The Persians

People's Light

2008

$110,000

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Melanye Finister in The Persians. Photo by Mark Garvin.

People's Light produced the Philadelphia premiere of The Persians, Ellen McLaughlin's adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy by Aeschylus, with original music by sound designer Daniel Kluger. A tale of war and national grief, this production reinterprets the classic play that tells the story of the Athenian defeat of the powerful Persian Empire in 480 BC.

Recipients

People's Light

Performance

Theater

Event

Tell Me What I Can Do from ear-whispered: works by Tania El Khoury

Bryn Mawr College presents Tell Me What I Can Do, part of ear-whispered: works by Tania El Khoury.

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Grants & Grantees

Perfect Blue

A live and digital theatrical experience will question the impact of technology on human connectivity as two actors perform their roles on separate continents—one live in a theater and the other projected through a live-streaming video feed.

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Grants & Grantees

Threads of History: Resurrection of a Textile

Classical Indian dance, performed by the Dancing Monks of Assam, brings to life the stories embedded in an ancient textile from the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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Grants & Grantees

Violin Woman, African Dreams

An evening-length suite composed by Diane Monroe for violin, string quartet, West African kora, and percussion draws is inspired by museum and historic house collections in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood

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Event

The Cherry Orchard Performances

The Wilma Theater presents The Cherry Orchard, a new adaptation of the final play written by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.

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Event

The Philadelphia Matter - 1972/2020 Stream

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Event

Ars Nova's New Paths Festival Presents Mats Gustafsson's Swedish Azz at the American Swedish Historical Museum

Swedish saxophonist-composer Mats Gustaffson leads the United States debut of Swedish Azz, an all-Swedish ensemble.

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Grants & Grantees

Rehearsing Philadelphia, new commission by Ari Benjamin Meyers

Under the direction of composer and artist Ari Benjamin Meyers, artists from various creative practices come together for a collaborative performance project that highlights the ability of sound and art to connect audiences across Philadelphia.

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Questions of Practice

Opera Philadelphia Director David Devan on Going Digital and “Inclusive and Equitable Artistic Practice”

Opera Philadelphia Director David Devan spoke with us about the company's shift toward digital programming and their approach toward inclusivity and equity.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Jérôme Bel

An experimental choreographer, Bel provokes his audiences with witty, cerebral presentations that pose questions about virtuosity and the nature of dance.

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Event

PRISM Quartet: Color Theory Workshops

PRISM Quartet's Center-funded project Color Theory features a series of performances, lectures, and workshops that investigate the concept of "musical color."

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Estelle Parsons

Actress Estelle Parsons has found success on stage, screen, and television, often playing characters who can best be described as fanatical or neurotic.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Catherine Wood

Catherine Wood is curator of international art and performance at Tate Modern.

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Event

(Dis)placed: Music & Tales of Home

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture presents a concert of Syrian music and stories of displacement in Philadelphia.

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Collaborators & Colleagues

Roger LaMay

Roger LaMay is general manager at WXPN (88.5 FM), a public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania.

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GRANTS & GRANTEES

Pablo Batista

Over the course of his 30-year career, percussionist and 2000 Pew Fellow Pablo Batista has performed, recorded, and toured with a range of leading jazz, R&B, Latin, pop, and gospel artists including Bono, George Howard, Alicia Keyes, Gerald Levert, Jeffrey Osborne, Eddie Palmieri, Teddy Pendergrass, Diane Reeves, Grover Washington, Jr., Musiq, Manny Oquendo's Conjunto Libre, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

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Event

Free Simulcast Screening of Supper, People on the Move at Independence Mall

A simulcast of the Supper, People on the Move performance at the Icebox, screened outdoors at Independence Mall, free and open to the public.

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Grants & Grantees

Still Unknown

Nicole Cousineau collaborated with seven local performance artists to create an immersive dance-theater work.

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Grants & Grantees

Facing Front: The Duets of Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion

Drozdowski, a curator of performance, will host European duo Jonathan Burrows and Matteo Fargion for a two-week retrospective of their collaborative career.

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News

In Memoriam: Tokay Tomah, Traditional African Vocalist and Pew Fellow

Tokay Tomah, 2016 Pew Fellow and celebrated singer, composer, and recording artist, passed away on November 14, 2017.

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