On October 12 at 11 a.m., the Free in the Plaza series at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will present a free sampling of the array of events available for half-price during Center City Arts and Culture Week. The cast of Gemini, The Musical, appearing at the Prince Music Theater, will perform a song from the show; Rahnda Rize will present traditional African dance to celebrate the African American Museum in Philadelphia; Spiral Q puppets, from Bram Stoker's Dracula: The Rosenbach Notes at Rosenbach Museum and Library will be on hand; and Violist Teng Li will preview her performance for Astral Artistic Services.
Produced by Center City District and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and promoted through PhillyFunGuide.com, the first Center City Arts & Culture Week offers incredible bargains on a wide range of theater, music, and museum events in downtown Philadelphia. The 23 participating venues are a who’s who of Center City’s diverse cultural community ranging from the Academy of Natural Sciences, Kimmel Center Presents, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to more eclectic fare including theater company 1812 Productions, Trinity Center for Urban Life and the Mütter Museum of Medicine.
There is something for every taste and every budget, and with all tickets at half price, it is a bargain you can’t pass up. Featured performances include Mamma Mia! at the Forrest Theatre, K.D. Lang at the Kimmel Center, Faust and Don Pasquale at the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and pianist Paul Alberts at Trinity Center for Urban Life. Exhibitions on view will include Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Franklin Institute, Paintings by Bo Bartlett at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Middle Passage: White Ships, Black Cargo at the African American Museum.
Tickets and Special Promotion
Best of all, half price tickets are now available through PhillyFunGuide.com giving the public plenty of time to plan an affordable night on the town. The website will also have information on parking and special promotions including "Win a Year of Arts and Culture in Center City". (This promotion is open to the public and participation in Arts and Culture Week is not required.) The Grand Prize will feature 52 pairs of tickets to events throughout Center City. Entry forms and complete details will be available at participating organizations during Arts and Culture Week and online at PhillyFunGuide.com starting October 4. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 5.
Events and Participating Organizations By Genre
Theater
1812 productions (Mondo Mangia), Arden Theatre Company (The Underpants and Arabian Nights), Forrest Theatre (Mamma Mia!), Merriam Theatre (Def Poetry), and Philadelphia Theatre Company (TRUMBO, starring Bill Irwin).
Museums
Academy of Natural Sciences, African American Museum in Philadelphia, Atwater Kent Museum, Franklin Institute Science Museum, Geographical Society of Philadelphia, Mutter Museum of Medicine/College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Rosenbach Museum & Library.
Music
Astral Artistic Services (Violist Teng Li), Opera Company of Philadelphia (Faust and Don Pasquale), Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Prince Music Theater (Gemini the Musical), Trinity Center for Urban Life (pianist Paul Alberts) and Piffaro, The Renaissance Band.
Variety
Atwater Kent Museum (Film, The Winning Team), and the Geographical Society of Philadelphia (Film, Grand Canyon).
Complete list of participating venues
1812 Productions, Academy of Natural Sciences, African American Museum in Philadelphia, Arden Theatre Company, Astral Artistic Services, Atwater Kent Museum, Forrest Theatre, Franklin Institute Science Museum, Geographical Society of Philadelphia, Kimmel Center Presents, Merriam Theatre, Mütter Museum of Medicine/College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Piffaro The Renaissance Band, Prince Music Theater, Rosenbach Museum & Library, and Trinity Center for Urban Life.
