BRIGHTEST WISHES TO YOU FOR A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
It’s inspiring to reflect on what Theatre Exile has accomplished with your support in twelve short months! Because there is so much, this year I thought that I would spotlight some of the things that your generosity has helped make possible.
JANUARY Lights up in our new theater at 1340 S. 13th Street! Though still under construction, we started to pay rent on our beautiful newly appointed space.
FEBRUARY With holes in the walls, we rented lights and chairs and were thrilled to produce An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch. Every performance felt like Opening night with a different actor for each show! The amazing lineup was led by Pearce Bunting and included local luminaries Dito van Reigersberg, Grace Gonglewski, Amanda Schoonover, and Leonard Haas, along with famed television and stage stars Paul Giamatti, Zosia Mamet and Philadelphia’s own Maggie Siff.
MARCH We proudly presented Studio X-hibition, our new play development program, with offerings by three local playwright superstars, Babel by Jacqueline Goldfinger (now on our mainstage this season!), Good Americans by Bruce Graham, and Tank Stranger Sees the Face of The Divine In The Condensation Of A Water Glass…Looking All Natch by James Ijames. It was a thrill to welcome patrons old and new to our new space with these free readings.
APRIL Exile’s administrative team was happy to move into its brand new offices, with a kitchen and new inclusive restrooms.
MAY Our production of Among the Dead by Hansol Jung was lauded by the Inquirer “...addresses challenging topics...with purpose, compassion, and a generous pinch of humor.” Through our new Out of Exile initiative, we brought our monologue writing workshops to South Philadelphia Older Adult Center, Mighty Writers and Hawthorne Community Center.
JUNE We celebrated our homecoming with a free block party for our neighbors and supporters called Back from Exile. Hundreds of South Philly residents enjoyed performances from Victor Café, a Q&A with Ray Didinger, building tours, student monologue readings, food trucks, DJ, Mummers, and more! We were also proud to present the world premiere of Whisper’s Gone by MJ Kaufman free for families in multiple local parks throughout the month.
JULY Theatre Exile’s 2019/2020 season was announced!
AUGUST Exile’s 4th year of producing Tommy and Me by Ray Didinger was a smashing success. We welcomed many new audiences and sports celebrities like Jeffrey Lurie and Dick Vermeil.
SEPTEMBER We had four shows – dance and puppetry – for this year’s Fringe Festival. We were thrilled to hear that Completeness by Itamar Moses, Among the Dead and Whisper’s Gone were nominated in the 2018-2019 Barrymore Awards!
OCTOBER As we continue the building of our new space, we hung Warren Muller’s two amazing chandeliers, electrifying all of us! Our Paper Wings education program began in Andrew Jackson and South Philly High Schools.
NOVEMBER Busy times with casting and holding rehearsals and getting ready for our 23rd season! We also proudly connected with the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia in preparations for our upcoming show On The Exhale by Martin Zimmerman, which begins on November 29.
DECEMBER Performances of On the Exhale run through Dec. 22. We’re excited to showcase students performing their own scripts in the Paper Wings Monologue Festival at our theater.
Thank you for partnering with us. We look forward to our work together creating exciting and inciting theater in the new year ahead!
Please make a tax-deductible gift today so that we can continue our important work in the arts and for our community.
FROM ALL OF US HERE AT THEATRE EXILE, BRIGHT WISHES FOR A HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND NEW YEAR.
YOURS IN EXILE, DEBORAH BLOCK