Kathleen McGhee-Anderson’s 5 Mojo Secrets on September 30 – October 12, 2008.This dramatic theatrical experiment is an attempt to delve deeply into the inner-world of two characters and sustain dramatic tension with the use of uninterrupted introspection, monologues or soliloquies. It works to lay bear the emotional travails of an African American couple. It invites audiences to listen to the characters tell their side of the story and reveal their version of what happened to their crumbling marriage.
Our second play, Hoodoo Love by Katori Hall opens November 15 – November 30, 2008. It is a dramatic play that realistically looks at a facet of African American life in Memphis during the 1930’s. Seen through the eyes of Toulou, the main female character, who was confronted by abuse and betrayal to later leave this life to pursue her dreams.

Our third play Long Time Since Yesterday by P. J. Gibson opens on March 10 – March 22, 2009. Six women probe their friendships from childhood to the present in this sensitive drama. Set in the home of the deceased Janeen Earl-Taylor, tempers flare between two of the women who share the secret behind her death. Watch the mystery unravel to a shocking conclusion in this humorous yet thought provoking play.

Our season finale will be a play by August Wilson. May 12 – May 24, 2009.

If you’ve never seen or heard of Spiral Q or their Peoplehood Parade and Pageant, this is the sort of thing you have to look forward to this Saturday the 18th:

Check out some photos here and here.

Saturday, October 18th 2008
Rain or Shine!
Parade: 1 PM beginning at the Paul Robeson House, 4951 Walnut Street
Pageant: 2:30 PM at Clark Park, Chester Ave. between 43rd and 45th Streets

You’ll hear them before you see them:

Check out Spiral Q for the parade route and more information.

Here are the dates we were missing for Oak & Ivy at the Bushfire Theatre:

May 13th-25th
Showtimes 7:30 pm Tuesday-Saturday and 3:00 on Sunday.
The Bushfire is at 52nd and Locust

I believe the 2 for 1 tickets are almost always available, and often Abbraccio restaurant at 47th and Baltimore offers a dinner/show package, though I haven’t heard whether they will for this one.

No dates up yet for the new play–Kathleen McGhee-Anderson’s Oak & Ivy– coming to 52nd Street’s Bushfire Theatre:

Reviews of other productions of Oak & Ivy:

1992: New York Times

2001: Vineyard Gazette, Vineyard Haven, MA (starring Mario Van Peebles!)

2001: Student Life: Student newspaper from Washington University in St. Louis.

And here’s my review of the Bushfire’s production of Gem of the Ocean from last year.

In May of this year, I reviewed the most recent play at Bushfire, August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. I had a great time, so I’m looking forward to the next production, Louie and Ophelia by West Indian playwright Gus Edwards and directed by theater owner Al Simpkins. It should be interesting, since opinions of previous stagings of the play range from the truly savage to virtual raves. A promotional price of 2 tickets for $30 is available for most showings which start October 9th.

Louie and Ophelia by Gus Edwards
October 9th-21st
Bushfire Theatre
52nd and Locust
215-747-9230
www.bushfiretheater.org