CITY SUBURBAN NEWS FREE
P H I L A D E L P H I A & T H E M A I N L I N E ’ S FAV O R I T E W E E K LY
Year 32, No. 15
Celebrating 32 Years of Community News
December 7 – December 13, 2016
FIND YOUR COMMUNITY 1812 Productions Presents “The Carols” Act II Playhouse in Ambler NEWS HERE! Presents the Final “Murray A World Premiere Holiday Musical about the Everyday Magic of Generosity and Love in an Uncertain World
curmudgeonly landlady with a pre-war past, and a silent pianist, and the show, such as it is, must go on. This quintet is joined by an itinerant Jewish comedian,
Historic Holiday Nights in Old City Page 8
812 Productions continues its 20th anniversary season with “The Carols,” an original musical set in the small town of Picatinny, NJ during World War II. It’s Christmastime in 1943 and the local VFW is empty. The community waits for their loved ones to return from foreign battlefields and no one is particularly interested in the Hall’s annual performance of “A Christmas Carol.” Enter a trio of sisters and their post-war dreams, their
1 Holiday Shopping & Entertainment
Find Great Arts & Cultural Events Inside!
CITY SUBURBAN NEWS 610-667-6623 www.issuu.com/ CitySuburbanNews LIKE us on Facebook!
CitySuburbanNews@mac.com
“Murray the Elf and the Case of the Horrible Holly Heist” December 17 - 29
The cast of “The Carols,” from left – top row – Mary Martello; middle row – Emily Kleimo, Caroline Dooner, Rachel Camp, Anthony Lawton; bottom row – TJ Harris. Photo/John Flak
Temple Beth Hillel – Beth El’s Craft & Gift Show Page 6
Education News Pages 11 & 12
the Elf” Mystery
out on his own and looking for work after a Catskills bust. With no audience to perform for except themselves, this small group of holiday orphans craft “A Christmas Carol” all their own, rewriting and unraveling Dickens’ classic tale, as they bring their own stories Will Dennis and Andy Shaw star in “Murray the Elf and the of hope lost and found to the stage. Case of the Horrible Holly Heist,” on stage December 17 “The Carols” opened December 1 and runs 29 at Act II Playhouse in Ambler. Photo/Bill D’Agostino through December 31 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, in Center City. ct II Playhouse in Ambler presents the world premiere Opening Night is Wednesday, December 7 at of “Murray the Elf and the Case of the Horrible Holly 7 p.m. Tickets range from $28 to $45 and are Heist,” the fifth and final mystery in the theatre’s beloved available at www.1812productions.org or at local kids series, on stage December 17 - 29. 215-592-9560. An open-captioned performance “Murray the Elf and the Case of the Horrible Holly Heist” in English will be held on Sunday, December is written by Act II Communications and Education Director
A
See “The Carols” on page 4
See “Murray the Elf” at Act II on page 3
Identity, Election, and Inspiring Change at Friends’ Central’s Diversity Conference formance by Philly Youth Poetry n Saturday, November Movement (PYPM) and a pres12, Friends’ Central hostentation by noted speaker ed Philadelphia area Andres Celin of Youth United public, parochial, and indepenfor Change, the conference dent schools for the second grew in popularity and numannual Diversity Conference, ber this year, more than douentitled “Different Voices, Same bling last year’s attendance, Vision: Selfhood and the Ameriillustrating the need for and can Perspective.” Created in power of this type of confer2015 and led by FCS student ence. Simone Gibson ’17, this year’s This year’s conference went conference provided a space deeper into the idea of one’s for students and teachers from identity and what it means to different schools to discuss be American in today’s socitopics in race relations, make ety. Gibson explains, “Many sense of this year’s election, people have been questionand inspire people to take action ing their own identity and their and advocate for change. family’s existence in America. Gibson, now a senior at This year, we wanted to go Friends’ Central, was inspired deeper with that idea of idento bring the Diversity Confertity to help people be more ence to fruition after attending the NAIS Student Diver- Friends’ Central students at the 2nd Annual Diversity Conference, entitled “Different Voices, aware of their existence in America, and how they can Same Vision: Selfhood and the American Perspective.” sity Leadership Conference begin to change their com(SDLC) as a sophomore. In the Conference Mission Statement, Gibson shared that the purpose of the con- munities’ perspectives of who they are.” That theme of identity was highlighted right from the beginning of the ference is “to bring independent and non-independent schools together in a safe setting where students learn from and have conversations with each conference, with a keynote address by Mariama Richards, Assistant Head other about diversity issues.” With highlights like a powerful poetry perSee Friends’ Central’s Diversity Conference page 4
O