SHOW: From the Swamp to the Stars

GENRE: Theater

GROUP: No Face Performance Group

ATTENDED: March 30, 8 p.m., AUX Performance Space

CLOSES: April 14

TICKET PRICE: $20

BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: “It’s code red in the situation room as President Reagan lies on a gurney, waiting for the mask to drop. Who’s responsible? … A Washington manhunt turns into a cosmic fever dream while the fate of the free world hangs in the balance.”

Aux Performance Space, 3rd Floor
319 N. 11th Street
Phila, PA 19107

(via PIFA REVIEWED: From the Swamp to the Stars | Philadelphia City Paper | 03/31/2013)

Curbed Philly is currently offering a map to help you get your bearings for the final public casino hearings, which will take place next week. The map is a quick and dirty rundown of all six casino proposals. If you’re looking for more detailed information, do check out the links below below the map: the Philadelphia Real Estate Blog has a series of posts with the vital details on each of the proposals.

(via All Six Philadelphia Casino Proposals Mapped – Gaming – Curbed Philly)

Brooklyn/Amarcord “Ama” Philly Launch with Andrea Pianini

Public · By Alla Spina Philly

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Garrett Oliver is well-known as a scholar of all things beer-related, and also as an avid traveler. His sojourns to Italy over the years helped him develop a rapport with one of Italy’s most exciting brewpubs, Amarcord. They decided to make a few beers together, and luckily for us they’re debuting them to the Philly market in the spring!

Two beers will hit Philly by way of Alla Spina on April 2nd: Bionda and Bruna. We’ll be offering discounted bottles all night and each one will come with a complimentary food pairing: Mortadella “Involtini” with Bionda and Pretzel Cheesesteak Nugget with Bruna!

Andrea Pianini from the brewery will be with us from 6pm – 9pm, specials run all night!

(via Brooklyn/Amarcord “Ama” Philly Launch with Andrea Pianini)

Really, this festival is a nightmare to write about.  It’s nearly a month long and takes place at multiple venues spanning the entire city although the main screening space is a former mausoleum located in the heart of what’s now called, the Eraserhood, an area largely utilized in David Lynch’s seminal debut film. Also, the majority of programming is repertory, and in all likelihood, none of you are already familiar with a single title being shown.

(via CINEDELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL, Philly Gets Weird And Goes DIY April 4 – 27 | Twitch)

3,771 is not the number of murals in Philly or the amount of visitors that Reading Terminal gets a day. It’s the number of plastic bottles that [Eraserhood based] apparel brand United By Blue pulled from the Schuylkill River during our 2012 summer cleanups at Bartram’s Garden. If those same bottles were stacked end to end, they’d tower over the Comcast Center, or Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper.

So who is United By Blue? A group of caped crusaders ridding our rivers of litter in the dead of night? Not quite. United By Blue is an organic apparel brand that removes a pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product sold. Translated? If you buy the softest, organic shirt you’ll ever feel, we roll up our sleeves. You buy an organic, waxed canvas bag for your next adventure; we’re out on the water.

Starting this March, UBB cleanups will stretch from beaches in Florida to rivers in Maine and we want you to join us. We supply volunteers with bamboo gloves, bags, bug spray, sunscreen, water, and a free meal throughout the day.

(via United By Blue Wants You on the Water: Volunteer Alert)

We’re hearing that the Divine Lorraine will be home to the fourth Buddakan location. With spots already established in Old City, Atlantic City and New York City, Buddakan has been one of Starr’s most successful concepts to date. This would mark the second of Starr’s restaurants to establish an additional location within the city limits, joining Continental with that honor.

(via We Hear Whispers that the Divine Lorraine Has Its First Tenant | NakedPhilly)

In 2008, after two years of transition and multiple moves to make way for the Convention Center expansion, the Asian Arts Initiative moved into their current home at 1219 Vine Street. Now, nearly five years later, AAI is still looking for ways to make their presence known in “Chinatown North” (an area also referred to as the Loft District, Callowhill or Eraserhood).
 
AAI’s recent attempts to solidify the neighborhood’s identity are rather ambitious — the community-based arts center is aiming to revitalize four blocks of Pearl Street, an alleyway that runs from Broad to 10th just north of Vine Street. The goal is to turn the street into a public space, outdoor gallery and gathering spot, bringing together the area’s diverse communities.
 
Currently in the early planning stages, the Pearl Street project has been on AAI’s radar for a number of years. “Since we moved into this space we’ve been staring at Pearl Street outside our windows,” says AAI Executive Director Gayle Isa. “The alleyway is a place you don’t want to be right now. It has a reputation as dark and dangerous.”

(via Ambitious Pearl Street renovation planned in Chinatown North)