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Just Do It
Why did the toad cross the road? To get to Roxborough Reservoir.
If it was any other time of year, guesses like, “They have a death wish?” or “They want to play a round of ‘Frogger’?” would be totally applicable. Well, amphibian enthusiasts, it’s mating season and the toads are hittin' the road for some lovin’.
Each spring, toads come out of hibernation to head for shallow, sex-friendly waters, overcoming predators along the way. The perfect destination for Philly ribbiters? Roxborough Reservoir. “People will be surprised to see that we have wildlife phenomenon like this in one of the largest cities in the country,” says Debbie Carr, director of environmental education at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Debbie started the toad walking events in 2009, after having set up camp with her husband to watch the toads hopping along the reservoir. Now, she and other volunteers lead the way for others to witness this yearly ritual.
Chances are you’ll hear the toads before you even see them. “Males begin migration to the water first and when they arrive, they sing,” says Debbie. “When you hear the sound, you’ll always know that it is the call of the toads.”
Join Debbie and volunteers to learn more about toads and their migration process, how to differentiate them from frogs and decipher their call into the wild. And be sure to bring a flashlight — toad activity is at its peak under the blanket of night. Ribbit!
Fri. and Sat., March 18-19 and 25-26, 6:30pm - 7:30pm, FREE, meet at Port Royal Ave. and Lare St., 215.683.0218, toaddetour.com.
Everybody’s beautiful: that’s the core belief behind How Philly Moves, an ongoing project based on the photography of JJ Tiziou. The artist photographed more than 170 Philadelphians in the midst of 10-minute dances — movements they improvised themselves, with no direction from Tiziou. These Philly dancers will appear next month, vastly magnified, across Philadelphia airport in a How Philly Moves mural — and you’re invited to help paint it this weekend at the Gallery. It’s the final community paint day for the six-building-wide piece, backed by the Mural Arts Program and stunningly previewed in the rendering above. “From I-95, at 55 miles per hour, the energy of their movements will be unmistakable,” observes the HPM website.
If you’re interested, don’t worry about your painting skills, or lack of them: it’s a “giant paint-by-numbers, essentially,” Tiziou says. Volunteers will paint on five-by-five squares of parachute cloth. And they don’t have to stay long — though it’s a three-hour session, painters are welcome just to drop in briefly.
That’s not all: an exhibit in the airport’s baggage claim will allow Tiziou to showcase many more dancing Philadelphians from his extensive shoots. Meanwhile, Tiziou is working with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) on a connected piece: a projection of the dancers that will appear on the side of the Kimmel Center from dusk to dawn, starting April 7 (click the link for video of a fascinating chat with the man himself). Tiziou is gathering funds through the website Kickstarter, which allows anyone and everyone to chip in and help get the project off the ground. The site sets a funding goal and asks supporters to pledge whatever they can — an ideal system to back a project that’s all about community, the artist points out. Rather than one person pledging $100, he says, it’s better for that person to give $10 and tell 10 friends. Not only does that mean more funding, it also spreads the grassroots effort “one circle broader.” The effort will allow further photo shoots, bringing new faces to How Philly Moves. It’s a “scaleable” project, the site notes: the more support, the bigger it can grow.
Community paint day details: Sat., Mar. 12, 12-3 p.m., the Gallery, Ninth and Market, Third floor.
Baring it all, or most of it at least, the Pretty Things Peep Show is taking the stage at North Star Bar to put on their vaudeville-style variety act featuring traditional pastie-clad dancers, as well as stunts worthy of a circus sideshow. Joining the critically-acclaimed act are a few local talents: the Philly Roller Girls are putting on a Psydde Delicious fashion show, and a guest appearance by Peek-A-Boo Revue will add local flavor to the night.
GoGo Amy, a burlesque dancer and CEO of Pretty Things Productions, says the performers’ talent is the heart and soul of the show; their smokin’ hot bods are just an added bonus.“Vaudeville is more about variety and wonder then just the bump and grind, although our show does have a good deal of that too,” she says.
Some of the wonder GoGo Amy is talking about is the sideshow element her performers bring to the stage. One member of the cast, Miss Heather Holliday, swallows swords and eats fire, and Lil' Miss Firefly is a little person who can walk on glass. The night’s MC is Donny Vomit, a seasoned veteran of all things freaky having worked for the Coney Island Circus Sideshow and Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Times Square.
Racy but not raunchy, The Pretty Things Peepshow manages to shimmy towards a balance.
Wed. March 9, 8 p.m. $10 in advance, $12 at the door, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. 215-787-0488, prettythingsproductions.com.
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| Sing it, sister! |
HAT DECORATING: CROWNING GLORY WORKSHOP Create a hat Aretha could rock at this workshop taught by artist Edward Maeder. Materials are included with workshop price, but feel free to bring your own pipe cleaners, buttons or whatever else you can think of. Sat., Feb. 19, 9 a.m., $48, Green on Greene Building, 6819 Greene St., 215-842-1040.
COMPOSTING FOR FUN, NOT PROFIT This workshop teaches the delightful essentials and benefits of composting. Every Thu., 6-7 p.m., FREE, Greensgrow Farm, 2501 E. Cumberland St., 215-427-2702.
CONTEMPORARY ISRAEL CINEMA FILM CLASS Are you an Israeli film buff? Join instructor Gary Kramer every Wednesday (except March 16) for DVD screenings and discussions on how class, gender, religion, and other contemporary issues are illustrated in recent Israeli films. Every Wed., 6:30-9:30 p.m., $125, Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St., 215-545-4400.
INTRODUCTION TO LIGHTROOM Learn how to clean up your digital photos with Adobe Lightroom. You'll finally be able to retouch your snaps before posting them on Facebook. Every Thu., 7-10 p.m., $300, Project Basho, 1305 Germantown Ave., 215-238-0928.
MEDIA THEATRE'S ACTING & VOICE CLASSES These classes, developed around the Meisner Technique, are ideal for actors and regular folk, alike. Call or check the website for details about their voice lessons and eight-week acting classes for children, teens and adults. Every Sun., $350, Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media, 610-891-0100.
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| Augusto Boal |
RAINBOW OF DESIRE: THEATER AND THERAPY Brazilian director Augusto Boal developed a theory on how to help people handle life's oppressive daily torments. He believes that by helping people act situations out on stage they will become more comfortable handling realistic situations, and more accepting of their reactions. Every Mon., 7:30-9 p.m., $40, Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave., 215-730-0982.
STRIPTEASE AEROBICS Tone up while you learn new ways to drive your partner wild in the bedroom at this aerobics session that teaches the art of stripping. Every Fri., 5:30-6:15 p.m., $10, Fitness Works Philadelphia, 714 Reed St., 215-334-8190.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE FLEISCHER BROTHERS CARTOON STUDIO Are you old enough to recall Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, or Popeye? Relive your youth and get a glimpse into the Fleischer Brothers' Cartoon Studio. Every Thu., 6:30-8:30 p.m., $59, Mt. Airy Learning Tree, 6601 Greene St., 215-843-6333.
THE WORD STUDIO WRITING WORKSHOP Aspiring writers can take advantage of this workshop, which offers structure, feedback, guidance, and the practice of meeting deadlines. Every Tue., 7-9:15 p.m., $450, The Word Studio, 26 E. Mt. Airy Ave., 215-242-1432.
URBAN ORGANIC GARDENING WORKSHOP There's more you can do for your plants to make them grow besides singing off-key. This workshop will cover garden beds, seeds, healthy soil, and more to aid your vegetable garden. Sun., Feb. 20, 2-3:30 p.m., $10, Mishkan Shalom, 4101 Freeland Ave., nimphilly.org/sustainingcreation.
For more Classes/Workshops listings, or to add some of your own, click HERE.
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| Save The Day Productions | |||
| Gerard Joseph as T'Challa a.k.a The Black Panther |
You can always expect a culturally relevant lineup of comic book shenanigans from Save the Day Production's signature series, Super Heroes Who are Super! And February – Black History Month – is no exception.
At Plays & Players on Saturday, Feb. 12, an all-African-American cast will perform a play about the first black super hero in a comic, T'Challa — also known as the Black Panther. When he returns to Wakanda (yes, that's a fictional African kingdom) following his time in America with the Fantastic Four, "The Man Called Kill-Monger!" has taken over and must be stopped. Sound action-packed, enough? Wait until the bluesy American babe steps into the picture. In case you're unacquainted with Super Heroes Who are Super!, it's all straight out of the muscled Marvel characters and soap-operatic scripts of the '60s and '70s. Aided by not-so-state-of-the-art effects (we're talking water guns), the cast reads and performs the entire comic. Featuring Gerard Joseph and narrator Joe Turner, who runs Atomic City Comics on South Street, they will indulge in the racy melodrama of the Panther's Rage at 10:30 p.m., Plays & Players Third Floor Skinner Studio, $12-15, 1714 Delancey Place,savethedayproductions.org. |
| Or P.S. "Tomorrow, I put a ring on it" |
DEAR WHOEVER'S INTERESTED, IF YOU WERE HERE, I'D BE HORNY. WITH LOVE, [YOUR NAME] XOXO
I've been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a gem in your new posts. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Talk Dirty. I like your alias! :)
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| Shooting a scene from It's Always Sunny. Who needs Hollywood? |
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| schmittenkitten.com |
| Somebody wants a snowjob ... |
Fri., Dec. 17, 10 p.m., Tattooed Mom's, 530 South St., 215-238-9880, shmittenkitten.com.
The folks at Johnny Brenda's (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) are working to beef up their downstairs area with free, calendar-worthy events that are low-key enough not to disrupt their casual pubbing atmosphere.
On the second Tuesday of every month at 8 p.m., DJ Science Face (a.k.a Dave Hartley of Nightlands and War On Drugs micro-fame) will spin"Harmonic Explorations" — which, I must say, is a lofty-ass title for post-Beach Boys pop music.
"DJ Science Face" is admittedly a name that — along with "Intervals: Harmonic Explorations" — prompts trippier expectations than stuff like T-Rex, Bowie or the occasional Rolling Stones, but Hartley says he's coming to deliver a mix of melodic retro-pop that's as catchy as it is danceable.
"I'm a singer and I really enjoy harmonies," says Hartley, "which is why I like to spin mostly baroque-pop."
Photo Courtesy of Ryan Carey
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