by Donald Toal It’s funny to think about how stories get retold sometimes. It’s admittedly, for this millennial, less funny to think of Shrek as being a story that is now over 25(?!?) years old, longer if you count the original William Steig children’s book that inspired it (which first hit shelves in 1990).  But time makes fools of us all, I suppose.  Regardless of the forward passage of the years, the big green ogre has a heart to his story of satirized fairy tales and th

by Ash Kotter Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead  is not a comfortable evening of theater, but in the hands of Philadelphia’s Old Academy Players , it is most certainly a powerful one. For those who appreciate a heads up, please consider this a content warning: this story   engages directly with several layers of mature content. Not simply the use of explicit language, but add themes of violence, on top of sexual identity topics, lewd descriptions of sex acts,

by: Josh Buffington Before seeing this show, I was familiar with majority of the music and was hoping to hear beautiful harmonies and see hilarious acting. As I walked into the theatre, I was immediately greeted with smiling faces and numerous kind people at the box office, as well as the ushers.  A fun touch that was added was the opportunity to have audience members onstage. The ushers asked if audience members were interested and had them fill out a form with your name an

by Donald Toal People are exhausting. Of course, when we make this statement, we’re usually referring to the dreaded “general public,” but the people we choose to welcome into our lives are different, we tell ourselves.   When we find our “person,” our other half, then everything falls into place and we become complete.   Is it ever really that simple, though? A couple centuries of western civilization would tell us so.   But how do we find that connection so easily in a m

by Aimee Ferenz Every performer has experienced it, the hours-long technical rehearsal that stops and starts with no warning, feeling like it might go on forever. It is when the designers of lights, sound, set, props, costumes, and choreography come together with the stage managers, producers, directors, and cast to glue all of their personal efforts into a collective work of art. This rehearsal is mentally exhausting, emotionally demanding, often repetitive, and is one of m

by Meg Bryan Romantic comedies are a favorite genre for many of us, no matter what form they may be boxed up in (movies, books, musicals, etc.). Even with the highs and lows that come with these stories, at their core, they’re always a good go-to when you’re in need of an emotional pick-me-up. One of my personal favorites within that genre is the musical She Loves Me , one of the greatest displays of the enemies to lovers trope that I’ve seen. Set in Hungary in the 1930s, th